Tag: Fangirl

Review: Fangirl

Published on by Rachelle

Fan

  • Author: Rainbow Rowell
  • ISBN: 9781250030955
  • Genre: Contemporary YA

The above ISBN is for the hardcover, but I listened to the audiobook edition that I purchased.

If Fangirl hadn’t been a book club pick, I probably would never have read it.  I rarely ever read fiction that isn’t Science Fiction or Fantasy, especially if it’s Contemporary YA.  However, I decided to give it the same chance I give every book I pick up for whatever reason, and I’m glad I did.

The main character, Cath, reminds me very much of my younger self.  Sometimes that was a bit depressing and made it difficult to continue.  I felt horrible for her.  By the end of the book, the story was more cathartic than anything else, and I was a bit surprised when it ended.  It wasn’t so much that the ending itself was unexpected, but that I didn’t realize the story was over.  Part of that was due to my misreading my audible app and thinking there were more chapters than there were.  The feeling was similar to when you believe you have at least fifty or so pages left of a book, and then you discover it’s really only ten because the rest is a discussion guide.  The other reason was that I thought there was more to tell, and I wanted to know what that “more” was.  I got the funny feeling that Rainbow Rowell did that deliberately so that the reader might decide to write the rest of Cath’s story for themselves.

All in all, the only minor thing that I didn’t like about Fangirl was the lengthy readings of Cath’s fan fiction.  I think they could have been considerably shorter and still got the point across that Cath was really writing about and trying to process certain events from her life.  However, you don’t have to be a lover of fan fiction to enjoy this book.  I’ve never been into fan fiction, and I loved it.

#COYER Scavenger Hunt #75: Step outside your comfort zone and read a book in a genre you have read less than five times this year. (I haven’t read any Non-Fantasy Contemporary YA books this year.)

Review: The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy

Published on by Rachelle

Fangirl

  • Author: Sam Maggs
  • ISBN: 9781594747892
  • Genre: Non-Fiction

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sam Maggs mentions in The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy that her book is the only one written for geek girls and fangirls; however, that’s not true.  In 2011, Leslie Simon wrote a book called Geek Girls Unite.  That being said, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is much more up to date, includes even more geeky awesomeness, and is all around better suited as a guide to entering the geek world no matter what amount of knowledge you might have about it.  I’ve been a geek my whole life, and I bookmarked multiple pages concerning things I had no idea existed.

Since the copy I received was an uncorrected ARC and I don’t have a published copy to compare it to, I won’t go into details as to what is or isn’t in the book.  However, I will say that the one problem I had with it is that it assumes the reader can afford their fandom(s).  As someone who often can’t afford to buy a graphic novel or materials to make a decent cosplay outfit, I would have appreciated the inclusion of something like what Omar and Mia do in their 2 Broke Geeks videos.

Overall, this is a great book for any geek girl, no matter what your fandom is or how knowledgeable you are about what the geek world has to offer.  If you’re a broke geek, check to see if the book is at your local library and then take lots of notes.  After you’re done, head over to the 2 Broke Geeks Youtube channel to find out how you can celebrate your geekiness without having to live off of 3 for $1 microwave burritos from the grocery store.