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nonidude's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
There's not much I liked about this book which sucks because Rainbow has been so highly rated by people I know, and I have another of her books on my to-read shelf...
First off the writing was just weak; it had moments near the end where it got better, but overall - too many cringe moments. A couple examples...
"His eyes were that color you can't see in the rainbow. Indigo."
"Levi giggled. (Did guys 'giggle' or 'chuckle'? Cath hated the word 'chuckle.')"
"...leaning over her left shoulder. He smelled good. (Breaking news: Boys smell good.)"
There was also a couple moments in which the writing was very repetitive. One here where she restates things you mentioned just 10 pages earlier.
P. 231
"She started coming downstairs every morning when she heard the coffeemaker beeping. To check on him, to see him off.… Cath would make him breakfast while he ran—and after he ate and left for work, she'd fall back asleep on the couch. After a few days of this it already felt like a routine.... Cath would usually wake up again when Wren came downstairs or came home."
P. 242
"Their dad got up to jog every morning. Cath woke up when she heard his coffeemaker beep. She'd get up and make him breakfast, then fall back to sleep on the couch until Wren woke up."
Also, I thought this book talking about a fandom was supposed to be a spoof of Harry Potter - it's pretty clear from the way Rainbow talks about books, movies, the author, the plots, etc. and yet! Harry Potter is alive and well in this universe bc the characters mention it?? Weird...
My final complaint is on the characters - I personally didn't find them likable. There was a scene in which they talked about rape too lightheartedly. There's scenes in which the men seem to act chivalrous almost to the point of being offensive. Idk I just don't think I would hang out with any of them by choice (maybe the dad; he seems alright).
First off the writing was just weak; it had moments near the end where it got better, but overall - too many cringe moments. A couple examples...
"His eyes were that color you can't see in the rainbow. Indigo."
"Levi giggled. (Did guys 'giggle' or 'chuckle'? Cath hated the word 'chuckle.')"
"...leaning over her left shoulder. He smelled good. (Breaking news: Boys smell good.)"
There was also a couple moments in which the writing was very repetitive. One here where she restates things you mentioned just 10 pages earlier.
P. 231
"She started coming downstairs every morning when she heard the coffeemaker beeping. To check on him, to see him off.… Cath would make him breakfast while he ran—and after he ate and left for work, she'd fall back asleep on the couch. After a few days of this it already felt like a routine.... Cath would usually wake up again when Wren came downstairs or came home."
P. 242
"Their dad got up to jog every morning. Cath woke up when she heard his coffeemaker beep. She'd get up and make him breakfast, then fall back to sleep on the couch until Wren woke up."
Also, I thought this book talking about a fandom was supposed to be a spoof of Harry Potter - it's pretty clear from the way Rainbow talks about books, movies, the author, the plots, etc. and yet! Harry Potter is alive and well in this universe bc the characters mention it?? Weird...
My final complaint is on the characters - I personally didn't find them likable. There was a scene in which they talked about rape too lightheartedly. There's scenes in which the men seem to act chivalrous almost to the point of being offensive. Idk I just don't think I would hang out with any of them by choice (maybe the dad; he seems alright).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Rape, and Homophobia
anne_shouseofdreams's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcoholism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Medical content
loverofeels's review against another edition
5.0
re-read during finals because i'm in bed with the flu... feels so good to read about a college girl ignoring her final project as i ignore mine
still very enjoyable, though the pacing is a bit weird. lots of lines of dialogue that are excruciatingly 2013, not in a good way (the one that i think annoys me the most is levi reacting to the creepy guy in the bar by bringing up cath and wren's FATHER, as if the dad is the one who is most wronged in that situation).
but i giggled multiple times while reading?
but that being said i wouldn't necessarily recommend <i>fangirl</i> to anybody, both out of shame and out of disliking the author and the many questionable/outright harmful aspects of this work and those in her other books...
still very enjoyable, though the pacing is a bit weird. lots of lines of dialogue that are excruciatingly 2013, not in a good way (the one that i think annoys me the most is levi reacting to the creepy guy in the bar by bringing up cath and wren's FATHER, as if the dad is the one who is most wronged in that situation).
but i giggled multiple times while reading?
but that being said i wouldn't necessarily recommend <i>fangirl</i> to anybody, both out of shame and out of disliking the author and the many questionable/outright harmful aspects of this work and those in her other books...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Rape
crufts's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.75
I picked up this book one morning, and was pleasantly surprise to find myself having blitzed the entire thing in less than a day. It is good.
The premise of the story is established in the very first page, an imaginary Wikipedia article about the Simon Snow series - a seven-part fiction series that's effectively this world's equivalent of Harry Potter, having sold millions of copies, spawned seven movies and achieved worldwide fame.
Meanwhile, our protagonist Cath is a big-name Simon Snow fanfiction author. Her magnum opus fanfic is Internet-famous; but in real life, she's a nobody. The world of fandom is comfortable for her, whereas her new world of college life is unfamiliar, frightening, and worst of all, real. With a group of college roommates, friends, and classmates around her, Cath is thrown into this new world and has to learn how to deal with it.
Amongst its many fine points, I adored Fangirl's depiction of anxiety. The author takes Cath's irrational fears and writes how they twist and bend to become rational and believable, showing the true, internal experience of anxiety.
The premise of the story is established in the very first page, an imaginary Wikipedia article about the Simon Snow series - a seven-part fiction series that's effectively this world's equivalent of Harry Potter, having sold millions of copies, spawned seven movies and achieved worldwide fame.
Meanwhile, our protagonist Cath is a big-name Simon Snow fanfiction author. Her magnum opus fanfic is Internet-famous; but in real life, she's a nobody. The world of fandom is comfortable for her, whereas her new world of college life is unfamiliar, frightening, and worst of all, real. With a group of college roommates, friends, and classmates around her, Cath is thrown into this new world and has to learn how to deal with it.
Amongst its many fine points, I adored Fangirl's depiction of anxiety. The author takes Cath's irrational fears and writes how they twist and bend to become rational and believable, showing the true, internal experience of anxiety.
How can [my roommate] just fall asleep like that with a stranger in the room?
The depiction of mental illness and mental disabilities in a few other characters was also sensitive and realistic.
It also made me laugh that the Simon Snow series had all these parallels with Harry Potter, tiny details that fans will enjoy:
[They were watching] Simon Snow and the Selkies Four [i.e. the fourth movie of the series]. All the actors had longer hair in this movie.
I liked that we actually get to read many, many excerpts from the Simon Snow series. It's not just a handwaved plot device that we have to believe; we get to see for ourselves why it charmed so many people. (It was a bit odd that the Harry Potter series also existed in this world, though.)
Fangirl ended a little abruptly, with some of the climactic crisis decisions being resolved in less than a page - e.g. the conclusion of Cath's university fiction writing course was resolved in a one-paragraph text excerpt. However, perhaps the author knows this because she added a little FAQ section to this edition, answering the questions of what the characters got up to after the story. A little odd, but hey, it worked.
I really enjoyed this book, and I hope you will too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Minor: Rape and Toxic friendship
Rape is mentioned briefly in a discussion of the risks to college students.cynosure's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Spoiler warning
I enjoyed this book, it’s not what I usually read however I like Rainbow Rowell’s writing. Some parts are kind of cringe and I really hate how a straight girl writing about a gay relationship is seen as deviant and interesting. It felt kind of mlm fetishy especially coming from a female writer. I really enjoyed how Cath and Levi’s romance bloomed and I loved some of the romantic parts, Rowell writes romance so well :-)
Overall a very interesting but cliché book.
I enjoyed this book, it’s not what I usually read however I like Rainbow Rowell’s writing. Some parts are kind of cringe and I really hate how a straight girl writing about a gay relationship is seen as deviant and interesting. It felt kind of mlm fetishy especially coming from a female writer. I really enjoyed how Cath and Levi’s romance bloomed and I loved some of the romantic parts, Rowell writes romance so well :-)
Overall a very interesting but cliché book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Rape
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