Title: FangirlFangirl is so much more than a book about Fanfiction. It's about relationships and anxiety and the escape that fiction can provide.
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Warnings: Protagonist with anxiety
Rating: 4 stars
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Cath was a very relatable protagonist, and as a writer and an introvert I was really able to connect with her. Her social anxiety was written excellently and came through in her hesitations around new people and her concern when it comes to her twin sister Wren and her father. There was nothing romanticised about her anxiety - it was honest and beautifully written.
The Simon Snow book series is Cath's method of escaping reality, which I'm certain many bookworms can identify with. Every chapter of Fangirl ends with an extract from one of the Simon Snow books or Cath's fanfiction about the characters. Although many people seemed to dislike these interjections of a completely different story, I thought the extracts really complemented the events of each chapter. In a way, you're getting 2 stories for 1 with this book, putting Fangirl in a league of its own.
The other characters were also well written and Cath's relationships with them were complex and realistic. None of them were all positive or all negative, which is largely reflective of how real human relationships work. For two people with the exact same upbringing, Cath and Wren are polar opposites and I'm glad that Rowell dealt with the issues this caused between them and how some things were overcome and other things were not.
One think that definitely sets Fangirl apart from the large majority of YA - it's set in college! The number of college age characters in fiction is so scarce that I was beginning to think ages 18-21 were just a myth. It was very interesting to read about the post high school experiences of the characters and how Cath and her sister both individually dealt with the changes happening in their lives.
If you're a writer or an introvert or just a lover of books about books, this one is for you.
You can find this review on Goodreads.
I'm glad you liked this one, it's one of the best books I read in 2015. Rainbow Rowell really knows her stuff.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, the college age characters... You get loads of them in New Adult romances but you're right, not many non-romance books are aimed at that audience.
Contemporaries and romances aren't typically my thing, so I don't have much to compare Fangirl to, but I'm excited to read more of Rainbow Rowell's work.
DeleteI actually have this book but have yet to read it which is bad of me. I am a bit worried because of how much hype this book has. What if I don't like it? But I am basically a fangirl myself and reading is my own escape. As well as being an introvert, it seems like I am set up to relate to this novel a lot.
ReplyDeleteI was worried that Fangirl wouldn't live up to the hype too. I've never read anyhting else by Rainbow Rowell so I was worried I'd be let down. But I was able to relate to it a lot which was why I enjoyed it so much. In the end I tried to ignore all the opinions I'd heard from others and tried to form my own as I read it :)
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