Soooo Relatable - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is a fairly new young adult novel about a girl named Cath who goes to college with her twin sister Wren, to which she has the classic introvert vs. extrovert relationship with. She is absolutely obsessed with Simon Snow, a Harry Potter-parody series, and writes a novel-length fanfiction surrounding the series. This novel follows Cath’s struggles with her family and her confidence in her writing when she fails to create original ideas for her writing class. Wrapped up in her self-struggles is her roommate’s ex-boyfriend, Levi.

I loved this novel because I can relate to Cath so much and there are few novels with characters like Cath. If there are characters like Cath, they usually aren’t presented in a positive light. I can relate to Cath so much because I am obsessed with books, loves to write, reads fanfiction and resents having to go outside and socialise. I feel like Rowell’s portrayal of Cath’s character was spot on in representing young readers and writers. Her interaction with other characters made her that much more interesting.

As for the plot, it felt as if things kept getting worse and worse for Cath, as well as for Levi and Wren, as the story progressed. The further the story progressed, the further Cath’s life plummeted and we see Cath in a state of worthlessness and depression once she learns that her writing is not as unique as she believed. The story is more focused on internal conflicts as well as the relationships between the characters, whether they be family, friendship or romantic relationships. It was a style that I very much enjoyed as it adds that small bit of philosophy to the story. I also appreciated that there wasn't that much filler and, if there was any, I didn't notice it.

I am very thankful that Rowell took this premise and executed the story in such an effective way because the concept is one that I believe many people were waiting for. If the idea was taken and written poorly, I believe many people would be have been extremely disappointed.

For this book, I'm giving it a 8.5 out of 10. The characters were very relatable in my opinion and the story showed another side to the 'fan' community. I recommend this to anyone else who is like Cath (i.e. young adult, fangirl/guy, aspiring writer, uni student struggling with their place in the world).

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