My Thoughts: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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?

**Review copy received from publisher

First I am going to put something out there that some of your are not going to be happy to hear! I didn't really like Eleanor and Park all that much! I mean, I liked it, But I didn't love it, and I didn't think it was this epic love story that brought me back to my teenage years- not at all. In saying that, I was maybe a little nervous going into Rainbow Rowell's newest novel, Fangirl. I honestly thought that it would take me forever to get into and that I would again be disappointed with what I got. However, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thought Fangirl was absolutely fantastic and I loved every minute of it. This book was SO much fun to read and it left me feeling happy once I had finished it. Fangirl for the most part fits into the New Adult category and Rowell's take on the genre was original and unique, incredibly realistic and relateable (to some extent at least). Fangirl is what New Adult should be. Just saying.

The story surrounds Cather (Cath) as she enters her first year of University (or College). She had initially though that she would be sharing a room with her twin sister Wren. However, last minute Wren decided that sharing a room with Cath wasn't something that she wanted. Therefore Cath was stuck sharing a room with stranger and losing touch with her sister. This is something that Cath really struggles with as she is incredibly anti-social and is often anxious is new situations. Cath is basically a wreck her first few weeks of college and the distance she is feeling from her sister is not helping. One thing that Cath can and does get comfort from is the fanfiction she writes.

I don't know how many good things I can say about this book. It was brilliant. Cath was not a perfect character. She was flawed and kind of strange and sometimes a bit extreme. But she was genuine and real. I could easily relate to her and the anxiety she felt being away from home and being unsure if she was in the right place. Cath's insecurities regarding making new friends and her ability to succeed academically were also things that I remembered feeling. Cath was an authentic representation of most people leaving home for the first time.

What's funny about Fangirl is that a good chunk of this novel surrounds Cath's career as a fanfiction writer. This was not something I could relate to. Believe it or not I was never a fanfiction reader. It honestly never entered my mind to search up some good ole' HP fanfic. There were a number of chunks in this novel that were dedicated to the telling of the Simon Snow story, and honestly I either skimmed over these pieces or skipped them totally. I felt like I was okay doing that. I don't think I missed anything important in the story by doing this. But that's me.

Overall, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell has everything you could ask for in a book. A fantasticly complex story, and slow burn romance and friendships that start off rocky but develop into something special. I loved every minute of this book and I am excited for you all to read it.

~Happy Reading Everyone!