Fangirl: A Novel

6 stars! No, 10 stars! “I don’t trust anybody. Not anybody. And the more that I care about someone, the more sure I am they’re going to get tired of me and take off.” You know when you find a book that just clicks with every part of you? That one special book that feels like coming home? That's what Fangirl is to me. A second home between a bunch of pages. I first read this book when it came out and I adored it. But as time went by I found myself sneaking short little rereads of my favorite scenes; reading them between books and reading them when I was supposed to be reading something else. I even have three copies. Three. An ebook, the original hardcover, and now the B&N Special Edition. Honestly, with this full reread, Fangirl is up there among my all time favorite books. And it's up there with Harry Potter. For some reason, Cather and her character really resonate with me. She's extremely relatable to me. No I'm not a twin. No I don't write/read fanfiction (except for that phase when I was 13 with the Buffy fanfiction but let's not go there). I don't have an absentee mother. And I don't live in the midwest. But much of what Cather feels throughout this book is what I have felt many times before. That lost feeling when you start college with no friends. Navigating a new world like swimming for the first time without floaties. “In new situations, all the trickiest rules are the ones nobody bothers to explain to you. (And the ones you can't Google.)” I'm getting ahead of myself. If you are not familiar with the plot this book is about college freshman Cather who starts at her school basically being ditched by her twin sister Wren who is going through some kind of identity crisis. Left with no friends, Cath writes Simon Snow fanfiction. Which is kind of like this world's Harry Potter. With Harry and Malfoy (Simon and Baz) as gay lovers (in Cath's stories anyway). Cath's roommate is incredibly intimidating and always brings around her guy friend Levi, the nicest guy you'll ever meet. “Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision.” I love practically everything about this book. The humor and the wit in the dialogue are just spot on. “I feel sorry for you, and I'm going to be your friend." "I don't want to be your friend," Cath said as sternly as she could. "I like that we're not friends." "Me, too. I'm sorry you ruined it by being so pathetic.” “Are you on drugs?” “No.” “Maybe you should be.…” But there's also a great balance of seriousness in the book as well. Cather's struggles with writing things other than fanfiction. Her father and his mental breakdowns. Rainbow Rowell did an absolutely perfect job blending the humor and the real together. Now to the big one. Levi. Friends, I NEVER thought after all of my alpha male romance reads that I would fall head over heels for the NICE guy. Seriously, Levi is one of the best book boyfriends out there in the verse. He's unique; he loves all people, smiles all the time, lanky, positive attitude and more. I just wish Rowell would stop referencing his receding hairline. It does not make for a great mental picture lol. "I really like you. Like, really like you. And I want that kiss to have been the start of something. Not the end." I love that there is no over the top drama or mind melting angst in this book. Just a wonderful, captivating story with characters so real you wish they really were real just so you could meet them. Rainbow Rowell is just absolutely astounding as a writer. I love her writing style and her voice. It honestly is what makes this book so so special. “Just... isn't giving up allowed sometimes? Isn't it okay to say, ‘This really hurts, so I’m going to stop trying’?” “It sets a dangerous precedent.” “For avoiding pain?” “For avoiding life.” Hopefully I haven't overhyped this book for anyone out there. I can only hope that my review convinced you to read this, and that you connect with it just as much as I did.

For the second time in as many months, Rainbow Rowell has kept me up way too late, totally sucked into and thoroughy transported by one of her books (the last one was Eleanor & Park). And for the second time, I have been totally in love with the story ... until I got to the end, at which point I thought, "Really? I stayed up until 3:00 AM for this?" With Eleanor & Park, I dismissed my disappointment as shallowness and decided I'd conditioned myself to expect a Happy Ever After in everything, even though some stories don't end happily. Eleanor & Park's ending wasn't happy, but it fit the story, and though I can't say I liked it, I respected what I think Ms. Rowell was trying to do. This time, I'm not as sanguine. This time, I feel a little cheated. But more on the ending later. I don't want to give the impression that I didn't like Fangirl, because I did. Up until the last 40 pages, I really, really did. It started a little slowly for me. For the first 70 pages or so, I felt like an outsider looking in, not really hooked yet -- probably because I'm almost twenty years past my own college freshman experience, and because the fanfic phenomenon didn't really exist when I came of age, or at least not on the scale it exists now. (Fangirl's protagonist, Cather Avery, is a painfully shy young woman who writes a tremendously popular Harry Potter-esque fan fiction.) I know that that fan fiction is a big thing, but I've always been very skeptical of it, probably because my experience has been limited to Fifty Shades of Grey, which everyone knows started as fan fic of Twilight (and which, in my opinion, took something that was bad to begin with and made it about a zillion times more horrifying). At any rate, I approached Cath's hobby (and thus, this book) with trepidation, because my first instinct was (and is) that writing fan fic is kinda weird. -And you know what? It's totally okay that I think that. Cath knows it's kinda weird. Almost everyone in the story--from her snarky roommate, to her judgey creative writing professor, to her seeking-individuality-at-the-bottom-of-a-tequila-bottle identical twin sister--also thinks it's kinda weird. The narrative is scattered with excerpts from Cath's fan fic, as well as excerpts from Simon Snow, the Harry Potter-like series upon which it is based, and to be honest, even as I got over my skepticism about Cath's writing I still found myself skimming these sections. They are critical to the structure of the story, so it's not as if Rowell could have left them out, but I found them distracting because we only know enough about Simon Snow to know it's like Harry Potter (boy wizard at magic school fighting epic evil), but different, and not enough to actually follow the Simon Snow mythology or care much about the characters (who the hell is Penelope?). Once again, I have veered off into what I didn't like about this book, and I really don't mean to keep doing that. (I blame the 2.5 hours of sleep I got after staying up most of the night reading.) Here's what I love: all of the characters are so real and so perfectly... imperfect. I am so tired of the special snowflake female protagonists that populate New Adult fiction, these falsely-modest beautiful girls who effortlessly win over these equally one-dimensional, paragon-of-perfection type guys, and every single other character is just wallpaper as the couple fall in love and go about their business. Cath isn't like that: she's skirting the fine line between social anxiety and mental illness. She is introverted and painfully shy, and she knows (because her father is bipolar) that it wouldn't take much to push her over the line into crazytown. I love that she is both terrified of becoming crazy and sometimes unwilling or unable to make choices to move herself off that path, at least not without help from others (her sister, her dad, her roommate, her writing professor, her boyfriend). I love that she gets help from others, and not just from her boyfriend. Levi, the boyfriend, isn't a paragon of perfection either. He has a receding hairline and a soft chin. He doesn't wash his hair as often as he ought. He can't read. He very nearly dooms their relationship right out of the starting gate by making a boneheaded, but totally normal, *boy* mistake. He is such a nice guy, a really lovely human being, but he isn't a Gary Stu because his good manners and sunny disposition are balanced out by real, human, imperfections. I love Cath and Levi together. As an introvert myself, I totally understood Cath's befuddlement at the way Levi goes around smiling and being nice to people "as if it doesn't cost him anything," and his corresponding bafflement that *of course* it doesn't cost him anything. At one point, Cath describes Levi as a golden retriever, and I laughed out loud, because one of my best friends is an extrovert and describes herself the same way. In addition to this good friend, my mother and my sister are both extroverts, and when I am in social situations with them, I totally feel as if we are from alternate universes, as if we have nothing in common, as if it makes no sense that we could be friends or share the same DNA. Cath's sense of otherness, of incompatibility, totally resonates with me. I love that the supporting characters are not just background. Cath's relationships with her family -- her twin sister, her mentally-ill father, her mostly-absent mother -- are fully developed and full of dramatic conflict and resolution even as they are secondary to the developing romance between Cath and Levi. Cath's roommate is snarky and sharp tongued, and a lesser writer could easily have turned her into a stock character whose sole purpose is comic relief, but Reagan, too, is a fully drawn person with her own history and feelings and motivations. She's not solely there to draw Cath out of her introverted shell (though she does an admirable job of it). Rowell has an amazing gift for dialogue. Her characters are funny and sharp and snarky and poignant and honest, and their conversations move the story along and make the reader feel All The Feelz, and yet the dialogue is always believable, sounding like things real people would actually say in similar situations. But the ending! *Mournful sigh.* I'm not even sure I can articulate what I found so disappointing. It's not that it leaves loose ends hanging: it doesn't. It's not that it isn't "happy": it is, at least happy for now, which is totally appropriate in a YA/NA romance -- how many of us settle down with our first loves, after all? It just felt really abrupt, and out of sync with the pace of the rest of the book. Fangirl is 436 "pages" long on my Kindle (not including Acknowledgments, etc.). The dramatic conflict is still building up until page 422, which leaves approximately 14 pages to wrap everything up. Roughly half of those fourteen pages are excerpts which, as I mentioned above, I found distracting even as I recognize the point of including them in the story. So, yes, the ending felt sudden, underdeveloped, and too neat and orderly. I subtracted a whole star from my rating just because of that let down. Harsh? Maybe, but is there anything worse than an extremely disappointing ending to a book you love as much as I loved this one?

Good

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they’re off to university and Wren’s decided she doesn’t want to be one half of a pair any more – she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It’s not so easy for Cath. She’s horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she’s experienced in real life. Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She’s got a surly room-mate 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. Now Cath has to decide whether she’s ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she’s realizing that there’s more to learn about love than she ever thought possible … - (c) Waterstones Nachdem ich bereits von “Eleanor & Park” begeistert war und ich auf Twitter genauso begeisterte Meinungen zu “Fangirl” gelesen hatte, wurde auch dieser Young-Adult-Roman von Rainbow Rowell gleich vorbestellt – und was hat mich dieses Buch begeistert! “Fangirl” erzählt eine sehr authentische und realitätsnahe Geschichte über Cath, die sich sehr von ihrer Zwillingsschwester unterscheidet, die das neue Studentenleben in vollen Zügen genießt. Cath dagegen ist eher ruhiger, zurückhaltend, ängstlicher und vertraut nicht sofort – aber wenn sie jemandem verfällt oder jemanden mag, dann mit Leib und Seele. Kurzum: sie ist ein wahres “Nerdmädchen”, welches es sich am allerliebsten mit ihrem Laptop auf dem Bett gemütlich macht und Fanfiction verfasst oder liest. Mir war Cath insofern sofort wahnsinnig sympathisch, vor allem weil man teilweise sich selbst in ihr wiederfindet. Auch Levi ist so unglaublich sympathisch – immer am Lächeln, positiv gestimmt und der perfekte beste Freund, das sich jedes Mädchen nur wünschen kann. Neben der sowieso schon interessanten und total unterhaltsamen Handlung um Cath, hat die Autorin eine zweite Handlung mit verstrickt: die von Cath geschriebene Fanfiction von Baz und Simon über die (eigens erfundene und leider fiktive) Buchserie um Simon Snow. Für mich war diese zweite Handlung nochmal ein zusätzliches Highlight zum sowieso schon tollen Leseerlebnis. Meiner Meinung eine fantastische Idee der Autorin, ihre Handlung auf der Basis einer fiktiven Erfolgsserie aufzubauen – kannte ich bisher noch nicht und so hat es mich nicht nur begeistert, aber auch überrascht. Bei so vielen Neuerscheinungen in diesem (und anderen) Genre finde ich es sehr bemerkenswert, dass man nun doch mal wieder etwas gänzlich Neues zu lesen bekommt und überhaupt noch etwas Neues kreieren kann. Nach nun zwei gelesenen Büchern der Autorin kann ich behaupten, dass mich der Schreibstil von Rainbow Rowell sehr begeistert! Ihre Geschichten sind mit vielen 0815-(Liebes-)Geschichten nicht zu vergleichen – ihre Geschichten und Handlungen sind sehr realitätsnah, wo Beziehungen oder auch Freundschaften nicht nach dem typischen Schema verlaufen, sondern immer ein wenig aus der Reihe tanzen. So findet sich bestimmt der ein oder andere Leser darin wieder und auch die Charaktere, die sie erschaffen hat, sind zumindest mir bisher immer auf Anhieb supersympathisch. Ich möchte Cath und Levi bitte als beste Freunde! ;-) “Fangirl” ist eine wunderbar authentische, liebevolle und unterhaltsame Geschichte über das Erwachsenwerden, familiäre Schwierigkeiten, Freundschaft und das Überwinden der eigenen Ängste. Rainbow Rowell lässt ihre Leser schmunzeln, lachen und mitfühlen. Definitiv eines meiner bisherigen Lieblingsbücher – kann ich absolut jedem empfehlen, ob jung oder alt, Leserin oder Leser.

When I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to have it. Nerdy, loner girl who is obsessed with fanfiction? YES PLEASE. While I am no writer of fan-fiction, I do enjoy reading it, and I was especially obsessed with it back in my pre-teens and early teen years. I know how addicting it can be. Another thing that drew me to this book was the fact that Cather "Cath" has a freshman experience with many similarities to mine: no drinking, no parties, no sex...no wild anything. Some people think I'm "repressed," well to them I say that for some reason, I have just never had even a glimmer of desire to "go wild" or "let loose," etc. I'm boring, okay? Deal with it. Well, that made this book and Cath just all that more awesome for me. Cath is not your typical heroine: she is socially awkward, has social anxiety, is a complete nerd, has no desire to drink or go to parties or hook up with boys, she is romantically inexperienced...but she is also incredibly creative, fiercely loyal, good-hearted, and has a great sarcastic, dry humour. She is an avid writer of Simon Snow fan-fiction, and is completely dedicated to it. Sometimes she annoyed me but mostly I loved her because I understood her completely. Cath is not the only great character in this book: I also loved Reagan and Levi. Reagan takes a little while to warm up to but Levi is AWESOMENESS. He does unintentionally hurt Cath sometimes but he's such a total sweetie (and so obviously into her) that you end up forgiving him. Who wouldn't want a boyfriend like Levi? Not only is he such a sweet guy, but he absolutely NEVER pressures Cath into kissing him or having sex with him (where is my Levi?!!!!!!!!) They make a really great couple. They are so obviously made for each other. Wren, on the other hand, is near impossible to like. I hated the way she treated Cath and she did some really stupid things in her freshman year. But I don't think Rainbow Rowell intended for us to like her. Fangirl is hands down one of the best New Adult books I have ever read (actually one of the few I have ever read, but still.) I will definitely read it again and again and again. When I have a daughter and send her off the college, she is reading this book!!! I highly recommend Fangirl to Rainbow Rowell fans, fans of the New Adult genre, and even teenagers 16+ because aside from Wren's drinking (and she is a minor character,) this book does not stray into bad territory. I'm so glad that I gave Fangirl a chance. I wish all New Adult books were this great.

Synopsis: Cath and Wren are identical twins. Now in college, Wren wants to live the college life, by herself. Which means Cath, who has social anxiety, now has to fend for herself. She has to put up with a new roommate, and all that the roommate brings with her… Review: The story of Fangirl starts in the Fall Semester 2011, and it's a totally different beginning from all kinds of fiction I have read till now. It begins with an online encyclopaedia entry of the fictional The Simon Snow Series. A series of which Cather is a die-hard fan – fangirling all the way by writing fan-fictions with the same characters as that of the series but in an alternate universe, her universe. "To really be a nerd, she'd decided, you had to prefer fictional worlds to the real one." Never have I ever read a book with a title so apt! Well, I may have, but this is hands down, by far, the BEST! I can't explain exactly how Fangirl has this old-school charm about it. I loved the story within a story concept. I loved how this book was all about books, reading, and romance, and friendship. The entire story was set in and around the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Omaha, Cath-Wren's home, going back and forth between them. This is such a sweet coming of age story. Coming to the characters, I am now calling them the fab four. Cath, Levi, Wren, and Reagan. The art on the endpaper is so to the point that I could imagine the characters just like them. When I get myself a hardcover I will post a picture because the library copy I read this from ruined some of it. Cath and Reagan are roommates, unlike any other roommates you have heard of before. They barely tolerate each other, initially, existing in their own worlds. I liked Reagan's candour, her straight up, take no nonsense attitude. And also her awkward friendship with Cath. For what Cath and Wren went through, I liked how the author wrote a story with not only laughs but also all the grinds of daily life and the flaws. The way their father, Art Avery's character was shaped up is indeed something new for me, something different. Professor Piper, Cath's fiction writing teacher, has a small role in the story, but she shines in it. I wonder, how annoying yet comforting it must be to have a twin! I laughed out loud at Cath's take on other students, her use of 'just', and her way of playing with words when talking or thinking. Being someone who reads fiction and writes, I could relate to it so much. It was sheer joy reading such a character because I will never longer feel odd or even made to feel odd if I drop a book's line out of the blue in the middle of a conversation with my friends. (Believe me, the weird glances just compelled me to shut up. Though it's fun because no one knows what line/joke I just dropped.) I also laughed at Levi's pick-up line which was both hilarious and charming (ergo, where's my Levi?): "Hello, smart girl, would you like to talk to me about Great Expectations?" I suspect that is the main reason it took me so long to finish this book! I was giggling throughout the book like a teenager experiencing her first love. I laughed so hard at times that it hurt my tummy. "Levi's chest was a living thing." Go figure. Such a sweet, sweet story. Be it Cath's insecurities, Levi's grins, Wren giving the cold shoulder, or Reagan's strong character. It winds up with the winding up of the Spring Semester 2012. And my God, so much happens in that one year. "Cath was there at the register, and the clerk was handing her a book that was at least three inches thick." Hmm… I'm sold, I am gonna read Rainbow Rowell's each and every book. Well, I just measured the paperback copy that I have and it is approx. 3 inches thick! Fangirl has something for both readers as well as writers, and that is what made the book so endearing for me. P.S. After the recent buzz around Wayward Son, Rowell's latest book set in the fictional world of Simon Snow, I'm really enjoying reading the 'excerpts' from the fanfic shared after every chapter of Fangirl. What a brilliant concept! Though I am in favour of Cath's version rather than GTL's. And now I'm looking forward to reading both Carry On and Wayward Son. My inner Cath is dancing, she too has dark purple eyeglasses. Originally posted on: My Blog @ Shaina's Musings

It was a very good book. I usually like Rainbow Rowell's books.