Fangirl and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I like the way Rainbow Rowell describes her work on her website.  “…She always writes about people who talk a lot.  And people who feel like they are screwing up.  And people falling in love.”  This is such an apt and lovely description of her work that I feel I could not do any better.  She writes for a variety of audiences but she mostly definitely is targeting those of us who feel we just might not quite fit in.  Which, realistically, could be any human being who isn’t a raging narcissist.

Fangirl had me in a total friend crush with the main character.  Cather, or Cath, is in her first year of college.  While trying to balance all the things that are new to a college freshman she is also dealing with her twin sister’s desire to be separate units and worrying about her Dad who is all alone.  And a boy.  Of course there is a boy.

Cath has been obsessed with the novels of Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) since she was a little girl.  Her twin sister Wren has outgrown Simon and is attempting to outgrow Cath.  But Cath continues to return to the magical world by writing very popular fan fiction.  When I wasn’t busy identifying with Cath and cheering on her attempts to find her way, I became totally intrigued by the world of Simon Snow.  I was even sad to find that the Snow books were invented by Rowell and I couldn’t read them.

I should not have worried!  Rowell took her imaginary series and wrote a whole book about Simon Snow and his room mate Baz and their wizarding world.  Hello Carry On and thank you Rainbow Rowell!  Carry On is everything I imagined that Cath would write in a full length wonderful story that highlights the tense frenemies situation of Simon and his roommate Baz and their hidden longstanding romantic love for each other.  And, (slow clap here) at the genius that is Rowell.

Carry On comes out in paperback on May 9th.  That should give everything time to read Fangirl and fall in love with Cath before picking up a copy and watching to see if Simon and Baz fall in love.