Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: Standalone
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 433 pages
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Source: Bought
Rating: 5 Stars
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Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the author the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park

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:

I don’t know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It spoke to me on so many different levels. This was my first Rainbow Rowell book and I will definitely be adding her to my auto-buy list. This is also the first New Adult book I’ve read. I’ve shied away from the genre because from what I’ve heard and seen, it’s just raunchy YA with tons of unnecessary sex. Not my cup of tea. But Fangirl is what New Adult should be. A story about a young woman just trying to find herself and her place in the world. And no, there’s no raunchy sex. Thank god.

The main character, Cath, is starting college. Her twin sister, Wren, doesn’t want to live with Cath on campus. She thinks it would be best for them to meet new people. I think it’s a good idea, but Cath, not so much. She’s a very quiet, keep-to-herself kind of girl and any new situation makes her extremely anxious. She hides in her room for the first month of college, terrified of meeting new people. She even lives on protein bars because she doesn’t know where the dining hall is and doesn’t know what to do once she gets there. How does the line work? Where should she sit? These fears are those of every single college freshman. Cath was so raw and real to me. I loved reading about her struggles and remembering my own. We’re all human and we’re all uncomfortable with change. (If you tell me you like change, I’m going to call you a liar.) Cath is the type of character that everyone will be able to relate to on some level. 

“Her dad was wrong about worrying. Cath liked to worry. It made her feel proactive, even when she was totally helpless.”

Cath writes fan fiction for Simon Snow, who apparently is like the equivalent of Harry Potter in this book. From reading other reviews, apparently there are some funny Harry Potter references, but since I haven’t read any of the HP books *hides from internet* they went right over my head. I’ve never read fan fiction so I didn’t really relate to that side of Cath, but I did relate to how Cath hid behind it. She used the fan fiction as an excuse to not try new things, to not go out, to not finish tough assignments. Some people have complained about the fan fiction in the book, saying that they had a hard time getting through those sections, but I actually enjoyed them. It gave me another inside look into Cath and helped me better understand her.

There was a major conflict with Cath’s mother that added another interesting dimension to the story and also explained a lot about Cath’s personality. Cath’s dad also has his own issues and I liked watching Cath struggle with wanting to help her father and realizing that he needs to take care of himself, learning that she can’t use him as an excuse to not live her own life.

“She didn’t trust anyone, and that was a problem. A fundamental problem.”

Not only was Cath a great character, the supporting characters were fantastic as well. Reagan, Cath’s roommate was hilarious and had me cracking up the whole time I was reading. Levi was the most adorable guy ever. You couldn’t help but smile whenever he was around. Cath’s sister, Wren, is a bitch throughout the book, but I think she was just as lost as Cath. She only dealt with it in a different way.

This book spoke to my soul. It affected me on such a personal level. I could relate to so many things going on in this book. I felt what Cath felt. I felt what Wren felt. These characters worked their way into my heart and are never letting go. I got so many feels from this book. I laughed, I smiled, I cried. Oh geez, I’m crying again writing this. There are no words to describe how much I loved this book. It was just perfect. I will be recommending this book to everybody I know. Go read this one guys. It was just incredible. Happy reading all!  

Have you guys read this book? Did you love it just as much as I did?