Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

September 10, 2013

445 pages

Goodreads  Chapters/Indigo

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?

Review

This is one of the best contemporary books I've ever read! It was super real in parts and super cute in others. Rainbow Rowell didn't try to make this book fluffy. Even though not everything had a favourable outcome, every part of the story was easily relatable. The issues that were presented during the story were dealt with nicely by the end. I adored Cath and Levi as a pair! Really, what fan of Fangirl can resist them together? I love their relationship and I need more!! 

I absolutely love Cath! I could relate to her throughout the whole book. I understood her anxiety about her dad, her hurt and anger towards her sister and her hesitation and fears with Levi. I'm glad I got to share her joy at having met great friends and her frustrations and excitements over her Simon Snow obsession. Since I also have a twin sister, I can say that Cath's feelings and actions regarding Wren were spot on. Sometimes I felt like they were my own and I found myself thinking that that's happened to me too. She is just so real. I wish she was real so we can share our thoughts with each other!

I love that Levi is such an ideal love interest but he's not perfect. I was so angry and frustrated at him when Cath walked in on him kissing that blonde girl. What was he thinking? He just kissed Cath less than 24 hours ago! I  guess it just showed that nobody's perfect. We all make mistake(s) no matter how stupid and thoughtless the mistake may turn out to be. The important thing is that we recognize the wrong we did and make it right. That's exactly what Levi did and I just absolutely love him for it. He can come lean on my door anytime!

I wish the Simon Snow series could be a real series because I really enjoyed the excerpts that were woven into the story. So heartwarming. It really reminded me of my childhood, growing up with Harry Potter. I'm sure every fan understood when Cath mentioned waiting for the last book to come out. Also, there's the realization that when the final book came out, the series is really over. Our journey with the magical characters within that magical world has come to an end. So real.

This book has everything! The gut-wrenching, the heartbreaking and the breathtaking. I literally went through all of those while turning the pages. After finishing the book, I can finally say I understand all the hype!! It is so well-deserved and most definitely lived up to my expectations! Everyone should read it :)