Carry On ~ Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen. 

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his hand work, and the other hand, he sets something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here - it's their last year at Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother tbaz waso show up. 

Book Review:

For those of you who don't know, my favorite book this year, so far, was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I really resonated with Cath, the main character. The life she was living throughout the story, though full of turmoil and confusion, was beautiful in so many other ways. Her struggle with anxiety and lack of relationship experience was all too real for me, as well. 

I was skeptical when contemplating if I wanted to read Carry On or not. This book is the fanfiction book that Cath writes in Fangirl. I loved the little snipets of it that we are able to read throughout Fangirl but I wasn't sure that a full novel surrounding it would be worth my time, in all honesty.

I loved it!! I loved that there were parallels to the Harry Potter series; yet, there was a complete new world of magic.  I don't that I would want 7 books and 8 movies with this story but I loved it either way. It was just a really fun read.

Book Discussion; SPOILERS!!!!

I have never read a story with a homosexual main character, not for any particular reason, it just never happened. Baz was outwardly gay from his introduction all of the way until the end. Simon on the other hand never seemed to portray any homosexual desires until farther into the book. I speculate that he may be Bisexual because I do think that he really cared for Agatha, his previous girlfriend, but it never was definitively stated. In all honesty, I love his relationship with Baz. They hated each other for so long but when it comes down to it they know that they can completely trust the other. They are just way to cute!!

I also really loved Simon and Penelope's friendship. They have known each other since they both started at Watford. She spends the night in his room, they tell each other everything, it would seem like they would make the perfect couple, but that isn't what it is about for them. They don't even have an inkling of romantic infatuation for one another They really are the best of friends and I hope that one day I can find a male friend like that, one whom I trust that completely but have no romantic feelings for.

Favorite Quote:

"At Watford, Magic is just the air that we breathe. It's not what separates us from each other; it's what keeps us together."

  

Fangirl ~ Rainbow Rowell

A coming-of-age tale of fanfiction, 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 trough 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 she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of he 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 doe 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?

Book Review:

When I was at Target the other day Fangirl the collector's edition was on sale. It is such a pretty cover. Mine is not like the one above, it is pink with green writing and the inside covers, front and back, are covered with amazing fanart related to the story. Now this has been on my TBR list for a couple of months now so when I saw that it was 20% off I had to get it. And I am so happy that I did. It is a long book but it is so beautiful and an easy read. 

I really resonate with Cath's character. She is in her freshman year of college and I'm entering my senior year of high school, but I can't even think about this year because I'm too excited for the next. She is a dedicated fan of Simon Snow, and though Simon Snow isn't a real series, it super close to my biggest obsession Harry Potter. (If you want the similarities explained go to this link: http://lies.tumblr.com/post/61896796990/the-world-in-fangirl) She also struggles with anxiety and is an introvert. (Literally me!)

Besides the fact that I just really resonate with Cath and this world, the story is just beautifully written. We can feel the pain, confusion, fear, love, and everything in between. I also love her roommate Reagan. At first I was skeptical of her and wasn't really sure about the type of person she is, but as she pulled Cath out of her shell and showed that she had her back no matter what I really began to like her as a character. I also love Levi, who Cath assumes is Reagan's boyfriend. I'll talk moe about him in the discussion though because I don't want to give anything away to those who haven't read this amazing bit of YA contemporary fiction. I hated Wren up until the end when she finally came to her senses and was once again there for her sister. 

I also really loved that Rowell included so many mental illnesses/addictions in this book. Cath has anxiety, her father has depression or bipolar disorder (it was never really clarified), and Wren struggles with alcohol abuse. Those diseases were perfectly explained. I have anxiety myself and I know people with the other diseases mentioned and I have been hurt by them as well, so I know what it means to be watching those you love spiral. 

Pages: 433                                                                                                               Rate:5/5

Book Discussion: SPOILERS: 

When Cath is introduced I knew that she was like me. I knew that everything she would feel, I have felt too. Now I have never been in a relationship so I can't say that I have been in love like she is with Levi, once they finally end up together. But I have crushed on someone really hard and been really let down when I realized that they only thought of me as a work partner, like she does with that jerk Nick. 

Another thing that I loved about this book was that before each chapter we would get either a snippet of the Simon Snow series (which made me want to read a series that doesn't exist) or a bit of Cath's Simon Snow fanfiction. Now I have written fanfiction (nowhere near as long as Cath's Carry On, Simon) and I might be uploading some at some point to hear as well. Mine are much shorter than hers, which is described as being longer than any of the books in Gemma T Leslie's series. 

Now let's talk about Levi. So at first it seems like he is dating Reagan, Cath's roommate. They are always hanging out but we later learn that they aren't together, only after Cath and he kissed and fell asleep together. Now Reagan was really the only friend that Cath had, they weren't super close, like Cath didn't really tell Reagan about the guy who broke up with her over the phone after they'd only been at college for a little while for another girl. But Reagan was the one who helped Cath get out of her shell, like eating in the dining hall or just leaving her room for something that wasn't class related. So obviously before Cath knew that she and Levi weren't together she felt guilty for kissing him. And Cath suffers from anxiety so her guilt just multiplied 1000x. 

So when Reagan finally convinces her that it is okay and that she should go with her to Levi's party, you think everything is going to be fine. And it is, until they walk into the kitchen where Levi is kissing another girl. This really hurts Cath and Reagan vows to keep him away from her. This works for awhile until Cath's dad enters the hospital because of his depression. She has no one else to call to give her a ride back to Omaha. They fight and everything before she finally gets to see her dad. But when she does go back to school and he finally gets her to listen to him, they are able to start the most amazingly adorable real relationship ever. I just love it so damn much. 

I also learned how much you can hate a literary character who has only a handful of lines; Cath and Wren's mother. She is mentioned more than that but she only has one actual scene and I hate her! I thought that I hated Umbridge from the Harry Potter series the most but Laura comes as a close second. 

Now the mental illnesses were portrayed really well in this series without explicitly saying, "Oh he is having a manic episode" or "Oh she is having an anxiety attack." As a reader you just knew what was happening as the change of tone would change. Now maybe I was really sensitive to what was happening because I suffer from anxiety myself but I don't believe that that was the case. I really do think that Rowell just described it wonderfully. 

Addiction was also a theme that I could see pretty much the second it began, before Cath even knew what was happening to her sister. And once again that is just Rowell's magic as a writer. Wren's alcoholism affects everyone differently but I really loved how  it affected their father. Ever since the girls were nine years old, after their mother left, it has always been them, but it is explained that he never kept too tight of a leash on them. So with his own mental disease and everything I didn't really expect him to become so intense, but at the same time it made perfect sense. 

Overall I just really love this damn book. 

 Favorite Quote:

"Because I'm the kind of girl that fantasizes about being trapped in a library overnight."