dievalzam's review against another edition
5.0
it was funny, lovable, amazing, i loved the evolution of the main character, it was the first time that i was shipping a book couple so much.
justanothernerdling's review against another edition
4.0
4.5, full review to come!
This book was so sweet, adorable... and relatable! It’s about Cath in her first year of university. Cath is a seriously dedicated fangirl. In her world, Simon Snow is one of the most popular characters ever (Basically our Harry Potter), and everyone knows at least something about Simon Snow. Cath, under the alias of Magicath, writes the world’s most popular Simon Snow fanfiction, called Carry On, Simon. She is very introverted, keeps to herself most of the time, and can be quite hesitant about things like going out to parties, or the idea that someone more extroverted could be interested in her. She does have a certain temper that stands out when something goes wrong, though. Her mom disappeared when she was 8, her dad has slight mental problems, and she stopped talking to her twin sister, Wren.
Levi is one of those guys who just hands out smiles, can talk to anyone, goes to parties, and is a general extrovert - practically Cath’s opposite. He can’t read (I’m guessing he’s dyslexic) and has a heart the size of a mountain.
Wren is also quite different from Cath - she loves partying and going out, but is still quite a fangirl in all respects.
This is such a great contemporary! It includes so many little things that are tied nicely in the end, re-occuring ideas, and fun little happenings that anyone could relate to. It was light and happy (most of the time), and was the perfect book to get me out of my post-ACOMAF reading slump. Many parts in this hits right in the feels, but something good usually comes from these parts.
This book was written with a beautiful rhythm, making it easy to pick up the book for several hours in a row and keep turning pages over and over again. (I basically read the whole thing in two days. Yep.) The characters are relatable in such a way that I was actually able to point to each of them individually and link them to someone I know personally.
It was filled with such adorable moments I wished they were real! I loved it when Cath had her emergency dance party and Levi walked in all confused, but joined in anyway. I liked it when he was panicking for his YA-lit exam (that sounds like such a cool class! o.o) and she read the whole book to him. I liked it when Cath and her roommate, Reagan, started getting along. Just the way Rainbow writes happy/cute scenes is so nice!
Throught the book we get snippets of Cath’s fanfiction, Carry On Simon, that usually link in with what is happening in the book (although subtly). Those were not my favorite parts to read, because of cliffhangers. Oh well, guess that just means I’ll have to read Carry On now!
I’m giving this a nice 4/5 feathers!
This book was so sweet, adorable... and relatable! It’s about Cath in her first year of university. Cath is a seriously dedicated fangirl. In her world, Simon Snow is one of the most popular characters ever (Basically our Harry Potter), and everyone knows at least something about Simon Snow. Cath, under the alias of Magicath, writes the world’s most popular Simon Snow fanfiction, called Carry On, Simon. She is very introverted, keeps to herself most of the time, and can be quite hesitant about things like going out to parties, or the idea that someone more extroverted could be interested in her. She does have a certain temper that stands out when something goes wrong, though. Her mom disappeared when she was 8, her dad has slight mental problems, and she stopped talking to her twin sister, Wren.
Levi is one of those guys who just hands out smiles, can talk to anyone, goes to parties, and is a general extrovert - practically Cath’s opposite. He can’t read (I’m guessing he’s dyslexic) and has a heart the size of a mountain.
Wren is also quite different from Cath - she loves partying and going out, but is still quite a fangirl in all respects.
This is such a great contemporary! It includes so many little things that are tied nicely in the end, re-occuring ideas, and fun little happenings that anyone could relate to. It was light and happy (most of the time), and was the perfect book to get me out of my post-ACOMAF reading slump. Many parts in this hits right in the feels, but something good usually comes from these parts.
This book was written with a beautiful rhythm, making it easy to pick up the book for several hours in a row and keep turning pages over and over again. (I basically read the whole thing in two days. Yep.) The characters are relatable in such a way that I was actually able to point to each of them individually and link them to someone I know personally.
It was filled with such adorable moments I wished they were real! I loved it when Cath had her emergency dance party and Levi walked in all confused, but joined in anyway. I liked it when he was panicking for his YA-lit exam (that sounds like such a cool class! o.o) and she read the whole book to him. I liked it when Cath and her roommate, Reagan, started getting along. Just the way Rainbow writes happy/cute scenes is so nice!
Throught the book we get snippets of Cath’s fanfiction, Carry On Simon, that usually link in with what is happening in the book (although subtly). Those were not my favorite parts to read, because of cliffhangers. Oh well, guess that just means I’ll have to read Carry On now!
I’m giving this a nice 4/5 feathers!
mseoanech's review against another edition
3.0
I rated it as if I were still 11, I would've loved it then. Some Simon snow stories were kinda boring but im still looking forward on reading carry on... el final me pareció ???? thooooo
spookybookylonnie's review against another edition
3.0
✍️ FANGIRL ✍️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Average Goodreads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.97
Vibes:
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Average Goodreads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.97
Vibes:
shannika's review against another edition
5.0
Levi moved his arms around her waist until he was holding her properly. Then he pushed his mouth into her hair. ”Read to me, sweetheart.”
“She smiled, and her eyes started to drift downward.
"Cather..."
Back up to his eyes.
"You know that I'm falling in love with you, right?”
“No, I know,” Levi said. “But it’s not you. You don’t push through every moment. You pay attention. You take everything in. I like that about you—I like that better.”
Cath closed her eyes and felt tears catch on her cheeks.
“I like your glasses,” he said. “I like your Simon Snow T-shirts. I like that you don’t smile at everyone, because then, when you smile at me.… "Cather.” He kissed her mouth. “Look at me.”
She did.
“I choose you over everyone.”
Cath took a painful breath and reached up with one hand to touch his chin. "I love you," she said. "Levi.”
Levi's face broke open just before he kissed her. He pulled away again a few seconds later...
”Say it again.”
“Come home with me, Cath. I miss you. And I don't want to say good night.”
“When she opened her door, Levi was sitting in the hallway, his legs bent in front of him, hunched forward on his knees. He looked up when she stepped out.
“I’m such an idiot,” he said.
Cath fell between his knees and hugged him.
“I can’t believe I said that,” he said. “I can’t even go nine hours without seeing you.”
“Baz. "Have you ever done this before?"
Simon. "Yes. No."
"Yes or no?"
"Yes. Not like this."
Baz. "Not with a boy?"
Simon. "Not when I really wanted it.”
“You don’t have any friends, your sister dumped you, you’re a freak eater... and you’ve got some weird thing about Simon Snow."
"I object to every single thing you just said."
Reagan chewed. And frowned. She was wearing dark red lipstick.
"I have lots of friends," Cath said.
"I never see them."
"I just got here. Most of my friends went to other schools. Or they’re online."
"Internet friends don’t count."
"Why not?"
Reagan shrugged disdainfully.
"And I don’t have a weird thing with Simon Snow," Cath said. "I’m just really active in the fandom."
"What the fuck is ‘the fandom’?”
”You wouldn't understand," Cath sighed, wishing she hadn't used that word, knowing that if she tried to explain herself any further, it would just make it worse.
“Why do we write fiction?"
”To be somewhere else.”
”To get free of ourselves.”
”To stop being anything and anywhere at all.”
”To disappear.”
”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.”
“Reading is not lonely.”
Tell me why you're so unhappy."
"It's just...everything.There are too many people.And I don't fit in.I don't know how to be.”
”Get your shoes,” Reagan said. ”I'm showing you where the dining hall is.”
”No.” Cath could already feel the anxiety starting to tear her stomach into nervous little pieces. ”I don't like new places. New situations. There'll be all those people, and I won't know where to sit – I don't want to go.”
“She smiled, and her eyes started to drift downward.
"Cather..."
Back up to his eyes.
"You know that I'm falling in love with you, right?”
“No, I know,” Levi said. “But it’s not you. You don’t push through every moment. You pay attention. You take everything in. I like that about you—I like that better.”
Cath closed her eyes and felt tears catch on her cheeks.
“I like your glasses,” he said. “I like your Simon Snow T-shirts. I like that you don’t smile at everyone, because then, when you smile at me.… "Cather.” He kissed her mouth. “Look at me.”
She did.
“I choose you over everyone.”
Cath took a painful breath and reached up with one hand to touch his chin. "I love you," she said. "Levi.”
Levi's face broke open just before he kissed her. He pulled away again a few seconds later...
”Say it again.”
“Come home with me, Cath. I miss you. And I don't want to say good night.”
“When she opened her door, Levi was sitting in the hallway, his legs bent in front of him, hunched forward on his knees. He looked up when she stepped out.
“I’m such an idiot,” he said.
Cath fell between his knees and hugged him.
“I can’t believe I said that,” he said. “I can’t even go nine hours without seeing you.”
“Baz. "Have you ever done this before?"
Simon. "Yes. No."
"Yes or no?"
"Yes. Not like this."
Baz. "Not with a boy?"
Simon. "Not when I really wanted it.”
“You don’t have any friends, your sister dumped you, you’re a freak eater... and you’ve got some weird thing about Simon Snow."
"I object to every single thing you just said."
Reagan chewed. And frowned. She was wearing dark red lipstick.
"I have lots of friends," Cath said.
"I never see them."
"I just got here. Most of my friends went to other schools. Or they’re online."
"Internet friends don’t count."
"Why not?"
Reagan shrugged disdainfully.
"And I don’t have a weird thing with Simon Snow," Cath said. "I’m just really active in the fandom."
"What the fuck is ‘the fandom’?”
”You wouldn't understand," Cath sighed, wishing she hadn't used that word, knowing that if she tried to explain herself any further, it would just make it worse.
“Why do we write fiction?"
”To be somewhere else.”
”To get free of ourselves.”
”To stop being anything and anywhere at all.”
”To disappear.”
”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.”
“Reading is not lonely.”
Tell me why you're so unhappy."
"It's just...everything.There are too many people.And I don't fit in.I don't know how to be.”
”Get your shoes,” Reagan said. ”I'm showing you where the dining hall is.”
”No.” Cath could already feel the anxiety starting to tear her stomach into nervous little pieces. ”I don't like new places. New situations. There'll be all those people, and I won't know where to sit – I don't want to go.”
leeleew's review against another edition
4.0
Would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the blah ending and the whole Snow story line (was not a fan) The rest of the story was really good.
monicaokta's review against another edition
2.0
I liked this book, I really do try to read all the story ... but I didn't like the fanfiction at all (skipped all of them). It was so confusing when there was no background of how Simon snow story were told. However, the characters and story was relatable and I liked how cute Cath and Levi relationship.
hollydunndesign's review against another edition
3.0
One for the Harry Potter generation.
3.5 stars
In a lighter coming of age story this YA novel was a fun read that still dealt with some serious topics. It follows Cath as she makes the transition to university life. Her twin sister is outgoing and happy to be in a new situation, but Cath finds the changes overwhelming, so spends most of her time in her room writing Simon Snow fan fiction (a fictional version of the Harry Potter series). Cath is also having to deal with her mentally ill father, as well as manoeuvring within the new social situations she finds herself in. Anyone who identifies as a nerd, an introvert, or a member of any fandom will definitely appreciate this, which is why it has been a hugely popular book.
I had a few issues with it.
- As with a lot of YA the writing isn't amazing, and there isn't a diverse set of characters in terms of race or sexual orientation. However, it does deal well with mental illness, which is encouraging.
- Rowell references Harry Potter at one point, which brings up a whole lot of copyright issues in her fictional world.
- Why do all the boys in YA novels always have to fall head over heels for the geeky girl? In my experience this is not realistic.
That said, it's pretty good for YA fiction.
3.5 stars
In a lighter coming of age story this YA novel was a fun read that still dealt with some serious topics. It follows Cath as she makes the transition to university life. Her twin sister is outgoing and happy to be in a new situation, but Cath finds the changes overwhelming, so spends most of her time in her room writing Simon Snow fan fiction (a fictional version of the Harry Potter series). Cath is also having to deal with her mentally ill father, as well as manoeuvring within the new social situations she finds herself in. Anyone who identifies as a nerd, an introvert, or a member of any fandom will definitely appreciate this, which is why it has been a hugely popular book.
I had a few issues with it.
- As with a lot of YA the writing isn't amazing, and there isn't a diverse set of characters in terms of race or sexual orientation. However, it does deal well with mental illness, which is encouraging.
- Rowell references Harry Potter at one point, which brings up a whole lot of copyright issues in her fictional world.
- Why do all the boys in YA novels always have to fall head over heels for the geeky girl? In my experience this is not realistic.
That said, it's pretty good for YA fiction.
spookynerd13's review against another edition
5.0
I finally read it and ooooommmmgggggg I’m obsessed!!! So sweet, so real, so amazing!! I love how they portrayed her anxiety, how hard it was to get over it to live, how amazing it is to be involved in a fandom, and how it’s ok to love what you love and who you love. Ugh loved this book so much!!!
vivis_'s review against another edition
5.0
The first time I read this book back in 2016, I was like "wow, Cath is amazing and I love Levi ", but, reading this after 5 years made me understand Cath in such a personal way, sometimes I was like "damn, this sounds like me"
Also, still in love with Levi (you're doing great sweetie)
Also, still in love with Levi (you're doing great sweetie)