cozywanderlust's review against another edition
2.0
The heroine in this is a living doormat and yet, everything just works out for her, magically. Life isn't kind to the strongest of people, let alone doormats. Basically, worst geeky wish-fulfillment fiction I've read in my entire life. 2 stars for the Simon & Baz parts which I enjoyed ONLY because I read Carry On first. But honestly, you can skip this entirely and just read Carry On.
anastasiaadamov's review against another edition
4.0
I borrowed this book months ago and read it in two days!
I did not really know what to expect. At first YA aspect of it seemed silly to me but as the story progressed I was tuned in with humor and the drama.
The love story was borderline sweet and the characters were entertaining.
I read Carry on - book that is heavily referenced here - before already and I hope to read the next one in the series Wayward son soon as well.
I did not really know what to expect. At first YA aspect of it seemed silly to me but as the story progressed I was tuned in with humor and the drama.
The love story was borderline sweet and the characters were entertaining.
I read Carry on - book that is heavily referenced here - before already and I hope to read the next one in the series Wayward son soon as well.
marzhare's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
clair_shaw's review against another edition
4.0
This one was weird. Good. But weird. I guess I can’t relate to a lot of the fandom stuff. Seems kind of, I don’t know, juvenile? but I can see how it happens. And this is a YA book after all. The beginning of the story was a little drab and I’m not a huge fan of the incompetent parent factor. That’s just personal preference though. I liked her Dad but I also kinda hate it when kids are overly concerned about their parents. It’s unhealthy... but he’s not really healthy either so I guess that’s life.
The Simon Snow excerpts were a bit confusing and in the end pointless. I kept thinking they were going to somehow tie in with the main story. And they didn't... Or maybe it was just over my head? I don’t know.
But I loved the characters, and the overall story was good. Not life changing or anything but good nonetheless.
The Simon Snow excerpts were a bit confusing and in the end pointless. I kept thinking they were going to somehow tie in with the main story. And they didn't... Or maybe it was just over my head? I don’t know.
But I loved the characters, and the overall story was good. Not life changing or anything but good nonetheless.
farmgirl103's review against another edition
5.0
So many people who love this book identify with Cath. Not me. I'm the girl version of Levi. An extrovert who got my kicks from making other people happy, I was born on a farm/ranch in south-central Nebraska and grew up delivering calves. I met my introvert musician South Omaha boy/husband at UNL on that big red N on the 50 yard line in Memorial Stadium. He'd really never been west of Lincoln, unless you counted flying to Denver or taking the UP train to Cheyenne for Frontier Days. I took it upon myself to educate him about the REAL Nebraska. Reading this charmer felt like taking a trip in a time machine, and I loved every minute of the ride! Thanks, Rainbow, for another amazing gift! Also thanks for reigniting my taco truck cravings. They usually taper off once summer winds down. Now all I can think about when I'm in my car is taking a detour to 24th Street for some Dos de Oros!
kimberlydyer's review against another edition
5.0
Would it be too cheesy to say that I’m a fangirl of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell? Well I am. This book is amazing. After reading Eleanor and Park, when I found out that Rainbow Rowell was publishing another novel, I was very excited. Luckily the novel lived up to my expectations.
PLOT
Fangirl is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Cather who is starting her freshman year of college. The novel begins as Cath is moving into her dorm room, and we quickly learn that she is upset because she’s rooming with a stranger rather than her twin sister, Wren, with whom she expected to share a dorm room and the college experience, as they’ve shared everything else for their entire lives. Wren, however, wants to learn what it’s like not to be part of a pair. She wants the full college experience of branching out and experiencing new things, and she believes the best way to do this is separate from her sister.
Cath deals with this frustration and separation from her sister, which is exacerbated by her severe social anxiety, which keeps her from even going to the food court for weeks until her roommate finds out and drags her along. As she warms up to her roommate, she also warms up to her roommate’s boyfriend, or at least who she thinks is her roommate’s boyfriend, considering he’s always hanging around.
The college experience challenges Cath all around, and in her writing class, her professor challenges her beyond fanfiction, and Cath starts to question whether she can even be a professional writer. Fangirl is filled with the ruts and bumps that go hand-in-hand with growing well beyond one’s own comfort zone and will have you rooting for Cath along the way.
CHARACTERS
Cath is more interested in her world online where she writes popular fanfiction than what is actually going on around her. She’s a huge fangirl over a Harry Potter-level famous wizarding story called Simon Snow, and her fanfiction is sprinkled throughout the novel, adding a charming touch of insight to Cath’s world.
She also suffers from severe social anxiety. While having lunch with her sister, Wren is shocked that Cath has hardly spoken to her roommate:
“’You still haven’t talked to her?” Wren asked at lunch the next week.
“We talk,” Cath said. “She says, ‘Would you mind closing the window?’ And I say, ‘That’s fine.’ Also, ‘Hey.’ We exchange ‘heys’ daily. Sometimes twice daily.”” (p. 31)
Cath struggles with her relationships with everyone around her, making mistakes and learning from them. She fights with her sister, but she never gives up on her, although more than once she gives up on herself. She doesn’t magically learn her self-worth by the end of the story, nor does she “cure” her social anxiety, but she makes great steps toward learning who she is, standing firm in her boundaries, and mending relationships with the most important people in her life. This is what makes her not only relatable but a great role model.
Wren is the opposite of reclusive Cath; Wren likes going to parties and drinking, while Cath is horrified by the notion; Wren responds when the mother who abandoned them reaches out, while Cath puts up a wall and refuses to have anything to do with her; Wren wants to move past their Simon Snow obsession, while Cath wants to cling on. Although twins, they are very different, something that they have work through together.
Reagan is an upperclassman stuck in a freshman dorm due to overcrowding. Her bold yet apathetic personality is a good foil to Cath’s reclusion, since she helps nudge Cath outside of her restrictive personal limits without being pushy or crossing boundaries. Reagan is also very flirtatious and Cath notices that she stays out with different guys a lot. The great thing about Fangirl is that it doesn’t feed the culture of slut shaming. Cath notes her roommate’s habits but doesn’t pass judgment on her, other than wondering if her “boyfriend” realizes, but then considering that maybe he knows and is okay with having an open relationship.
Levi is one of my all-time, absolute favorite love interests ever. He always has a big, goofy grin and has the persistence and eagerness of an adorable Labrador puppy. He’s a down-to-earth country boy Ag major who drives a truck, works at Starbucks, and shares a house with way too many guys than is sanitary. The best part of Levi is that he is flawed. He is not a perfect character, despite his magnificence, and he makes a huge mistake that he and Cath have to try to work through.
STYLE
Fangirl is straight-forward, without any flowery language, which is good for keeping the reader in the story. Well-written language is a pleasure to read, but sometimes it can pull the reader out of the story when they stop and say, “Wow, what a beautiful description,” rather than being immersed in the world the author created.
At the beginning of each chapter is short passage or quote from Cath’s Simon Snow fanfiction, and throughout the novel, the reader gets longer excerpts when relevant to the story. The inclusion of the Simon Snow fanfiction was a great touch, since it brings insight into Cath’s world, as Simon Snow is her obsession and takes up most of her focus. Fanfiction played a big role in my life, especially in the height of my Harry Potter obsession, so I appreciated reading the excerpts.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION
READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if you haven’t read a Rainbow Rowell book yet, what are you waiting for? Her books are amazing, especially Fangirl.
Review originally posted on The Stories We Read.
PLOT
Fangirl is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Cather who is starting her freshman year of college. The novel begins as Cath is moving into her dorm room, and we quickly learn that she is upset because she’s rooming with a stranger rather than her twin sister, Wren, with whom she expected to share a dorm room and the college experience, as they’ve shared everything else for their entire lives. Wren, however, wants to learn what it’s like not to be part of a pair. She wants the full college experience of branching out and experiencing new things, and she believes the best way to do this is separate from her sister.
Cath deals with this frustration and separation from her sister, which is exacerbated by her severe social anxiety, which keeps her from even going to the food court for weeks until her roommate finds out and drags her along. As she warms up to her roommate, she also warms up to her roommate’s boyfriend, or at least who she thinks is her roommate’s boyfriend, considering he’s always hanging around.
The college experience challenges Cath all around, and in her writing class, her professor challenges her beyond fanfiction, and Cath starts to question whether she can even be a professional writer. Fangirl is filled with the ruts and bumps that go hand-in-hand with growing well beyond one’s own comfort zone and will have you rooting for Cath along the way.
CHARACTERS
Cath is more interested in her world online where she writes popular fanfiction than what is actually going on around her. She’s a huge fangirl over a Harry Potter-level famous wizarding story called Simon Snow, and her fanfiction is sprinkled throughout the novel, adding a charming touch of insight to Cath’s world.
She also suffers from severe social anxiety. While having lunch with her sister, Wren is shocked that Cath has hardly spoken to her roommate:
“’You still haven’t talked to her?” Wren asked at lunch the next week.
“We talk,” Cath said. “She says, ‘Would you mind closing the window?’ And I say, ‘That’s fine.’ Also, ‘Hey.’ We exchange ‘heys’ daily. Sometimes twice daily.”” (p. 31)
Cath struggles with her relationships with everyone around her, making mistakes and learning from them. She fights with her sister, but she never gives up on her, although more than once she gives up on herself. She doesn’t magically learn her self-worth by the end of the story, nor does she “cure” her social anxiety, but she makes great steps toward learning who she is, standing firm in her boundaries, and mending relationships with the most important people in her life. This is what makes her not only relatable but a great role model.
Wren is the opposite of reclusive Cath; Wren likes going to parties and drinking, while Cath is horrified by the notion; Wren responds when the mother who abandoned them reaches out, while Cath puts up a wall and refuses to have anything to do with her; Wren wants to move past their Simon Snow obsession, while Cath wants to cling on. Although twins, they are very different, something that they have work through together.
Reagan is an upperclassman stuck in a freshman dorm due to overcrowding. Her bold yet apathetic personality is a good foil to Cath’s reclusion, since she helps nudge Cath outside of her restrictive personal limits without being pushy or crossing boundaries. Reagan is also very flirtatious and Cath notices that she stays out with different guys a lot. The great thing about Fangirl is that it doesn’t feed the culture of slut shaming. Cath notes her roommate’s habits but doesn’t pass judgment on her, other than wondering if her “boyfriend” realizes, but then considering that maybe he knows and is okay with having an open relationship.
Levi is one of my all-time, absolute favorite love interests ever. He always has a big, goofy grin and has the persistence and eagerness of an adorable Labrador puppy. He’s a down-to-earth country boy Ag major who drives a truck, works at Starbucks, and shares a house with way too many guys than is sanitary. The best part of Levi is that he is flawed. He is not a perfect character, despite his magnificence, and he makes a huge mistake that he and Cath have to try to work through.
STYLE
Fangirl is straight-forward, without any flowery language, which is good for keeping the reader in the story. Well-written language is a pleasure to read, but sometimes it can pull the reader out of the story when they stop and say, “Wow, what a beautiful description,” rather than being immersed in the world the author created.
At the beginning of each chapter is short passage or quote from Cath’s Simon Snow fanfiction, and throughout the novel, the reader gets longer excerpts when relevant to the story. The inclusion of the Simon Snow fanfiction was a great touch, since it brings insight into Cath’s world, as Simon Snow is her obsession and takes up most of her focus. Fanfiction played a big role in my life, especially in the height of my Harry Potter obsession, so I appreciated reading the excerpts.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION
READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if you haven’t read a Rainbow Rowell book yet, what are you waiting for? Her books are amazing, especially Fangirl.
Review originally posted on The Stories We Read.
hedmunds's review against another edition
4.0
I first read this book my freshman year of high school, and then again my freshman year of college. I am now reading it on the cusp of my college graduation. This book still is ultimately about endings and new beginnings, it’s a comfort read of mine that reminds me I do not have to sacrifice my who I am to develop as an individual. It also reminds me that some of our greatest interests and hobbies are things we had lost to the embarrassment of teenage hood, but they will always be here for us, we can always pick them up again.
kater07's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
niya_bdzh's review against another edition
2.0
- This book was UP and then down down down for me, but it did redeem itself really fast and I wasn’t that annoyed by Cath anymore. Levi is precious and I liked all the other characters even though some arcs were left unexplored. Simon and Baz though... I’m so ready for Carry On!