November 04, 2014

Book Review : Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell


I started reading this book last night and I'm 100 pages in. This book is pretty enjoyable to read~

A photo posted by Winoko Christofel (@winoko21) on



I really want to write this book review the day I finished it, but I don't have the time. I have all the time in the world right now to write. And this post has been collecting dust in the draft for like a month before I actually post it. Don't forget that I usually write some spoilers about the book in this review. Reader's discretion is advised. So this is it ...

I enjoyed reading this book. I really do.And when I really enjoy a book, I read it in a flash of time. I consider myself as a slow reader. I never finish a book in a day. The fastest I ever read a book was when I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I read it in three days. Fangirl? I read it in four days. I think I can actually read it in three days too, but I was sick so I can't beat my personal best record.

It's been awhile since I last write a book review, so it kinda hard to try writing one again xD

Here it goes,

The thing that I love the most from reading a young adult book is this, it relatively easy to read (*except for The Hunger Games trilogy, I think? ). And this book is no different.

I like the character. I think Cath is really relatable as a main character even though I'm not actually feel connected to her in anyway. I love her world that she live in. The world where Simon Snow is a thing. I imagine Simon Snow thingy as Harry Potter from the beginning of the book. The first page that I read is basically a slightly altered version of Wikipedia article about this whole Simon Snow stuff. It's really awesome! This whole fanfiction thingy is a really good thing to be a story.

I love the time setting. Freshmen year of College. I think I will totally related to this story more if I read it on my freshmen year. The awkward situation of not having any friend? I really understand that. Didn't get a proper lunch / dinner because she doesn't know the dining room and she has no one to ask? I can actually see myself in Cath's character x'D

I really like Cath's relationship with Reagan. I think it's really realistic. She's her roommate, and it's really awkward and anything, but as things progressed, she become Cath's friend. I really like reading about this kind of thing. Reagan and Cath is a totally different person. Cath is super shy while Reagan is that kind of outgoing person. Reagan is sorta cold, but she's actually a nice person. I like her confidence, and somehow Cath got some sort of her confidence too.

I really love Cath's relationship with her dad. The way she cares about him. All the phone calls that she made because she's worried about his being alone and anything. Especially that part when he's sick. It really breaks my heart when I'm reading about that one time when she come home after her dad is submitted to the hospital. That part when she cleaned the house, and she realized that if she's home, she can prevent this whole mess. A little manic is okay, but ... *sigh*

I'm really annoyed with Cath and Wren's relationship.If I have a twin brother, I will definitively hang out together at all times. Whenever I watch a movie or read a book that have a twin character, I was hoping that the twins will have that kind of cute relationship with each other, like Fred and George in Harry Potter. But at the beginning of the book, they're already separated. Like they're 'fighting' in some way. I don't really like Wren's character. She's like "I want to make a lot of friends and drink a lot of booze. Will you stay out my way, Cath?". Or when she won't even visit her father when he's sick? I really don't like her. Thankfully, things got better in the end. 

 Family is such a great deal in this book. Throughout the book, I was wondering what the deal is with her mother? where is she? Later on, we learned through various flashback that she left that family. Thus, leaving Cath with some sort of mommy issues. That explained why she really cared about her father so much.

Let's talk about Levi! I know that the whole internet is loving this character. For some reason, I don't. I'm not sure why either. I mean, he's like a good character. He smiles to literally everybody, and he's been a great friend (*and later on, boyfriend) to Cath. Maybe their relationship is too cute for my liking. It's too lovey-dovey to me. I just can't stand it. Is it maybe because I'm a guy? But I've read some romance book before, and I'm fine with them. It just feels awkward to read their story for me~

I actually like Cath's and Nick relationship in the beginning. But it all change when it seems like he's using her for his own good. And he indeed did that. I'm really glad to read the part when Cath refused to publish the story that they write together. I'm like "You get what you deserved, a******!".

I love all the references that Rainbow Rowell made throughout the book. I don't remember much, but I do remember that she made a Harry Potter reference! A book that made a Harry Potter reference is really cool in my opinion. (*Robyn Schneider also made a Harry Potter reference in her book... maybe someday I will write the review of that book too!).

The last point of this review. I literally made this review, solely because of this point. IT ENDS ABRUPTLY!!! IT ENDS WHEN I WANT TO READ MORE!!! IT'S REALLY ANNOYING!!! It leaves me with a lot of questions! What will happen with Cath and her biological mother? What will happen after she read the last book of Simon Snow? What will happen to her short stories? I know that she'll turn her short stories, because there's a page that stated that she won it. But I hate it that it ends like that. I want more closure, but that kind of ending gave me none. I literally got a massive book hangover after reading that last chapter. I keep thinking about the characters from this book, and I have to wait for two days before I start reading another book.

Memorable quote :
"The conversion was her favorite part. 'That moment', she told Cath, 'when you realize that a guy's looking at you differently - that you're taking up more space in his field of vision. That moment when you know he can't see past you anymore'. "
 Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl, page 35 - 36

It's a great book, I love the overall story, and the main character's relationship with every character. One of the most enjoyable book that I ever read. I'm thinking about reading another book from this author. I'm thinking about getting Eleanor & Park next month.

So, what about you? Have you read this book too?



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