Reviews

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

brisingr's review against another edition

2.0

It seems I am reading much better if I am not announcing my current reads on goodreads until I'm actually done with them, hmm....

2.5 As usual, expected much more, seeing how hyped this book was. As usual, Rainbow Rowell falls short for me.

miaruthdp's review against another edition

5.0

This is super lovely. Loved it so much. My favorite Rainbow Rowell book so far! I've heard a lot of great comments about Fangirl but I was never really interested. I don't know what came to me, but I suddenly decided to give it a try. And oh man, it was amazing. The writing is fabulous. The characters are adorable. I loved everyone!!!! The character developments are awesome! I really liked Cath and Wren's relationship as sisters and how they care for each other. It's so special, knowing their family history. I am so inspired by how their dad raised them and loved them despite of his condition and everything that happened. Reagan was super cool as a friend. Bitchy but caring. And LEVI! He's everything! He's the sweetest and he makes me so happy. He's so easy and funny and understanding and perfect!!!! Just swoon-worthy!!!!!!! The story itself is so relatable. I bet each and every fangirl out there once experienced to be looked at as weird and deviant. But who cares?! Personally, I fangirl so hard. Some things and some people means so much to me that not expressing what I feel about them would be impossible. And I don't even care if the people I adore don't even know I exist. It's not a waste of time because it is what makes me happy.

crocmaster17's review against another edition

3.0

So, one of my friends lent me this book and asked me very politely to read it. Naturally, I didn't read it until this week because I was putting off reading a book club book. Woops. Anyhow, this book was cute and fluffy. Very YA. VERY 2011-2013. While reading it, I got this weird sense of melancholic nostalgia for an experience I'll never have. But, I suppose that's just how a class of 2020 high school grad will feel reading about a college experience that was forever just out of reach. But that's like really emo. womp womp. thank you hannah for pushing me to read it!

chadstatton's review against another edition

3.0

Admittedly, young adult fiction is not the type of thing I usually read. I have read and enjoyed some post apocalyptic young adult fiction like Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games trilogy, James Dashner’s Maze Runner series and even Veronic Roth’s Divergent series. So I’m not opposed to young adult books. My bent is more toward the science fiction elements of the these stories and not so much the romance. I know that Rainbow Rowell is not that sort of young adult author and Eleanor and Park is not the kind of book that I would ever spend precious reading time on but I did hear here speak in an interview about this book and it seemed like an interesting premise so I gave it a shot.
Cath Avery is a freshmen at the University of Omaha, Lincoln and she is really there because that’s where her identical twin sister wanted to go. Cath is a book nerd that feels more at home with the characters in a fictional world about a boy wizard, (that bears an intentional resemblance to a certain fictional boy wizard of whom we are all acquainted), than she does with the characters that she meets at school. Ms. Rowell does create mostly believable characters here, Reagan - Cath’s complete opposite roommate who feels pity, then a fondness for Cath and ultimately becomes a good friend. Levi - Reagan’s ex boyfriend and smiling bobblehead. Wren Cath’s twin sister and onetime partner in fanfiction who now wants nothing to do with her.
I thought that the book was going to be about a fangirl and what these fictional worlds mean to people and about the communities that fans build. It started out that way for about the first chapter and then it became a coming of age story that’s been done so many times that the by the end the only thing original was the excerpts from the fictional world of Simon Snow. Even that got pretty tedious at the end. I wanted to read a book about fandom and that’s not what this is at all. It’s a good story for what it is and I think the characters are mostly believable as well as the dialogue. I did get really sick of one particular character telling that special someone that he really, really, really liked her. These are college kids, not middle schoolers.

kristinseeberg's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

snoopydoo77's review against another edition

4.0

 

I saw this book everywhere and hearing good things so I finally decided to pick it up. And I was not disappointed. It was also a bit different than I thought it be. I thought it would be more about her and the fandom of Simon Snow and it is to a point but mainly about Cath and her new life in college. Or trying to navigate through college and trying new to her things.

I love the relationship Cath has with her family , I love even more that the family is far from perfect. We have mom that left when they were little, some mental health issues with dad and then there are Cath and Wren with their own set of issues… I like how things are handled and how each of them deals in their way as well.

Obviously I loved the close relationship Cath has with Wren, but things start out very rocky for them and they have to work through some stuff. I really enjoyed all her relationships and people she met. Good and bad because that helped her grow and see things differently. Reagan, man I loved her. Yeah she was a bitch but she was a nice bitch and in the end looked out for Cath. I really enjoyed her.

Levi. Not much to say about him other than that I absolutely loved him and must say he had a lot more patience than I ever would when it came to Cath. I loved how they relationship devolved slowly and how natural it felt. The ups and downs and everything in between.

Cath, herself, I really enjoyed her and her nerdiness … most of the time. It was easy to relate to her and feel for her as she struggled and tried to find new ways. Other times she got on my nerves a bit when she was more stubborn than scared to come out of her comfort zone, really the whole English paper thing drove me nuts and I wanted to smack her.

But overall I really enjoyed her. She and Levi made me laugh and swoon a lot throughout the book.

Now is where I probably lose a lot of people, but unlike most I didn’t care much for the fan fiction within the book. I didn’t not like it, I liked it, I just didn’t love it.

I listen to the audiobook and the narration was awesome.

I rate this book 4 ★

 

ananya2112's review against another edition

3.0

I read it almost 8 years ago. But after reading the two volumes of the Manga version, I felt like it's only fair for me to change the ratings.

oxlabyrinthxo's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved this book.

SPOILERS:

Spoiler

When Cath first goes to college she is really nervous and anxious, which I can totally relate to. My second day of college I was still so nervous I threw up during class. Anyways Cath is a relatable character and the author does a good job, in my opinion, balancing Cath and her fandom love and the college experience.

I absolutely adored Reagan and Levi. Cath tries so hard to to become friends with anyone and it happens anyway almost against her will, but she loves it. I think this book did a fantastic job of showing Cath going through college like a normal scared freshman and how typically when you are in a new situation you cling to the familiar and for her that is Simon Snow. I love how the author made Cath grow as a character without making compromises and being able to stay true to herself.

I also like how Wren spiraling out of control affects Cath. She tried to not care that Wren is drinking and partying to much, but it does bother her and she thinks about it a lot and it genuinely concerned. I love how Cath is concerned about her dad and how she is still bitter about her mother leaving.

Sorry there was nothing about this book I didn't like. It was light hearted, it was funny, it was deep, and sometimes it was heavy. It just was a good, engaging book. I recommend it to everyone. It's just so good.

jennkei's review against another edition

4.0

I thought this would be awful, along the lines of that other book (cough Gamer Girl), but was pleasantly surprised. More than about fangirls and RL, it's about love, family, and figuring out who you are.

basketkaceee's review against another edition

5.0

rainbow rowell writes kisses so well.