Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

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.

Simon Snow

Simon Snow is basically the protagonist in some ways. 50 pages in, I already thought Simon was this universe's Harry Potter. But when Cath was reading Levi fanfiction, Levi said something that made me question it: 'That's like saying Harry Potter was gay'. Does that mean they have two big franchises in this universe? Or is Harry Potter not even our Harry Potter, but something completely different? I'm kind of wondering, but I guess we won't find out very soon.

Cath

Okay, so Cath's a nerd. She writes fanfiction (gay style), spends her night at home and is obsessed with everything Simon Snow. She's also a giant control freak. Throughout the book, she loosened up a bit and wanted to do more and more. Going to parties, even. For some, she must have felt like a whiny child, but for me, I completely understood. She always stood in the shadow of her twin sister, Wren, and never got to be herself. I felt really bad for her.

Cath's dad

Well, a few moments in I already realised Cath's dad wasn't just a normal dad. He forgot things, even forgot to take care of himself. I later on realised her dad was bipolar, but this wasn't explained very well. It could be that I didn't really read that one piece it was explained in, but I realised so late into the book that I practically hit myself for being so stupid. Cath is very sweet to her dad and helps him in every way she can, even moving back home.

Laura, Cath's mom (?)

What a horrible bitch this was. Did she really expect her child to want to bond with her after leaving her at 8 years old? Cath literally hadn't seen her for 10 years when she comes back into Cath/Wren's life expecting everything to be fine. And while Wren wants to bond, Cath still hates her. Laura made her father (and them) go insane. I completely understood why Cath hated her so much. Now I know she never wanted any children at her age, but then, go on birth control and use a freaking condom. Don't just leave your kids.

Wren 

A few chapters in, I already realised Wren was the "cool one" out of the twins. She likes to go to parties, likes to drink and has had loads of boyfriends (and sex). She does, however, appreciate and accept Cath's personality. While she does want her to loosen up, she doesn't push and loves Simon Snow almost as much as her. Their sister bon was so cute and while they did fight, they found each other again in the end.

Levi

He was so sweet. He tried to make everyone feel good and smiled at everyone. I was so in love with him. He accepted Cath for who she was and wasn't scared off by her fanfiction. He waited for her and didn't push her. He was also very funny and just great. Cath and Levi were like opposites, but they still managed to make it work, despite their differences.

Raegan

Oh my god, she was so great. Sarcasm on point, and she indirectly helped Cath get a boyfriend and be more open. She was like anyone not familiar with "fandoms" and kind of judged her for her Simon Snow addiction, but throughout the book had actually started to like it. She was her 'best' friend and it was really amazing. She's like the typical "party girl": make up, parties, smoking, sex. But still, she stood up for Cath.

Writing Style

I love Rainbow's writing style. It's so detailed and so pure. I could picture everything so well. After Eleanor & Park I had to read more of her. Eleanor & Park was true beauty in a book, but this got me feeling less. Don't get me wrong, it was still beautiful, but not as breath-taking as Eleanor & Park was.

Storyline

Well, how to start. I didn't feel like the book had a beginning. You know, when all the good things start and the introduction is over. It was kind of like loads of things thrown into one big book. It didn't really have a storyline. Maybe because I'm used to Fantasy, which almost always does have a storyline.

Overall, it was a great book with nice characters and very detailed, but it isn't on my recommendation list. Carry On (Cath's fanfiction which is also a book by Rowell) is definitely on my TBR list though. 3/5 stars.

Dominique
(for anyone wondering why I didn't post this Tuesday, I want to go back to my Sunday-schedule :))