Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

​Fangirl is a sweet, funny, quirky young adult romance with some bittersweet tones. It's a reminder too of how few YA books take place at college. Catherine's freshman year in Lincoln, Nebraska is off to a rough start. She'd assumed her twin sister would be her roommate, but to her shock, twin Wren had other plans. Now off at school, her social phobia is fierce, and she's living off granola bars because she doesn't want to ask anyone where the dining hall is. 

Online, Cath is a star, a respected author of fanfiction based on a Harry Potteresque series. The problem is in real life, the actual author of the books is about to finish the series, so Cath's online fans expect her to write her own conclusion, a deadline on top of all her college coursework. What's a fangirl to do? 


For starters, fall in love. Then watch helplessly as her sister develops a serious partying problem. And then somehow help her dad back home when his bipolar disorder starts a dangerous cycle. Next, throw in the girls' mother who's not been a part of the family for years but now seems to - maybe- want some kind of relationship. It's a lot to deal with. 

And there's a lot to appreciate here: love interest Levi's unwavering support of Cath, Rowell's homage to writing and fanfiction, the nods to Nebraska writer Willa Cather, The Outsiders, Good Night Moon, and even Twilight. One of my favorite characters is Catherine's  dad, who's able to channel the manic part of his brain into his work at an ad agency, at least most of the time. 

If you enjoy romance books, Fangirl is a good introduction to Rainbow Rowell's work. She has written for both adult and YA audiences. This one could be considered a crossover, though it's shelved in the Young Adult section at Moon Lake. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell was published September 10, 2013, and is available for checkout from the library.

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