433 pages
ISBN: 9781250030955
Read 9-13-13
Format: Paperback ARC
Source: Lit Lushes ARC Tours
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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?
Wow, this book was so much wonderful! Though I very recently bought Eleanor & Park, I haven’t read it yet, I got it just before Fangirl and since Fangirl was for an ARC tour, I read it first, and based on it, I can’t wait to start Eleanor & Park! This book is just so magical and real and relatable. Thanks to the girls at Lit Lushes for letting me part of the tour for this amazing book!
Cath is definitely many people are going to be able to see themselves in, I know I did. I was also the quiet girl who was often the “teacher’s pet” and got the high GPA and didn’t go to parties; the nerd who would rather stay home in her own little world rather than go out and get drunk like the other college students. I also wrote fanfiction (though I haven’t in a little while now) and I have always been a high anxiety kind of person, though maybe not quite as high as Cath’s. The only real complaint I have for this book is sometimes Cath gets a bit too whiny with a couple of things, but other than that this book is magnificent. Levi was awesome for the most part, definitely crush worthy and I loved how loyal of a friend he was. My heart was breaking for Cath with her sister, her twin sister, who didn’t seem to want to be part of a twin pair anymore going into college.
This book deals with some pretty deep issues that I wasn’t expecting and they were handled really well and very realistically. This whole book was so realistic and touching and heartbreaking and hopeful. It was also very creative with how be got to see tidbits of the Simon Snow books and Cath’s fanfiction mingled in. The writing style is fabulous and I was certainly won over and am now a loyal fan for Rainbow Rowell. I had to force myself to stop reading several times when I had to do “more important” things. Loved the whole thing! A truly fantastic book!
Wonderful characters, great writing, super relatable, Cath a bit too whiny in a couple places.
On The Shelf 