Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

A love story about opening your heart, by Rainbow Rowell, the New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park.

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more – she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

Without Wren, Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate 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.

Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible . . .

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell comes with special bonus material; the first chapter from Rainbow's irresistible novel Carry On.

Reviewed by lovelybookshelf on

4 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog, A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall:

They may be identical twins, but Cath and Wren are having completely different experiences during their freshman year of college. Cath is the introverted, bookworm type; she is a popular author of fan fiction. Wren is the outgoing party girl. Each sister is discovering her own, individual identity outside of being seen as a unit, while figuring out how to hold on to her relationship with her family. It doesn't sound like the most unique premise for a coming-of-age story, does it?

But this is Rainbow Rowell. Even that which could be deemed "predictable" feels fresh and interesting. I love her characters. I love how she keeps me up into the early hours of the morning to read "just a few more pages" (or chapters!). She did it with Eleanor & Park, and she did it again with Fangirl.

This is what you read when you just want to cuddle up with a good book. When you don't want to have to think too hard about the story, but you don't want mindlessness, either. Fangirl contains just enough of, and the best of, everything: drama, conflict, love, human interest. If this is an example of the "New Adult" genre, let's have Fangirl set the standard for all others.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 February, 2014: Finished reading
  • 14 February, 2014: Reviewed