"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

I do not understand the world of fandom and why it appeals to such a wide audience. I don't want my books from the fans perspective, a alternative version of the authors work. There is nothing unique about taking already existing characters in a already existing world and twisting it around and calling it your own. I like J.K. Rowling's version of Harry Potter, the original and highly unique version, I don't want to read someone else's fan fiction of a alternative version of Harry Potter. Without J.K. Rowling there is no Harry Potter, her writing is what brings Harry to life. I wanted to address this issue of mine because I did, after all, just finish reading a book based around fan fiction. In "Fangirl" our main character, Cath, writes fan fiction based around the Simon Snow series, a highly popular book in Cath's world that is on the same popularity scale as our Harry Potter (and yet Harry Potter also exists in Cath's world ...). I must admit that I enjoyed this aspect of the book, however is it right to take someone else's creation and change it? Cath wrote the authors originally straight characters as being two gay homosexual males. I don't have a issue with gay characters in books, if  they were originally written as being gay, but don't go changing what the author never intended. Cath doesn't feel as if she is able to write outside of fan fiction, she has trouble trying to create her own characters outside of the Simon Snow community, exactly what I am attempting to get at ...

I don't normally read contemporary/romance, so although I found myself enjoying "Fangirl" people will not be surprised to hear that I did have some issues with it. The fan fiction not even being one of those. I didn't mind the fan fiction in the book, in fact I rather liked that aspect, I was referring more to the real fan fiction existing out in the real world. No, my issues were with the language and the loose sexual encounters. The F word was repeatedly used in this book, as was God's name repeatedly being used in vain. I had originally liked Cath, she seemed down to earth and with good morals, but that isn't something realistic is it? I found myself liking her a tad bit less by the end of the book, although she is a saint compared to the other college students portrayed here.

A fun fluff read, but nothing that I would recommend to anyone or ever desire to own. This is a overly hyped up book.

My Rating: 3.75 Stars