Fangirl in The Rainbow Rowell Fan Group

Aug 16, 2013 Meagan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, faves_and_raves, romance, ya, fiction

Beware, and also pardon me in advance. Because I loved this book, and it's going to make me curse. You've been warned.

This book. Was fucking awesome. For me, as a reader, it was goddamn perfect. I shit fuck damn loved it. And if you're a teen reading this: don't curse. It's a terrible habit.

OK. Why did I love it? Cath felt utterly and completely authentic, and I say that as someone who is more than a little bit like her. Some reviews here on GoodReads have dismissed her or been disgusted with he Beware, and also pardon me in advance. Because I loved this book, and it's going to make me curse. You've been warned.

This book. Was fucking awesome. For me, as a reader, it was goddamn perfect. I shit fuck damn loved it. And if you're a teen reading this: don't curse. It's a terrible habit.

OK. Why did I love it? Cath felt utterly and completely authentic, and I say that as someone who is more than a little bit like her. Some reviews here on GoodReads have dismissed her or been disgusted with her for not sucking it up already. Why doesn't she just respond to tentative offers of friendship? Why doesn't she just do the scary thing and get it over with? These questions are straight out of the mouths of people who have never been seriously betrayed in their formative years, and who have never experienced any real measure of social anxiety. I've experience both, and Cath is just as she should be. She doesn't trust anyone, and as heartbreaking as it is to admit it, I completely get it. Her mother left the family when she was eight. This is a big deal, and anyone who pretends like you just move past that is absurd. She has a parent with a serious chronic illness. I have never been so astounded as when I realized that Rainbow Rowell gets this. She understands the low level hum of anxiety this leaves you with. The way you listen to hear the breathing in the middle of the night. The constant, worried watchfulness. It wears on a person. This was vivid, and completely, totally, real and authentic. Cath comes by her closed-offness honestly.

And the story. Love. Love love. Wonderfully weird characters who disappoint you and you can't stop loving them anyway. Wolves in sheep's clothing who screw you over. Hard lessons learned. Character growth. Rewards. The most adorably lovable love interest since Anna and the French Kiss. It was perfection. Rainbow Rowell is now an auto-read for me. She's wonderful. I love her books so much.

**A free copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley ...more

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Dec 21, 2013 Kim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: the-kids-are-all-right, hype

Yeah. Okay. This sort of bummed me out. And, I guess, that's like life, right? A bummer? It's like Plath says “If you expect nothing from anybody, you’re never disappointed.” and that turned our alright, right?

Yeah.. bummed.

I loved.. hated, but loved.. Eleanor & Park.

I'm bathing in luke warm water here. No jealousy, no despair, no... anything.. really. I gave this four stars just because of the run over love of E&P.

There are good characters, there is an interesting story. Kind of, I'm not rea ...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Kristy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bildungsroman, realistic-fiction, romance

I have to admit that I had a hard time liking and rooting for Cath at first, but she somewhat grew on me.

I think I enjoyed the juxtaposition of a sweet and tame romance combined with tough issues including Cath's father's mental illness, Wren's binge-drinking, and Cath's severe social anxiety

If I were to compare it to Eleanor and Park, I'd probably have given it closer to 3 stars. ...more

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Dec 26, 2013 Deanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I haven't appreciated an author this much in a long time. She had me at Eleanor & Park. ...more

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Sep 19, 2013 Ash rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-and-ya

This felt like a modern retelling of Pamela Dean's Tam Lin (there's even a reference to that book, I think, if you look for it) -- or like a really good college AU, maybe. It's long and meandery and absorbing, and it has a loveable, nerdy protagonist and a lot of loveable supporting characters and an underlying sense of place that really adds to the book's appeal. Cath's fandom isn't mine, but the details are right, imo, and the depiction is respectful and nuanced. Her relationship with her fami ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Tamsyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: humorous, realisticfiction, best-of-the-year, youngadult

Loved this story -- it made me laugh out loud pretty much the whole way through, plus the sweet first relationship and the interesting view of fanfiction.

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Nov 04, 2013 Alison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm a little bit (or maybe even more) in love with this book. I finished it yesterday but have been rereading and rereading my favorite scenes. It is such a good example of how layered, meaningful, and well-written YA contemporary fiction can be. It is such a homage to book, writing, Harry Potter, and fanfiction along with dealing with sister relationships (twins!), social anxiety, and starting college. Oh and there are cute boys and snarky side characters ... seriously it feels like this book w ...more

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Dec 12, 2013 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

http://merrylandgirl.blogspot.com/201... ...more

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Aug 19, 2013 Anne McLeod rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved Fangirl! It's a sweet, funny, quirky romance with some bittersweet tones. Cath's socially phobic, and although I don't think is ever quite called that, if you live off granola bars because you won't ask where your dorm's dining hall is, that's pretty indicative. Her mom has been out of the picture for years and now hovers on the periphery, wanting a bit of a relationship at last with Cath and her sister Wren. Twin Wren is developing a serious partying problem at college. One of my favorite ...more

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Sep 11, 2013 Christian rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, humorous, bildungsroman

As with all Rainbow Rowell novels, I did enjoy this story. Her character development, attention to detail and general storytelling are always good. The trouble is, having read Eleanor and Park (which is awesome) first, all other of her novels seem to fall short of this mark. When you enjoy an author at her best, anything less than that seem a bit of a disappointment. Unfair, I know. Really, I only have one minor complaint. I liked the fact that Cath is a budding author struggling to transition f ...more

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Sep 02, 2013 Jane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Okay, maybe it's not a perfect 5, but I've been on a YA kick lately and this one kept my attention from the beginning and never dragged. I stayed up late two nights in a row to get it finished. I'll look for more by this author. ...more

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Oct 07, 2013 Stephanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

super fun. super cute. a beautiful homage to fanfic and growing up. :)

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Sep 05, 2013 Mallory rated it really liked it · review of another edition

So, Cath felt uncomfortably familiar, but I liked her anyway. My only problem with this book is that the end didn't feel like the end. But Rainbow Rowell has said there may be more to come so *fingers crossed.* ...more

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