Synopsis
Fangirl follows Cath has she heads off to college for freshman year with her twin sister Wren. College brings many new experiences for Cath like living with a stranger, coed dorms, and eating out of the cafeteria. Cath especially struggles with social interactions, preferring to stay in the realm of fiction. She writes fanfiction for her favorite book series and would spend all of time writing if given the choice because being a fangirl is life.
Reactions
Thoughts
Fangirl is one of those contemporaries that just hits the spot. I recently spoke about wanting college coming of age stories. This is exactly that. Cath experiences all these firsts that come along with being a freshman. I remember meeting my roommate and thinking “What? I’m supposed to live with her for the year?” Cath is only eating protien bars because she doesn’t want to ask how to get to the cafeteria. And she is attending this fiction writing coarse yet has no desire to write anything but fanfiction. How is she going to deal with all of this “new”.
While I’ve never written or even read fan fiction I totally related to Cath always wanting to slip away to the world of Simon & Baz. Simon & Baz’s reflection of Harry Potter always added a giggle to my day. And I just enjoyed seeing how dedicated Cath was to her fans and to this story she was writing. Her hesitancy in her relationship with Levi is so sweet and raw. I didn’t think I would like Levi and by the end I was swooning. I loved that he respected Cath and really appreciated Cath as a fangirl.
I mostly just loved how this book redefines what being a geek/fangirl is. It takes stereotypes and addresses them head on. Can you be a partier and still be geek? Can you not enjoy reading but be a geek? I loved that Cath’s perceptions of the people around her changed. She found she could be herself and still be happy.
One thing that I had a problem with was mental health issues in this book. In the beginning I got the impression that Cath had an anxiety disorder. And mental illness is technically in her genes. But as time went on Cath would turn her anxiety on and off. One scene she would be panicking and then in another she would be perfectly fine. It really started to bug me because real mental illness doesn’t work that way. Like at all. By the end of the novel I couldn’t tell anymore if Cath had a disorder or just was highly highly introverted. Rowell likes to leave things ambiguous when it comes to her stories so I guess I’ll never know. But I think this is an important issue to address.
Overall
Overall I really liked this one. I would recommend it if you like stories about college life, fangirls, geeky romance, or just want a good contemporary.
Have you guys read Fangirl? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. This is my favorite Rainbow Rowell book, and one of the books I turn to when I’m in a reading slump.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeah, it was super cute.
LikeLike
So glad you loved it. Fangirl was such a heartwarming read, I loved every second of it! Great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Fangirl! The characters and story feel so genuine.
LikeLike
I adore Fangirl. It’s such a good book. And well I agree that you can’t turn anxiety on and off, Rainbow Rowell said that Cath has social anxiety, which is a different animal than generalized anxiety. Both suck, but social anxiety can sometimes feel like it’s being switched on and off depending on the person/people you’re with. That’s why Cath wouldn’t go to the dining hall unless someone was with her, because being with someone you trust can help mellow the anxiety.
But anyways. Great review, and I’m glad you liked it!
Thanks for stopping by Writing on a Vintage Typewriter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This book was on my shelf for such a long time and I finally decided to pick it up and I am so happy I did. I am currently about half way through it and I already love it. It is truly reminiscent of my early college days so it was very relatable. I was in a reading slump early this month but I think I overcame it since I am speeding through this book right now! 🙂 Thanks for a great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
welcome! and I agreed about the college life relatability. We need more books like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 I loved it too. I can certainly relate to the anxiety of going to college and not knowing where to sit or who to sit by or what the social rules are. I used to eat my sandwiches in a dark alley next to the college.
LikeLiked by 1 person