Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genres: Y.A, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction,
Reviewer's Note: Thank you to my best friend, Brenna, for letting me borrow her lovely copy. I looked after it as if it was a newborn baby - I promise!
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 fanfiction, 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 that 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 fanfiction is the end of the 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? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
My Thoughts:
I discovered this book a couple of years ago on Amazon, but I always put off reading it. Then, when visiting my best friend, I discovered that it was her favourite book. She thrust her beautiful hardcover copy into my hands and whispered, read it.
At first, the book starts off quite slowly. We are introduced to Cath & Wren (like Catherine, gettit?), a set of identical twins who have made the big move to a university hours away from their home, where they leave their single Dad, Art, lives. Very quickly we learn that Cath & Wren are huge fans of a series of books called Simon Snow (very similar to Harry Potter), and they're not just casual fans, these girls are full out fangirls. They know the books inside out, they go to events dressed like the characters and, most importantly, they write fanfiction. Specifically, gay fanfiction about Simon Snow and his arch nemesis, Baz. But now they are in college, and Wren appears to have grown out of her fangirling days, whereas Cath is more obsessed than ever. She's determined to please her thousands of fans on fanfixx (like wattpad) with her biggest fanfiction yet - Carry On. She feeds all her stress and anxiety about her new school, living separately from her twin, new "friends", and studying for her Literature classes, into writing about Simon and Baz.
I really love Cath's character. At first I was hesitant to invest her, as her anxiety disorder & fangirl tendencies seemed to be overplayed, but once I was a few chapters in and I began to understand her character more (in a single-parent family, etc), I realised that Rainbow's portrayal of anxiety disorder and fangirl culture was actually really well done. Now that I've had time to reflect on the book, I realise that the reason I didn't like Cather initially was because I saw so much of myself in her. I also come from a very difficult family background, which has made me an incredibly anxious person, who would rather read a book and fangirl over celebrities and fictional characters on Tumblr, than spend time with friends in the outside world. What I like about Rainbow's writing is she never once makes Cath look over-sensitive or silly because of her anxiety, everything she does makes sense. There's always logic behind Cath's actions, so although on the surface some of her actions seem silly, to someone with General Anxiety it makes perfect sense. In fact, Rainbow manages to pull this off with every character in the book (which is where a lot of authors fall short, in my opinion. Whether it's tapping their fingers or drinking excessively, every character has solid reasons for their actions. They are all beautifully flawed. So, rather than just falling in love with one or two of the characters, you end up deeply caring about every character that makes an appearance, and itching to find out more about their background. For me, these characters were so well rounded that I could easily see them as a living, breathing person. Well done Rainbow!
The plot is also really strong. I love the rhythm the story had, it felt like a waltz. There were highs and lows, but in a very gentle way. On the surface it may seem like nothing is going to really happen, perhaps Cath will fall in love and that's about it, but this book is so much more than a love story. There are really strong and powerful family problems that Cath has to deal with, and they are all dealt with in a very respectful and gentle manner. It's also a story of self-discovery, and friendship. Not just for Cath, but for many of the characters in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the story, and I was wishing for it to carry on for another hundred pages or so.
The only thing I didn't enjoy about the book was the snippets of the Simon & Baz stories. I'm not into magic & vampires, so I didn't love their pages. However, it was nice to see Cath's "writing", and to understand her obsession a bit more.
In conclusion, then, I loved this book. As soon as I had finished reading it, I got the urge to read it again, and almost a week later that urge still hasn't gone. I can see this becoming my go-to book when I'm sad or stressed, and in the need for a warm hug (the best books feel like a hug, don't you think?). If you are a fan of romance novels than this book is definitely for you!
At first, the book starts off quite slowly. We are introduced to Cath & Wren (like Catherine, gettit?), a set of identical twins who have made the big move to a university hours away from their home, where they leave their single Dad, Art, lives. Very quickly we learn that Cath & Wren are huge fans of a series of books called Simon Snow (very similar to Harry Potter), and they're not just casual fans, these girls are full out fangirls. They know the books inside out, they go to events dressed like the characters and, most importantly, they write fanfiction. Specifically, gay fanfiction about Simon Snow and his arch nemesis, Baz. But now they are in college, and Wren appears to have grown out of her fangirling days, whereas Cath is more obsessed than ever. She's determined to please her thousands of fans on fanfixx (like wattpad) with her biggest fanfiction yet - Carry On. She feeds all her stress and anxiety about her new school, living separately from her twin, new "friends", and studying for her Literature classes, into writing about Simon and Baz.
I really love Cath's character. At first I was hesitant to invest her, as her anxiety disorder & fangirl tendencies seemed to be overplayed, but once I was a few chapters in and I began to understand her character more (in a single-parent family, etc), I realised that Rainbow's portrayal of anxiety disorder and fangirl culture was actually really well done. Now that I've had time to reflect on the book, I realise that the reason I didn't like Cather initially was because I saw so much of myself in her. I also come from a very difficult family background, which has made me an incredibly anxious person, who would rather read a book and fangirl over celebrities and fictional characters on Tumblr, than spend time with friends in the outside world. What I like about Rainbow's writing is she never once makes Cath look over-sensitive or silly because of her anxiety, everything she does makes sense. There's always logic behind Cath's actions, so although on the surface some of her actions seem silly, to someone with General Anxiety it makes perfect sense. In fact, Rainbow manages to pull this off with every character in the book (which is where a lot of authors fall short, in my opinion. Whether it's tapping their fingers or drinking excessively, every character has solid reasons for their actions. They are all beautifully flawed. So, rather than just falling in love with one or two of the characters, you end up deeply caring about every character that makes an appearance, and itching to find out more about their background. For me, these characters were so well rounded that I could easily see them as a living, breathing person. Well done Rainbow!
The plot is also really strong. I love the rhythm the story had, it felt like a waltz. There were highs and lows, but in a very gentle way. On the surface it may seem like nothing is going to really happen, perhaps Cath will fall in love and that's about it, but this book is so much more than a love story. There are really strong and powerful family problems that Cath has to deal with, and they are all dealt with in a very respectful and gentle manner. It's also a story of self-discovery, and friendship. Not just for Cath, but for many of the characters in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the story, and I was wishing for it to carry on for another hundred pages or so.
The only thing I didn't enjoy about the book was the snippets of the Simon & Baz stories. I'm not into magic & vampires, so I didn't love their pages. However, it was nice to see Cath's "writing", and to understand her obsession a bit more.
In conclusion, then, I loved this book. As soon as I had finished reading it, I got the urge to read it again, and almost a week later that urge still hasn't gone. I can see this becoming my go-to book when I'm sad or stressed, and in the need for a warm hug (the best books feel like a hug, don't you think?). If you are a fan of romance novels than this book is definitely for you!
No comments