Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating: ★★★★★

A book can endear itself to me by making me feel for the main character. If I can connect with that one person, odds are good that I will love the book. Cather, Cath for short, was one of those characters. She felt so much like me that it was almost like reading a story version of my own life, even though nothing like this has happened to me. Fangirl was one of those books like I couldn’t put down until I was finished. I just had to keep reading.

Cath and Wren are twins, but in looks only. Where Wren is outgoing and ready to take on the world, Cath finds comfort in the same things and doesn’t see why she should change that. She’s happiest among fictional characters and people she doesn’t see. She’s a writer and uses her words to explore the world, instead of getting out there herself. After Wren decides she doesn’t want to room with Cath their freshmen year of college, Cath is forced to meet a few new people who eventually change her life for the better.

I am constantly amazed when an author just gets it. Cath is introverted and nothing is wrong with that. I’m an introvert and the feelings Cath has about going out and being around other people are my feelings. It’s not that she doesn’t like other people, it’s that being around them is draining. Having to act as though your skin isn’t crawling with the need to be alone can be a lot. On top of that, Cath has the insecurities that any 18 year old would have. My heart ached for Cath, but I also saw myself in her. It made for an interesting feeling while reading.

The relationship between Cath and Levi was sweet and grew slowly. It never felt forced and it always made me smile. Levi didn’t see Cath’s habits as a bad strange, but instead saw them as what made her unique and worth knowing. To have a character not only acknowledge that but make it important only made me fall for him more.

Rowell has a way of writing that draws me in completely. She writes drama without it being dramatic and love without being cheesy. It doesn’t hurt that she writes about Nebraska (the Valentino’s reference in the first chapter made my mouth water). She just gets it. I can safely say that I am now a complete Rowell fan and will read anything she writes. Fangirl is the perfect story about a girl coming into her own and finding out that sometimes the real world can be just as wonderful as the fiction world. This is a definite must read.

If Fangirl sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating: ★★★★

This book took my heart on a roller coaster ride. It was soaring higher and higher, but I know there’d be a drop at some point. Even though I knew the bad was coming, every page was filled with a simple sweetness that had me smiling like a giddy schoolgirl experiencing her first crush for the first time.

Eleanor stands out. She’s got bright red hair, wears a strange collection of clothing, and isn’t the skinny girl everyone else is. Park is just on the edge of being part of the “cool crowd.” When Park grudgingly lets Eleanor share his school bus seat, neither of them have any idea of the friendship nor relationship they are about to begin. Park doesn’t really like Eleanor to begin with, but after he catches her reading his comics, a friendship starts up. From there, things just continue to grow until they’re experiencing their first taste of young, teen love. It’s simple, sweet, and perfect.

Eleanor doesn’t have the best home life, but I loved how she didn’t let that get her too down. It affected her attitude, but it didn’t bring her down. She still faced every day with determination, and after Park became her boyfriend, happiness. She’s incredibly strong, in that she doesn’t give up even though it would be so easy for her to say that getting out of bed wasn’t worth trying.

Park knows the group of cool kids, and calls himself friends with them, but he’s not really a part of their life. He’s just on the outside, but not enough for it to affect his high school credibility. He worries about what others think of him and that affects his relationship with Eleanor. Even so, they are able to work through it and come out stronger for it. He has so many sweet little moments throughout the book that I lost track of them all.

There were so many little hints as to what would be happening to Eleanor and Park that I knew when everything came out, it would hurt. It wasn’t difficult to figure out where the problem would come from, but when everything finally came out, my heart just seized up. It was sudden and horrible, but even in the midst of all the bad, Park remained his sweet and steady self, and I think that’s what made it hurt even more.

Eleanor & Park is one of those books that makes you as happy as it does crushes your heart. Even so, you can’t help but fall in love with Eleanor, Park, and their young love. It will leave you twitterpated. I’m looking forward to reading more from Rowell, especially if it gives me the flutters Eleanor & Park gave me.

If Eleanor & Park sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Audible
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound