New Adult Annotation

By Rainbow Rowell

Publication Date: 2013

Number of Pages: 435

Setting:  University of Nebraska; hometown-Omaha

Time Period: Contemporary 2012

Synopsis:

Cath is a freshman at the University of Nebraska.  It should be an exciting time in her life, but instead it is filled with sadness and anxiety.  Cath and Wren are identical twin sisters, and Cath expected that they would be there to support each other at college as they always have…Until, Wren decides to room separately with a new roommate.  While Wren becomes fast friends with her roommate Courtney, Cath is rooming with Reagan, a tough and unfriendly girl.  Reagan’s friend, Levi, is so often present and hanging out in their room that Cath assumes he must be Reagan’s boyfriend.  While Reagan has a tough exterior, Levi seems to be constantly friendly and happy. 

Cath is passionate about Simon Snow, a series of books similar to Harry Potter.  She is a talented fanfiction writer with a devoted following for her version of the eighth and final book “Carry On”.  However, Cath has paired Simon with
Baz, creating a “fictional” romantic relationship (the equivalent of Harry and Draco Malfoy).  Cath would rather immerse herself into her world of “Carry On” than join her sister in her partying ways of college life.  

Fangirl tells the story of Cath’s college experience as she navigates her classes (including Fiction Writing with a professor that doesn’t appreciate fanfiction), making friends with a difficult roommate, newfound romance, a father’s illness, and missing her other half—her twin sister. 

Characteristics that Fit into New Adult:

Protagonist is 18-years-old and entering college; living away for the first time

Processing and dealing with family struggles:

            Alcoholism

            Mental Illness

            Parental Abandonment

            Anxiety

            Difficulty adjusting to a new life and situation

            First-time love

Cath is entering into adulthood

Read-Alikes

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy

Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

Roomies by Sara Zarr

My Thoughts:

I recently joined a book club through my library—for adults that like Young Adult Literature.  For the next month’s selection Fangirl was chosen.  Not only has this been on my “To Read” list for some time, but it also fit perfectly with my New Adult Annotation. 

I very much enjoyed this book.  Eleanor and Park is one of my all-time favorites, so I’m already a fan of Rainbow Rowell.  She does a fantastic job of creating fully realized characters that you completely fall in love with.  While this book is not action packed, I could not put it down.  Cath’s story is extremely engaging and I continuously wanted to see how she developed as a person as a result of her college experiences. 

Throughout the novel, Rainbow Rowell includes Cath’s fanfiction “Carry On”.  The story is incredibly engaging and well-written.  It is interesting to note that Rowell is writing “Carry On” as a full novel.