Synopsis
A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.
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 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? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
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 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? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
Review
Rainbow Rowell does a brilliant job of tying an array of complex subjects into one novel. This story is cute, yet realistic.
It tackles complex subject matter like mental illnesses, broken families, self confidence, and new experiences. These are real things that people deal with. Rowell has this way of writing a warm light-hearted story that actually has very real issues in it, which is why I enjoyed this read so much.
This story is definitely character driven (all Rowell books are), and the plot is dense. So if you're not into major character devolopment with a scarce plot, I wouldn't recommend reading Rainbow Rowell.
All of the characters have their own quirks and evolve throughout the story, especially the main character, Cath. The story basically covers Cath's firsts. Her first time not living with her twin sister, her first time attending college, her first boyfriend, and everything in between. She's witty and is afraid to ask all the questions we all are when faced with new environments (ex: where the hell is the dining hall?) . It does such a great job depicting how scary it can be facing new experiences all alone. It also shows both sides of fanfiction and fandom altogether, the people who are active participants and the people who just don't quite understand it.
The only problem I have with this story is the ending. There are too many unanswered questions. I read the last word and thought "Wait, that's it?" It ends way too abruptly with no further explanation. There was also no major climax to the story. This didn't bother me as much, but still.
Rating: 4/5
It tackles complex subject matter like mental illnesses, broken families, self confidence, and new experiences. These are real things that people deal with. Rowell has this way of writing a warm light-hearted story that actually has very real issues in it, which is why I enjoyed this read so much.
This story is definitely character driven (all Rowell books are), and the plot is dense. So if you're not into major character devolopment with a scarce plot, I wouldn't recommend reading Rainbow Rowell.
All of the characters have their own quirks and evolve throughout the story, especially the main character, Cath. The story basically covers Cath's firsts. Her first time not living with her twin sister, her first time attending college, her first boyfriend, and everything in between. She's witty and is afraid to ask all the questions we all are when faced with new environments (ex: where the hell is the dining hall?) . It does such a great job depicting how scary it can be facing new experiences all alone. It also shows both sides of fanfiction and fandom altogether, the people who are active participants and the people who just don't quite understand it.
The only problem I have with this story is the ending. There are too many unanswered questions. I read the last word and thought "Wait, that's it?" It ends way too abruptly with no further explanation. There was also no major climax to the story. This didn't bother me as much, but still.
Rating: 4/5
With Love,
Your Book Babe
Your Book Babe