A Fan of Fangirl

Sophie Feinberg, Editor

Our Rating: A

Cath and her twin sister Wren are like any other teenager on their journey into their college years- nervous and struggling to find themselves. The ordeal is especially nerve wracking for Cath who is unsure about being walls away from her sister whom she has always shared a room with. Together the sisters wrote fan fiction for the book series Simon Snow. Now, Wren has released herself from the grasp of the internet world, ready to explore college on her own, while the introverted Cath remains intimated, clinging to the Simon Snow fandom and her dorm room walls.

This novel, Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, is a coming of age story that tells of Cath’s journey to find her identity in the college world. She must deal with a less than cordial roommate, her roommate’s animated boyfriend, finding love, dealing with an empty nested father, and balancing her college assignments and devoted fan fiction fans.

Rowell’s book is relatable to many teens and contains something for everyone- humor, romance and drama. Each character is easy to indentify with as they are facing the world many of us will face in the coming years and hold interests that we do. It portrays the rocky road to discovering who you are. Though the story has its downs, it remains a witty, fun and entertaining read that leaves you smiling.

Other books by Rainbow Rowell include Attachments, Eleanor and Park, and her newest publication, Landslide.

In the words of Enterntainment Weekly, “Rowell manages to capture both the wildly popular universe of fanfic and the inside of an 18-year-old’s head. Consider me a fangirl of this charming coming-of-age tale.”

Whether or not you agree, one thing is for sure, there are many fans of Fangirl.