Fangirl

By Rainbow Rowell

ISBN: 9781250030951

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: September 10th 2013

Number of Pages: 438
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: 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.

My Rating:  

Warning: Review contains some spoilers

Two twins, Cath & Wren, go off to college together but Wren decides she needs to branch out and chooses to live in another dorm. While Wren goes out drinking and partying with her roommate Courtney, Cath gets scary girl Reagan and her forever happy-go-lucky boyfriend Levi. 

Cath has extreme anxiety and panic attacks regarding new people, new places, and situations. I really connected with her character because of this (I suffer from the same thing). 

"She just needed to settle her nerves. To take the anxiety she felt like black static behind her eyes and an extra heart in her throat, and shove it all back down to her stomach where it belonged - where she could at least tie it into a nice knot and work around it." - Fangirl, 5

She stays in her room and writes fanfiction about Simon Snow, a popular character in a best-selling book series. One of the highlights of her new life is a junior-level fiction writing class. She meets up with classmate Nick on Tuesday nights where they collaborate to write short stories. It seems to be obvious to me that Nick is leading her on and I am extremely happy with the way Cath gave him what he deserved.

Add into this mix a bipolar father (another thing that hits close to home for me) and a mother that left them at age 8 but is now trying to “reconnect.”

Loved this book - the relationships Cath develops, strengthens, and those she chooses not to pursue make for an interesting read that keeps the reader engaged.

One thing I didn't go for: the Cath fanfiction snippets in between chapters. I skimmed over these and most of the passages she reads out-loud to Levi. They just didn't appeal to me and didn't further the plot whereas Cath is concerned. Some readers may enjoy this as part of the book though it wasn't for me.

I am noticing Rowell doesn't write "super sappy happy endings." It's a good ending but it always leaves me wanting more out of the story!!

Also, can't help but connect with this book since I'm very familiar with the setting (love the descriptions of Love Library!! It is a beautiful old library).

"The library had six levels aboveground and two levels below. The sublevels, where the stacks were, were shaped strangely and accessible only from certain staircases; it almost felt like the stacks were tucked under other buildings around campus." - Fangirl, 54