Brad About Books: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Read from August 30 to 31, 2013

FANGIRL
Expected Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 433 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

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?

Fangirl is a beautiful, riveting story that can't be topped. A phenomenal gem that is so absorbing and one of a kind. Absolutely marvelous. 

I read Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park earlier this year and fell in love with it so hard. So obviously, I was very much excited about her newest novel, Fangirl - and it did not disappoint in any level! While it doesn't have the same emotional attachment that Eleanor & Park has, Fangirl is a beautiful, coming-of-age tale that gave true light to letting things consuming your life (some for the good, some for the not-so-good), and Rowell did a fantastic job at handling Cath's situation. I felt connected to Cath immediately. The way her twin sister, Wren, basically leaves her in the dust when they get to college really stuck with me, and I loved going on this exploration journey of love, bonding, and being a fanatic of things you love with her. Rainbow Rowell has easily become one of my favorite writers of all time. I'm such a fan for Fangirl!

I also love how Fangirl gives off the illusion of parallel worlds (not literally parallel worlds; multiple stories being intertwined with each other). We have the story of Cath discovering herself and true love at college; we have the story of Cath and her fanfiction addiction; and we also have the story of Simon Snow, the series that Cath is obsessed with. Each story plays a vital role to the overall picture, and Rainbow Rowell balanced all these stories within Fangirl so well. But be warned: Fangirl will tug at your heartstrings so hard. We all have experienced/know someone who has experienced bullying, and I personally feel like Fangirl touches on the subject of bullying amazingly. Cath was been left by her own family, the people she thought she could always count on. What do you do when you've been looked away from? Cath's story with traveling through a new, vibrant world alone was fantastic; absolutely loved this book!

This. Entire. Book. I can't even; I seriously can't even. Fangirl has become one of my favorite contemporaries... ever. It's so interesting, and I loved how it also deals with a current and modern topic. I, myself, have never wrote fanfiction, but reading it through the eyes of a fanatic and popular fanfiction-er was great; I can't express to you how much I loved this book. Fans of Rainbow Rowell, you will not be disappointed by Fangirl. Fans of contemporary, you are going to fall head over heels in love with Fangirl.

Overall, Fangirl is truly a masterpiece that tugged at my heartstrings and made me fall in love with the characters. One of the best books of the year.

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