Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Back of the Book: (Source: Goodreads)

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 Review:

A book about fan fiction. Now who would have thought about that? Well we don’t really need to look further. We have Rainbow Rowell to thank for. In her novel, Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell manages to write a beautiful tale weaving two worlds: real and fictional, in a fascinating manner.

What I like most about the characters in this book is that they’re all different and flawed in their own ways. They make mistakes and they learn from it. They all have quirks and Rainbow Rowell describes them in a very personal, “I know you well” manner which is a style I haven’t come across before. I thoroughly enjoyed it of course! J I also loved the fictional characters Simon and Baz.  

The story as I mentioned before is very unique and I love how Cath is so enamoured by a fictional world. We have all been there in some phase of our lives as a reader (Harry Potter for me) and it was great to read about a girl who not only understands it but lives it as well. J The interwoven stories from Cath’s fanfiction is also great fun to read.

The conversation is gripping and makes you want to read what happens next in the various relationships described. This book is not just about a romance between two people. It is about family, love, friends and an undying love for fiction.

This is my second Rainbow Rowell book and I’m already a fan. I intend to read more by this author.

Until then,

Carrying on :P

The Perennial Reader. J