Fangirl

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is amazing. Wren and Cath are twin sisters who are polar opposites in terms of their personalities. Both girls go to college and split apart. Cath, who is very much an introvert, finds love while helping her sister deal with a drinking problem while also helping her dad who suffers from bipolar disorder. This book is an overall hit for anyone who is dealing with a major shift in their life that needs reassurance that everything will end up being okay.
I loved the fact that there was a fandom going on inside this book. I also loved that this book truly explains what college is and what it is about. The characters in this book also are very well-developed, which made me feel as though I were Cath and watching everything that happened in the book unfold right in front of me. I would highly recommend this book for lovers of a classic coming-of-age story and first loves.
Age Rating : 13+
Star Rating : 8/10

I thought Fangirl was/is brilliant. Author Rainbow Rowell skillfully narrates the story of Cath, a first year student at the U of Nebraska burdened with a hostile roommate and an author of Simon Snow, popular online fanfiction set at a boarding school for magicians (think: Harry Potter with several twists). First year students Simon Snow and Baz Pitch are roommates and sworn enemies. What a delight to learn that there are two Simon Snow sequels.

So...I had really high expectations, and I think that was my first mistake.

I didn’t hate it, I actually quite enjoyed it, but I took a star away because I hated Cath for the first ⅔ of the book.

She was immature, winey, scared of EVERYTHING and just someone I couldn’t connect with. None of these things are bad, and I acknowledge that there are real people out there that can see themselves, and their struggles in Cath. But she just wasn’t for me.

I spent a lot of the story just frustrated with her and I think it affected my enjoyment more that I would have liked.

I also want to mention that if I had read this book when it came out, I probably would have given it 4, maybe 5 stars. But at this point in my life, I felt like it was just a tad too young and naïve for me.

Cath has been writing fanfiction about Simon Snow ever since she read the first book in the series about him, and it has not only made her an excellent writer, but has also earned her a very large fan base online. Her twin sister, Wren, has always been part of her writing process, but now that they are about to embark on their first year of college, Wren does not want to room with her. Cath is devastated, especially since she is scared of what she will face, as well as knowing that they are both leaving their bi-polar dad at home alone. When Cath arrives, she meets her roommate, Reagan, who is mean to her and has a weird boyfriend that keeps hanging around their room. After several disastrous events, the only thing Cath wants is to go home and take care of her dad, but fate, family, and friends convince her to make a different decision.

Cath's story alternates with excerpts of the original Simon Snow novels and Cath's fanfiction, mirroring parallel events and themes as well as symbolism. I've heard great things about this book, but I had trouble identifying with the characters and the Simon Snow stories. However, the deep emotions of the characters comes through loud and clear, making it easy to empathize with them. Moreover, the characters are likable and easy to root for. Overall, this is an enjoyable read that, for me, doesn't quite live up to the hype.

This book holds a special place in my heart. I find myself re-reading it at least once a year because I just can't get enough of these characters. So lovely.

Read it over and over again. Great for a casual read, yet still impactful and leaves you feeling satisfied like a warm mug of apple cider.

Fangirl is definitely a cutesy, quick read, perfect for curling up with on cold days under the covers. The story deals with college freshman Cather (Cath for short) learning to adapt to her new, more independent life, as she struggles with the growing distance between her and her twin sister. There’s also the fight against her feelings towards a boy who’s constantly hanging around her dorm and the constant worry she has for her father back home. I found this book to be particularly fun to read because we get to see a clear character development and growth within the main heroine. If you’re into romance and have ever “fangirled” over anything, you have to pick this one up.

The book Fangirl reminds me of my first time at middle school, like a box full of surprises. Cath is a college freshman, but is having a tough time since she has to do everything by herself from making friends, preparing for finals to all the way to going out of her dorm to find the cafeteria. Cath is an identical twin with Wren. They spend most of their lives together and now are going their separate ways. Cath is also passionate in fan fiction writing about Simon Snow, a book series. This book was a bit boring in the beginning, but once you continue reading it, it gets really interesting!

A quirky, offbeat story about fanfiction, finding yourself, and finding others.

Summary:
Fangirl is about Cather “Cath” Avery’s life in her first year of college. Cath has a passion for writing that made her join a Fiction-Writing class, and write Carry On, which is a fanfiction novel for the “Harry Potter” series in her world, called the Simon Snow series. But her twin sister, Wren (the former co-author of Carry On) decides to go to another university, and leaves Cath to take care of her father’s mental needs and finish their fanfiction novel alone. With her roommate’s distractingly omni-present boyfriend, and her classmate with scandalously good looks, Cath struggles to maintain love, family ties, and her passion in her notorious procrastination of life. This epic has Cath’s difficult daily-struggles of college life and snippets of her fanfics, giving the readers views of both college life and the world of fan fiction.

My opinion:
Overall, I really liked this book for the unique characters, and the fanfiction in between. I was surprised with the fact that this book has very relatable events people have to encounter on a daily basis, and how to approach them, such as betrayal and sibling relationships. I expected Fangirl to be just a bit more amusing in comical situations, but there wasn't much comic. I like this book more than I thought I would, because of the themes discussed. One thing that really intrigued me are the different viewpoints of the character, and made me understand why the main character, and other people, would feel that way. I loved the mood of the story- the cozy, homey feeling it gave- for the many places she visited. The main character herself, Cath, is inspirational because of her passion
being successful, and her positive relationships with other characters.

I'm not usually a huge fan of YA books but this author just sucks me into their books! This one was so sweet and funny

I have always wanted to read this book and I am glad I did! This was such an enjoyable read for me. I connected to the main character as she transitioned from high school to college, a similar experience I went through as well. This book has an adorable friendship to romance, some awkward experiences, and lessons about becoming your own adult.

I read the original fangirl book with the pink cover and some fanart inside I thought it was a really good book to be honest I loved how Cath grew as a character and how she and Ren (her sister) tried to patch things up in the end. The chemistry between Cath and Levi was cute in a enjoyable way and by that i mean I really enjoyed reading about them because they were the most cutest couple ever. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I believe that rainbow rowell will continue writing good books because she has good writing skills.This book is a must read for fans of rainbow rowell or maybe you're someone that's just curious to read something new and i hope whoever else reads enjoys it as much as I do.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite books ever of all time, so when this originally came out I was so excited to read it....and then I stopped after the first couple chapters. Her storytelling abilities are just too good and I was relating to the main character a little too much...so I put it down (enter Sarah J Maas and years of fantasy/mythology). Sometimes I just don't like reading things like that in my very limited free time. But I always intended to finish it someday.

While I still empathize a lot with the main character and what goes on inside her head, I'm so glad I finally read this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was beautiful and real and relatable. In one part she even used the line "This....and this....and this..." that I LOOOVE in Song of Achilles (by Madeline Miller) and I had to stop myself from squealing out loud.

As a nerdy almost college aged girl, this spoke to me. Rainbow Rowell is a wonderful writer and this book is must-read for anyone who enjoys reading or writing fanfiction or just connecting to life in general. Absolutely lovely.

The more I read of Rainbow Rowell, the more I think she may be an underrated genius. I didn't think anything could match my love for "Eleanor & Park," but I really and truly loved this story (maybe just a smidge less, but still).

YA romance; girl from Omaha goes to college in Lincoln, NE. So Midwestern. So lovely.

From 30 best YA books of the last decade

I think it's impossible for Rainbow Rowell to write anything but Awesome. I absoultely loved this book!

445 pgs

I was not a fan of Fangirl... honestly I had to do a lot of rereading because I kept falling asleep while reading this book. I think this book was kind of boring, but really well written. Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite writers, but honestly alls this book did was make me want to read her book "Carry On." The main character Cath is a super Fangirl of Simon Snow a character in the novel "Carry On," a lot of the scenes in this novel were scenes Cath writes as an "expansion" of that novel, so that the world of Simon Snow can never end. Cath is so wrapped up in this pretend magical world of "Carry On" that she forgets to live her life. This is the main point of the novel Fangirl, but it made the actual story of Cath kind of boring. It was all English literature classes, editing papers, group assignments and writing more Simon Snow stories. This book really brought me back to college, and it made reading this book feel like actual homework... I honestly didn't want to finish this book, but I did hoping that the potential love story between Cath and Levi would pick up the pace of this story. It was a very slow love story. (SPOILER) The first romantic scene revolved around Cath needing to read the book "The Outsiders" aloud to Levi. This 'love' scene although sweet, it literally revolved around HOMEWORK! I'd rather get teeth pulled, then have to ever write another essay again, so the fact that this entire book was like reading an essay just made me DREAD finishing this book. I really feel like I'm going to be the only person with this opinion on this book?! Everyone on Goodreads ranked it 5 stars... If you want a really honest interpretation of college and all its classes, then read this book. Let me know in the comments down below if you've read this book, and what your thoughts were. I'm curious to see if anyone had similar thoughts about this novel.

I love EVERYTHING Rainbow Rowell! That being said, Fangirl is one of my all-time favorites.
Fangirl follows Cath, a recent high school grad with plans to study creative writing in college, but finds that not everyone has the same ideas of good, original writing. Cath's main subject of concentration is Simon Snow (a character similar to Harry Potter in this world), and specifically, his fan-originated love affair with antagonist, vampire, bad-boy Baz (basically Malfoy). So much so, in fact, that it has begun to affect her work at college. For me this story shows a very real part of life at that age; uncertainty. Cath struggles to find an original voice, to please her writing partner, her teacher, and herself. Each personal moment is accented with a snippet of her writings about Simon and Baz, and really brings you into both worlds at once when reading. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially a college aged person!

Fangirl is also available for checkout through our Message in the Margins book club in the Teen Zone.

If you're interested in more about Simon and Baz's relationship, check out Rowell's other title "Carry On" which is entirely set in the world of Cath's fandom. The sequel "Wayward Son" will be available for checkout soon!

I love how this book really captured the thoughts and feelings of a fanfic writer and a college girl perfectly. It was very interesting, and the name inspired me to check it out. What I didn't like about it was that it didn't seem to have a strong plot-it didn't quite thicken or take shape. The details given are really helpful and it was an amazing story overall, it's now a favorite of mine!

Fangirl has such a beautiful storyline. It takes you through family issues, schooling, and relationships. It is a relatable story, yet is creates a pile of places and characters that seem out of this world. Loved it, and would recommend to anyone and everyone!

Compelling characters, natural storyline progress and realistic depictions of anxiety: my kind of book. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed and a little weak. It is still a great read though and I am excited to check out some more books by this author!