Certainly fascinating, and cute, if not cliche

It's kind of cliche YA fiction, kinda twee, the use of epithets is a little amateur, sure, and the plot is formulaic to the point that it stretches the suspension of disbelief. And yet... there's so much heart behind it the technical glitches of a new writer are easy to overlook.
As a big consumer of stories about fans and fan culture, it's incredible to see a fictional account by somebody on the other side - the adored, instead of the ones doing the adoring. It kind of comes down to Colfer and what we know about him, either through cultural osmosis or as fans of Glee (in my case, full disclosure, I was a fan in early high school, but never particularly devoted), and I believe in the sentiment behind most of the tough conversations in the book. Emotionally, it's all there, and it's pretty well representative of what fandom means to us, but also, I hope, what fans mean to actors - not pulling punches on the disrespect sometimes given, but not ignoring the heart and love involved. I could speculate more on Colfer's relation between his life and the events of the novel, sure, but it's pointless to the story and would probably border on that sort of disrespect.
While it's not the primary focus, the story's main cast includes gay, trans, and PoC characters, and I would just mention (again, because by the nature of the story, one is forced to think about Glee) that they're all pretty respectfully represented. Nothing much to fear of that old mid to late-2000s TV's 'progressive, but only, like, compared to the literally nothing we've had before'. Just to allay concerns I would have had going into it, as a now young adult gay who grew up with Colfer's Glee character.
Beyond how intriguing those parts of it is, it's a pretty standard, but pleasant YA road trip story, and if you like those, you'll probably like this. And if you're in a fandom, that too. Or if you just like stories about the power of stories, and role models and heroes, or that rough almost-adult coming of age summer between high school and whatever comes next. There's a little of all of it and though it's technically imperfect, the characters and sentiments are really strong.
Colfer's narration performance is strong, the dialogue is well acted, and the recording quality is pretty top notch.
Recommended at like a 4.5/5 for fans and big YA readers. Maybe like a or 3/5 for everybody else.

4 people found this helpful

Living in the Gray Area is okay

Chris Colfer's book "Stranger than FanFiction" is really good. I loved it. I chose to start with the audible version due to the fact that Chris narrates the stories him self. I knew that it would make the experience even more special. As I entered the lives of Topher, Sam, Mo, Joey & Cash Carter. I found myself swept into their life stories & their secret struggles. The teenagers are major fans of a tv show called Wiz kids. Cash Carter is the lead actor of that show. The teenagers have planned a road trip. Wanting to have some fun time together before they go their separate ways to college. One of the teenagers writes a letter to Cash Carter, In the letter he talks about the road trip & jokingly invites Cash to join them. To their surprise Cash actually shows up. Something we all have dreamed of, right? But unknown to them Cash is struggling with his own secrets too.Throughout the story it opens my eyes to how stressful the life of a celebrity can be. Because I knew Cash's story was influenced by some of Chris Colfer's own experiences's from his Glee days. It affected me because I'm one of Chris's fans, too. I was so embarrassed & angry at some of the fans. Because I couldn't understand how they could do some of the things they did to someone they were suppose to care about & admire. There's also the paparazzi but that's a story all it's own. Now back to the teenagers I experienced the struggles that each teenager went through during the story. It opened my eyes & my heart to the pain each one of them felt , They only wanted to be able to be themselves & be accepted & loved.But they were scared of how people would react & of being rejected or hurting someone they cared about. There's no way I can imagine all of their pain. If it was real life all I could do would be to let them know I would be there to love & support them with whatever they decided to do. Getting back to the story. Needless to say you combine these five people & you are bound to have some crazy life altering adventures. It was alot of fun being there with them through it all. Through them I got to visit some really interesting places.I got to experience things I would never have been able to in my own life. But be warned. Their will be times during this story you will find yourself on a emotional rollercoaster. Because by this time in the story you will have grown to care about these Weary Road Travelers very much. If they feel pain you do. If they feel happy you do too. It would be a good idea to keep some tissues nearby There's so much more to this story. I just didn't know how to express it without giving to much information. I didn't want to ruin the story for new readers. Chris did a incredible narration of this story . Its like through his voice each of his characters came to life. It was a incredible journey. I apologise in advance for my Punctuation & Grammer. I know Chris doesn't like when it's bad. I'm so sorry. My daughter usually checks over my paperwork but she's not here. Due to the social distancing we are experiencing because of the coronavirus. We don't get to spend much time together unless it's online. So I hope this review is okay.

1 person found this helpful

So disappointed !

I was so disappointed with this book! 27 minutes into it they dropped the F-bomb and had drug use. My daughter and I I loved listening to The Land of Stories and thought this was going to be comparable it wasn't. This book is not suitable for kids! Totally wasted a credit on this.

3 people found this helpful

Fun reading for fangirls

Really enjoyed the story. Narration was perfect.
Want to know what happens next for Downers

1 person found this helpful

Love it love u Chris

I have been a fan for ever and when u started writing books I started to like reading and listening to them thank u

1 person found this helpful

Not just an amazing actor and singer...

I will admit that I purchased this book because I am a fan of Mr. Colfer's performances on the show "Glee" and in the film "Struck By Lightning." I was pleased to find that his talents extend to the written word. The characters are extremely likeable, even when behaving badly, and I appreciated the lighthearted tone despite the serious topics it touches upon.

Hilarious

Another Chris Colfer master pieces. I had a really good time listening to this. It’s light hearted and funny.

A coming of age story with a twist

I did not see that coming.

If you know Chris Colfer only from his Land of Stories books, be prepared to watch the author take his craft to the next level.

😍😍😍

I absolutely loved this book. It has been my favorite since I first read it myself. And even more now that I got to listen to it. Thank you for such a good experience!!!!

audio of stranger than fanfiction

absolutely loved and enjoyed this book, it's my first chris colfer book (who I have adored since glee) and it won't be my last!