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Thursday, January 21, 2016

Fangirl: Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl: Rainbow Rowell




I read Fangirl via Audible audio. I have saw this book floating around for awhile but it never struck me as something I had to read. Honestly I didn’t think I would like it at all, but one day it popped up in my Audible feed and I thought “why not give it a chance”. Boy am I ever glad I did!! Fangirl is amazing and the audio is spot on. 

Cath and Wren are twins who are in love with a book series about Simon and Baz. They grew up reading the books and writing fan fiction about the characters. Now that they are venturing into the college world Wren is ready to drop the fan fiction but Cath can’t let it go.  On top of the fan fiction Wren doesn’t want to room with Cath at college. She thinks it is time to separate a bit and make new friends. Cath is very uncomfortable with this but what is she to do, she can’t force Wren to be her roommate forever. 

I loved this book for many reasons but one of the main ones is how much I have in common with Cath. She has a lot of anxiety and confidence issues, just like I do. There is one scene at the start where she is only eating junk in her room because she doesn’t know how the cafeteria works. I went thru the same thing when I started college. I would keep snacks in my car or bring a lunch that wasn’t that great because I was scared to go to the student center alone.  Crazy I know but just like Cath there is a voice in our heads that keeps us from trying. 

Fangirl is also one of the most realistic college books I have ever read. Many books give unrealistic looks into the college world. Dorm life being great, classes being easy, social aspects just happening; that isn’t always the case though. In Fangirl we see that moving in the dorm and meeting your roommate the first time can be hard. You may not click right away, and being away from home to start with is hard. Surprise college classes actually take time and you have to attend and study to pass, Cath and Wren show this with their opposite personalities. Their college experiences are real and I love that we can see this. 

Just all around Cath’s growth is the greatest in this story. It is so real and relatable. You should give this one a try even if you don’t think you will like it. I didn’t and now I’m in love and can’t wait to reread a physical copy! Rainbow Rowell has a different style of writing but it is great in Fangirl. Also the narrator in audio version is spot on in what I would think the voices of Cath, Wren, and the other characters should be, even without having read it before. 

Have you read Fangirl? What did you think?

5/5

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