Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
Reviewed by: Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist
Genre: YA Fiction, Mystery
Suggested Age: Teens
What is the book about?: Everyone loves The Ruperts, a British boy band taking America by storm. But no one loves them as much as the narrator and her three friends. No one loves them enough to book a room in the hotel they’re staying in while filming a major television appearance. No one loves them enough to uh… kidnap one of them. And hold him hostage. And use him to hunt down the other three Ruperts. No one else literally loves The Ruperts to death. This is the story of those girls. It’s a story that starts out innocently enough – as innocent as superfans can be anyway – and goes horribly, terribly wrong.
My Review: This book is pretty dark but it was also a lot of fun. Dark fun. I don’t know if boy bands are as big a thing now as they were in the 90s and 2000s. I was never into them but I witnessed the musical carnage of NKOTB, Backstreet Boys, and N’Sync. I think there are more superfans for television shows now. Kill the Boy Band perfectly captures that superfan insanity. Even if you think you’re immune to fandom craziness, just think for a second about what you would do if you had the attention of your favorite celebrity. Most of you probably wouldn’t try to kidnap them, but that’s where this book takes a delightfully dark turn. These girls make one bad decision after another and I couldn’t look away.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Obsessive, Dark, Funny
Give This a Try if You Like… Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Misery by Stephen King, The Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!