Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Fangirl: Review



16068905Cath 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?


I honestly don't even know how to start this review. I can't even decide whether this should be a funny type of review or a serious type. So, I'll just see what comes out.

Cath is your basic obsessed reader. Except with just one series: Simon Snow. Even though I haven't read Harry Potter yet, I would undoubtedly still say it compares to it. Now, what happens when you become obsessed with books...simple. Write fanfiction. And that is Cath's whole childhood, her whole life. And when her twin sister, Wren, starts growing apart from Cath, you could say Cath became even more immersed with the fandom.

When you start off Fangirl, Cath is just starting college. I knew instantly that I would love Cath-because even though I am less extreme about fandoms, I relate to her so much. People who read in general will probably also relate to her a ton. She was a bit quiet and awkward, which I can probably relate to even more so than reading. Cath, to put it simply, was the perfect protagonist for me.

The one problem I had with this book was I just don't think there was enough problems in this book. Rowell definitely covers a bunch of stuff-sister stuff, romance stuff, self-appreciation stuff- in this book, but I just didn't think there was enough. There were several parts in the book that lagged for me. And that's one of the reasons why contemporary is so hard for me to read. In Eleanor & Park, I was constantly eager to read more. But Fangirl was a slow read for me, because it bored me at parts, which makes me sad to write.

The romance was still squeal-worthy, but much more lighter than Eleanor & Park. Because Cath was at a turning point in her life-the book exhibited that most of all, with a side-dish of romance. It's a romance that's slow and swoon-worthy-from friends to lovers. Just ahh. Rowell does not disappoint in romance.

I would talk more about characters, but the review is quite long already.

Overall, this book is recommended, especially for newbies in New Adult or if you just adore contemporary. The romance was cute, the protagonist was awesome, and the story was well written(just not the plot for me...).

1 comment:

  1. I'm so glad you related to Cath! That's one of the reasons I'd like to read this book....she seems like the perfect protagonist for all of us bloggers! I have yet to read Eleanor and Park, which i own but just haven't gotten to, but might have to add Fangril to the list if I get around to it. Thanks for the review!

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