Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Publication date: September 10, 2013 (St. Martin's Press)

Fangirl brings us the story of eighteen year old Cath’s first year of college with her twin sister Wren. But when Wren decides she wants to start having her own life, Cath has trouble accepting that. Being a huge fan of the series Simon Snow, Cath completely immerses herself in the world of Simon to cope with having to have her own life. She struggles to find herself as she tries to maintain a relationship with Wren and fit in school but life quickly tosses her problems in the form of two boys, a creative writing class that soon proves to be much more difficult than she thought, and the return of a mother that abandoned them when they were in third grade.

First off, my summary of the book does it no justice and if you want a better and more appealing summary, go check it out on GoodReads or Barnes and Noble.

Anyways, when I first saw the title of this book, I was immediately intrigued. Being in the middle of a time where things like fangirls and fandoms and the like are exploding, I thought it was interesting that someone decided to write a book where the character was the exact embodiment of a fangirl in an active fandom.

What I really enjoyed about this book was that Cath is so easily relatable; her awkward and shy personality, emphasized with a well done case of social anxieties, is something many people can connect with without feeling like it was over exaggerated. The romance plot was also a nice surprise in that taking the usual route of “I’m a shy girl but around you I’m totally open and loud right away,” it actually did go with Cath’s personality of “I’m shy and I will continue to be shy and awkward around you until I slowly get more comfortable.”

My only real issue with this was that I wish the conflict with Cath and Wren’s mother was fleshed out more than it was. The reader is able to get a good understanding of it but it doesn’t delve very deeply.

(4 out 5)

~Yajaira