Notice Me
Published February 12th 2018 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Paperback 266 pages
Music DJ? Sure. Being the frontman of a popular band in a foreign country? Never in his wildest dreams. Anders finds himself living a cool life but at a price of projecting an effeminate image to the public. His fans love it. They’ve only known him since his makeover after his debut as a singer. They don’t know the manly Anders. But the girl he wants to notice him thinks he’s not her type. Now he has to choose between his public image and his private life. Millions of fans versus one? Their happiness or his happiness?
"Emem Uko takes you on a suspense-filled journey on the behind-the-scenes struggles of the lead vocalist of a boy band. A journey of growth, loss and finding a long-needed love. It is music to your ears. You will want it on repeat."
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This is a contemporary YA novel that is perfect for fans of boy bands and overall the music industry and the making of a band. The main character Anders becomes a lead vocalist almost by chance and the band he is a part of is catapulted into fame almost overnight.
I liked the beginning of this novel. The surprise message an author receives from a mystery celebrity was a good way to pull a reader in. However, once the identity of the celebrity is established the book abruptly switches to past events and recounts in excruciating detail his journey to fame and his everyday life as a member of a popular boy band.
One thing I could not understand was where most of the novel was taking place and why it was not revealed. Anders gets recruited by a foreign entertainment company that specializes in creating and promoting bands. You can sort of guess from the text that it is based in Asia (I would say Japan or Korea), but the author never identifies the country or the language, and I could not understand why. I think it takes away from the book and creates an annoying distraction (at least it did for me).
In addition, after the initial set-up that included a hint at unrequited love, we move into a detailed account of Anders' life as a lead singer of a boy band and do not come back to the love interest until the last quarter of the book. Moreover, there is no literary tension of any kind until about half way of the book and I did start to wonder whether anything interesting would happen any time soon. The plot definitely gets more interesting tn the second half of the book, despite the fact that the author still tends to be very detailed in her accounts of individual events.
I would say this book will appeal to anyone who likes boy bands, nice likable characters, detailed accounts of celebrities' lives and unsuspecting Cinderella stories, where an insanely popular musician falls in love with an ordinary fan. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.
Rating: really liked it
A love story with a difference.
This is the first novel from Emem Uko that I have read, but I'm certain that it won't be the last. 'Notice Me' is a teen love story that takes a different approach to the overly predictable and soppy novels that have become popular. Instead of the girl desperately approaching the boy, in 'Notice Me' the guy is hopelessly in love with a girl, who doesn't fall at his feet, despite him being the lead singer in a hugely successful boy band.
Anders has hit the big time, adopting a gender-fluid persona as the frontman of a boy band. His fans adore him, and in most cases, he wouldn't struggle to find someone willing to spend time with him. He wants more than someone who wants him because of how the world sees him, he wants someone who sees the real Anders, the man behind the makeup. When he finds the girl of his dreams, she struggles to see past the image of himself that he presents to the world. Will love win out, or will Anders pay a very heavy price for his success?
This novel was so beautifully written, with a protagonist in Anders, that I could not help feel such empathy for. His loneliness, despite being adored by millions of fans, was really heartbreaking and so well-described. I was really rooting for him to find happiness.
Rating: really liked it
We are all guilty of judging a book by its cover sometimes, and Anders is the victim when the girl of his dreams decides he is not her type. Probably not what Anders is expecting, considering he is the singer in a world famous boy band. A vast majority of his success came with a makeover that transformed him from your average guy into an androgynous and effeminate front man. When Anders changed, he didn't think his assumed character would become his identity. To get the girl does he really have to sacrifice his public image and his success, or can she look past it and see who he really is.
I loved this Notice Me by Enen Uko, it told a lovely story and it touched on an important issue that society faces today. So many people are finding the courage to be their authentic self and enjoying dressing up in drag, and identifying as the gender they feel they are inside. Yet sometimes they feel like they are being judged for what is shown on the surface when there is so much more underneath. Notice Me is a love story that moved me on a number of levels.
Rating: really liked it
Notice Me is written by Emem Uko, an up and coming young writer. This tale revolves around a young male singer, Anders who is the front of a boy band, The fans love him as he is gender neutral, appealing to a vast audience. However, Anders is conflicted, while he enjoys the adulation, he truly is in love with a girl, who may not love him back. His public persona is much different from his private life, and therein lies the problem. This is a different kind of story, one that will pull at your heartstrings in a unique way. Usually it is a girl chasing after a cute guy, but here the tables are turned. There is emotion and depth to the story, with a few quick turns here and there that change the focus from the present to the past when the band was formed. Even with these rather abrupt changes, the story is solid, and you can easily relate to Anders and his problem. The writing flows smoothly moving the plot and suspense along nicely. Highly recommend for an engaging and enjoyable story.
Rating: really liked it
Notice Me is a book filled with originality and energy the kind you only seem to discover from young writers full of passion. Uko’s cultural background comes across in her writing, and pop-cultural influences in the story. The subject matter isn’t something I’d particular go for myself, but it is written in a way that makes it accessible to someone like myself outside the perceived target demographic. There is certainly a revealed depth about the industry that never seemed apparent to me previously, but now I think I’ll give more credit to the struggles and passions of Millennials, and will for sure read more of Uko’s books.
