Jennavier Recommends: Fangirl

So the time has come for me for my next book recommendation! I’m figuring you really need one right now. If you’re anything like me you’re family/friends/credit card owning pets get you a bookstore gift card for Christmas. So I’m going to give you an almost foolproof option to blow it on.  The book of choice is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

I’m not reaching all that deep for this one. After watching Ms. Rowell’s very distinctive name getting splashed all over the blogosphere I succumbed to the allure of the shiny and bought Fangirl. Buyer’s remorse didn’t kick in over this one. It’s an awesome book. All of that

My normal reading fare leans towards speculative fiction. That’s why I was so surprised when I really loved Fangirl. It’s a contemporary about a girl who loves fantasy books, specifically Simon Snow (sort of like Harry Potter but not). She loves it so much that she lives in a Simon Snow world of her own devising. Thousands of people read her slash fiction online under her pseudonym. Now that she’s moving on with her life will she be able to maintain the safe world of Simon Snow or will she move on and create worlds of her own? Helping with that decision is one of those roommates that you know you would either love or plot to murder and a very cute farmboy, who may or may not be interested in Cath.

What did I get out of this book? I stayed up until two o’clock in the morning reading it. That means that my desire to see what happened next overrode my sense of self preservation. So what was worth turning into the Grouch from Sesame Street? The romance certainly was.  It’s sweet and gave me all the warm butterfly’s. That wouldn't have been enough without the larger structure of Cath’s development. Cath is totally relatable. She’s shy and is struggling with family and the move to college. With no friends and a sister who is AWOL she’s forced to deal with things she really doesn’t want to handle. The best part is that Rowell’s voice is so warm and welcoming that I fell right into her story. Bonus points are added for a non-weird ending. It wrapped up the most important plot lines, left some things open, and clearly wrapped up the book. Many books like this I compare to cotton candy. Their fluffy sweetness makes me happy and feels like a break from everyday life. Fangirl could be called that, but it is more filling then that. I think I’d call it one of those expensive fried sandwiches that are warm and delicious and still filling.

If you’ve already read it and loved it feel free to tell me all about it! One of the great thing about books is squeeing over them! And don't have too much fun at the bookstore:).