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frogmellaink's review against another edition
5.0
I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of this book and The Fangirl Life has helped me in ways I didn't even know I needed. The lessons Kathleen teaches in her pop culture peppered pages can be applied across all aspects of your life not just those fangirl tendencies. The friendly and approachable writing style make this a fun and invaluable life tool.
elienv's review against another edition
3.0
It's an enjoyable read, but most of the tips are repeated endlessly, which can get a bit annoying after a couple times.
eandrews80's review against another edition
2.0
I think I would have liked this better if it were a memoir, or simply an ode to fangirling. Smith's goal is to marry her two interests, namely fangirling and being a therapist, and the result is pretty uneven. The book assumes that most fangirls have a hard time coping with real life, and uses online fangirl culture as a way to introduce and discuss therapeutic and self-help concepts. The author's heart is in the right place, and there are a few useful insights here, but she seems to underestimate how many of her readers are both card-carrying fangirls and real-life BAMFs.
dani_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. This does not change my rating or the content of the review.
The Fangirl Life is a self-help book, but it's not your usual self-help book. (I have enough of those – thank you, A&D.) No, The Fangirl Life is super sparkly special. It's written for fangirls (and fanboys) by a fangirl. (She's also a licensed therapist, so she knows what she's talking about.)
I'll admit, I went into the book thinking it would be more lighthearted, but Smith took the subject of dealing with "ALL THE FEELS" seriously, and it was sobering but also very...nice. People on the outside don't realise how passionate fangirls and fanboys are about their fandoms. Books, movies, TV shows –whatever it is you care about– have the power to make us soar and break our hearts. We suffer real hangovers when things end, and I know that I've fallen into deep depressions when characters I loved died. It's because of the power fictional stories have over my moods that I need this book. If you're the same, then you do as well.
That being said, while the book does genuinely take the approach of helping you work through the stresses and emotions of being a fan, it balances the serious with the playful. There are cute illustrations, cartoons and real-life quotes from other fangirls all over the place, as well as references to numerous TV shows and movies.
The book also aims to help you transition from Fangirl to BAMF (that's BadAss Muffin Fudger). There are so many great examples of how Smith took common advice that I've seen before in strictly professional arenas and transformed them into fangirl-relevant strategies. One such example is that of the Power Poses. Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School said, in a TED Talk, that certain poses could make you feel more confident and powerful; Smith took that idea and made it more relatable, naming poses that you can immediately associate with scenes in TV shows and movies, such as "The Commander" (standing at the head of the table and leaning forward with both hands on the surface).
Honestly, as someone who is about to start an MBA to become a future leader, this book is just what I needed. It combines my desire to become a stronger, better, more confident version of myself –AKA a BAMF– with my love for fangirling. (Yes, I love the things I fangirl over, but the act of sharing and squealing over those things also gives me life.)
The book does seem to focus more on TV and movie fandoms, but if you fangirl over anything, you need this book.
Taken from the back of the ARC copy:
I can answer yes to all of those, and if you can as well...
BUY THIS BOOK!
The Fangirl Life is a self-help book, but it's not your usual self-help book. (I have enough of those – thank you, A&D.) No, The Fangirl Life is super sparkly special. It's written for fangirls (and fanboys) by a fangirl. (She's also a licensed therapist, so she knows what she's talking about.)
I'll admit, I went into the book thinking it would be more lighthearted, but Smith took the subject of dealing with "ALL THE FEELS" seriously, and it was sobering but also very...nice. People on the outside don't realise how passionate fangirls and fanboys are about their fandoms. Books, movies, TV shows –whatever it is you care about– have the power to make us soar and break our hearts. We suffer real hangovers when things end, and I know that I've fallen into deep depressions when characters I loved died. It's because of the power fictional stories have over my moods that I need this book. If you're the same, then you do as well.
That being said, while the book does genuinely take the approach of helping you work through the stresses and emotions of being a fan, it balances the serious with the playful. There are cute illustrations, cartoons and real-life quotes from other fangirls all over the place, as well as references to numerous TV shows and movies.
The book also aims to help you transition from Fangirl to BAMF (that's BadAss Muffin Fudger). There are so many great examples of how Smith took common advice that I've seen before in strictly professional arenas and transformed them into fangirl-relevant strategies. One such example is that of the Power Poses. Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School said, in a TED Talk, that certain poses could make you feel more confident and powerful; Smith took that idea and made it more relatable, naming poses that you can immediately associate with scenes in TV shows and movies, such as "The Commander" (standing at the head of the table and leaning forward with both hands on the surface).
Honestly, as someone who is about to start an MBA to become a future leader, this book is just what I needed. It combines my desire to become a stronger, better, more confident version of myself –AKA a BAMF– with my love for fangirling. (Yes, I love the things I fangirl over, but the act of sharing and squealing over those things also gives me life.)
The book does seem to focus more on TV and movie fandoms, but if you fangirl over anything, you need this book.
Taken from the back of the ARC copy:
- Do you survive boring classes or meetings by imagining your favorite TV couple making out?
- Have you posted a lengthy diatribe on the Internet defending a fictional character?
- Have you gotten carsick from reading fan fiction on your smartphone?
- Has Netflix presented you with the "Are you still watching?" button at least once?
I can answer yes to all of those, and if you can as well...
BUY THIS BOOK!
See this review in its natural environment, Dani Reviews Things.
jakreamer's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe it's because I'm a fangirl myself, but I could not wait to read The Fangirl Life: A Guide To All the Feels and Learning How To Deal by Kathleen Smith. So when I had the chance to read an ARC, I excitedly started reading.
Let me state that I wish this book existed ten years ago. When I was first discovering fandom and my fangirl tendencies.
20-year-old Jess could have used this book as her guide through college and dealing with her anxiety and fears of rejection. 30-year-old Jess has taken a pen and marked passages, and written notes to help her deal with moving forward as the BAMF she has always wanted to be.
You can tell Kathleen is passionate about the subject and taking away the stigma that are associated with fangirling. She also does an excellent job of pointing out healthy and unhealthy habits we don't realize we have.
Hello, we can't be the Laura Roslin's or Leslie Knope's of our lives if we don't practice self-care, turn off the computer and go out and enjoy life. Fangirling is one small part of what makes us who we are!
I feel that after reading The Fangirl Life: A Guide To All the Feels and Learning How To Deal I'm ready to go out in the world my glorious weird self and any haters can eat it.
Kudos to you Kathleen this book is going to change so many lives and you should be proud of your impact in our community.
Let me state that I wish this book existed ten years ago. When I was first discovering fandom and my fangirl tendencies.
20-year-old Jess could have used this book as her guide through college and dealing with her anxiety and fears of rejection. 30-year-old Jess has taken a pen and marked passages, and written notes to help her deal with moving forward as the BAMF she has always wanted to be.
You can tell Kathleen is passionate about the subject and taking away the stigma that are associated with fangirling. She also does an excellent job of pointing out healthy and unhealthy habits we don't realize we have.
Hello, we can't be the Laura Roslin's or Leslie Knope's of our lives if we don't practice self-care, turn off the computer and go out and enjoy life. Fangirling is one small part of what makes us who we are!
I feel that after reading The Fangirl Life: A Guide To All the Feels and Learning How To Deal I'm ready to go out in the world my glorious weird self and any haters can eat it.
Kudos to you Kathleen this book is going to change so many lives and you should be proud of your impact in our community.
abookishmagpie's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I like that it was more than 'bond with me over the fact we are fangirls' and gave actual advice how to channel the behaviors and attitudes that come with being a fangirl and use them for forward movement in one's life. She never seemed preachy or judgmental, but honestly on helping and encouraging people. It's a book I can see myself returning to when I feel in a rut or might need some advice on staging a change in my life.
fortifiedbybooks's review
4.0
The Fangirl Life was not written with my age group in mind. It's targeted for a considerably younger audience. However, that doesn't mean I didn't get anything out of it. In fact, it was one of the best books for me as I transitioned from college to working full-time and handling it more like the younger me who flailed through everything than the BAMF I had learned how to be as I settled into my 30's.
Looking back to what happened when I transitioned from the Army to college life, I wish I had had The Fangirl Life then, too, because somehow, I forgot everything I learned when I was going to therapy. Smith reminded me of all those techniques I had learned to handle life as an adult, but she also taught me that my fangirling didn't have to be separate from the rest of me or from those techniques. Being a fangirl is who I am, and my life works best when I accept it, own it, and apply it to the areas of my life that I want to improve.
The best thing that The Fangirl Life gave me? In an office full of people I didn't think I had anything in common with, I found out that one of my coworkers has a major crush on Captain America. While Bruce Banner is more my type, we've had several fun conversations about all things Avengers; something that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't let my fangirl flag flutter in the breeze.
Looking back to what happened when I transitioned from the Army to college life, I wish I had had The Fangirl Life then, too, because somehow, I forgot everything I learned when I was going to therapy. Smith reminded me of all those techniques I had learned to handle life as an adult, but she also taught me that my fangirling didn't have to be separate from the rest of me or from those techniques. Being a fangirl is who I am, and my life works best when I accept it, own it, and apply it to the areas of my life that I want to improve.
The best thing that The Fangirl Life gave me? In an office full of people I didn't think I had anything in common with, I found out that one of my coworkers has a major crush on Captain America. While Bruce Banner is more my type, we've had several fun conversations about all things Avengers; something that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't let my fangirl flag flutter in the breeze.
jennleewrites's review
5.0
This book was so much fun and incredibly useful and helpful. I really wish teenaged me had had access to a copy!
jamiebooksandladders's review
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is a non-fiction, self-help book about how to channel your inner BAMF Fangirl into a BAMF Fanwoman that can rock the world. I so so so wish I had read this while I was in university because it would have been so helpful. Instead, I had to do some trial and error to figure out how to use my skillz to advance myself in the Real World. I would recommend this for any teenage fangirl who is FREAKING OUT about college apps, life decisions, and how to balance real life and fangirl-ing. I would also recommend it to people like me who have some idea what they want to do but want their interests and their goals to overlap so we can get paid to do things we actually enjoy doing.
Smith has a good handle on what it's like to be a fangirl and how to transfer those feelings into what it means in real life. I think one of the hardest things for people to do is to see how their skills impact their real life. I used to think that writing meta about Sterek on the internet was The Best Thing Ever™ only for a couple of months (and some rude comments) later to completely erase it from the internet. But how did this help me? It tightened my writing, I was able to analyze and critique things better. All great skills for writing papers in university. And EVERY ONE OF US has something like this. Even if you are just writing book reviews, you have to synthesize what you read and put it in a way that will persuade others to either pick it up or not. Those are valuable abilities to have.
FIND YOUR INNER GODDESS AND SET HER FREE MY LITTLE CHICKADEES. And pick this one up to remind you that sometimes people have those horrible plot lines before they get back on the right track.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
This is a non-fiction, self-help book about how to channel your inner BAMF Fangirl into a BAMF Fanwoman that can rock the world. I so so so wish I had read this while I was in university because it would have been so helpful. Instead, I had to do some trial and error to figure out how to use my skillz to advance myself in the Real World. I would recommend this for any teenage fangirl who is FREAKING OUT about college apps, life decisions, and how to balance real life and fangirl-ing. I would also recommend it to people like me who have some idea what they want to do but want their interests and their goals to overlap so we can get paid to do things we actually enjoy doing.
Smith has a good handle on what it's like to be a fangirl and how to transfer those feelings into what it means in real life. I think one of the hardest things for people to do is to see how their skills impact their real life. I used to think that writing meta about Sterek on the internet was The Best Thing Ever™ only for a couple of months (and some rude comments) later to completely erase it from the internet. But how did this help me? It tightened my writing, I was able to analyze and critique things better. All great skills for writing papers in university. And EVERY ONE OF US has something like this. Even if you are just writing book reviews, you have to synthesize what you read and put it in a way that will persuade others to either pick it up or not. Those are valuable abilities to have.
FIND YOUR INNER GODDESS AND SET HER FREE MY LITTLE CHICKADEES. And pick this one up to remind you that sometimes people have those horrible plot lines before they get back on the right track.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'