This book's premise was extremely interesting and promising. However, I am let down in the sense that this book is not about fangirl/fandom subcultures but mostly about One Direction fans. I understand using it as a central recurring theme and referring back to the foundation of the research idea, but this book was poorly written and the logical flow was too loose for me to follow. It didn't resemble what I'd imagine this would be, however, I think that a different framing of what it is would ensure this book falls in to the right hands. Also, I think that if this was tightened up a bit more, it could be a promising look into internet cultures which influence how celebrities/media operates today.

Fangirl was a title I came to while in a high school, and one that I wore proudly, living on Tumblr and Twitter and Instagram, enmeshed in the fandoms that I loved and wouldn't shut up about online and in person. My fandoms of choice did not include the One Direction fandom, which plays a large role in this particular book, but existing on the internet at the time of 1D meant that many of the cultural references Tiffany cites were ones I recall quite clearly, and the general mechanisms of fandom (and internet fandom in particular) are something that I am intimately familiar with. With that, I found this book to be an absolute delight to read, as it delved into the complexities of fandom and internet and fangirls, putting language to a complicated phenomenon that is hard to capture in any capacity. Despite the academic slant of this text, I found this whole book to be utterly fascinating and I found it nearly impossible to put down. It made me think deeper about internet fandom, made me laugh out loud at times over the absurdity of it all, made me cringe at my past self's own forays into certain fan spaces, and also made me smile with joy at what a beautiful and powerful and terrifying thing it is to be a fangirl. I also loved Tiffany's personal input and perspective throughout the book, infusing it with a sense that even though she was here to document and examine this cultural phenomenon, she was also right in it too, simultaneously the insider and outsider to this world. I not only plan on rereading this one, but I also will be recommending this book to everyone in my life, especially to the fellow fangirls. Thank you Kaitlyn Tiffany for this gem of a book! I truly hope it kicks off even more scholarship on this topic!

A love letter and a criticism of fandom culture wrapped in fun packaging!

Everything I Need I Get From You is an exploration on internet fandom culture in the 2010"s, focusing specifically on One Direction stans, was a fun throwback to my teen years while also not shying away from the toxicity of the internet (specifically Twitter and Tumblr.) It explores how teen girls revamped "teeny bop" culture as the internet became more accessible to them, and has many fans interviewed, looking back on these years. It also gives voice to forgotten members of the community who did not fit the "white, teen girl aesthetic (POC, LGBT, adult fans.) It talks about the toxicity with "ship culture" and the way fandoms have influenced and used their platforms for political matters.

A must read for any former Tumblr kids of the last decade!

A balanced and engrossing ode to and critique of stan culture and the internet. I always love a good pop culture history/sociology book, but what makes this book stand out is how Tiffany uses her personal experience as a 1D stan alongside the history of stan subculture, the ethics of pop culture & consumption, and interviews from other stans. This book comprehensively showcases the resourcefulness, collaborative of (girl, queer, BIPOC, and older) stans while also revealing how stan culture often intersects with moments of personal transformation. A must-read.

This book is partly a memoir of a One Direction fan and partly an investigative journalism piece on fandom culture, fangirls and fan internet in general. Had I been a Directioner the book would have been a five-star read for sure, but either way here we have a book I had always wished existed - an exploration of fangirls on the internet.
The examples and stories are mostly but not exclusively taken from 1D fandom but are generally applicable and relatable if you've ever been a part of the fan internet and in particular Stan Twitter for any group, artist, actor etc. The origin story of said Stan Twitter and especially of its slang was the most fascinating part of the book to me.
To any hardcore fan fandoms are a source of comfort but they can also be a very scary place, which the author proves time and time again in this book.

This is a book I'd describe as a mix of the personal story of a One Direction fan, the first truly internet-age boy band, and the deeper, analytical look into the structure of fandom and its history. It's not fully either - it's a bit of everything, which might not be for everyone - but it's entertaining. I finished it in less than 24 hours.

One Direction was my first fandom at 11 years old, and it's been almost 10 years now that I've been a part of various fandoms, so I'm very familiar with the space the author is describing.

If you are someone who is already deeply involved with fandom, this book might not reveal anything really new to you (and if you weren't a One Direction fan, then the very frequent reference of old memes might annoy you) and you may wish it was less of a lesson about fandom and more of a personal/analytic story.

If you are someone who doesn't know what fandom is whatsoever and is considering reading the book to finally learn what's up, it might not fully introduce you to its shape either (and you might be a bit confused by it) - you will need to get other reading material as well to learn more - but it will bring out the important emotional note that's a crucial part of fandom (even if the ways of fandom are, for the biggest chunk of the book, presented by one specific fandom from 5-6 years ago).

If you are somewhere in between, you'll probably find it interesting and charming, at least in part.

Reading about Larry wasn't extremely pleasant; I was waiting for those chapters to be done, as I avoided any of that drama back in the fandom days as well, but it is one of the most famous examples of the way fandom interacts with its source of loyalty.

This book is, at its core, a love letter to Kaitlyn Tiffany's fandom days. I definitely agree with her on one thing, and that's the reality that fandom and fandom culture needs to be accepted and analysed more seriously. And in modern fan spaces, there is nothing more that fans like to do.

This was a really fun book, exploring internet fandom and how it has affected the internet. I've been a fan-girl of various bands for over 20 years, so I certainly related to the author's fandom of One Direction. It was a hilarious book, perfect for any fan of pop culture criticism!

Let me preface this review with this information: I am, and will always be, a fangirl. Since adolescence, I have been heavily involved in a number of fandoms. I've made cringey youtube edits, read fanfiction, written fanfiction (and made coinciding fic playlists, obviously!), waited outside of venues all day before a show to be at the very front, etc. All of it. I've done it. I am that fan. It's a part of who I am.

Anybody who relates will love this book. It's a love letter written by and for fangirls. It focuses mainly on the One Direction fandom, but you can plug in basically any fandom in a lot of the anecdotal bits and it still rings true. The in-jokes, the fan campaigns, the hysteria, the absurdity, the understanding—all universal components that are so unique to fan culture. Kaitlyn Tiffany perfectly captures what it is to be a fan of something in the digital age. This book is funny, familiar, and at times poignant to the point of almost inducing tears (the story about the author listening to "Kiwi" by Harry Styles on repeat around the time of her abortion being the perfect example of the healing and coping power of fandom.)

Very enjoyable.

"Fandom interrupts monotony and sadness; it's as simple as enjoying something for no reason, and it's as complicated as life."

Being perfectly honest, it was the cover that pulled me towards this book. It reminds me a lot of the over-exaggerated posts on Tumblr you'll see with all the heart emojis and some semi-threatening message about how the character loves you. Never did I imagine that I would binge read this in one go and be dragged through the best and scariest parts of the One Direction fandom that I like to distance myself from!

Kaitlyn Tiffany has surely taken the experience of being in a fandom ( and lack for a gender neutral term, a fangirl ) and explored its intricacies that will have any fan analyzing their own fandoms and behavior within it. While Tiffany talks majorly about One Direction, Bruce Springsteen, and The Beatles, the impact of these fandoms can be seen in the daily activities of K-Pop fans. I was also very surprised to hear Tiffany talk about her own experiences with One Direction and have them resonate back with my own experiences, even being the same age and circumstances of when we found the groups that gave life a purpose.

I highly recommend this book for anyone truly. I find the details of events that I was both apart of and only heard about so fascinating and I think this look into fandom and how fangirls have shaped the way we interact online. This is surely a piece that I will reference and recommend to my friends!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for granting me access to this work!

This book was awesome. I am Justin Bieber’s #2 Fan (we all know Hailey is #1) and this book had me legit cracking up. Following social media and the pop culture and that some of us are obsessed with. Me especially. Hilarious. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I knew next to nothing about the band One Directions before reading Kaitlyn Tiffany's book. Now I know so much more than I ever thought I would. And that's a good thing! This book was a fascinating journey into online stan culture, specifically as it relates to 1D, but it also covers online fan movements in general. I found myself shaking my head in disbelief several times as Tiffany recounted the many conspiracy theories that online fandom has latched onto. I'm sure this is all old news to people way younger than me, but it shown a light onto a corner of pop culture I wasn't knowledgable about, and for that I'm thankful.

I will never tire of learning more about fangirls, boy bands, and how fandoms rule the Internet. As a self-professed former boy band fangirl, and with a graduate degree in media studies, the marriage of the two is endlessly fascinating. While I haven't been a part of an online fandom in almost 20 years, I still love reading about that ones that survive now because wow.. I don't know if I would have been cut out for the hardcore grassroots organizing and social justice work they can pull off! It's inspiring and gives me hope for the future of the world.

But I digress. This book by Kaitlyn Tiffany is terrific and I loved every second. The title may be a bit misleading, as this really only focuses on one boy band: One Direction. If you are a 1D fan, this is easily a must-read. I loved the deep dives into Larry fandom, Babygate, and all the other ways the Internet framed the narrative of 1D. It is truly fascinating to me. She touches a bit on other fandoms, and of course BTS and their ARMY, but this is truly a book about 1D and while it can be a bit one-sided in that regard, there is truly no better social experiment than the biggest boy band in the world becoming famous just as Twitter and Instagram were launching into the stratosphere. I could talk about all this for ages but instead I will leave you with.. if you think you'd like this book, I promise you you will.

Needed this! My lil fangirl self feels seen, but some takes feel a bit dated and singular to the one direction fandom.

I spent way too much time on Tumblr as a teenager, and was also very into One Direction, so reading this book hit a specific spot of both nostalgia and cringe. I will say that this at its core, this is a book about One Direction, and might not be as fun to read for someone who is interested in fandom but not British boy bands from the 2010s. The author weaves anecdotes about 1D, stan accounts, and scholarship about fandom and fangirls into a clever conversation about the internet and why we love the things that we love. I especially loved reading about Tiffany's own relationship with One Direction — it genuinely made me want to build a new parasocial relationship with a celebrity. But I won't!

*This ARC was provided to me via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

Promised to be a deep dive on fangirls and how they shaped the social internet. This was not true. This was a deep dive on only the One Direction fandom. Although I was recently reminded that I introduced several people to 1D in 2010/2011, I wouldn’t have read it if I knew that I was reading about Harry’s vomit, the word ‘chonce’, and Larry. The author said specifically in the intro that this was not a 1D book, but she lied. This is good for 1D fans but I felt tricked into reading it with the promise of it being something else.

Everything I Need I Get From You is a book about how fans of things can become so obsessed, they are actually able to alter perceptions of just about anything they set their mind on. This book particularly focuses on fans of One Direction (which upon investigation is where the title came from. I am not a One Direction fan so I did not recognize it.)

While you do not have to be a fan of One Direction to enjoy this book, I think it would help. This book dives into how fans of One Direction changes things on the internet in an attempt to make themselves appear as bigger fans. An example in the book is playing a new song continuously all day long in order for that song to debut as #1 on the charts. And not just one person doing it. It is a collaborative effort among thousands of fans.

Anyone who has ever been immersed in any kind of fandom will relate to parts of this book but especially fandoms that started gaining traction as social media became more accessible. A few examples from the book where Supernatural and Taylor Swift. I loved the discussion about how when you are really deeply involved in a fandom, it is hard to understand why everyone else isn’t as involved as you are. This book as discussed the subgroups within fandoms. The big example in this book was two members of One Direction being in a secret relationship. The fandom was basically split into those who believed this theory and those who didn’t and the people from each group did not comprehend why everyone didn’t see it how they did.

The book goes a lot more into detail about One Direction than I could possibly have ever cared about but because I have felt deeply about different fandoms growing up, I felt like I really connected with this book. I really enjoyed the snippets from the author’s life as she talked about her experiences being a One Direction fan. It really helped me connect further to this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It by Kaitlyn Tiffany is an amazing, funny, and captivating look into fandom and the internet. The story is nonfiction and told from the point of view of the author, who is a fan of the boyband One Direction. But there are fans, and then, there are "stans." The internet, including Twitter, Tumblr, etc. have allowed superfans to meet, congregate, like each other's posts, share memes, and do plenty of other things. As a superfan herself, the author has an inside look into the One Direction fandom, and she gives us a front-row seat to various issues and controversies.

Here is a funny excerpt from the Introduction, when the author explains how she first encountered One Direction:

"I was nineteen, home for the summer, working in the mall food court. I loved school, but I hated the event of college, and couldn’t find a place to insert myself in a fraternity-dominated social landscape. Most Saturday nights there, I would put on something ugly, drink two beers in a fraternity annex and wait for someone to say something I could throw a fit about, then leave. I watched so much television my freshman year, I received a warning email about exceeding my limit for campus internet usage. I hadn’t kissed anyone, and I’d made only a handful of friends I wasn’t sure I liked. At the same time, I was obsessed with a coworker at the mall who was older and generally cruel. I’d driven home most weekends just to make minimum wage elbow-to-elbow with him, pulling weak espresso shots and drizzling caramel syrup over whipped cream. When I wasn’t doing that, I was stewing on Tumblr, scrolling through moody imagery and photos of feminist-lite prose tattooed into rib cages. The year was a bad one for me in general, and I didn’t have any idea why I—the gleaming try-hard of suburbia!—was suddenly failing at essentially everything.
But I still liked the feeling of being taken care of by my parents, sinking back into the arrangement of being one of four children, all girls, taken on outings and lectured for neglecting our chores. I still wanted to be a child, and to enjoy childish things. It was August, and the heat was insane. We weren’t a summer activities family, apart from the travel soccer leagues we played in every year, but we were a movie theater family. So my mom’s minivan took us to a matinee showing of the One Direction documentary This Is Us."

Overall, Everything I Need I Get from You is an amazing look into One Direction fandom. This would make the perfect gift for the fan or former fan of One Direction in your life. One highlight of this book is that the author clearly explains so many inside jokes and tenets of internet culture that I had no idea about. As a millennial who never got into Tumblr, a lot of "stan culture" has flown over my head. Thanks to this book, I am now more informed than I was before. I did take off 1 star, because a lot of the book focuses on One Direction, and I wasn't very interested in that. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of nonfiction books about internet culture, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!

"The people, many of them young women, who catapulted One Direction from reality show failure to international pop stars did so with methods that had never been seen on such a scale before, and with a dedication and single-mindedness that defied easy understanding. They catalogued every wince and wink for years on end. They sent threats of violence to girlfriends and to journalists. They were warm and witty and generous, sharing in-jokes and spare dollars for iTunes downloads. They were cruel and stupid; they schismed and broke down. Like many of us, they had a habit of needing more than they could get, and giving too much of themselves in spaces where they were unlikely to be rewarded."

Kaitlyn Tiffany's "Everything I Need I Get from You" explores the world of internet fandom, specifically through the lens of boybands and fangirls, from the birth of One Direction to the present. Tiffany bounces between her own experiences of being a One Direction fan, going down the rabbit holes of Directioners, Larries, and numerous other sub-fan groups, and scholarship on fandom theory since the early 1900s to show how the social media age brought fans together in ways (some bizarre, some heartwarming) no one ever thought possible.

I adored this book. I'm not a One Directioner or really a super fan of anyone but Tiffany presented this information in a way that made me wish I was. The connections she described will remind anyone who has formed parasocial relationships with celebrities/pseudocelebrities over the years of the connection and joy those relationships have brought to their lives. In a time when connections in real life can seem heavier by the day, these relationships "[interrupt] monotony and sadness; it's as simple as enjoying something for no reason, and it's as complicated as life." The book reminded me of why I shouldn't be embarrassed to share my obsession of the week/month/year with others, even if that obsession seems a bit much.

Tiffany doesn't shy away from describing the negative aspects of fandom either. She spends time mentioning the problematic aspects of shipping band members, how some fans have become stalkers, and the ways that the fandom has had to and sometimes failed to acknowledge and protect underrepresented fans. Everything is carefully cited and the endnotes of the book are surprisingly in-depth for such a lighthearted read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was interesting, but it was definitely a One Direction book. The subtitle claims the book is about how female fandom shaped the internet, but it doesn't really cover any of the female fandom on the internet pre-One Direction with any depth. I think if the subtitle felt more accurate, I would have had a better sense of the book going in, and would have enjoyed it more.

Anyone who has been a "stan" will find this book fascinating, and anyone who has been a One Direction stan will especially enjoy this book. It really is a book about One Direction at its core, even though Kaitlyn promises early on it isn't.

I loved this book, especially the final few chapters that look at the impact of internet culture, especially as it relates to female-centric fandoms. I do wish the book used more examples from outside the 1D subculture (a chapter on Larry with no mention of Kaylor?!) but overall this was so enjoyable.

Side note: one of my favorite book covers in recent memory.