Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: September 10, 2013
Pages: 483
Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Paperback

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan..

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google | BD | Wordery | BB

MY REVIEW

Disclaimer: This review MAY contain SPOILERS.

This book is bloody brilliant! Truly magnificent! I was so hooked on reading this that I took a sick day at work just so that I could finish reading it in one sitting. 

I really connected with the main character more than most I read about. There were so many parallels between the main character, Cath, and myself that it felt like this book was about me or written specifically for me. I am from Omaha, Nebraska just like the main character and the author so I got every single Omaha, Lincoln, or Nebraska reference. Every single place mentioned is one that I have been to. Cath even lived in South Omaha, a predominantly Mexican part of Omaha, which is where I have lived most of my life as well. The taco trucks, the blizzard/weather, the stores and gas stations, and restaurants mentioned, and even the bookstore that they all went to at the end of the book when the last Simon Snow book was released are all places that are real for me and that have meaning for me so I felt extra connected to the story and to Cath's character. Even the parts of Cath that had nothing to do with geography were significant for me. Cath's anxiety, her love for a book fandom, the fanfiction, her father's bipolar disorder, the way that Cath deals with her mother issues, just all of her is so like me that it's scary. I truly loved her character and her story. 

The cast of supporting characters was so delightful. I loved each and every character in this story. Each character had a purpose and brought so much to the story. I love how flawed these characters were. Rowell had no qualms about making these characters as real as possible with imperfections, weaknesses, and bad habits. These are, of course, balanced out with very positive character attributes, but the inclusion of the not so good ones makes me appreciate the characters, the story, and the author even more. Most authors like to have what I refer to as shiny characters. Essentially, characters that are blindingly beautiful and can do no wrong. Perfect. And no one is perfect. This is one thing in literature that I think authors can struggle with because authors love their characters like their own children and can't bring themselves to portray them in a negative way. Rowell's characters felt extremely real. 

A lot of contemporary YA stories have the same plots rehashed in different ways, but the plot of this story is utterly unique. And the story is truly captivating. It caters to nerds like myself. The story has a very beautiful and realistic portrayal of nerd culture. At least the facet of nerd culture concerning fanfiction. As a book nerd and a reader and writer of fanfiction myself, I felt the story very accurately illustrated this part of nerd culture. And it was so very exciting to read about it since it isn't something that I've seen done before. It is always empowering and invigorating to feel represented. And this book definitely represents me. Apart from the subject matter of the story, I also very much loved the sequence of events and the main character's journey. The story is told so beautifully and honestly.

Overall, I was really blown away by this book. It captivated me from the first page. Everything about it is magical. I have never reread a contemporary story before, but this is one that I know I will revisit in the future. I can now certify that I am a Rainbow Rowell fan for life. She has written a story that has truly left a mark upon my soul and has spoken to me unlike any book has before. This book is special and I urge everyone to experience its glory. 

Have you ever read a book that felt like it was written about you? What makes you feel really connected to a character?