Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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?

I feel like I have been talking about Fangirl so much I don't even have any words left for the review. 

Aside from maybe every positive adjective I could ever think of like...amazing, heart wrenching, inspiring, cute, quirky, lovely, funny, overwhelming...you get the picture, I hope. 

Fangirl is one of those hyped up books I knew I would hate. It sounded to me like a too quirky and not serious enough novel about a topic that is very near and dear to my heart - too much so as that I could enjoy reading about it in a flat, superficial way. 

Thank God, Rainbow Rowell made this one of my favorite novels of last year. Thank God for Cath and Wren, their Dad, Reagan and Levi and all the wonderful lessons they taught me about life and myself and about being a Fangirl and writing and growing up. 

This quickly became one of the novels that changed my outlook on life. I realized (again) that it is okay to like something and then completely and entirely devote yourself to it. I realized that if I like something there is nothing wrong with admitting it. And I realized that a real, true friend will accept me and like me the way I am - no matter how weird and quirky that might be. 

If this is the kind of lesson you think you need a little refresher on, then please read Fangirl. And even if you don't, just read it for the benefit of a beautiful story of friendship and growing of age - and apart and of first love and college. 

I could go on about characters, plot and writing now and analyse everything in great detail, but I think it suffices to say those aspects were all perfect. 

Just for the people among you who know me very well and who also know I cannot possibly say something without complaining in some way, I will say this: I didn't like the Fanfiction.

I guess it was a nice added detail and definitely very creative. Just didn't appeal to me personally.