Fangirl
Fangirl tells the coming–of–age story of twin sisters who grew up in the world of internet fandom. The main protagonist, Cath, is one of the most successful fan–fiction author on the 'Simon Snow' archive. Having lived without her mother, Cath grows up to be a very introverted girl, being overly attached to her twin sister who serves the role of both her best friend and only link to a social life. This, however, changes when both girls decide to move away from home for university and not to share rooms. Now separated from her only source of comfort, Cath must face the life of a freshman in uni, dealing with anxiety, a rude roommate and her roommate's hyperactive boyfriend who just won't leave her alone.
Fangirl is a must–read for any teenage girl going through any kind of change, as it looks at a variety of themes, from the fear of making new friends to the change of relationships with people as you move on in life. It explains the importance of not changing yourself but growing. People often think that growing up means growing out of childish things. Though it means leaving parts of us behind, there is always a way of balancing things that are important to us with things that are important for our future. Life is all about finding this balance – this book explores that journey perfectly.
On the whole, Fangirl is a very enjoyable read as every teenage girl – and boy – can relate to some of the themes explored on Cath's journey. The book includes a little bit of everything; romance, humour, drama and even fantasy, as little snippets of Cath's fanfiction are shown. My only complaint about this book is that it was a little slow paced. I had to constantly put the book down and come back to it after losing interest. However, I can definitely say that even at the slower parts in the story, Rowell has you wondering what happens next, as you get so emotionally attached to the characters that you just have to come back to finish the story.
