Review of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Read for: TBR 

Synopsis: "A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?"

My Review: I have been told time and time again what a fantastic book this is for readers. I found it to be good, not fantastic. Yes I could definitely find some similarities between myself and Cath, and ended up connecting with her on several levels. I also really adored Levi, he is just your all-round perfect guy. Unfortunately, I was a little bored with the story, it was slow paced and the obvious similarities between the Simon Snow stories and Harry Potter was a little irritating to me. I guess what didn't work for me is that I lived that awkward, introverted first year of college and really didn't care to read about it. I also found the mental health representation to be a little, I guess insensitive and a bit of a plot device. I really do like the concept of the book and the characters were interesting and easy to connect with as was the story, but it just wasn't for me. 

My Rating: I know this book is really loved by many readers, but while it was a good book and an easy read it just wasn't for me.  I may be holding the fact that I really disliked Harry Potter and am maybe a little bitter about the fact that I won't be part of the fandom (which in a weird way does tie into this book) but even with that aside I still feel like this book was excessively longer than it needed to be and again I am not a huge fan of New Adult.  Anyway, I still give this one a rating of Three Paws.