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The Story Doesn't Have To End If You Don't Want It To


I love fanfiction. I always will.  I always have. I have never had the issue with fanfic that some people seem to have. I have never thought that fanfiction was "robbery" or "plagiarism". To me, it has always just been a look at the what if. Fanfiction has been the continuation I have desperately needed or the perfect treat to hold me over until the next book release. Fanfiction has never disappointed me. Never let me down. I have been more invested in some fanfiction stories than I have been in actual novels. Which is why when I heard about a book celebrating fanfic rather than condemning it, I knew I had to read it. And I also happen to personally identify with the title. 


Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 


What Made Me Read This Book? Fanfiction, or fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, film, etc, is often dismissed by authors. Many authors are not fans of fan created fiction as some see it as their work being stolen or manipulated. More often that not, fanfiction is seen as a negative thing. So when I heard of an author who had written a book featuring a premise which placed fanfiction in a positive light, I couldn't not read it. 


Cath has always had three things. Her twin sister, her dad, and her books (the Simon Snow series in particular). But with the first day of her freshman year of college looming on the horizon, Cath is questioning everything - especially the things she's never had to question before. Her twin sister, Wren, would rather party with frat boys and in bars than hangout together like the old days. Her dad is overworking, under-sleeping, and showing signs of another episode. And Simon Snow is reaching the end, the last book to hit shelves in a few months. Cath's only escape is in her writing. Fanfiction is the only thing that brings Cath peace. The only thing she can control. Control - something she rarely has in her life. Especially when it comes to her roommate's ex-boyfriend who won't go away. Yeah. Freshman year is hard.  


My Rating: ✯✯✯✯ - I don't have a twin. I'm an only child. I don't come from a small town. I live in a city so populated, at times its suffocating. I don't write fanfic. My attempt at a Percy Jackson and the Olympians story reached the recycling bin before it reached any readers. But for some reason, I related to Cath so much that at times I had to set the book down because it was overwhelming. That was a first for me. 


Why? If anyone knows that freshman year can be difficult, its me. While academics are a breeze *knock on wood*, its the social side that can be like pulling teeth. At least it feels like that for people like Cath and I. Talking to people is not always easy. We do it when we have to, but rarely because we want to. We would rather snack on protein bars in our rooms than go to dinner and be surrounded by other students - or worse, have to sit absolutely alone. Sharing personal space with other people is an evil we have become accustomed to (on good days), but not entirely accepted. Anxiety disorder is very real and very irritating. To read about a character who struggles with the same issue, living with it while surviving freshman year - as I live with it while surviving freshman year was... I don't know how to describe it. Comforting maybe. A hand to hold in the darkness to remind me that I am not alone. While Cath and I are completely different people, I understand her on a level that most people don't. And seeing her make it out on the other side happy (or at least as happy and mentally stable as she can be) is a sliver of hope I find myself clinging to every now and then. Cath is my personal, personified "It Gets Better". 

Also, the humor, wit, and "emergency dance parties" in the book are a good time too. 


Favorite Quote: "Ten thousand words, and none of them had to be good; only one other person would ever read them. It didn't even matter where Cath started, as long as she finished... This wasn't good, but it was something... That was the beauty in stacking up words"


Hint for next week: Living a double life can be stressful. 

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