A review by bumblemee
Last Seen Online by Lauren James

mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Ok, this was pretty cool! 
As someone who is fascinated by fandom, this was a really interesting premise and setting. Fandom is a beautiful thing and has a lot of wonderful outcomes, but we all have to be honest in admitting that sometimes is simply goes way too far. This book gets into the darker parts of fandom, the obsessiveness it can have and I really enjoyed seeing this explored in a book.
I also really liked Delilah and Sawyer as our main characters. The way they bond over acting and simply click, it was great! :) - I also felt for Delilah and her anxieties over feeling left out and the resulting behaviour, even if it really was a little intense.

At some points I thought this book was a little chaotic. Maybe that's just me, but the amount of times I had to update information in my brain
Gottie admitted lies so often my God
, it got a little much. People lie and therefore one could argue that this is only realistic and a smart move and to some extent I agree with that, but it was a little too exhausting for me personally, because I never got to settle with anything as fact.
The ending wasn't my favorite thing I ever read, but it was well executed and everthing got a conclusion, which I liked.
Nothing more infuriating than being left guessig just for the sake of it. Even though I wasn't suuuper pumped that Delilahs Mom was Gottie, I am thankful that we got to know who it was instead of leaving itopen ended for no reason. - I also reread the scene where Delilah gets dropped off at Sawyer's by her Mom, which means that Gottie and Anya met. I think this scene could've been handled a liiiittle better for forshadowing-purposes, but tbh I don't know what I'd expect to accomplish that, because the line between not effective at all and too obvious is very thin.


All in all a very solid read, can recommend! Plot and characters are very enjoyable!!