Booky

4.5 stars

I can't believe how much I identified with this protagonist. I swear, I'm Cath. Never have I felt the desire to protect a character so much from the meanness in the world.

Some reviewers found this book's plot too simple. Some found themselves distant from Cath and the fictional world she writes within. I had the opposite reaction. For me, this was an emotionally charged read. Yes, it was often cheesy, and the Harry Potter references didn't always work (the text mentions Harry at one point, even though Simon Snow IS Harry in this universe), but I really felt like I was transported into the mind of my younger self.

Frankly, I'm just happy to not read another quirky romance where characters are quirky for quirkiness sake (a point that Rowell makes several times throughout the text - no old Volvos or cigarette-stained fingers here! Thank god). These characters were simple, but they felt real.

I didn't get on the Eleanor and Park train, but holy smokes, Fangirl resonated with me.