BOOK REVIEW: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction

My Rating: ★★★★1/2

Goodreads Page

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. 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. 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?

**Spoiler Free Review**

So, it had been a long time since I read a contemporary novel, what with being at university, and I didn't have high expectations for Fangirl when I first went into it. However, I was completely blown away by Rainbow Rowell's writing. This was my first Rainbow Rowell book and I was a bit worried about the hype surrounding her, as I didn't want to be disappointed and I certainly wasn't.

The book centres around Cath and Wren, twin sisters, who are starting College (or University to us English) and the difficulties that come with it. The main character, Cath, has to deal with family problems, from her father to her sister's independence, anxiety, friendships, and relationships. In between chapters however, we also get snippets of both the Simon Snow stories and of Cath's Simon Snow fanfiction. It painted a very real picture of fandoms and how important these things are to people in a way I completely related to.

The book painted a very real picture of what going to College and feeling alone is like. It also dealt with major issues many young adults go through when leaving home, in a brilliant way. I really related to the main character and I loved the notion of being able to read a story within a story. Every character in the book felt so realistic and I enjoyed the romance within the book too. It wasn't rushed or forced, like in many books, and the male character was extremely likeable.

The entire book had me smiling throughout and I flew through it in one day. It was a fantastic read that I'm sure I'll be fangirling over for a while.

 Although I absolutely loved the book, I did find the ending slightly too abrupt and I would have liked to have seen more of a conclusion (or perhaps, a sequel???). Despite this, I don't think that the ending took anything away from the rest of the story as it was brilliant.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys internet fandoms, contemporary fiction and general geekiness. It was amazing.