Cath had been a
Simon Snow fan ever since she could remember, she and her sister actually, but she
was not just any fan. Her fan-fiction had a huge following.
The shift to college
overwhelmed Cath with a lot of new things including a new school and an advanced
class. Then there were also her dad’s health issue and her sister who wanted to
distance herself from Cath to selfishly enjoy college. She was stuck with her
roommate and their resident pesky friend who would later turn out to be trying
to be pesky on purpose. Cath would struggle to juggle real life matters, but
worse, even her escape which was fan-faction would also prove to be a
challenge.
“It means...I really like you.” “Like,
really like you. And I want that kiss to be the start of something. Not the
end.” – Levi
Fangirl is a major
chic-lit. It is all that one would expect from college – the adjustment drama,
the boys, the social anxiety. Beyond all these though, it could still be
labeled a good read for a good rest.
As already
mentioned, Fangirl was bits and
pieces coming from different aspects. Despite this, one would not lose focus as
to what the story was really about. It didn’t have a complicated plot which
made it such a breeze to go through. There was not much frowning moment for me.
I would’ve
appreciated it more if the Levi development had not been tackled a bit late in
the story. I was thinking time spent with Cath dealing with Nick could’ve been
used wisely for Levi instead. I didn’t appreciate Nick’s role in the story. I
didn’t understand his character. I’d even go as far as saying maybe if Nick had
been left out, it wouldn’t have any effect on the whole story.
"I mean, I spent four months
trying to kiss you and the last six weeks trying to figure out how I managed to
fuck everything up. All I want now is to make it right, to make you see how
sorry I am and why you should give me another chance." – Levi
I loved how the
romance between Levi and Cath was all bright lights and soaring hearts. I would
say this book wasn’t all cheesy content, as I figured it was only a bit later
in the story when cheesy Levi and Cath happened. I loved how refreshing it was to
read romance on a wholesome, plain-hearts level. You know, just the basic
handholding, hugging, kissing, and cuddling. Just cute. It was so nice to just
feel the sweetness through straight-from-the-heart metaphors, genuine
conversations and meaningful little actions.
“Don't make me angry-kiss you.” –
Levi
Being a story
extracted from this modern day was among the things that made this one for the
entertainment. The new plot concept allowed me inside two new worlds, that of
fandom world and fan-fiction writing. I enjoyed how it made me see the way
fangirls actually feel and act. I mean, I already had an idea, but I didn’t
know how extreme it could get for them. And as for the fan-fiction part, it was
really interesting to learn how it works. I mean, wow, really admirable and
hardcore stuff going on right there. I dig all those geeky things. Also, it was
like Rowell was working on three stories in this book alone. Wild!
Since I’ve already
brought up the fiction and fan-fic topics, I enjoyed the passages taken out of
the two alternatingly. The bits would sometimes be cliffhangers or something
that would put questions to bed altogether. Simon Snow and Baz Pitch were both
such interesting characters. Although, I have to admit that I was always more
excited to read the fan-fic spinoff since it was more intriguing with the
Simon-Baz affair.
“The ultimate act of heroism
shouldn’t be death. You’re always saying you want to give Baz the stories he
deserves... So you’re going to kill him off? Isn’t the best revenge supposed to
be a life well-lived? The punk-rock way to end it would be to let them live
happily ever after.” – Wren
The ending was a bit
hanging for me in aspects relating to both the main story and the Simon Snow
fiction. I felt like there wasn’t any sort of resolution or closure as per
Cath’s mother. The maternal issue was brought up but to no avail. As for the
Simon Snow series, I was hoping there was a bit more to it not just in the end
but in general, so I could have had more background and have better
differentiated. But with the fan-fiction, I was contented with that clip where
the story closed. It was short but gave me all that I needed to read.
Aside from being
hanging, I felt that the ending had also been quite uneventful than expected. The
final book launch was a goody. That winning piece from Cath was really nice
too, but I just really wanted more from Levi and Cath.
“But there’s nothing more profound
than creating something out of nothing.” – Professor Piper
What really confused
me most of the time was the third person point of view. I had no idea why the
author decided to narrate through this person. From time to time, I would be
lost mid-sentence as to who was being talked about. It also somehow made the
characters feel detached and far from the reader.
All in all, I would say
I still had a nice time indulging myself with sweet romance and college life
drama in this book. It was something I decided to read to get out of my reading
slump, something not too intense but still not boring.
Are you done reading
this book? What are your thoughts? I’d like to know them! Feel free to share
them below!
.jpg)
