Scan barcode
renaabooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
meggie82461's review against another edition
5.0
Reread #2, October 2021: Upgraded from 4 to 5 stars. I don’t know what I was thinking. This is one of the best comfort reads ever. I’m pretty sure I was comparing it to Eleanor & Park, which was very unfair, since that is my favorite book ever. But Fangirl is still 5 stars.
First read, 2013: 4 stars
First read, 2013: 4 stars
kitkatgirl200's review against another edition
3.0
Cute. Obviously and purposefully steeped in fandom of the early 2010s, but still kinda fails to resonate. The main character was anxiety inducing for the first half of the book, which made me settle on rating it on the 3 side of 3.5 instead of a 4.
pages_and_papercrafts's review
4.0
Rainbow Rowell writes young adult novels like no one else. Each chapter in this novel starts out with an excerpt from the book where Cath, the main female character, was a fan fiction writer of, and ties into Cath’s real life. Cath is an introvert in college, Wren is her twin, Levi is her patient love interest. Told third person from Cath’s point-of-view, the author weaves all the characters seamlessly, creating an intriguing coming of age plot line with short sentences and a lot of dialogue.
lightleafbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I loved it! It was really wholesome and great! I would love to read it again
princessmeg's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fantasynovel's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much. I felt so connected to Cath and her story. Her obsession with a Harry-Potter like fandom, her constant writing, even the anxiety that plagues her . . . I feel so connected to it. Cheering her on for the entire book was such a satisfying experience. Watching Cath fall in love, write "the" fanfiction of the year, make new friends--even reading excerpts from her fanfiction--was a journey I didn't know I wanted so badly. And Rainbow Rowell is such a fantastic writer. Her dialog, her descriptions of people, the ambience of her book completely won me over. So thank you Rainbow Rowell!
nikkigribuste's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5.
this was slightly better than average — mainly due to Levi.
i really want to say that i loved this book, in some ways i did, but overall i did not.
cath just really didn’t sit well with me, honestly i don’t know where to begin. she comes across very annoying, naive, ungrateful and in the finest terms... dramatic!!
it’s clear to see that she’s insecure and new to the relationship scene but, really?? she’s able to be given the nicest, honest, funniest and loveliest person on the planet (in this fictional planet) and what does she do... create unnecessary drama. like... eh?? why?? erm okay, i shall have him then thanku.
there are countless times that i just wanted to throw the book down and launch it towards an open window and wait for the rain to decompose the remains all because cath could not stop CRYING every single minute. it’s so annoying because i REALLY wanted to like her, i tried, i made excuses but oh my lord, i couldn’t anymore. i felt like i was reading a story about a 13 year old girl, nevermind a young adult in UNI!!
negativity aside, here are positives:
the writer is great. i previously read one of her other books eleanor& park and it was okay both characters were nice, i guess. not my point however, the book was well-written and the author definitely knows what she’s doing when it comes to words as i always felt as though i was in the character’s shoes and i could see the world around them as well as feel the same things they felt (atleast, most of the time). she demonstrates this well in eleanor& park too.
i liked the build up to cath and levi’s relationship. even though like i said i wasn’t a big fan of cath, i enjoyed the moments when she was able to open up to levi and allow their relationship to grow. such as the scene where he invites her to his frat house, i liked that.
he was so sweet and i think at that point cath realised that he actually did like her more than she thought.
finally, i looooved wren and raegan. they were great and honestly i feel like these two conveyed the fact that side characters really do shine brighter than the mains SO WELL. i wouldn’t have minded if the roles were reversed and it was wren that was part of the fandom, or raegan. anyone but cath, sorry.
levi: loved him, need a man like him in my life 5/5
cath: not my type of person 2/5
wren: we would be drinking buddies 5/5
raegan: boss, little bit of a bitch but in the best ways 4/5
nick: who even is that again? 1/5
this was slightly better than average — mainly due to Levi.
i really want to say that i loved this book, in some ways i did, but overall i did not.
cath just really didn’t sit well with me, honestly i don’t know where to begin. she comes across very annoying, naive, ungrateful and in the finest terms... dramatic!!
it’s clear to see that she’s insecure and new to the relationship scene but, really?? she’s able to be given the nicest, honest, funniest and loveliest person on the planet (in this fictional planet) and what does she do... create unnecessary drama. like... eh?? why?? erm okay, i shall have him then thanku.
there are countless times that i just wanted to throw the book down and launch it towards an open window and wait for the rain to decompose the remains all because cath could not stop CRYING every single minute. it’s so annoying because i REALLY wanted to like her, i tried, i made excuses but oh my lord, i couldn’t anymore. i felt like i was reading a story about a 13 year old girl, nevermind a young adult in UNI!!
negativity aside, here are positives:
the writer is great. i previously read one of her other books eleanor& park and it was okay both characters were nice, i guess. not my point however, the book was well-written and the author definitely knows what she’s doing when it comes to words as i always felt as though i was in the character’s shoes and i could see the world around them as well as feel the same things they felt (atleast, most of the time). she demonstrates this well in eleanor& park too.
i liked the build up to cath and levi’s relationship. even though like i said i wasn’t a big fan of cath, i enjoyed the moments when she was able to open up to levi and allow their relationship to grow. such as the scene where he invites her to his frat house, i liked that.
he was so sweet and i think at that point cath realised that he actually did like her more than she thought.
finally, i looooved wren and raegan. they were great and honestly i feel like these two conveyed the fact that side characters really do shine brighter than the mains SO WELL. i wouldn’t have minded if the roles were reversed and it was wren that was part of the fandom, or raegan. anyone but cath, sorry.
levi: loved him, need a man like him in my life 5/5
cath: not my type of person 2/5
wren: we would be drinking buddies 5/5
raegan: boss, little bit of a bitch but in the best ways 4/5
nick: who even is that again? 1/5
seymone's review against another edition
4.0
Fangirl is the winner for me. I was totally immersed in the characters. Excellent story. I felt the characters were well developed, outside of the mom (understandable). This book for me was so much better than Landline. Now, I see why Rowell has such hardcore fans. Kudos
a_violent_little_thing's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0