Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I used to be a very avid reader, however over the last three years, I haven’t been reading as many books as I used to. I finally decided that I should try to finish reading all of my books on my To Read List.

I am very pleased that I decided to read Fangirl to break my book-fasting so to speak.

Read on.. (May contain a few spoilers, however I always try to keep them to a minimum)

I enjoyed every bit of it. It is a very relatable storyline on a personal level. Cath is an introvert, geeky, nerdy and she writes FanFiction. Her wizard hero goes by a different name but the franchise is clearly intended to imitate the massive fan base of the Harry Potter series.

Moreover, I found it to be almost tangible for me as she also goes to college and falls in love and deals with a few heart-break situations. On top of this, she has to deal with her twin sister, Wren, wanting to distance herself from their old lives and essentially become a stranger. I am also currently in College/University and it is a nice change to read about a slightly older protagonist, rather than starting out with teenagers and the usual puberty struggles. Both of the twins experience situations and emotions that I can empathise with at this period in my life – events from last year when I first started at university especially pop to mind. I have since learned a few valuable lessons of my own, as the twins do closer to the end of the book.

Nevertheless, many other important themes were covered throughout the novel, including some self-discovery and a hint at “coming of age”. The additional themes include college drinking, mental health issues, and the effects of divorce on the family and children. I have a few very strong opinions about the effects of divorce on children, as I have seen so many dear friends struggle to find themselves and essentially survive in the midst of such a confusing set of circumstances.

Overall, the story was extremely well-written with language that is applicable to the current set of students in college, and Rowell’s fantasy excerpts at the start of every chapter were on point. I am looking forward to reading Carry On, the companion novel to Fangirl. I believe it is a rendition of the FanFiction that Cath was working on throughout her year at college.

Anyone who is still a Potterhead at heart, should definitely have this book on their shelf. I am looking forward to writing some more reviews in the future.

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