"Always. That's the ultimate kind of broken. The kind of damage you never recover from."
Cath is a writer, she lives and breaths words. She reads as if it is real life and consumes her time writing her own stories. Those stories being about Simon Snow. Cath is one of the biggest Simon Snow fans. Has been for years. Though now as she makes a transition into college, she needs to write more than ever. With the stress of classes, roommate, and first love, writing is her only outlet. She also had her twin sister by her side. But when her sister decides to take a different path then Cath, its up to Cath to navigate this new world by herself. Can she make it under the stress? Or will this new experience crush her? Or is it leading her to exactly where she is meant to be.
WARNING THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!
As I had stated before, I found myself relating to Cath many times through thoughts and events. My first semester of Freshman year was crazy. You are thrown into this unfamiliar world where you know no one and for most, its the first time being away from home. Their are always the questions, "Will I get along with my roommate?" "Will I make life long friends?" "Is this the major I should be in?" Now add the struggles of everyday life and I wonder how most get out alive! Though through this book I found my rock. It made me take a step back and think, "Maybe I'm not completely alone in this?"
Being a freshman in college, I find we are very vulnerable. We let down those walls we spent so many years trying to build up in hopes that we find our place. We are quick to judge who is and who isn't our friends. That's why when Nick betrayed Cath into helping him write her paper, I personally can relate to. Sure, I was never tricked into helping someone write an essay, but the need for friends made me easily trust people who really never intended for their to be a friendship at all. Cath trusted Nick and was tricked and I feel that happens to most people whether their in college, high school, or an adult in the real world.
Though it did confuse me on the fact how in Chapter Thirteen, Cath stated how she never wanted to make any friends. I'm not sure if she really meant it when she stated this, or was this her kind of self-defense to the fact she doesn't have any friends. But slowly as the book progresses she ends up finding people to befriend and I found this happening to me as well. It normally happens when you leas expect it.
Cath is one of the most popular of Simon Snow Fanfiction, or FanFixx. Though once college began, he found that her weekly and daily writing was being pushed to the side due to school. As an aspiring author myself, I can tell you that it is a challenge to balance school, friends, and writing. I go from writing and editing for eight hours a day to not being able to pick up a story until Christmas break. As a writer, we live and breath words, and to go months without putting a single word on paper is like going a month without breathing--IMPOSSIBLE! Writing is our oxygen and to go months without picking up a single manuscript is hard.
I would also like to point out the part where Levi asked Cath his she could read to him her story. Cath at first was very hesitant having to read something she wrote. Even though she publishes it to the computer, it is still nerve racking to see and know some reading it. As a writer myself, I had finished up my second draft of a story I had been writing. In college, my friends found out about it and asked to read it. Writers are always looking for a second hand opinion about their story, but to be the one to hand it off and know that their opinion of you relies on words on a page, is a scary thought. I remember when I first had someone read my story. They started reading it in front of me and I wanted to hide under the table and disappear at the fear of what they would think. Is it any good? Is that scene to awkward? Is my imagination too weird? Though chances are you are working it up to much in your mind and if you are confident in the story then your readers will be as well.
Over all, I would give Fangirl a 3.5 stars and still highly encourage it to anyone looking for a good contemporary read. Please also take into account that most of my contemporary books rating are usually lower due to the fact I'm very picky when it comes to contemporary books. But none-the-less, I highly encourage you to read it because I feel that no matter where you are in life, you will find pieces of yourself in this story and be able to relate to Cath.
For A More In-depth Review:
https://youtu.be/C1V5OPVJLBM
