August 26, 2013

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 405
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
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 Thoughts:
I swear this is the perfect story. I just loved everything about it, most specifically the wonderful characters and the emotions it brought out in me. 'Fangirl' is a must read for anyone who has taken part in fandom, especially the Harry Potter fandom. More specifically, anyone who has ever written or read fanfic obsessively will relate to this book. You can tell that Rainbow Rowell really gets fandom and fanfic, that she's been a part of it and respects what it is. She understands fan devotion and how big a part of your life it can be.

Our main character, Cath... I just loved her. Not always, but so many times, I felt like she was me. I could relate so much to how she felt, with being socially awkward and wanting to stay home instead of going to a party. I mean, Cath takes being anti-social to a level that not even I could relate to, but things like not going to the dining hall for so long because she was afraid of looking dumb? This was completely me, my first year of university. Cath feels things so deeply, like feeling betrayed by people moving on, or not believing or understanding when a guy likes her, and I could completely empathize with her.

I don’t think it’s too spoilery to say that the book contains a slow moving relationship between Cath and Levi, and I completely adored them. I ship them like woah, and considering the topic of the book I just want someone to write fics of them, especially kissing ones. 'Fangirl' is also a book about family. Cath is drifting apart from her twin sister, Wren, at a time when Cath really needs her. They have a Dad who's a bit messed up, and a mother who was absent for too long. I loved how effortlessly these different aspects were woven into the story, because 'Fangirl' really is a story about stories. It’s about the structure of them, about how we write, and where we get inspiration.

I really can’t praise this book enough. It’s rare for me to remember specific details and feel the emotions of the story months after I’ve read the book, but as I write this review I feel excited about the book all over again. I can’t wait to re-read 'Fangirl' and experience the story all over again.

The Cover:
So cute!!

Rating:
[5/5]

Find Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

13 comments:

  1. I haven't heard a bad thing about this book! Seriously. I feel like Rowell is the next John Green. She can do no wrong -- and I love it! Now I just need to get my hands on a copy. Great review, I particularly loved how you mentioned Cath's relationship with Levi is slow moving. I appreciate that it's not insta-love and it's more organic. Definitely need this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I know exactly what you mean. It is the perfect book. I'm reading Rowell's earlier book Attachments right now and really liking it also. She has a great way of creating full characters.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would read some Cath & Levi fan fiction! I've now read and loved 3 books by Rainbow Rowell and will pretty much buy anything she publishes from now on. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. So much the perfect story. You're so-so right. I absolutely loved this book and really want to reread it. Maybe now! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now I'm really wanting to read this. Sounds like the perfect book for me too and I can see myself really liking and relating to Cath.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the awesome review!!
    I was an active part of the HP fandom for a long time so I guess I'm going to love this

    ReplyDelete
  7. Eeeeee! SO glad you love it! We're not necessarily huge on fandoms -- though we do consider ourselves part of some, such as Star Trek (Kristan) or Doctor Who (Stephanie and Sarah) -- but we adoooooore Rainbow Rowell's writing and humor and storytelling, and we're dyyyyying for FANGIRL.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your book review was really awesome! I’ll definitely be looking out for this when it’s released, it sounds great! Thanks for sharing :-) .

    Ann@Blogging E-books

    ReplyDelete
  9. This sounds so good! I really liked Eleanor & Park so I was hoping this next book would be just as good. I love it when characters are so easy to relate to. Can't wait until this one comes out. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ahhh yayyy, I've been looking forward to this one so much! It sounds like an NA that's definitely branched out, and I'm so eager to read about the fanfic aspect in particular. :) So happy you liked it, Ashley!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yay-5 stars! I saved this to read tomorrow on my day off and I am so excited for more of Rowell's writing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I too really loved this book! Which surprised me as I wasn't a huge fan of Eleanor and Park.

    Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment; I appreciate each one!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...