Book review: Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

[lauren3210]

I just finished reading this book, and now I have way too many Drarry feels. I really enjoyed it, it was fun and cute, while at the same time exploring just how difficult it can be trying to navigate new places when you spend most of your time paralysed by social anxiety (which I do). I liked that the fanfic wasn't made fun of, and that it wasn't just left behind, as though it was just a silly thing Cath did to avoid growing up. I liked how her world didn't change so much as it just expanded, and that she didn't have to make a choice between fannish things and the real world, but rather learn that she could have both.

I think you kind of have to be a bit zen about your own place in fandom to not feel a bit defensive over it while reading this book, because there are times when other characters are a bit dismissive of the concept, and there are times when Cath's obsession over it comes across as wrong, which made me roll my eyes a little. But I thought that on the whole, the subject was dealt with very respectfully.

More importantly however, the fandom Cath wrote fiction for was so obviously a very thinly veiled parody of Harry Potter, and the little excerpts of her Harry/Draco Simon/Baz fics have made me crave some good drarry stories, which I haven't read since Erised (I got a bit burnt out). So, I'm going to go find some good ones, be back later!

Comments

[amorette.livejournal.com]

I started this and then put it down back in December :) I should pick it back up soon.

[nia_kantorka]

I had a lot of fun reading this book. And, yes, Simon/Baz felt like old friends as Harry/Draco do. And I would have loved to read more about their story in the story. :D

Enjoy all the fics you're going to read.

[blithelybonny.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this review! I've been wanting to read Fangirl but part of me was like ehhhhh, idk how I'm going to feel about reading something that hits so close to home, haha.