Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I remember buying this book ages ago when I vowed to read all of Rainbow Rowell’s books after I was done with Eleanor & Park and Attachments. I promised myself to read at least 20 books this year. But sadly, this is just my fifth read!

I initially had a love-hate relationship with Fangirl. It was a very slow start for me. I remember putting it down after reading two pages, and going back to it after days. My very delicate pregnancy might be the one to blame for being a sluggish reader or the book simply really had a slow start. But I trust Rowell so much that I gave this book a second chance. Believe it or not, I was so glad that I did!


I was initially preparing my heart for another heartbreak just like what Rowell did with me after reading Eleanor & Park. I may have not gotten the heartbreak that I was anticipating, but I was surely caught off-guard with how the story progressed! From a very slow start, I wasn’t aware that I was already engulfed by Rowell’s every word! I found myself smiling and acting like a foolish 16-year-old while reading the book. It tells about the story of twin sisters – Cath and Wren. They were initially inseparable until Wren decided to live her own life when they both entered college. That includes leaving the fan fiction-writing to the hands of Cath – one of the many things that they used to enjoy doing together. I guess these were two of the reasons why I initially failed to relate with the story. First, I am not really into fan fictions. And second, I had no idea how it feels to have a sister! But after inching through the first few chapters, I found myself relating to Cath. She is an aspiring writer. She's also a naïve and overthinking College freshman who hates socializing! (Very me! Hahaha!) I simply fell in love with how her mind works. And yeah, Levi definitely added all the needed kilig factor in the story! Homaygaddddd!!! I wasn’t sure if it was just my pregnancy hormones, but reading Cath and Levi made me endlessly roll in my bed because of too much giddiness! Levi has probably become one of my favorite “leading men” because he has the perfect balance of being the bad boy that gives that sense of excitement in a relationship, yet he also possesses that innate sensitivity that can make any girl fall in love with him. These qualities paired with Cath’s inexperience with love was perfectly narrated by Rowell.

I initially thought that the love story of Cath and Levi would be full of complications because of Cath’s roommate, Reagan. I was bracing myself for the non-stop drama and catfights, but I was just glad that it didn’t happen. Reagan is probably the coolest character in the entire fiction world, haha! I think that is how love is supposed to be in the real world. Walang drama, walang arte! That alone made me enjoy the book even more. Another thing I appreciated about Fangirl is how Rowell tackled family issues in an in-depth but not overly dramatic way. She spoke about the simple and usual issues of siblings up until the more complicated topics like divorce, parents abandoning their children and even mental illness. I think Rowell has that inherent talent to discuss these things and still manage to inject humor and sarcasm without washing away the very essence of her message. Oh, now I love her even more!

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