Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fangirl
Goodreads Summary
A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

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?

My review:
Oh my goodness! I can't believe I waited so long to read this book! I'm going to fangirl over Fangirl now!
First of all, I loved the characters, they were all unique and relateable. I honestly imagine myself being a lot like Cath at the beginning of the book when I go to College a year and a half from now. She was so shy, didn't talk much, didn't even know where the cafeteria was, and I love how she barely talked to her room mate - Reagan - for weeks and wouldn't let Levi (Reagan's friend or boyfriend - can't tell you which) into the room while Reagan wasn't there at first (very humorous)! Family was very important to her, and she was always there for her dad and twin sister Wren which I admired. She was very smart and responsible, and so into Simon Snow and her fan fiction writing.

I really liked how the whole twin thing was done, and how there were times when Cath would think about her relationship with Wren in the past. It showed how close they had been, and made it even sadder that Wren was drifting away from her. Wren had changed and Cath really missed her. There were times when I didn't really like Wren very much. Would Wren ever overcome her problems, and let Cath back into her life?

Finally Cath started talking to Reagan and they became friends which was kind of funny at first, because they were so different.

Levi! I really liked Levi! He was such a great guy, and always there for Cather (Cath) when she needed him. He went out of his way and made every effort to talk to her, even when he was always being ignored or brushed away. I loved how he was so nice to everyone and was always smiling. Doesn't every girl want a guy like that? I must say that this book made me swoon! There were many times during this book when I just couldn't stop smiling.

Fangirl was also humorous. There were many funny conversations and moments that made me laugh out loud. For one thing, The relationship between Levi and Reagan, and it was kind of obvious to the reader that he liked Cath, but she didn't see it.

The character growth was really good, especially Cath's. Throughout the book she basically went on a journey of self discovery. Living without her more outgoing twin, making her own friends, having her own balance of life, figuring out what SHE wanted, and discovering herself. She discovered that while Simon Snow and writing her fan fiction were important, they might not be the most important, and that she could be there for her dad and Wren without being around them every minute of every day. She also went from being uncomfortable around Levi to having a great relationship with him!

While the situation with her mom was really sad, I understand why she reacted the way she did. I mean Laura didn't really do anything to help the situation, and I was really disappointed in her.

I thought, and this is probably just me, that Fangirl ended a bit abruptly. I just wasn't expecting it to be completely over, and when I turned the page, it was. Nothing was left out or incomplete or anything, I just hadn't expected that it would end there.

This was a really good book, that will make you laugh, smile, swoon, think, and much more!



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