[Throwback] Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

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AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

I feel like sharing some of my old reviews here today!
So I take some of those of my best favorite books from Goodreads and post it up here. You might find this review a bit awkward because this came from that days when I first started reviewing. But I do some 'polishing' so I guess it looks less like crap now... ;)

Fangirl is a young adult read by Rainbow Rowell. The story is about an insecure girl named Cath who's just entered a university life. She has a twin sister, Wren, who went to the same uni but apparently wanted to go separate ways once they're out of their home. But Cath always be the girl who never wanted any changes in her life. She wants things to stay the same just as how they were back then in Omaha. She wants to live in the same dorm room with Wren, she wants her and Wren to still write fanfiction together about Simon Snow, to fangirling over the popular magicians every single day, to support and take care of each other when they're away from their dad. She wants to meet no people in campus. She wants to stay in her comfort zone and wants noone to ever intrude. But campus is the opposite of everything she wants. And so are Wren. She is all about a freshman year: exploring, trying new things, networking, drinking... partying. Cath feel like staying on cocoon because nobody really talk about Simon Snow except when they say, 'Oh yeah, I remembered watching the movie when I was a kid'. Noone read (or even write) fanfictions like her.

And to her nightmare, she got 'that' roommate a girl never dream of, Reagan. And along with Reagan, there's a boy named Levi who constantly hanging out in their dorm room, like every single day. Cath thinks she has to spend all her first year of university dodging intruder and building up the wall around her comfort zone. But the intruders keep coming around and she never get a chance to finish building up the wall.

Levi is like the bright side of Cath. He loves people, like really love meeting them, smiling at them, befriending with all of them. When he meets Cath, it's like meeting a girl who's been living in the other side of his world and he couldn't help but attracted by her everything.

Cath thinks Levi is wasting his life going around flashing smile at strangers. She thinks Levi is taking on easy of his life like there's nothing wrong ever happened. 
But behind the smiling Levi, there's just a normal boy who can be nervous and hurt. And Cath happened to be the reason for him feeling that way.

“If you smile at everyone,” she said, “how am I supposed to feel when you smile at me?”

“How do you feel when I smile at you?” he asked—and then he did smile at her, just a little.

Not like myself, Cath thought.

“Like an idiot,” she said softly. “And like I never want it to stop.”

“I’d give you the moon right now,” she said.

Levi’s eyes flashed happily, and he hitched up an eyebrow. “Yeah, but would you slay it for me?”

“You’re beautiful,”

“That’s you.”

“Don’t argue with me. You’re beautiful.”

I personally really liked this book because it tells so much about a fangirl's life. I, myself, is a fangirl and I do write fanfiction. So I know what I feel about fanfiction, obsession over idols, know what it feels when there's really noone to talk to about it in real life except your sister. (Oh believe me, I am just like Cath in this). I love how the author put a non-fangirl's perspective about fanfiction. So I know where to stand in this. And I really love it that she create the character of Levi who's so understanding and sincere about all this thing that other people would call 'weird' instead of 'cute'. (Makes me want to have one like him...). Reading this book is like reading my whole habits written on a book.

But there's one thing off for me. I couldnt get those pieces of Simon Snow's story either from the books or the fanfictions. I couldn't wrap my mind around them and I felt like skipping them all the time but held myself because the sake of Cath and Levi's convo in between. I don't know why the author should put the Simon Snow's pieces of story on the book, maybe somebody could explain...

Well despite the thing I mentioned above, I love this book generally. I like the topic about fangirl and I like every characters in this book. I was hoping more about the ending (More about clear glimpse about Levi and Cath's future after Levi graduated and more about Laura, but it's okay, I definitely agree that Cath and Wren better off without her), but I'm satisfied enough because in the end things were put in the right places.

I would like to recommend this book for all fangirls out there. And yes, four stars for this book! :)

P.S. And there's sooo many lines that I love from this book! •^^•

Love, read, and review,

Cynthia D.