Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
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*Absolutely and completely too cute*
I’ve been waiting a long time to read this one, and I’m glad to say it did not disappoint. A totally sweet and fun story that makes the reader smile larger and larger with each passing page. Never once taking itself too seriously, but still managing to portray a worthy life lesson that everyone can take something from.
Cath felt like she was swimming in words. Drowning in them, sometimes.
Cath is a shut-in introvert who can’t even fathom what she will do with herself now that Wren has refused to be her roommate in their first year of college. Consistently writing her fanfiction, Cath longs to delve deeper into her unfinished story, but classes threaten to take time away from her writing, causing her to constantly fret when she will get her next Fanfic written.
It felt good to be writing in her own room, in her own bed. To get lost in the World of Mages and stay lost. To not hear any voices in her head but Simon’s and Baz’s. Not even her own. This was why Cath wrote fic. For these hours when their world supplanted the real world.
All of the characters in this story were so fun and relatable. These fun and quirky people made you want to be able to interact with them, get to know them. My favorite character by far would have to be Levi. Always happy, always smiling, always there for you, Levi. Everytime he was in the story I had the biggest smile on my face, and I couldn’t help it. There was nothing cuter than Levi and all his questions, Levi waiting outside their dorm room, always thinking up an excuse to be in their room. And he never once left Cath hanging. He was is the type of guy who is there for Cath in a heartbeat, no matter what he’s doing and no matter what time it is. I loved him so, so much-it’s ridiculous. And Levi and Cath together??? Beyond sweet and beyond adorable-it was above and beyond cute. There is just no adequate way to describe them as a pair.
Knowing they were in the same city again made the missing him flare up inside her. In her stomach. Why were people always going on and on about the heart? Almost everything Levi happened in Cath’s stomach.
Levi’s smile broke free and devoured his whole face. It started to devour her face, too. Cath had to look away.
Even more exciting than the relationship, though, is the fresh writing style. Every word that poured from Cath’s mouth (or was played out in Cath’s mind) could have been something I would think or say. Quirky, relatable sentences strung together by words that are meaningless without the ambition from which the writer wrote this story, we fall head first into the story with writing that makes you feel warm, welcome, and rejuvenated.
I don’t think I’m any good at this. Boy–girl. Person–person. I don’t trust anybody. Not anybody. And the more that I care about someone, the more sure I am they’re going to get tired of me and take off.
A refreshing, light read that you can’t help but to fall in love with, Fangirl is something precious, indeed-a story you aren’t likely to forget any time soon…or ever for that matter. As stated above, it’s so damn refreshing to read about a budding relationship that has all the insecurities and blemishes that most new relationships in college might contain. Never once trying to be something it’s not, Fangirl shows how absolutely unnecessary it is to override us with steamy love scenes that make us fan ourselves. It’s all about smooth, flawless writing in a flow of beautifully written kisses that make you smile from ear to ear-it’s all you need if done correctly; I never once felt robbed of a steamy scene, and I attribute that to Rainbow Rowell’s fresh writing style.
It’s just … everything. There are too many people. And I don’t fit in. I don’t know how to be. Nothing that I’m good at is the sort of thing that matters there. Being smart doesn’t matter—and being good with words. And when those things do matter, it’s only because people want something from me. Not because they want me.
As with many YA/NA stories, there were obviously characters that made you angry, made you feel as though you yourself were betrayed, and had you questioning if you could ever forgive them-adding yet another layer to this intricately simple story. Building relationships that will ultimately break, leaving room for a noteworthy redemption…or yet another betrayal.
That’s what I loved most about the story-each and every character represented something special that made them unique. I loved this story so very much, and it will hold a special place in my heart for a very long time. No relationship should be so sweet…and then completely forgotten. I can only hope there is a continuation in the works, giving us more Levi and Cath, because there is no way I got my fill.
Good (
Under the Never Sky (
A Little Too Far (
or 
That Boy (
