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peachpunch's review against another edition
4.0
Oh Fangirl! A story that reminds me once again I have a soft spot for teen romances. The kind of romances I say I only read in the summer, when you need ‘something light and cheesy’. In truth romances are my drug and I am addicted regardless of the season.
But Fangirl appealed to me in other ways. I was an avid writer and reader of Harry Potter fan fiction in my early teen years. Embarrassing but true. I believe I wrote 40,000 plus words about a very badly planned out universe in which Fred Weasley doesn’t die. I cringe when I read it bow, embarrassed by weak characters, sloppy dialogue and overall bland prose.
These three things also came up in Rainbow Rowell’s book.
I’m going to start with weak characters. Cath was cold and awkward. Now, I can understand that, coming from a girl whose Mother abandoned her. But the mother plot didn’t feel like it had been fleshed out enough. We were given tidbits throughout the book that left me half-bored, half-annoyed. They lacked an emotional connection or gravitas. If the events in Cath’s life that made her into the social awkward, scared to love, scared to live girl, had been fleshed out a little more, maybe I would have some empathy. Instead I was left feeling irked that Cath’s character was so weak.
Next is sloppy dialogue. One of the hardest things to get right in writing is dialogue. In Fangirl we have such unbelievably clunky dialogue. Every character’s words sounded as if they were in sitcom. They always had something witty or quirky to say. Something to say that sounded like a round-table of over-worked television writers came up with after an hour of deliberation. The people I’ve met in my life who talk like that are often quite off-putting. I liken their character to the unnerving confidence of a cult-leader. Don’t compare some to a cult-leader out loud, guys. I don’t think they’ll like that.
Lastly in my list of problems is bland writing. Sometimes in the larger chunks of text I found myself drowning. Bored with Cath’s description of her day to day life, I would fight the urge to skip ahead a few pages. Day to day life can be very interesting in a novel. It’s hard, but possible. Unfortunately Fangirl was unable to capture that and left me wishing we’d get back to the main plot lines.
Now for the good things!
I was enthralled in Levi and Cath’s relationship. Something sweet between those two blossomed and I found myself enjoying this more personable Cath and a Levi who relaxed into his true form. The joking, laid-back Cath we see with her Dad suddenly appeared in her conversations with Levi. It was at this point I realized, oh, Cath loves this guy. That’s an exciting moment in any romance.
Second was the overall plot. It flowed really well and was quite realistic. As a high school student I often find YA books leave out academic struggles or really any plot that isn’t related to romance. Cath’s life outside of her interest in Levi was intriguing. From her Father’s breakdown, her struggle to become independent and trouble in creative writing class, everything was interesting.
Overall I found Fangirl quite enjoyable when we stuck to the plot. It was in the quiet moments between characters that were unconnected to the plot, but failed to advance the character, where Fangirl lost me.
Off to read Elanor & Park now.
But Fangirl appealed to me in other ways. I was an avid writer and reader of Harry Potter fan fiction in my early teen years. Embarrassing but true. I believe I wrote 40,000 plus words about a very badly planned out universe in which Fred Weasley doesn’t die. I cringe when I read it bow, embarrassed by weak characters, sloppy dialogue and overall bland prose.
These three things also came up in Rainbow Rowell’s book.
I’m going to start with weak characters. Cath was cold and awkward. Now, I can understand that, coming from a girl whose Mother abandoned her. But the mother plot didn’t feel like it had been fleshed out enough. We were given tidbits throughout the book that left me half-bored, half-annoyed. They lacked an emotional connection or gravitas. If the events in Cath’s life that made her into the social awkward, scared to love, scared to live girl, had been fleshed out a little more, maybe I would have some empathy. Instead I was left feeling irked that Cath’s character was so weak.
Next is sloppy dialogue. One of the hardest things to get right in writing is dialogue. In Fangirl we have such unbelievably clunky dialogue. Every character’s words sounded as if they were in sitcom. They always had something witty or quirky to say. Something to say that sounded like a round-table of over-worked television writers came up with after an hour of deliberation. The people I’ve met in my life who talk like that are often quite off-putting. I liken their character to the unnerving confidence of a cult-leader. Don’t compare some to a cult-leader out loud, guys. I don’t think they’ll like that.
Lastly in my list of problems is bland writing. Sometimes in the larger chunks of text I found myself drowning. Bored with Cath’s description of her day to day life, I would fight the urge to skip ahead a few pages. Day to day life can be very interesting in a novel. It’s hard, but possible. Unfortunately Fangirl was unable to capture that and left me wishing we’d get back to the main plot lines.
Now for the good things!
I was enthralled in Levi and Cath’s relationship. Something sweet between those two blossomed and I found myself enjoying this more personable Cath and a Levi who relaxed into his true form. The joking, laid-back Cath we see with her Dad suddenly appeared in her conversations with Levi. It was at this point I realized, oh, Cath loves this guy. That’s an exciting moment in any romance.
Second was the overall plot. It flowed really well and was quite realistic. As a high school student I often find YA books leave out academic struggles or really any plot that isn’t related to romance. Cath’s life outside of her interest in Levi was intriguing. From her Father’s breakdown, her struggle to become independent and trouble in creative writing class, everything was interesting.
Overall I found Fangirl quite enjoyable when we stuck to the plot. It was in the quiet moments between characters that were unconnected to the plot, but failed to advance the character, where Fangirl lost me.
Off to read Elanor & Park now.
shelivesinthepages's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. Can reread this a millions times over and still want more. Cath and Levi! I found Cath's sister Wren to be kind of a B**ch but I feel like the story isn't over. Would love a second book, to bad its a stand alone.
thatgirlrobyn's review against another edition
4.0
Many people have told me that it is a great book and that they loved it. I enjoyed reading it, but it was not quite my taste. It didn't really pull me in and it started really slow. Still, I did enjoy it and, if you are patient, it is a worthwhile read.
aoifelaugh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
kekecorona's review against another edition
5.0
She has the best stories. One of my favorite writers.
bdickens's review against another edition
5.0
Hands-down loved this book. The characters and setting were relatable, and it's always great seeing "fangirls" or the fandoms being addressed outside of tumblr and message boards. We rock!
jennc's review against another edition
5.0
What an awesome book. Finally someone writes a fanfic writer and gets it right. And I am so glad the crappy mom didn't get a shiny paint job, she was just a crappy mom. Sometimes people are bad parents and lets just be honest about it.
These characters were awesome and Rainbow Rowell is the best.
These characters were awesome and Rainbow Rowell is the best.
athenallaguno's review against another edition
5.0
I don't typically read this kind of book but I really enjoyed this and it was recommended by a friend. I read Carry On, which is the fanfic that is referenced in this book first, which although you don't have to read it, it helped me get into the story a bit better.