REVIEW: FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: -
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Fiction
Publisher: MACMILLAN CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Source: Physical copy
Pages: 470

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SYNOPSIS:  A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. 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. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, 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. She doesn’t want to.

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. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

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?

Once I asked in Goodreads for a good new adult based in college book and most people insisted I have to read the Fangirl. I had really no pre-opinion to what was I about to read when I opened the book and therefore, went into it blindly trusting you guys.

I actually started this book as an audiobook but after about an hour listening I was so into it that I had to put off the audiobook and wait till I'm in Germany where I bought the actual physical copy and dived right into it. Plus, my edition contains also a bonus!

THE WORLD: The book is based in Nebraska, Lincoln college. It is really the setting of typical college through freshman eyes with everything enlarged and just that extra pinch or scariness.

CHARACTERS: Cath is our leading character in the book. She is very nerdy and has a serious problem with interacting with people or even well leaving her own room. She also lives in her own magic world of Simon Snow as she writes a fanfiction for hours every night about him. Now I know Cath sounds rather pathetic in this kind of description but I have to tell you guys, I loved Cath. Sure she is whiny and annoying most of the times but the thing was...my friend and I have written fanfiction for almost 8 years on daily bases spending hours and hours in from of the computer screen. I know that feeling of living in different world, knowing your characters as good as they your family just so so well that it made me smile all the way through the book. Now Cath is not alone in this book, she has a twin sister Wren who used to be a facfic girl too but then in college she decided it is time to have college fun. I liked Wren more than Cath to be honest. Actually, the whole Cath and Wren reminded me exactly of my friend and me. I went all college party just like Wren and my friend stays just her old self. Tho, I never really went back to facfic, I did at some point for a little bit but then I stopped and maybe I just moved on. Anyways, I think you can understand why when I was reading this book it was like going through the memories myself! Alright, there is also Levi, Cath's boyfriend in the book. To be honest he was that one character I really couldn't stomach. I just did not like him at all. And then we had Reagan. Omg guys I just loved Reagan she was so so funny! I would love to have had a roommate like Reagan, tho in UK we do not have roommates, you have the room all for yourself!

LOVE: There was no love triangle in this book Whoop Whoop! But frankly, I had no interest in the romance of Cath and Levi. It was just blah for me. I loved the book itself more!

PLUS: Usually when it comes to books, even the ones I am most excited about, I always know how many pages it has and how many I have left to read. Now with this book, and this like almost never happens, I was so into it that I did not keep track of pages. At some point I was on page 200 then all I know it's over 300 pages in. It was just that kind of book who gets you in completely.

MINUS: I fish the author did not write this book of Simon Snow. I personally had no interest in that story and just eventually more to the end of the book stopped reading the chapters from Simon Snow completely. They did not have any real contribution to story itself for me.

OVERALL: When I ordered the physical copy of the book I was not absolutely sure I still should spend money on it. I knew it was good but the price was rather expensive for in my imagination such a short book. Actually it is not short at all, somehow in my head I just imagines it short. But now that I am done I am so so glad I bought it! I have that feeling that I am going to opening it more than once in the future. It is just that kind of book you have to go back to again and again!

What do you guys think about FANGIRL?