Fantastic Fangirl

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

* ARC received from NetGalley for review.

5 out of 5 gnomes

This book was both funny and full of heart.  It was great to get a look into the world of fanfiction which I haven’t explored much before.

The book is set up in an interesting way too, it includes excerpts from the fictional Simon Snow series (which is reminiscent of Harry Potter) and excerpts from Cath’s fanfiction of the series.  After reading some of the excerpts though I for one would love to read a finished version of Cath’s work Carry On, Simon.

Cath is a freshman at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and the change from what she’s used to might be too much.  She’s a complicated character and her worldview is nervous yet observant.  I don’t know about you but I could identify with Cath, she’s just kind of awkward yet awesome.

Her relationship with her family has so much turmoil but it’s also much of the heart of the book.  The family is indeed really messed up but they seem to find a way to get by.  I love that the parents are a large part of the story.  I also like how all the parental relationships aren’t fully resolved or tied up with a nice bow.  These relationships are messy and you don’t know what the future might bring for them.

How she gets along with her twin sister felt very realistic from a sister point of view.  If you have a sister you will know that sometimes you relationship can be stormy and you’ll react like oil and vinegar to each other.  On the other hand though your sister will always be there if there is trouble or to stand up for you.  These sisters go on quite the journey and you will be rooting for them.  

I’m kind of ashamed that I didn’t figure out how close/why Cather and Wren were named what they were until it was explained in the book.  It was a total no duh moment for me.

This book makes you care so much about every character and want to know exactly what their deal is.  Cath’s roommate Reagan was unexpectedly awesome and her and Cath’s interactions were often hilarious.

The romance in this book is well done and never to much.  Rowell definitely knows how to write a hot kissing scene.  Neither one of these characters is perfect and they really do grow as people and as a couple.

The end is excellent because everything just goes together so well with Cath really finding her voice and you can just imagine the future and the next year in these character’s lives.  I highly recommend this book because once you start it’s hard to stop and you’ll have to know how the story ends.