I'm a Fan

by Sheena Patel
I'm a Fan cover
Good Books rating 4.25
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Waterstones
Paperback • £9.99 Hardback • £7.50
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  • ID: 45
  • Added: 2025-08-21
  • Updated: 2025-10-24
  • Formats: 67
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
Goodreads · 2025-08-21
raw 4.00

A raw and intense portrayal of toxic desire and social inequality, with a narrator obsessively following a glamorous influencer and navigating a fraught love triangle.

The story centers on a narrator consumed by jealousy and desire for a man she cannot have, who is involved with a white lifestyle influencer she also obsessively follows online. The novel explores themes of race, class, and social media status through a lens of bitterness and rage, exposing the narrator’s conflicted emotions and the corrosive effects of obsession. The intimate, sometimes explicit narration reveals the complexities of power and desire in modern relationships, making it a provocative and unflinching debut.

Quick quotes

    When he used to let me fuck him, he would be so deep inside me I could map the edges of my cervix.

    The narrator knows on some level the man she wants to be with is a superficial lout who uses women as objects.

    She continues to desire him so she can, among other reasons tied in with status, race and social inequality, spit her venom and express her rage.

Think About Reading · 2025-08-21
incisive 4.50

The novel dives into online culture's impact on young women and explores themes like obsession, inequality, and structural racism through a narrator caught in complex relationships.

Sheena Patel’s debut novel uses a young woman’s fraught romantic life and online stalking of a lifestyle influencer to dissect broader social issues such as overconsumption, obsession, and systemic inequality. The narrator juggles multiple relationships and emotional crises, revealing a deep need for attention and control that mirrors societal dysfunctions. Patel’s incisive portrayal of the narrator’s emotional and social turmoil highlights how structural racism and patriarchy shape personal and cultural experiences. The narrative’s sharp, honest voice captures the painful realities of modern relationships and identity struggles.

Quick quotes

    The book starts with her telling us how she is stalking online the lifestyle influencer who has replaced her in the artist’s affections.

    He renders me dead or alive with the flare of his attention. He is like this with all of us. He is a void and there is no way to fill it.

    It’s clear that this young woman is choosing someone unavailable because it lets her off the hook of commitment.

Lonesome Reader · 2025-08-21
compelling 4.25

This novel explores a toxic love triangle fueled by social media obsession, class, and race dynamics, with a narrator who reveals raw, unfiltered thoughts in punchy, compelling chapters.

The narrator is caught in a messy, toxic love triangle involving a man she desires and a woman she obsesses over online, both of whom are involved with other partners. The story is set against the backdrop of social media culture, where the influencer's curated online presence complicates the narrator's feelings of envy and disdain. The book is praised for its frank, incisive voice and the way it challenges modern conflicts of identity, obsession, and status through the lens of internet-fueled toxicity. The narrator’s compulsive online stalking and emotional turmoil are portrayed with sharp insight, making the narrative both compelling and challenging.

Quick quotes

    The unnamed protagonist of “I'm a Fan” isn't really the protagonist of her own life as she spends much of her time following online (and borderline stalking) two individuals.

    It's compelling and challenging how Patel describes this modern conflict.

    The dedicated documentation of such a doomed love affair reminded me somewhat of Annie Ernaux’s “Simple Passion”.

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