Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Photo from Goodreads

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Published: September 10, 2013, by St. Martin's Press

Plot Summary:
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?

My Thoughts:
I love this book. I really do.

Maybe it's because it took place at a time that would've been my freshman year, Maybe it's because it's about fangirl culture, something I definitely understand. Maybe it's because I just identify with the protagonist on so many levels.

I don't know what the magic combination is, but this book seems tailored to me.

This book basically follows Cath through the entirety of her freshman year and the ups and downs that go along with it. However, it is more a chronology of her real life versus her life in the fandom. In my mind, it does not really add up to what the blurp on the inside cover says. The book focuses more on her life than the Simon Snow fandom.

I think the main reason I loved this book because I just "get" Cath as a character because in many ways, I am Cath. A lot of the things she goes through regarding college are a lot of things I went through myself regarding college, like roommates and dinning halls. As for some of the more complex conflicts, I definitely understood the emotions behind it. I also really loved the complexity of Wren and their Dad.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people in college who will be able to reminisce about their freshman year.  People who are about to start college may also enjoy this. If you enjoy fandom and fan-created works, you will also love this.