myreme's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cc8chang's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
losetimereading's review against another edition
4.0
I had zero intentions of reading Fangirl, and I mean zero. I’ve been trying to avoid “over hyped” books, especially contemporary ones because contemporary is not really my go to genre so when they are hyped up I often have a not great experience with them. When Cass and I decided to do the Fall Into Reading Read Along we each decided to pick a book from our favorite genre, her’s being contemporary and thus Fangirl was added to my reading list. THANK YOU CASSIE <3 Seriously, I would probably NEVER have picked this book up, even despite the outstanding reviews everywhere, and that would have been a crime.
The main character, Cather, legitimately might be one of my all time favorite characters in a contemporary novel. The only other character that I even think holds a candle to her in my eyes is Caymen from The Distance Between us. I freakin adored Cather. She was such a strange, anxiety ridden, shut in type of girl but SO AWESOME. Her bluntness was hilarious. I loved her obsession with Simon Snow, I loved her awkwardness… I just loved her. Reagan was another character that was awesome. She is Cath’s roommate and her bluntness and stick-it-to-you-straight type of attitude really made her character. If it wasn’t for Reagan, Cath probably would have died at university(seriously, starved to death!) and their relationship was fantastic. Wren, Cath’s twin sister… well I didn’t like her. Maybe I didn’t like her because I couldn’t understand their relationship but I just couldn’t relate at all to the fact she wanted hardly anything to do with her twin sister. It was just weird to me, because I could never imagine treating my sister like that. I guess she wasn’t awful but compared to the other characters she really sucked. And… Levi. Oh Levi. This boy… he was awesome. So kind and gentle and loving. And he was the most patient person ever. Gosh, honestly I’m not sure that anyone would ever be as patient as Levi. He was perfect.
So obviously the characters were outstanding, now that I’ve finished gushing about them, so that brings me to another point: Rainbow Rowell’s writing. It’s something else. The way she can alone, construct a character but aside from that have me feeling as if I am so IN this book that I cannot put it down. The wit, the emotion, even Cath’s fan fiction had me completely engrossed. I can totally see why her books are so popular now because her writing is phenomenal.
One of the things I was most nervous about in Fangirl was the fan fiction portion. I have tried to read fan fiction, both years ago and recently, and just never found the appeal. It wasn’t anything specific with the stories, it just wasn’t my thing. When I learned that Fangirl’s main plot point was surrounding fan fiction, it was what ticked the big “No” box in my mind. Now, I have to admit, when I first started reading I wasn’t into it. I didn’t think it would be necessary to read, and thought it mimicked Harry Potter too much. And then something clicked with me, and I couldn’t wait for the portions where Cath read her fanfic to Levi. It really plays a large part in the novel, and an enjoyable one at that.
The romance and love story is also fantastic. While that aspect is definitely the main point of the novel, there was so many other elements that went into Fangirl. Family, relationships, navigating through university, anxiety… it’s really much more that I expected and really more than I think anyone would expect based on the synopsis.
Obviously, I only rated Fangirl 4 stars so there were a few things that didn’t totally click with me so I will stop raving for a second. The pacing did start to get a bit slow. I loved the story at first, and I loved Cath’s journey but it did start to get a bit tired and I just wanted it to hurry up and continue with Levi. It didn’t really impact my feelings for the book much, but did become a bit repetitive for a while. The only other “problem” I had with the book was the ENDING. Clearly I won’t spoil it for anyone but I just wanted more. I thought with the impact that the book had on me overall that the ending left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It wasn’t bad, and some people probably enjoyed it a lot but it wasn’t totally there for me.
Despite those two things, this is one of my favorite books this year. The “negative” things I had to say don’t even stack up against the amazingness of this book. If you are doubting that you would enjoy it, I would suggest giving it a try. The hype definitely did not ruin this one for me :)
The main character, Cather, legitimately might be one of my all time favorite characters in a contemporary novel. The only other character that I even think holds a candle to her in my eyes is Caymen from The Distance Between us. I freakin adored Cather. She was such a strange, anxiety ridden, shut in type of girl but SO AWESOME. Her bluntness was hilarious. I loved her obsession with Simon Snow, I loved her awkwardness… I just loved her. Reagan was another character that was awesome. She is Cath’s roommate and her bluntness and stick-it-to-you-straight type of attitude really made her character. If it wasn’t for Reagan, Cath probably would have died at university(seriously, starved to death!) and their relationship was fantastic. Wren, Cath’s twin sister… well I didn’t like her. Maybe I didn’t like her because I couldn’t understand their relationship but I just couldn’t relate at all to the fact she wanted hardly anything to do with her twin sister. It was just weird to me, because I could never imagine treating my sister like that. I guess she wasn’t awful but compared to the other characters she really sucked. And… Levi. Oh Levi. This boy… he was awesome. So kind and gentle and loving. And he was the most patient person ever. Gosh, honestly I’m not sure that anyone would ever be as patient as Levi. He was perfect.
So obviously the characters were outstanding, now that I’ve finished gushing about them, so that brings me to another point: Rainbow Rowell’s writing. It’s something else. The way she can alone, construct a character but aside from that have me feeling as if I am so IN this book that I cannot put it down. The wit, the emotion, even Cath’s fan fiction had me completely engrossed. I can totally see why her books are so popular now because her writing is phenomenal.
One of the things I was most nervous about in Fangirl was the fan fiction portion. I have tried to read fan fiction, both years ago and recently, and just never found the appeal. It wasn’t anything specific with the stories, it just wasn’t my thing. When I learned that Fangirl’s main plot point was surrounding fan fiction, it was what ticked the big “No” box in my mind. Now, I have to admit, when I first started reading I wasn’t into it. I didn’t think it would be necessary to read, and thought it mimicked Harry Potter too much. And then something clicked with me, and I couldn’t wait for the portions where Cath read her fanfic to Levi. It really plays a large part in the novel, and an enjoyable one at that.
The romance and love story is also fantastic. While that aspect is definitely the main point of the novel, there was so many other elements that went into Fangirl. Family, relationships, navigating through university, anxiety… it’s really much more that I expected and really more than I think anyone would expect based on the synopsis.
Obviously, I only rated Fangirl 4 stars so there were a few things that didn’t totally click with me so I will stop raving for a second. The pacing did start to get a bit slow. I loved the story at first, and I loved Cath’s journey but it did start to get a bit tired and I just wanted it to hurry up and continue with Levi. It didn’t really impact my feelings for the book much, but did become a bit repetitive for a while. The only other “problem” I had with the book was the ENDING. Clearly I won’t spoil it for anyone but I just wanted more. I thought with the impact that the book had on me overall that the ending left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It wasn’t bad, and some people probably enjoyed it a lot but it wasn’t totally there for me.
Despite those two things, this is one of my favorite books this year. The “negative” things I had to say don’t even stack up against the amazingness of this book. If you are doubting that you would enjoy it, I would suggest giving it a try. The hype definitely did not ruin this one for me :)
megpsmit's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. It has been on my list since it came out and I had never gotten to it but it is a lovely story about how to be a fan of things you love and also live your own life. I love the way the author really understands getting lost in a world.
bunnykaye's review against another edition
5.0
Let me just start by saying that I am not a fic writer. However, I really, really, reallyreallyreally love fan fiction. And that's probably my GPOY-able moment reading this book. The moment when you stumble across a fic, you start reading it and you'll never look back. And if it's a WIP, the thrill of getting an email alert or refreshing your favorites tab will give you fangirl butterflies in the stomach.
This book deals with two sides of a fandom -- the fanfiction side and the fangirling-abt-the-book side. I first dealt with the latter (I got over it as I got older though) and now it seems like I spend my life reading fanfics, hahaha! That was what made me flip over and devour page after page. At first, the snippets of certain parts of the Simon Snow series irked me, but towards the end I eventually got the hang of it and I actually enjoyed Simon and Baz -- whether it be fic version or series version :))
The characters are SPOT. ON. Cath's real life plot line was awesome. It just goes to show the realities of a FANGIRL, that these ppl find solace and comfort in their own little bubble in the internet when they also deal with heavy real-life stuff. Lemme just give my two cents on the characters that made a mark for me in this book:
Wren - She was so irritating at least 65% of the book.. and yet you cannot help but feel like you're in Cath's shoes and will help her no matter what, because you're siblings. You're supposed to be thick as thieves. And Cath and Wren did just that. :)
Laura -- MOST ANNOYING AND THE CHARACTER I'D LIKE TO KILL MULTIPLE TIMES. WITH AN AX. ASSHOLE!!
Art -- sometimes I just wanna hug him for dealing with twin daughters, doing a living and recovering from the mess that was his ex-wife. Again, Laura=ASSHOLE
Nick = the man who I thought was gonna end up with Cath turned out to be an almost-plagiarizing, self-centered asshole. He should be with Laura tbh. Grrrrrrrrr. He deserved the karma towards the end! Bwahahahaha *evil laugh*
Levi = OH WHERE CAN I FIND SOMEONE LIKE YOU, my dear Levi? ♥ Despite a momentary lapse in judgment, he turned out to be the sweetest guy known to fangirlkind. I mean really, a guy who isn't really a ~fanboy and puts up with all the flailing and the divided attention and all the hassles of dating a fangirl?? Dude, you're a gem. I WANT TO MARRY YOU TBH.
Cath -- the mother of all GPOYs. I can relate to her so much. I am feeling what she's feeling. And probably 5394916193718183 other ppl do too. ♥
Twi reference and a Kristen Stewart reference was a sweet icing to the delicious cake. Rainbow Rowell, YA FEEL MEEHH.
FIVE STARS. FIVE STARS. FIVE STARS. Turn this into a movie, I beg you allllllll. ♥♥♥
This book deals with two sides of a fandom -- the fanfiction side and the fangirling-abt-the-book side. I first dealt with the latter (I got over it as I got older though) and now it seems like I spend my life reading fanfics, hahaha! That was what made me flip over and devour page after page. At first, the snippets of certain parts of the Simon Snow series irked me, but towards the end I eventually got the hang of it and I actually enjoyed Simon and Baz -- whether it be fic version or series version :))
The characters are SPOT. ON. Cath's real life plot line was awesome. It just goes to show the realities of a FANGIRL, that these ppl find solace and comfort in their own little bubble in the internet when they also deal with heavy real-life stuff. Lemme just give my two cents on the characters that made a mark for me in this book:
Wren - She was so irritating at least 65% of the book.. and yet you cannot help but feel like you're in Cath's shoes and will help her no matter what, because you're siblings. You're supposed to be thick as thieves. And Cath and Wren did just that. :)
Laura -- MOST ANNOYING AND THE CHARACTER I'D LIKE TO KILL MULTIPLE TIMES. WITH AN AX. ASSHOLE!!
Art -- sometimes I just wanna hug him for dealing with twin daughters, doing a living and recovering from the mess that was his ex-wife. Again, Laura=ASSHOLE
Nick = the man who I thought was gonna end up with Cath turned out to be an almost-plagiarizing, self-centered asshole. He should be with Laura tbh. Grrrrrrrrr. He deserved the karma towards the end! Bwahahahaha *evil laugh*
Levi = OH WHERE CAN I FIND SOMEONE LIKE YOU, my dear Levi? ♥ Despite a momentary lapse in judgment, he turned out to be the sweetest guy known to fangirlkind. I mean really, a guy who isn't really a ~fanboy and puts up with all the flailing and the divided attention and all the hassles of dating a fangirl?? Dude, you're a gem. I WANT TO MARRY YOU TBH.
Cath -- the mother of all GPOYs. I can relate to her so much. I am feeling what she's feeling. And probably 5394916193718183 other ppl do too. ♥
Twi reference and a Kristen Stewart reference was a sweet icing to the delicious cake. Rainbow Rowell, YA FEEL MEEHH.
FIVE STARS. FIVE STARS. FIVE STARS. Turn this into a movie, I beg you allllllll. ♥♥♥
sofiasummavielle's review against another edition
3.0
Fangirl is a good book but its missing something, I don't know... When I finished reading the book I thought ''Is this it? Is this the end?''. Also, the Simon and Bas chapters... I was so bored. I read most of them because Cath was reading them to Levi and it was a connection point for them but I didn't enjoy it at all...
The characters development is so good though. I could really see the changes happening in Cath and Wren and Art and everyone else and the story itself is good, specially because most of us can relate to some parts ( not all of them personally, but some ). College is a big change and most of us are afraid or intimidated, even if we don't know it quite yet.
3 to 3.5 stars.
Its just missing something to become THE book.
The characters development is so good though. I could really see the changes happening in Cath and Wren and Art and everyone else and the story itself is good, specially because most of us can relate to some parts ( not all of them personally, but some ). College is a big change and most of us are afraid or intimidated, even if we don't know it quite yet.
3 to 3.5 stars.
Its just missing something to become THE book.
viathewordwitch's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
bookswithbecca's review against another edition
5.0
All readers will find themselves being able to relate to something about this quirky, heartwarming coming of age tale that is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Cath is a girl full of worries and starting college is at the top of her list especially now that her twin sister Wren decided she doesn't want to room with her. Now Cath is stuck with an unlikable roommate whose boyfriend is always hanging around and Cath is so overwhelmed she can barely leave her room. Luckily she still has Simon Snow the extremely popular book series that Cath writes fanfiction about. But when things start to go wrong with both her father and Wren can Cath handle the pressure? This book was amazing. I swear I could stop my review right there because that is really all you need to know. I felt so much of myself in Cath from being a total fangirl to having anxiety about everyday life. The plot line of this book was so different from what I expected though I should have known by now that all of Rainbow Rowell's books will wow you. This story has the perfect mixture of drama, comedy, friendship, and romance with real, deep characters. Fangirl is a must read for all fangirls and everyone else who enjoys a good book.
vonitapplebum's review against another edition
2.0
**CAUTION: BIPOLAR REVIEW**
Reading it from the start to the end was like a fire on a matchstick, it was ignited at the beginning, the flame continued in between then it died at the end.
There are some other things that I did not like, like the FANDOM thing Cather is writing. It is new to me. I just can’t handle Simon and Baz, am not against homosexuals... It is just that, I was not hooked to the story. I know, it is about Harry and I just can't imagine Harry being gay. So I am sorry, Rainbow.. I skimmed your Simon and Baz pages. Maybe this is the reason why I hated the ending, it is about Simon and I was really hoping it was about Levi and Cather. Reading it from the start to the end was like a fire on a matchstick, it was ignited at the beginning, the flame continued in between then it died at the end.
On the other hand, I really liked the book.
Fangirl made me feel like a teenager again. I love the characters. I am totally in love with the guy protagonist, Levi. I even named my book, Levi. The character is so lively. I am in love with Levi. Where can I find Levi? Is he really in Nebraska? Say yes, and I’ll be packing my bags now.
And of course, this book made me feel in love.
I was like:
Every single time there is a CATHER – LEVI scene.
Rainbow Rowell wined my heart.
I will be reading all of your novels from now on. Write more books, you just gained your most loyal Fan here!