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A review by zanybibliophile
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
5.0
For those who do not already know, this story follows a nerd that struggles with social interaction and new places, finds her comfort in books and writes to escape in her first year of college.
Cath Avery is a massive fan of Simon Snow - a magical book series that is to Cath what Harry Potter is to most of us. She loves the characters and the world to the point she writes very popular fanfiction and finds her escape in writing for the Simon Snow fandom. However, while confident in her fanfiction, Cath does not feel confident in new situations, such as college, meeting new people, such as her new roommate, and she feels even more uneasy about it without her twin by her side.
Wren is the twin who wants some independence. She does not want to live in the Simon Snow fandom anymore nor does she want to have Cath by her side during her college experience. While it is common for 18-year-olds to leave home, meet new people and party, I personally feel that Wren took the whole independence thing too far.
Reagan is Cath's roommate and I honestly love her. She has such a standoffish way about her with her obvious high self-confidence and her blunt comments, but deep down she is a fun and caring person. She is just the kind of person all us awkward nerds need to take us under their wing and show us how to function in the world.
Levi. Ah, Levi. He was the first person Cath met once she arrived at the campus housing as he was standing in her room. While Cath obviously had a panic attack over this detail, from the very first moment Levi is an absolute sweetheart. He is a college boy with a receding hairline and an inability to retain information he has read, but he makes a pumpkin mocha breve and is ready to do anything to put a smile on someone's face.
As for the story itself, I loved all the fangirling, the emergency dance parties, a mostly relateable case of anxiety, beautiful friendships and cute romantic elements. This book is pretty much how I hope college/university would have been if I physically went to one (I chose to study online) and kind of fills that "wish I went to uni" gap. Too bad I can only keep Levi in my dreams. This is one of my favourite books and I am so happy I still loved it just as much, if not more, the second time around.
Cath Avery is a massive fan of Simon Snow - a magical book series that is to Cath what Harry Potter is to most of us. She loves the characters and the world to the point she writes very popular fanfiction and finds her escape in writing for the Simon Snow fandom. However, while confident in her fanfiction, Cath does not feel confident in new situations, such as college, meeting new people, such as her new roommate, and she feels even more uneasy about it without her twin by her side.
Wren is the twin who wants some independence. She does not want to live in the Simon Snow fandom anymore nor does she want to have Cath by her side during her college experience. While it is common for 18-year-olds to leave home, meet new people and party, I personally feel that Wren took the whole independence thing too far.
Reagan is Cath's roommate and I honestly love her. She has such a standoffish way about her with her obvious high self-confidence and her blunt comments, but deep down she is a fun and caring person. She is just the kind of person all us awkward nerds need to take us under their wing and show us how to function in the world.
Levi. Ah, Levi. He was the first person Cath met once she arrived at the campus housing as he was standing in her room. While Cath obviously had a panic attack over this detail, from the very first moment Levi is an absolute sweetheart. He is a college boy with a receding hairline and an inability to retain information he has read, but he makes a pumpkin mocha breve and is ready to do anything to put a smile on someone's face.
As for the story itself, I loved all the fangirling, the emergency dance parties, a mostly relateable case of anxiety, beautiful friendships and cute romantic elements. This book is pretty much how I hope college/university would have been if I physically went to one (I chose to study online) and kind of fills that "wish I went to uni" gap. Too bad I can only keep Levi in my dreams. This is one of my favourite books and I am so happy I still loved it just as much, if not more, the second time around.