Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Release Date: September 10th, 2013

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Format: Hardcover

Page Number: 448

Source: Own

 

Synopsis (Goodreads): Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
 

 My Thoughts

Fangirl caused a roar in the booktube and blogging communities, and after reading it I understand why. This book is a delightful story of growing up and changing, even if you don't really want to.

 

First of all, I want to adress that this book is us. And by us, I mean the Internet dwellers, the fanfiction writers, and anyone else who spends their days behind computer screens like me. Fanfiction please a major role in this book, and the main character Cath, writes fanfiction about a series very similar to our own Harry Potter. I loved this unique aspect and I though Rainbow Rowell did a great job carrying it through.

 

The main character, Cath, bothered me a bit. Cath starts off the book as a socially awkward freshman in college who doesn't want to do anything new. This annoyed me because she had so many opportunities to go out and do things to meet other people, but she waited until the end of the book to make any progress. However, she does make development as she goes from being a kid to growing into an adult through the course of this book. The side character were almost better than Cath in my opinion, especially Regan, who made me laugh like a crazy person with her witty dialogue, and the romance isn't bad either.

 

Speaking of dialogue, Rainbow Rowell has an incredible writing style, and she definitely didn't disappoint me in this book. She gives such realistic and witty dialogue to her characters that I believed that I was reading something that my friends said. There are now tons of sticky notes marking some of my favorite passages in this book. She also gave a really nice interpretation (in my opinion) of college life, since I haven't attended college yet. However, I felt that Rainbow could have delivered a little more on the plot, because I thought it was a little slow in some spots.

 

Rating: 4/5 worms

This book is a delightful treat for anyone who loves contemporary or is addicted to the Internet like me!