Superfan

Reviews

"Zhang digs deep into modern fandom and the ways technology encourages fans’ parasocial relationships in this sensitive, nuanced portrait of two misfits searching for a place to belong...Teens will empathize with Minnie's struggle to fit in and her experience of finding connection and discord in online fan culture."
—Booklist (starred review)

“Zhang writes about obsessive fandom with the knowledge of an insider, tossing in heaps of scandals and fandom minutiae…It’s affecting to witness Minnie’s and Eason’s hard-fought journeys to self-acceptance. An earnest exploration of toxic fandom and coming of age.”
—Kirkus

"Zhang explores the line between fandom and idol worship in her sharp sophomore outing...A perceptive take on the limits to a relationship between fan and star."
—Publishers Weekly

"As catchy, appealing, and achingly tender as a boy band's hit ballad, Superfan dazzles and captivates, while raising vital questions about fandom, celebrity, and the performance of self. Jenny Tinghui Zhang captures the complexities of emerging adulthood in all its tenuous glory."
—Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit

“Superfan riveted me. I was a frog being boiled as Zhang pulled me page by page into the book’s orbit, with writing that is deceptively perceptive, yearning, and engaging all at once. Superfan is not only an insightful examination of the all-encompassing natures of fandom and stardom, it’s a story about ultimately learning to feel whole.”
—Rachel Khong, New York Times bestselling author of Real Americans

"Breathtaking and heartfelt, Superfan is a cosmic collision of two fractured lives pulled into each other’s orbit through an astonishing series of events. With an eye for both the personal and the universal, Zhang reveals how the past and present versions of ourselves can never be outrun—with consequences as devastating as they are redemptive. Superfan doesn’t just redefine the fan-star relationship, it explodes it from the inside out."
—Elaine Hsieh Chou, author of Disorientation

"A deliciously smart page turner, Superfan takes on our lonely culture where strangers on message boards become stand-ins for real-world friends and fandom takes the place of genuine connection. Sly and inventive, Zhang writes perceptively and her curiosity lies with the absurdity of a contemporary world bent on splitting us into private and public selves while offering few off-ramps to true happiness. A timely read."
—Laura Warrell, author of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm