Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Fangirl

Es un buen libro para una lectura tranquila. Siento que la protagonista no tiene mucho desarrollo y el drama que llega a ocurrir siempre se resuelve de forma rápida y no muy dramática, pero te deja con un buen sabor de boca.

Content Warnings

lchambers394's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Overall I liked it. I liked Cath and Levi and how pure and genuine their connection was. They were both likeable and complicated characters, enhanced by the other characters — especially Reagan and Wren. Cath and Levi were also incredible autistic and adhd representation. I liked the storylines and multimedia a lot and growing with Cath felt natural and hopeful. This book gave a space to all of us that get lost in books and to the wonderful fanfic writers that help us continue to enjoy them.

My main issue was the ending. It felt anticlimactic and rushed. For most of the book Cath’s fanfic was praised as just as valid as her uni work. So ending with an extract from her uni piece kinda undermined that. The ending and Cath’s conflict with Levi felt rushed and one dimensional. The message should have been that yes expanding your world is important, but it’s better to find a way to combine your new life and your authentic self. Cath’s fanfiction meant more to her than any uni piece and the climax should’ve been her finishing her greatest work, Carry On. I struggle to rate it lower, however, as I did really enjoy the majority of the book and I’m not mad enough at the ending for it to ruin it.

It was a personal and hopeful read, and I enjoyed it.

Content Warnings

nafisa_tabassum's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rainbow Rowell books have an irresistible charm to them - they romanticise the little things in life. The books tell us of familiar things - rebellious eyeliner, rural landscapes, a shared obsession with a loved one, horrible food habits at university - and makes it feel new and worth paying attention to. I think this ability of hers is most obvious in 'Fangirl'.

This is an intensely relatable book and made me cry. Cath is not like me at all, but she goes through coming-of-age stages that are timeless. The way her family is written is especially heartbreaking - there comes a stage in life where familiar relationships change and Cath portrays how hard it can be to adjust to that. Her relationship with her father is loving, but painful in a way that personally related to me and opened up old wounds.

The romance is a distracting and delightful highlight. The main guy is golden retriever, and I have never been able to resist fictional golden retriever men.

Lastly, Cat grows with her love for media and being a true geek - by her own definition, someone who would choose fiction and fantasy over reality any day - and doesn't force her or Wren to grow out of it. Instead, their loved ones participate in their interests. The novel takes fanfic as seriously as it should be, and shows the genuine art, love and dedication that goes into it. It understands girl geeks, which was refreshing.

I think this is my favourite Rowell book. I'll come back to it.

Content Warnings