Kim

4.5 stars

Immediate thoughts after finishing Fangirl:

1. I need to read Attachments to find out if Ms. Rowell has a habit of ending her books abruptly. I needed an epilogue. BADLY.

2. I wish I had read Harry Potter (I have yet to read past HP#1) at the time when the books were still being released. Reading about Cath's obsession with Simon Snow made me want to be part of something that big. Sadly, I don't think the HP phenomenon will ever be repeated in my lifetime.

3. Where was THIS when I was a freshman in college? I didn't understand what it meant to be an introvert. I didn't think other people clammed up the way I did in social situations.

I knew prior to starting that this book would turn out to be as cute as its cover. And it was. After reading Eleanor & Park however, I knew to expect emotional moments as well. But I still didn't expect to cry as much as I did, especially since nothing tragic really happened. Cath's experiences just reminded me too much of my own, from her mommy issues to her fears of being left behind and belief that she wasn't good enough. Damn, those feels hit hard.

This is exactly the kind of character-driven, coming-of-age story that I absolutely adore. It was realistically voiced and completely unpretentious. The characters were charming and the dialogues humorous. When I wasn't basking in my emotional feels I was grinning like an idiot, especially during scenes between Cath and Levi or Cath and Reagan. I loved the portrayal of familial, friendly, and romantic relationships, but most of all I loved how the story shows you that good people are capable of being mean or stupid or both, and that people who have done a horrible thing to you are not entirely evil.

My current post-book feeling is the type of afterglow I had hoped for many NA CR novels to achieve with me. Fangirl felt authentic, honest, and light-hearted, not all seriousness and brood (with a traumatic backdrop) that we see so much of nowadays. The angst was present but not overly done. And albeit having a short ending, the resolution satisfies.