Review: Fangirl

 Info:
Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Source: Purchased.

Synopsis: 
 From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

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.

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?

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?

Review:
The best word I can think of to describe Fangirl is: lovely. It really was a sweet read. I loved the characters and I loved the representation of fans and our fandoms. I can definitely see why this one has been so popular in the blogosphere. I think a lot of us book bloggers can relate to Cath because we've been there. At least I know I have.

Cath was a flawed but compulsively likeable character. I could definitely relate to her social anxiety, although my own is to a much lesser degree. I also loved her dedication to her love of Simon Snow, Rowell's fictional world within this contemporary book.

And Levi! He really deserves the title of "sweetheart" (if you've read it, you'll understand). He's so sweet and friendly and kind and even though he made a few mistakes, I'm glad he was able to redeem himself. Plus he's a ranch kid studying range management which gains him a heap of bonus points from this ranch kids with an unfinished degree in animal health.

There were also a couple characters that I wanted to climb into the book and shake. Wren, although she gets some redemption (with a ton of help) and Laura who I still can't help but hate.

This one is still a contemporary and I did cry in a couple spots (both in combinations of sad and frustrated). PMS probably didn't help.

Fangirl is a fun read with something to offer fans of contemporary growing up stories and fans of fantasy. 

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