Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell [Wherein I Share My Feels]

Title: Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Published: September 10th, 2013 by St. Martin’s Press

Genre: YA Contemporary

Rating: 5/5 stars

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?

Photo from my bookstagram, @fictionandtea

Fangirl revolves around a teenage girl, Cath, who is starting college at the University of Nebraska. She’s introvert and socially awkward, and would much rather prefer to stay in her dorm room writing fan-fiction than get drunk at parties. She has always depended on her twin sister, Wren, for her social life. But Wren wants to have a great college experience—which includes socializing and going to parties—and has refused to room with Cath. So Cath gets stuck with Reagan, a grumpy character slightly older than her. Cath has a hard time staying with her in the beginning, but things do get better later on.

Cath is a such a wonderful and relatable character. She is both confident in her writing, yet shy in real life. She is happy with her life, her fan-fiction writing, and her sister, and doesn’t want any changes in life. She also doesn’t go out of the way for anyone, unlike Levi, her roommate’s “so called” boyfriend. Such things made me relate to her a lot. Even I’m one of those girls who’d rather spend her time reading/blogging at home than go out and socialize.

She was a really strong character, and I saw a lot of character development in her throughout the entire story. She went from a really shy girl who didn’t want to try new things and face different experiences to a lovable girl who cared for others, even if she had to miss her finals for that. I really liked that in her.

Now can we just take a moment to admire Levi?! Ahh he was such a swoon worthy character! His character description was so well done. He’s been added to my book boyfriends’ list. After all, who doesn’t like an all-time-smiling guy?! 😉

I shared a couple of laughters whenever both of them had a conversation. Those moments were really cute. I absolutely adored them as a couple, they were just made for each other. 🙂

This book is written in such a captivating way that it got me hooked from the beginning. I love Rowell’s writing style—it’s so compelling. It didn’t feel like I was just reading a pointless, fluffy contemporary novel. It captured a range of emotions in light sentences, which made me appreciate her writing even more. It’s impossible not to smile and want to share snippets with friends while reading this book.

The romance was really sweet and beautiful, with characters who are a good fit for each other. It isn’t insta-love at all, which is another thing I loved about this book. It takes you on a journey of all of the emotions that come with falling in love for the first time. There are other kinds of relations depicted in this story that has made it one of the best books I’ve ever read. Cath’s attachment to her father, her love for Wren, and even her relation with her roommate, Reagan, makes this book touch every single part of your soul. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone!

Have you read this book? Did you like it?? If not, is it on your TBR? Let me know in the comments below (so that we can fangirl over Levi together! 😉 )