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A review by kyarabereading
If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When I learned that there was a short story focused on Reagan from Fangirl, I immediately had to give it a read. Reagan was one of my favorite characters from Fangirl, and I was excited to get a look into her world/her mind/her life after college. It was nice getting to learn more about Reagan, her family, and what she has been up to in recent years. It was a cute little slice-of-life story, and it was definitely fun to read.
However, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would. For one, it surprised me to see that it mentioned Covid. I guess it makes sense since it’s set in 2020-21, but unfortunately, it made the story read more like a Covid safety PSA than a short story at times. I appreciate that this story is so honest about how necessary yet isolating it was to have to be that cautious during the start of the pandemic, but they spent so much time talking about Covid, this barely felt like a love story.
I also felt like the story felt rushed and didn’t really feel like it was going anywhere. I feel like this would have worked better as a more drawn out story to give the reader time to understand these characters better and see how their relationships grow over time. I’m still glad I read it of course, but it was definitely not as good as I hoped it would be.
However, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would. For one, it surprised me to see that it mentioned Covid. I guess it makes sense since it’s set in 2020-21, but unfortunately, it made the story read more like a Covid safety PSA than a short story at times. I appreciate that this story is so honest about how necessary yet isolating it was to have to be that cautious during the start of the pandemic, but they spent so much time talking about Covid, this barely felt like a love story.
I also felt like the story felt rushed and didn’t really feel like it was going anywhere. I feel like this would have worked better as a more drawn out story to give the reader time to understand these characters better and see how their relationships grow over time. I’m still glad I read it of course, but it was definitely not as good as I hoped it would be.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death