All. The. Feels. | Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Friday, May 19, 2017Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's GriffinPublication Date: 9/10/13
Pages: 481
Source: BEA
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble
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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? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
Cath is a total fangirl of the Simon Snow series. She has all the books, all the posters, and even all the movies. She also writes a highly-popular fanfiction about the books. Wren, her twin, and Cath are attending the same college, and it is going to be a blast. Nothing has to change; does it? Except Wren doesn’t want to room with Cath. She wants to have the whole college experience. Cath is less than excited about this turn of events. Will she even like college? Fangirl is a coming of age story like you’ve never seen before.
The Fangirl
- Cath is one of the most relatable characters I have read in a long time. Her narrative is definitely on point with what a freshman in college goes through. I, almost, wish I had read this book while still in college. Fangirl is easily a book that will help you forget about your own troubles. It may have put my mind at ease as many things I worried about in college were exactly the same as what Cath was worrying about.
- Cath is such a kindred spirit. She gets so many things right but especially everything she said about writing. The book is heavily ingrained in Cath’s fanfiction and her work in her fiction writing class. A lot of the discussions about writing rang true and hauntingly gorgeous.
- Every aspect of Cath’s life was touching and beautifully structured. It was more than a coming of age story. It was a story for you to find pieces of yourself within the writing.
The Friends
- I could easily find characters who seemed to be just like my friends. It was as if Rainbow Rowell had taken a bit of every freshman’s life and structured it around the most relatable of characters.
- Only, I wish we were given a bit more time with Levi. He still remains somewhat of a mystery and I would have loved to get to know him a bit more. He was so bubbly, outgoing, and an all-around nice guy.
- The romance blossomed incredibly well. It was both gorgeous and realistic.
- And how cute is reading aloud to another? We don’t get scenes like this very often, where the protagonist will read aloud to another character. It is so intimate and undeniably adorable. It shows how reading aloud brings people together.
The Fanfiction
- At the beginning of every chapter, there would always be a small excerpt of something related to what is happening in the plot. It is a fantastic idea; it had me making predictions about what may come next based on the excerpt.
- Rainbow Rowell has put some genius into this. She has created, not only, a coming of age story but a whole fanfiction (which you can read—in its entirety—in Carry On) based on the Simon Snow series (which excerpts from the fictional series pop up in Fangirl). It is an inception of stories. It is brilliant, a wonderful reading journey to delve between layers and layers of writing.
The Queen of Contemporary
- Confession time: I have never read anything by Rainbow Rowell. Fangirl is the first book that I have read of hers. And, believe me, I will not be stopping there. Next up, I must get my hands on Eleanor and Park.
- Fangirl is one of those books that are hard to describe. In the most basic sense, it is a coming of age story about a freshman in college. However, the synopsis didn’t draw me into the story. It was Rowell’s writing. From the very first page, I was hooked right into the realistic descriptions that are quirky and hilariously funny at just the right moments. It was as if she was speaking right to me. Not only that, but through Rowell’s writing, her characters come alive. They felt so real, as if we had just had a conversation of our own.
- I must dub Rainbow Rowell the queen of contemporary if it hasn’t been done so already. She definitely deserves the title with her believable writing and how her work connects with all readers.
Overall
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is a coming of age tale like no other. It delves deep into a freshman’s journey through the first year of college. Fangirl exemplifies a little bit of everyone. It is a tale that will be sure to brighten your day.
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