Latest Read: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Here are the basics ...
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Publication date: Sept. 10, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Young Adult - Contemporary
Source: Received from publisher via Netgalley (Thanks!)

Summary: Cath is a Simon Snow fan, it's her life. 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, 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. 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? (Adapted goodreads.com)

My thoughts…

The good: My thoughts feel so scattered as I sit here and try to explain why I loved this book. There's so much to say and honestly, all I want to do is well, fangirl. (Pun intended.) Fangirl is a nod to people who love writing, to fan fiction, to geeking out over a book series, to making connections online, to figuring out who you are and where you belong and to anyone who's felt scared or insecure. There's a bit of everything here for everyone. It's practically impossible to not find at least one thing to relate to. And as always, Rainbow Rowell manages to do this in a way that's completely engrossing, heartwarming and funny. Her writing just never fails to impress. She knows how to bring out all sorts of feelings. Like teary eyes and holding your breath in anticipation kind of feelings.

Cath is a huge Simon Snow fan (this was totally supposed to make us think of Harry Potter, right?). She and her twin sister, Wren, both grew up reading the books, watching the movies and writing fan fiction for the series. Now they're about to start college and Wren has drifted away not only from the fandom, but Cath as well. They're going to the same school but they aren't roommates, they have different classes. Wren is ready to embrace change and Cath, our anxious and awesome protagonist, is desperately trying to hold on to what she knows (it actually starts to border on unhealthy).

What makes the book so, so gratifying is watching Cath come out of her shell while still being 100% her. She can be awkward as hell and anxiety-ridden to the point where you'll want to reach into the book to give the girl a hug but she grows so much. Every time she left her room, had a conversation with a cute guy, hung out with her roommate or spoke up for herself, my heart just swelled with happiness for her. Even though I am very different from her in a lot of ways, I related to her feelings on insecurity and the difficulty of letting someone (especially a guy) get close to you. And we also get to see her relationships with other people develop - the people she meets in college, the guy she eventually falls for, her sister, her father. Everyone plays such an important role in her life and that felt so authentic. I appreciated that these relationships and her actual college experience (like going to classes) wasn't neglected in the story.

(No) reservations: None! It's a wonderful book.

Do I recommend?: I highly recommend this. There are so many great lines! I wanted to highlight like half the book. So if you're already a Rainbow Rowell fan, you won't be disappointed and if you haven't read anything of hers yet, you should definitely start!

Happy reading!