Friday 13 March 2015

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell


It's Cath's first year at college and her twin sister Wren has decided to room with someone else. Cath is crushed. Ever since they were little they have shared a room, clothes, friends, and basically everything else. Plus Cath is worried about her dad who isn't exactly mentally stable and has never really been alone.

Cath is totally out of her element at college, she's not used to being by herself. She would rather just stay in her dorm in her pyjamas writing Simon Snow fanfiction, being a huge fan and all. And Simon Snow is what got Cath and Wren through their mom leaving in the third grade. Slowly Cath branches out and befriends her grumpy roommate, Reagan, and her always-around-ex-boyfriend, Levi.

Dealing with the ups and downs of college, Cath wonders if she can do this on her own. If she can do it with Wren their to lead the way.

Rate: 4 stars

This book is definitely more relatable if you are a Harry Potter fan (which I am, of course), as Simon Snow is this world's equivalent of Harry Potter. What I liked about Fangirl was the characters, they all had different, interesting personalities. I also liked that Cath had to deal with college, but family life. Plus this book was a nice change from the ones I usually read. If you are a fan of contemporary novels, I would definitely consider picking this up, if you haven't already. Or if you haven't yet dabbled in contemporary, this would be a good place to start.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Cath was different from the main characters that I normally read about (confident, headstrong, ect...). She was really shy and anxious, especially in social situations. Now, I'm not shy, but don't get we wrong, I have on occasion gotten anxious in a social situation, especially after moving to the other side of the world and not knowing how people do things in a different country. 

I also liked her roommate, Reagan and Levi. Reagan wasn't the warmest person, but she started to grow on me as she and Cath became friends. And she helped Cath get out a bit more. Levi was basically the opposite of Reagan, he was friendly and nice and talked to every body. His relationship with Cath developed over time, and they did have their share of ups and downs. But, they did end up together in the end, which is good because I thought they were a good fit for each other.

Now I didn't like Nick, one of Cath's classmates from her fiction writing class. Cath had some highs with that class, but also some lows. First her teacher totally bashed on her fanfiction. That would be hard to take, especially for someone like Cath. I mean that is what Cath loved to do, Simon Snow was her world, and so many people read her fanfiction. Then when Cath and Nick started writing together, and Nick used their work for one of the projects, that was horrible. I was glad that their teacher found out and that Cath hadn't let him use it in the end, even if her name was on it. But Cath ultimately succeeded in that class, she got some of the highest marks, and even won the Underclassmen Prize with her last assignment. I can't believe she almost didn't write it.

Cath's family situation was interesting. She and her dad basically had reverse roles, Cath had to make sure he was okay and not overworking, and when she was home, she would make the meals. You could really tell that Cath cared about her dad, when he was in the hospital, Cath drove down during finals week and was willing to flunk a class to make sure he was okay. Even though her dad was mentally challenged, I liked him. Cath's mom on the other hand, well let's just say I didn't like her. I can totally understand why Cath didn't want to see her again, I mean she left her and Wren when they were little and didn't even acknowledge them for like ten years. And when Wren was in the hospitable, she left before even seeing her, she didn't even stay to make sure was okay.

Then there was Wren. At first I didn't like her because she totally just left Cath to go party and get drunk, but then towards the end of the book, she turned around. I liked it when Cath and Wren were friends rather then them not even talking to each other.

This book was pretty good over all, and it was a nice change for dystopian. 

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