Fangirl Review

Date published: September 10, 2013

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Number Pages: 445

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

First Thoughts:

While reading the premise of this story I was a little turned on by the fact it was going to be a book about finding your inner adult; a shedding of one's childhood. But in fact this book was nothing like that. The main character Cath never grew up and she continued to annoy me throughout the whole book. I know, I know, it's good to have some agitation in the book but this was just too much! It started out good but I quickly lost interest. 

Goodreads Summary:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is hte end of civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words....And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Plot:

This was a story of trying to find a center with one's self. Cath was trying to figure out where she belonged and how to overcome of the obstacle of navigating a new chapter in her life all by herself. There were parts where Cath's writing was included (her fan-fiction writing). That was a huge turn-off for me. It distracted me from the main story-line. I didn't enjoy reading the fan-fiction at all, it didn't seem to fit into the story-line well at all, like I mentioned above. And the fan-fiction in-between the chapters were annoying too. They didn't seem to have much of a purpose. The ending left me more agitated than anything. The ending was rushed and didn't even answer all the questions from the story-line! Like whatever happened to her fiction piece she wrote?! And in the fan-fiction part whatever became of Baz? Did she ever kill him off? I know, the author wrote a whole book based on the fan-fiction but I will never read it. So if any of you know what becomes of him, please let me know! Lol.  

Romance:

The romance was predictable and ordinary. Though I did enjoy Levi, he was definitely a sweet guy and treated Cath well. But Levi also took some major detours to their true relationship. So, really he did some wrong in the beginning but once he realized the true potential to their relationship he took it to the next level.The other romance in the story was minimum. Wren had a relationship with a guy but we didn't get to see much insight into it. Though we do know from what little we did read he was good for her.

Characters:

I didn't really like Cath. She was a hard character to connect with. She was okay in the beginning but then she really started this self-pity parade and from then on it was hard to really like her. Levi was my favorite character in the story. He was full of personality. The author really did a great job creating a character with a unique personality and one that left the reader really liking him. He was definitely easy to connect with. Wren just kept making bad choices but even Wren was a more likable character than Cath. And really, shouldn't the main character be the one you're rooting for? The dad in the book was a secondary character but he had his own problems going for him. He acted Manic and out of sorts after the twins, Cath and Wren went to college. But from what I've read he was manic also before they left to college. He almost had the symptoms of bi-polar but not sure if he was actually diagnosed with it. The twins (Cath and Wren) mom was really messed up. We didn't see much of her but really the only time we did made me see she was a unlikable character and needed to stay in the background. Anyways, the characters each had their own qualities, some good, some bad. But my main point is that I did NOT enjoy Cath's character.

Transformation of Character:

Cath really didn't change all that much. She changed a little in the end but not enough to warrant a cheer. The one character that did have a mention-able transformation is Wren. She went from this irresponsible character to someone worth rooting for. She was really the main character that made the most transformation in the book. And again, is a secondary character supposed to be the one that makes the most transformation in the book?

Description:

The description was one part of the book that I did enjoy. I liked how she described the college campus and the feelings between the characters. The way she described the frustrations and pain of the loss of her sister's presence was on point. For a lot of the book Cath spends a lot of her time alone, her sister finding her own freedom for once. So the author had to describe how Cath was feeling; how she was adjusting to a new life without the constant presence of her twin Wren. And the description of the campus was really unique and refreshing. I liked that this college was so big that it had it's own eco-system that created a surreal feeling. Like where Levi took all his classes, it had it's own ice-cream shop and museum. Crazy huh? Anyways I really enjoyed the description in this book.

Style:

This was written in first person and only had one POV (point of view). Like I mentioned above I didn't like how the author included Cath's fan-fiction writing into the story but I could see in a way why the author thought it would add to the story. The writing itself was good, it wasn't hard to read but it was a book easily put down (not good). But really the writing was good, especially the description and this was one part of the book that I enjoyed. 

Quote of the book:

"Levi's kisses were all taking. Like he was drawing something out of her with soft little jabs of his chin."

Last Thoughts:

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. The romance was a little too predictable, the fan-fiction a little too much. But I'll leave it up to you if you want to give it a try. Maybe it's all me, maybe I read a little too much in-between the lines. But this book was not one of the books I liked reading. Now based on the author's writing itself I might be willing to give another one of her books a try, just not Carry On (The one about Cath's fan-fiction). I hope you take much out of this review and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below and I'll answer you back! Or leave a comment about what you thought of this review, I always enjoy them!

My Rating:

2, barely there! (2 Stars!)

Sad Perfect Review

Date Published: February 28, 2017

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Number of Pages: 320

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

First thoughts:

There were so much feels in this book. I know from reading others reviews that this book can be dangerous to those with an eating disorder but in my opinion this is a story of hope. This book really allows those who suffer from an eating disorder to see that it's possible to overcome your problem. That with the right support system and an inner will you CAN overcome it. Warning! There are some serious topics discussed in this book and not intended for young and vulnerable readers.

Goodreads Summary:

The story of a teen girl's struggle with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and how love helps her on the road to recovery. 

Sixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). It is like having a monster inside of her, one that only dictates what she can eat, but also causes anxiety, depression, and thoughts that she doesn't want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she's fine. At first, everything really does feel like it's getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, and in Ben, the support and strength she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn't have control of her. 

Plot: 

This was a story of love and self discovery of one's own self-will. Serious topics such as cutting and depression were discussed in this book and made the book more relate-able. I thought the progression of the book was smooth and fast. It was a serious book but it was so full-filling and heart-warming that it didn't seem too serious.

Romance:

The romance was cute yet a little unbelievable. They immediately fell in love and it would be referred as insta-love. Now I'm not usually the kind of person who likes insta-love but in this case it gave the main character the extra push she needed to heal. I liked Ben and Pea, they honestly were adorable together. I just think it wasn't believable. In today's society this kind of love is hard to find and maybe it's possible but I haven't seen it myself. But like I said I liked it in this book and I think Pea needed him to be able to fully discover herself.

Characters:

I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. Pea was a young girl who was confused and conflicted about her life. She really didn't have any experience when it came to herself and how to handle depression and anxiety. She knew what kinds of foods she could eat but at first didn't want to explore what others she could include in her small choice of foods. Ben was a typical character. He was the boy next door kind of guy (he didn't really live next door). But he was sweet and cool at times. He may not have known what to do at all times but he did his best to lend his support to Pea. The other characters were okay but nothing to write home about. One of Pea's doctors was a real piece of work though. The one she met in the hospital. I hated her immediately, she was a real jerk and didn't deserve to be in the line of work she was in. Other than that I really enjoyed the two main characters. 

The Transformation of the character:

Pea is really the only character who transformed in this book, maybe her parents and brother but they weren't the key factor to this book. But Pea who once knew nothing of herself transformed into someone who was worth reading about. She really put in some hard work and you could see the caterpillar turn into the butterfly and fly away. 

Description:

The description in the book was really superb. The description of feelings and what was going on was really intense and beautiful. I really felt like I could feel what the character was feeling and understand exactly what it's like to be someone who is diagnosed with ARFID. The dialogue was pretty good, nothing too fancy but enough to get the point across and let the audience know exactly what it going on. I really enjoyed the description of the characters and what was going through their heads. Their inner-dialogue really opened up the book and allowed us to know what was going on and a sense of fore-shadowing.  

Style:

This book was written in second person. I will admit that it took me a little bit to get used to it because most of the books I read are written in first person. After awhile though it became easier and by the end of the book you could understand the need for second person. It was a bold and brilliant move to write in second person. I liked the author's writing itself. It was smooth as silk and easy to read. I actually enjoyed this author's writing style.

Quote of the book:

"It started the night Ben left your house. And every day it gets worse. The strange thing, the craziest thing about it, is you watch in amazement and can't believe you can't feel it. You can't feel any of it. That's not exactly true. You do feel something. You feel calm."

Last Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this book and hope you take the time to give it a chance too. Though this book might not be for everybody it is for some people. I personally felt a connection with this book and it'll be awhile before it's beauty fades from my mind. I will definitely be looking forward to any other books this author writes. 

Ratings: 

5 Fully bloomed! A.k.a. 5 stars!