Recent Reads: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: Random House Audio/ St. Martin's Press

Released: September 2013

 

Format: Audiobook

Source: Random House Audio for Review

My Rating:
 

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

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?

Review:

I have heard such wonderful things about this book so I was SO excited to start the audiobook, sadly it took forever for me to get through it due to carpooling and lack of time in the car to listen to it (that is where I listen to most audiobooks, on the long drive to and from work).

I think that the reasons for all the book-love is because it resonates with us book lovers. It is about a girl who is a bit awkward trying to learn about herself while going to college, but also while continuing her teen life as a fan-fiction author online.  Cath is shy, anti-social (most of the time), engulfed in a fantasy world, and desperately trying to survive her first year of college. As a character, she is so down to earth, except for some of her school issues – which I found sad more than anything.

The plot focuses on Cath, but she also has a twin, a standoffish roommate and classmates that play an important role in the story, although much of the story is about Cath’s acceptance of herself. This intertwines with the wonderful fantasy world of Simon Snow and Cath’s love for the characters, story, and environment.

I loved this book; I honestly wanted it to keep going. I am curious about Cath and her life after this the ending, there were so many things about her that I found relatable. College is a scary hectic time and the characters do a good job showing that.