Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Pages: 433

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: contemporary; romance; coming-of-age

Notes for Parents: Contains some language and mature scenes

The Inside Cover

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 fanfiction, 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 fanfiction 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? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This story has a companion novel called Carry On.

What’s good?

Complex relationships between well-developed characters highlight this story about a girl out on her own for the first time. Cath spends most of her time writing fan-fiction (her stories are very popular online), but she’s forced to open her eyes to the world in front of her when her twin sister decides they should live in separate dorms in university. This is a character-driven story that sees Cath forced to make friends, explore romance, and reconsider the dynamics of the relationships she has with her mentally ill father and absent mother. The dialogue is superb, full of wit and humor. The romance is a bit flimsy, but still sweet. And the pace is good.

Best Part: The dialogue.

What isn’t good?

The dialogue is awesome, but the descriptions are not. In fact, some lines were down right cheesy. The plot is weak and predictable. Nothing unexpected happens. While the romance was cute, she was all basket case and he was all perfection (despite having been caught kissing another girl!).  

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

In the end, this is a strong coming-of-age story. Cath becomes more determined to live outside of her fanfiction world, and sees the benefit of strengthening her relationships and her writing. The fandom is an interesting thread that weaves through the story, sometimes acting as a third wheel, but often being the catalyst for change. I enjoyed the story.

Rowell, Rainbow. Fangirl. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013.