Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Page Count: 526 Pages, Hardcover

Date Published: September 10th, 2013

Find it on Goodreads: Fangirl

Source: Purchased

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, 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? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Last year, Rainbow Rowell's book Eleanor & Park became one of my top favourite stories... ever. I completely fell in love with everything about it, so when Fangirl was released, I was SO excited, but also a little nervous to read it. I put it off for a while but then when I finally picked it up, I couldn't remember why. 

Rainbow Rowell, HOW ARE YOU IN MY MIND? This author has an exceptional talent, at least in my opinion, for creating characters that are relatable and real. They have their quirks, their  insecurities, their passions... I love them. Cath was no exception. I loved how Rowell brought in the aspect of fandom and fanfiction to this book because that is such a huge part of pop culture right now, or at least in mine. I've been obsessed with Harry Potter since I can remember, so I really connected with Cath and Wren's love for Simon Snow... I thought it was really great how Harry Potter was actually referenced in Fangirl, to make known that Simon Snow was something entirely different, even if it was about an 11-year old orphan who learns he's a magician. ;) 

I also really loved the love story and how it wasn't a total love-at-first-sight kind of thing and it actually took time for Cath and the guy to fall for each other. They were friends first and the guy was so patient and kind because he knew Cath was nervous and it was just so. cute. I also loved how much of a role Cath's family played in the story. Her relationship with her twin sister changed as they got into university and her dad had to deal with them not being home... It was a great change from a lot of those books where the family isn't very present. 

Once again, Rainbow Rowell has amazed me with her exceptional talent. She creates characters that become companions as I read and I completely fall into her books. Fangirl was absolutely lovely. It was fun, sad, hilarious, raw, and anything and everything in between. It was relatable, oh so relatable. I felt like Cath was an extension on me, just as I felt with Eleanor. This book made me remember how I felt when the last book of Harry Potter was released and my love for that series. Rowell is one of my favourite authors and I cannot wait to read more of her incredible work. 

Happy reading!

~Kristy