I swear the first thing I do when I finish a book is come to this channel to see if there's a book talk about it! I was literally like "I need to see what Christine thinks of this!"
I literally just finished it not even 2 minutes ago. "Finished reading a book? Oh, gotta check to see if polandbananasBOOKS has a review!" They're always on the spot and very insightful and funny, love her reviews.
I literally finished the book and was like "IT'S OVER???!!!" I wanna know about her fiction writing story. I wanna see her finish the semester. Her summer with Levi. I need a novela or something!!!
I THREW MY KINDLE ALMOST AND WAS LIKE "I would tell her and be like I Made Carry On and I would be like praise me" which made me realize I'm kinda selfish
The part where they have that one fight as a couple on the creative writing class and he storms out killed me. Then, when she opens the door to get water he's there and he's like I can't even go 7 hours without seeing you or something like that made me so cute and warm and :3
I didn't care for the fan fic inserts or any of the simon snow stuff, however I was OBSESSED with Levi and cath's relationship and I really want another book or a movie so that that can be explored more
I was honestly rooting for Nick for half of the book until he pulled that shit on Cath hahaha but Cath and Levi's "sweetheart" moment with her laundry was the best for me.
I COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING WHEN LEVI ASKED ABOUT CATHER'S AND WREN'S NAMES. HAHAHA THE FEELS. THEIR MOM WAS NOT READY TO HAVE TWINS AND SHE ONLY HAD ONE NAME, CATHERINE. GET IT... CATHER-WREN
Finished Fangirl finally! Then to your video I go! I loved this book, but not as much as I would have liked to! I didn't start crying until I watched your booktalk! But, I love Rainbow's writing and can't wait to read more from her!
You caught all of my feelings about this book! I laughed so hard when Reagan compared them to Zack and Cody, she was awesome. I really wish we got to see the end of Carry on, Simon. I thought for a minute there near the end that Gemma was about to make Simon/Baz cannon and I got really excited.
I just finished it, and now I feel like there NEEDS to be a second book!! Come on Rainbow Rowell! Write a second one!! I need more Cath and Levi Madness!!!
Rainbow said that she won't write another one, and because Rainbow says that Cath & Levi already have a cameo scene in Landline, and that she already made a book for the ordeal of Simon Snow, just for her own character, Cath (Carry On, is the book for Simon Snow).
One of my favorite scenes was when Cath texted Levi telling him Wren was at the hospital and he practically turned around in the middle of going to his sisters' wedding just for her. It was so beautiful and so heart-warming.
My only question.... It's a really small question.... DID. CATH. KILL. OFF. BAZ. IN. HER. FANFICTION?!?!? Like.... Did she kill off Baz and make her fanfiction even better? If she did, I literally might cry because I grew attached to him 😂
Yes more please Rainbow!!! here's what I need: More about her mom Her finishing Carry ON Her to Finish the 8th Simon book Her to tell us what her story was about And yes, her ending the school year
YES! I also wanted to know... - why Courtney and Wren stopped being friends/what happened the night wren got alcohol poisoning - how their dad was doing towards the end of the book - more closure about their mom but of course, none of these loose ends are as important to me as how Carry On ended/just Cath finishing it, and how her Fiction-Writing story came together
I love how everyone I talk to about this book is oblivious to the gay fan art on the cover. I find it hilarious, but no one else seems to have noticed.
I love the scene in the book when Reagan asks Cath if she wants to room together again and Cath says "Well... I'll think about it. Do you have any more hot ex-boyfriends?" haha so funny!
BUT THAT SCENE WHEN SHE WAS MAKING HIM EGGS AND HE WAS ALL "are you embarrassed of me" and then she was like "what? You're serious" and he was all "I'm not angry, Sweetheart" and then she was like I'm scared that you'll like Wren more than me and the whole thing was soooo cute but at the same time I was just like YOURE BOTH SO STUPID STOP YOURE PERFECT
I just read the book, and at first I thought Cath's boyfriend - to - be was supposed to be Nick. Now I am so glad its not Nick. He used her for his own benefits. So happy she moved on !
Christine: And I know someone for each character from my life. C: And I kind of worked it into my life C: (Before) I relate to Cath so much! Me: ... Me: *widens eyes* Me: THEN WHO IS LEVI IN RL???
Oh Mi gosh i absolutely love the part when Cath has her emergency dance party and Levi comes in and starts dancing with her and im like aaaa its so cute they're so cute !!
I loved all of it. I don't personally understand why other people found the fanfiction boring I thought that it added to the story. I liked how when she wrote with her sister it was easy because it was something they always used to do. I just loved this book :D
I've had this book on my TBR for years because you and all of booktube was recommending it. This book has moved with me so many times and always made the cut to stay on the shelf. Well 2023 was finally the year that I picked it up, and wow was it great! So heartwarming and cozy while hitting on some real life issues, I laughed and cried. I think I actually appreciated it more now 9 years later with all the life experience I have vs if I had read it when it came out.
Ohhhh what a wonderful book! I don't think I've ever relate to a book character this much. Even the little things like when Cath didn't want to go eat and find the cafeteria because she didn't know where it was and stressing about how the cafeteria even worked! Or how she stressed about meeting new people and not accepting to hang out with people.
I just finished it and I agree with everything you said. I relate to Cath so much. My freshman year of college I literally ate in the dorm cafeterias probably four times...the ENTIRE YEAR. I was terrified for all the same reasons Cath was. Luckily we had grab and go meals and could use our meal plan at a grocery store or I would have starved. And it was my Dad not my mom, but same sort of situation. Also wish they would have left out Harry Potter reference totally took me out of the book!
I wasn't a big reader when I was younger, so I didn't grow up reading Harry Potter, but I definitely grew up with all the movies, and I can say I know how you feel. I was crying the entire way from the beginning of the last movie all the way to my house. They're gone and they were such a big part of our lives. Oh the feels...
Yeah I saw Prisoner of Azkaban when it came out in 2004. I was 5 =P My sister who's 23 read them to me. So Harry Potter was and always will be a part of me and I'm currently rereading the books and of course its wonderful =)
One of my favorite scenes is when Wren is leaving the hospital and she sees her boyfriend and then Cath turns around and Levi is there and my other favorite if when they finally kiss first shes like "I don't want to be distracted I want to touch you back" I laughed waaay harder then I should have and then Levi is like "Cath if I kiss you now, are you going to leap away from me". I really loved how by the end Regan and Cath had formed a friendship and were living together next year. I really wish there was another book in the series I wanna know how his sisters wedding goes and her meeting his family. Ahh so may things I wanna know! Over all one of my favorite books.
yeah the only thing I don't like about Rainbow Rowell is she ends her books, need more! I'm guessing she wants us to make up our own endings and assume what happens.
I agree with everything you said! The book was so perfect, I could relate to Cath in every way. I laughed out loud when you said "They get 8 books!?" because that was my exact thought when I saw that, haha.
When i was reading Fangirl all my feelings a about twilight ..... the midnight release staying all night just to be the first in line. The crying and all the feelings . The posters on my walls .... my twilight world ... How everything related was important to me . And even now twilight has been the series with the most impact in my life. Now i read books because of twilight and I'm so thankful for that.
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of twilight anymore but I'm still grateful to it 'cause it's what made me love reading again and decide that I wanted to be a writer one day.
I literally read the books Christine recommends and from there I branched out to what I liked from other booktubers! Thank you for introducing me to the joys of reading BookTube
I haven't read Fangirl for a while so I don't remember some of the things you're talking about, but the Harry Potter reference threw me too! I was so confused when it was mentioned because I was under the assumption that Simon Snow took the place of Harry Potter and that Harry Potter didn't exist in this world.
Me too. I always wish I was born just a little earlier. My parents didn't even care about harry potter so they didn't read it to me before I could read wither
This book. I read a lot but this is the first book where I can actually say I'm in love with every element. I have completely fallen in love with the characters and I would do anything for a sequel just because I want to know what happens to Cath and Levi and the lead up to the engagement ( in landline it says there engaged). All I have now is extremely high expectations because of how perfect Levi is. The part where she forgives him and let's him in the dorm and he asks her if she rooting for him made me cry. I love to read and my all time favourite author is F. Scott Fitzgerald and my favourite book was either The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm or Insurgent until I read this. Not many books have an effect on me but this book- along with the silver linings playbook- reminded me why I fell in love with reading in the first place. For me nothing will ever come close to how perfect this book is.
I loved the parallels with Harry Potter and Simon Snow. And I think it'd be really cool if Rainbow Rowell gave us more of a look at Cath's fanfiction because it'd be awesome to read it
Oh thank god, I wasn't the only one. For me it was because I was reading the book so fast and it rhymed in my head with Cath's name because I just kind of thought of her as Cathy as I know someone called Cathy irl and I just was so embarrassed when I realised half way through what I was doing and STILL COULDN'T STOP despite the fact that there was a boy called Levi in my primary school class and I STILL DID IT UGH. This is my version of Christine's Carlisle
THE COVER IS LIKE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK COVERS I HAVE EVER SEEN ITS SO COLORFUL AND BRIGHT AND PRETTY! That's probably the main reason I picked up the book (and I really wanted to watch Christine's book talk on it)
Watching this makes me want to reread it so bad. Especially since I just graduated high school and might be starting school soon. If I related to Cath when I read it, I'm sure as hell gonna relate now. I loved that she always read to him even her fanfic ugh I got all mushy. The whole book was phenomenal. And the whole Wren thing is so relatable even for people like me who don't have a twin but an older sibling who grew up before us and doesn't wanna do the things we used to. AND HARRY POTTER/SIMON SNOW GOT ME GOOD.
I completely feel the same way about this book. They way she captures the Harry Potter phenomenon, and the way you explained it is exactly what it's like. ❤️
I loved how relatable this whole book has been. Pretty sure I went through every single emotion you had as well. Levi and Cath just make my heart hurt so much and no matter how badly I'd want a sequel, it would ruin this book, but I WANT MORE TOO.
I love how Reagan kicks open the door to their room. I sorta thought of it like a karate kick or something equally intense and then she'd just immediately recover and just casually walk into the room. It's sort of stupid thinking of it like that i guess but I found that really funny :3
I didn't know about anything that was going to happen, EXCEPT I DIDN'T GET THE SURPRISE OF LEVI BECAUSE THE COVER GAVE IT AWAY AND THE PICTURE ON THE INSIDE COVER DX But I was so happy and actually really shocked when they kissed after reading aloud
I finally saw this video and have to say YOU MADE ME CRY….. You expressed everything I felt when I was reading this book. For us that grew up with Harry Potter this book sums up all that we felt during this series.
I love what a light read this was! There was still depth and heavy stuff in it, but it was the kind of book where the characters felt like real peopl, and I was invested in them. I didn't want this book to end!
I really liked this book but I wish the ending gave more closure. Rowell does include pieces of the puzzle that we can put together but I wish she had been more specific.
I really want another book, continuing Fangirl. Like actual another book. With Cath and Levi's story! I'm so excited for Carry On though...I can't believe we're actually going to be able to read Cath's fanfiction! It'd be so awesome if we could see like these small side notes from Cath, Levi, Wren, and Reagan. So it'd be kind of like a draft. And you have all the group's thoughts and edits on it! Can't wait
I just finished Fangirl and i sorta just sat in bed hugging the book and crying because i wanted more! I want Levi!! OMG THE EMERGENCY DANCE PARTY WAS SO CUTE! I NEED AN EMERGENCY DANCE PARTY NOW!!! I don't know if this would be good as a series but i want more. I thing Rainbow Rowell could probably pull it off. Like making this into a series because she is so fantastic! When Levi was like "I'm picking out my own dress" and oh my pickles i just love him so much!!
I know I'm really late to this train but I have to comment! I'm still in middle school and I love to read. reading is my escape and I'm almost always reading at school. I'm not necessarily a shy or introverted person but I do get made fun of for reading so much. I am most definitely a fangirl as well and I read fabrics and I a very much "nerdy" like Cath. Cath was that character for me who I really connected with and I just wanted to share that! Nonetheless I Love you Christine and I know you might not see this but your one of my main inspirations. you inspire me to write and to have passion and I just love this channel!!!!
my fav part of this beautifully written novel (which is v hard, since i loved every minute of it) was the adorable scene in levi's room where cath kissed every part of levi's face and repeated "i really like you" or "i like you so much here" AHH and i'm so in love with the line "he was too lovely, too good". OJFDK I JUST RLLY LOVE THIS BOOK I WANNA REREAD IT FOREVER AND EVER
I absolutely adored the fanfiction sections because they felt so Potter-esque to me and I just crave more Harry Potter type books. Rainbow is actually writing Carry On which should be published in September, which I can't even contain my excitement about! squeeeeeeee
My favorite scene in the book was when Reagan and Cath were in the cafeteria and they were making fun of everyone not even giving a care in the world. Also I was sitting here agreeing with almost every word that you spoke. Except a few parts, but I could have totally used more I swear ugh.
Too many great moments in this book! I loved everything from her naming Levi's room to her and wren trying to finish her fan fiction. I have to agree with you I wish she would have stretched it out more to tell what happens in the book and how her and Levi stay together.
You 1000% perfectly explained everything I felt reading this book. I honestly believe only people that went through the fangirl phase and/or are currently in it will understand. I mean the REAL fangirl stage. Every character was amazing and at the end even with all the tears this book made me feel so happy and proud to be a fangirl. I LOVED IT.
I related so much to these characters. I feel that I was a mixture of Cath and Reagan, Cath in the way that I like to keep to myself and will avoid any kind of socialising at all costs, seriously. however when people get to know me, I'm incredibly direct just like Reagan, and the description of Reagan sounded exactly like me! I loved this book. I can see myself re reading this book numerous times.
I love Rainbow Rowell's writing style but i sort of dont want to pick up another one of her titles. I loved Eleanor and Park but i got frustrated with Eleanor. makes me wonder if all her female characters are like this.
For some people her female characters are really really relatable. I think it's either you fall in love with them or I guess you don't really understand them as much
Simone Ingstrup you're right. I hated eleanor & park book. But i loved this one. And I swore that after reading eleanor & park I told myself: I'M NEVER BUYING HER BOOKS AGAIN. Because it just sucked. But fangirl was 5/5 stars for me. I can't explain how this happened.
I loved this book! It was just so relatable! You made some interesting points. Yeah, my favorite part was when she meets that fan. I started crying, because if that happened to me I would be flipping out.
I loved Cath and Levi and how they fit together, but I would like to see a spinoff of fangirl in Wrens point of view in freshman year and her falling in love with Jandro
For my English class I had to do a book project and I did it on Fangirl. For the project I added my own ending where they leave for the summer and catch gets to meet Levi's family.
I just finished Fangirl and I LOVED it! My favorite scenes were the Emergency Dance Party, their First Kiss, when Levi insisted on carrying her laundry, and when they went to the release of the last Simon Snow book... I have a lot haha I feel like this whole book is just a favorite in general :)
I finished this book about an hour ago. I love the bit where Cath is in Levi's room reading the end of her fanfiction to him and also when she has that emergency dance party.
Reading fangirl was truly an awesome chance to relate and feel understood. At 14, really small, and socially awkward, reading about Cath and her story was a relief process. I have anxiety issues, troubles/fears with talking to people, and extreme self confidence problems. So it's good to know that not only do I, you, or Cath have anxiety issues, but that other people might be scared just like me. :)
I CAN FINALLY WATCH THIS BECAUSE I'VE FINALLY READ THE BOOK!! Okay, so I loved everything you said in this booktalk. I feel like you spoke exactly what I thought. I didn't grew up with Harry Potter, because my dad said it wasn't good and that I shouldn't read it at all and all that shit, and I believed him..when I was 7. When I turned 10 and I started middle schol, tho.. the last movie just came aut and I wasn't interested in it then..and in that winter, when I finally read all of the books I cursed myself for not going to see that movie at the teather, and for listening to my father, because I realised what I'd lost. I kind of continued my growing up process rereading the whole series. Everytime I reread it, it always felt even more special. So I kind of get what you're saying, but not quite. And that makes me sad :( BUT I did loved Fangirl a lot. Like... A LOT. I really wanted more of the "Carry on, Simon" fanfic parts. I really wanted to know how it ended, in Cath's way. I felt like the author of Simon Snow kind of made Simon and Buz be together in the eight book, because of that fragment of the story we got near the end, when Cath was reading it with Levi... And I like that in the end, we saw that Regan was a true friend. And that Wren was actually reading Cath's story. And I loved that she agreed to help her write it near the end, like they did in old times. And I loved her and Levi's relationship. It wasn't rushed, and I loved their little moments. I felt like everything was perfect in the end (but I wanted more. I still want more) And OMG sorry for writing so much!
I loved the subtle hints of the Mexican culture in this book. Pan Dulce, the taco trucks. And I cannot tell you how much I adored the Emergency Kanye Party. I just couldn't stop smiling. And anything to do with Levi made me smile as well. I can't ever stop falling in love with love stories.
I JUST FINISHED IT OH MY GOD!!! THE ENDING WITH SIMON AND BAZ I WAS LAUGHING MY ASS OFF! I love this book so much and Reagan and Caths friendship was just hysterical
I just finished this book and I LOVED IT!!! I feel like I also really relate to Cath, and it was nice to see a character so relatable for once! Rainbow is steadily creeping up on my favourite authors list!
I loved how her real life tied in with FanFiction, like how she was making her own ending for Carry On Simon, and how the real book finished pretty much with no ending so you had to make your own. If that makes any sense.
I loved how the first chapter and the last chapter both had "There is a boy in my room" in them but the impact was totally different.
I loved the parallel too, but that's when I knew that the book was over so it broke my heart.
I swear the first thing I do when I finish a book is come to this channel to see if there's a book talk about it! I was literally like "I need to see what Christine thinks of this!"
That's exactly what I just did!
That's what I do
I literally just got done reading the book and this was the first thing I did before, haha!
Same!
I literally just finished it not even 2 minutes ago. "Finished reading a book? Oh, gotta check to see if polandbananasBOOKS has a review!" They're always on the spot and very insightful and funny, love her reviews.
I literally finished the book and was like "IT'S OVER???!!!" I wanna know about her fiction writing story. I wanna see her finish the semester. Her summer with Levi.
I need a novela or something!!!
Me too!
I'd honestly be happy if it was turned into a series!
latina4evaX7 you spoiled me with the Levi part! But i guess it’s obvious haha
SAMEEE
I JUST REMEMBERED THAT YOU DID THIS AND NOW I CAN WATCH IT CAUSE I READ IT! :D
But holy FRICK when she met her fan I was liken
"Tell her it's you. Please. Please. Cath. What? No. What are you doing pretending. No stop it please
OH MY GOD SAME!
I THREW MY KINDLE ALMOST AND WAS LIKE "I would tell her and be like I Made Carry On and I would be like praise me" which made me realize I'm kinda selfish
Chloe Proffitt OMG I WOULD TOO
omg thats so funny selfish sisters **hugs u**
Chloe Proffitt*hugs u back*
The part where they have that one fight as a couple on the creative writing class and he storms out killed me. Then, when she opens the door to get water he's there and he's like I can't even go 7 hours without seeing you or something like that made me so cute and warm and :3
9 hours* lol I just finished the book tonight so the imformation is all still fresh :)
Sammie Leigh Hahaha thanks for the correction! :D
WAIT WHAT?! WHAT PAGE ?!
yesssss soo much
AYN Marie Page 421
Oh my goodness my favorite part is when they make that Twillight reference about Reagan watching Cathe sleep!! I was cracking up soo much
I didn't care for the fan fic inserts or any of the simon snow stuff, however I was OBSESSED with Levi and cath's relationship and I really want another book or a movie so that that can be explored more
I was honestly rooting for Nick for half of the book until he pulled that shit on Cath hahaha but Cath and Levi's "sweetheart" moment with her laundry was the best for me.
OMG same
silentlhady17 SAMEEEEE even tho this was 2 years ago😂
I COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING WHEN LEVI ASKED ABOUT CATHER'S AND WREN'S NAMES. HAHAHA THE FEELS. THEIR MOM WAS NOT READY TO HAVE TWINS AND SHE ONLY HAD ONE NAME, CATHERINE. GET IT... CATHER-WREN
Cather........Wren...... HAHAHA I GET IT!! Catherine!! lol that part was so funny
I was trying to explain the book to my friends and when I told them that, they were like "What?! Why didn't she name them Cath and Erin?" 😂
Yes!!! I wish I was more clever to get that!! Haha
When they were watching the 4th Simon Snow movie and they reference how everyone had long hair in that movie i laugh so much !!!
Finished Fangirl finally! Then to your video I go! I loved this book, but not as much as I would have liked to! I didn't start crying until I watched your booktalk! But, I love Rainbow's writing and can't wait to read more from her!
I still prefer Eleanor and Park better. This was really cute but it wasn't Eleanor and park.
Shout out to people with social anxiety! Yeah!
yea !!
it's really not something I'm proud of but ok... it's hard and sad
You caught all of my feelings about this book! I laughed so hard when Reagan compared them to Zack and Cody, she was awesome. I really wish we got to see the end of Carry on, Simon. I thought for a minute there near the end that Gemma was about to make Simon/Baz cannon and I got really excited.
Same here!!! I loved the Zack and Cody reference too! Favourite part!!
I just finished it, and now I feel like there NEEDS to be a second book!! Come on Rainbow Rowell! Write a second one!! I need more Cath and Levi Madness!!!
Same
Rainbow said that she won't write another one, and because Rainbow says that Cath & Levi already have a cameo scene in Landline, and that she already made a book for the ordeal of Simon Snow, just for her own character, Cath (Carry On, is the book for Simon Snow).
Myeah Malalis same just finished the book. it's actually necessary ugh
One of my favorite scenes was when Cath texted Levi telling him Wren was at the hospital and he practically turned around in the middle of going to his sisters' wedding just for her. It was so beautiful and so heart-warming.
My only question.... It's a really small question....
DID. CATH. KILL. OFF. BAZ. IN. HER. FANFICTION?!?!?
Like.... Did she kill off Baz and make her fanfiction even better? If she did, I literally might cry because I grew attached to him 😂
In the Q&A section of the special addition book, Rainbow said she didn't kill him off.
Alisha Lauritsen thank god
No one is allowed to kill basil!
My favorite part was 'she had to make him another omelette' OMG I was like dyeing laughing!
me too
Yes more please Rainbow!!! here's what I need:
More about her mom
Her finishing Carry ON
Her to Finish the 8th Simon book
Her to tell us what her story was about
And yes, her ending the school year
I made a fanfiction if you want to check it out you seem into the book like me
www.quotev.com/story/6242430/Carry-on-Levi-and-Cath/
YES! I also wanted to know...
- why Courtney and Wren stopped being friends/what happened the night wren got alcohol poisoning
- how their dad was doing towards the end of the book
- more closure about their mom
but of course, none of these loose ends are as important to me as how Carry On ended/just Cath finishing it, and how her Fiction-Writing story came together
I love how everyone I talk to about this book is oblivious to the gay fan art on the cover. I find it hilarious, but no one else seems to have noticed.
I love the scene in the book when Reagan asks Cath if she wants to room together again and Cath says "Well... I'll think about it. Do you have any more hot ex-boyfriends?" haha so funny!
BUT THAT SCENE WHEN SHE WAS MAKING HIM EGGS AND HE WAS ALL "are you embarrassed of me" and then she was like "what? You're serious" and he was all "I'm not angry, Sweetheart" and then she was like I'm scared that you'll like Wren more than me and the whole thing was soooo cute but at the same time I was just like YOURE BOTH SO STUPID STOP YOURE PERFECT
I just read the book, and at first I thought Cath's boyfriend - to - be was supposed to be Nick. Now I am so glad its not Nick. He used her for his own benefits. So happy she moved on !
When he confessed that he used her for the writing contest thing...I almost cried, I thought Nick actually liked her. Levi came to save the day!
Am I the only one who just skipped the Simon Snow fanfic parts during the book? I didn't really care about Simon and Baz and whatever.
But u care about her book Carry On right?
Ohhitshitomi ' I didn't read it. Isn't it just the Simon/Baz fanfic?
I didn't skip it but I did skim it. I found the Simon/Baz fan fiction parts annoying
Nope I did the same
You're not alone......I skipped it too😊
Christine: And I know someone for each character from my life.
C: And I kind of worked it into my life
C: (Before) I relate to Cath so much!
Me: ...
Me: *widens eyes*
Me: THEN WHO IS LEVI IN RL???
Oh Mi gosh i absolutely love the part when Cath has her emergency dance party and Levi comes in and starts dancing with her and im like aaaa its so cute they're so cute !!
I loved all of it. I don't personally understand why other people found the fanfiction boring I thought that it added to the story. I liked how when she wrote with her sister it was easy because it was something they always used to do. I just loved this book :D
I've had this book on my TBR for years because you and all of booktube was recommending it. This book has moved with me so many times and always made the cut to stay on the shelf. Well 2023 was finally the year that I picked it up, and wow was it great! So heartwarming and cozy while hitting on some real life issues, I laughed and cried. I think I actually appreciated it more now 9 years later with all the life experience I have vs if I had read it when it came out.
Ohhhh what a wonderful book! I don't think I've ever relate to a book character this much. Even the little things like when Cath didn't want to go eat and find the cafeteria because she didn't know where it was and stressing about how the cafeteria even worked! Or how she stressed about meeting new people and not accepting to hang out with people.
I just finished it and I agree with everything you said. I relate to Cath so much. My freshman year of college I literally ate in the dorm cafeterias probably four times...the ENTIRE YEAR. I was terrified for all the same reasons Cath was. Luckily we had grab and go meals and could use our meal plan at a grocery store or I would have starved. And it was my Dad not my mom, but same sort of situation. Also wish they would have left out Harry Potter reference totally took me out of the book!
I just love love LOVED that Cath didn't have to have some dramatic makeover and change the way she is to be with Levi! Such a breath of fresh air!
I wasn't a big reader when I was younger, so I didn't grow up reading Harry Potter, but I definitely grew up with all the movies, and I can say I know how you feel. I was crying the entire way from the beginning of the last movie all the way to my house. They're gone and they were such a big part of our lives. Oh the feels...
Yeah I saw Prisoner of Azkaban when it came out in 2004. I was 5 =P My sister who's 23 read them to me. So Harry Potter was and always will be a part of me and I'm currently rereading the books and of course its wonderful =)
One of my favorite scenes is when Wren is leaving the hospital and she sees her boyfriend and then Cath turns around and Levi is there and my other favorite if when they finally kiss first shes like "I don't want to be distracted I want to touch you back" I laughed waaay harder then I should have and then Levi is like "Cath if I kiss you now, are you going to leap away from me". I really loved how by the end Regan and Cath had formed a friendship and were living together next year. I really wish there was another book in the series I wanna know how his sisters wedding goes and her meeting his family. Ahh so may things I wanna know! Over all one of my favorite books.
I loved the part where she mentioned that all there hair was longer in the 4th movie because I thought that was a funny parallel to Harry potter
The freaking part when Cath was reading to Levi all night and then they kissed and fell asleep... I still can't get over how cute it was asdfghjkl
yeah the only thing I don't like about Rainbow Rowell is she ends her books, need more! I'm guessing she wants us to make up our own endings and assume what happens.
Am I the only one who thought she was gonna end up with Nick for a little while?
Omg!! Yes! I thought he was the guy she was trying to get...But then I finally got the hint.
I agree with everything you said! The book was so perfect, I could relate to Cath in every way. I laughed out loud when you said "They get 8 books!?" because that was my exact thought when I saw that, haha.
I couldn't stop smiling throughout this whole book especially when Levi was around they was so cute together 😍😍🌹🌹
+Mrs.Salvatore/Ivashkov&Herondale same !!!!!!! it was just the cutest!
When i was reading Fangirl all my feelings a about twilight ..... the midnight release staying all night just to be the first in line. The crying and all the feelings . The posters on my walls .... my twilight world ... How everything related was important to me . And even now twilight has been the series with the most impact in my life. Now i read books because of twilight and I'm so thankful for that.
that is just what happend to me! i start reading beacuse of twilight and now reading is me favorite hobby
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of twilight anymore but I'm still grateful to it 'cause it's what made me love reading again and decide that I wanted to be a writer one day.
Loredana Sporeanu It was Harry Potter for me...I never like twilight, to be honest.
I literally read the books Christine recommends and from there I branched out to what I liked from other booktubers! Thank you for introducing me to the joys of reading BookTube
I haven't read Fangirl for a while so I don't remember some of the things you're talking about, but the Harry Potter reference threw me too! I was so confused when it was mentioned because I was under the assumption that Simon Snow took the place of Harry Potter and that Harry Potter didn't exist in this world.
literally finished fangirl 3 minutes ago and I straight up went to watch this lmao
you know how to read? you look like 5. no offense
Hey I was reading when I was 5 and no she doesn't like 5 at all.....
Falling_in_ Phandoms hmm i didn't know i looked like a 5 year old in my picture. im 15 though, and yes i can read
Kaila Angel Pagtakhan I can't even remember when I comment this, I was probably in a bad mood. I'm sorry for being a bitch
You make me so sad for not being born in the early 90's/late 80's and go through the whole Harry Potter phase first-handedly like you did T.T
Me too. I always wish I was born just a little earlier. My parents didn't even care about harry potter so they didn't read it to me before I could read wither
I finished the book yesterday... Now I want to start rereading it... is that weird?
nope I just finish it today and im still holding it in my hand looking at book reviews about it hahahahaha
Lol, no. I just finished it yesterday and I'm already going to rereading it, but I think Christine's book talks have that affect on me. Haha. :P
same here
This book. I read a lot but this is the first book where I can actually say I'm in love with every element. I have completely fallen in love with the characters and I would do anything for a sequel just because I want to know what happens to Cath and Levi and the lead up to the engagement ( in landline it says there engaged). All I have now is extremely high expectations because of how perfect Levi is. The part where she forgives him and let's him in the dorm and he asks her if she rooting for him made me cry. I love to read and my all time favourite author is F. Scott Fitzgerald and my favourite book was either The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm or Insurgent until I read this. Not many books have an effect on me but this book- along with the silver linings playbook- reminded me why I fell in love with reading in the first place. For me nothing will ever come close to how perfect this book is.
I loved the parallels with Harry Potter and Simon Snow. And I think it'd be really cool if Rainbow Rowell gave us more of a look at Cath's fanfiction because it'd be awesome to read it
Oh god was i pronouncing Levi wrong the whole time I thought it was
LEH-vee but is it actually LEE-vy
like the shoe
omg me too
Oh thank god, I wasn't the only one. For me it was because I was reading the book so fast and it rhymed in my head with Cath's name because I just kind of thought of her as Cathy as I know someone called Cathy irl and I just was so embarrassed when I realised half way through what I was doing and STILL COULDN'T STOP despite the fact that there was a boy called Levi in my primary school class and I STILL DID IT UGH. This is my version of Christine's Carlisle
Laâli Bouteldj I'M NOT ALONE
Emma Larson I actually learned the correct pronunciation through The Tide's Levi haha lmao
THE COVER IS LIKE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK COVERS I HAVE EVER SEEN ITS SO COLORFUL AND BRIGHT AND PRETTY! That's probably the main reason I picked up the book (and I really wanted to watch Christine's book talk on it)
Watching this makes me want to reread it so bad. Especially since I just graduated high school and might be starting school soon. If I related to Cath when I read it, I'm sure as hell gonna relate now.
I loved that she always read to him even her fanfic ugh I got all mushy. The whole book was phenomenal.
And the whole Wren thing is so relatable even for people like me who don't have a twin but an older sibling who grew up before us and doesn't wanna do the things we used to. AND HARRY POTTER/SIMON SNOW GOT ME GOOD.
I completely feel the same way about this book. They way she captures the Harry Potter phenomenon, and the way you explained it is exactly what it's like. ❤️
I loved the scene where Reagan stated in that dry way of her that she and Cath have to be friends now because she was so pathetic.
I loved how relatable this whole book has been. Pretty sure I went through every single emotion you had as well. Levi and Cath just make my heart hurt so much and no matter how badly I'd want a sequel, it would ruin this book, but I WANT MORE TOO.
Catherine is so calm in this video! It's almost scary seeing her not jumping around and screaming!
Christine*
I love how Reagan kicks open the door to their room. I sorta thought of it like a karate kick or something equally intense and then she'd just immediately recover and just casually walk into the room. It's sort of stupid thinking of it like that i guess but I found that really funny :3
I didn't know about anything that was going to happen, EXCEPT I DIDN'T GET THE SURPRISE OF LEVI BECAUSE THE COVER GAVE IT AWAY AND THE PICTURE ON THE INSIDE COVER DX But I was so happy and actually really shocked when they kissed after reading aloud
I finally saw this video and have to say YOU MADE ME CRY….. You expressed everything I felt when I was reading this book. For us that grew up with Harry Potter this book sums up all that we felt during this series.
I love what a light read this was! There was still depth and heavy stuff in it, but it was the kind of book where the characters felt like real peopl, and I was invested in them. I didn't want this book to end!
YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE EMERGENCY DANCE PARTY! :D
loved that!
I really liked this book but I wish the ending gave more closure. Rowell does include pieces of the puzzle that we can put together but I wish she had been more specific.
CANT WAIT TO READ THIS!!! I love when you can totally relate to the main character and that doesn't happen often.
I really want another book, continuing Fangirl. Like actual another book. With Cath and Levi's story!
I'm so excited for Carry On though...I can't believe we're actually going to be able to read Cath's fanfiction! It'd be so awesome if we could see like these small side notes from Cath, Levi, Wren, and Reagan. So it'd be kind of like a draft. And you have all the group's thoughts and edits on it! Can't wait
Cath: I'm not obsessed, I'm just active int he fandom
Reagan: What the fuck is the fandom?
I just finished Fangirl and i sorta just sat in bed hugging the book and crying because i wanted more!
I want Levi!!
OMG THE EMERGENCY DANCE PARTY WAS SO CUTE! I NEED AN EMERGENCY DANCE PARTY NOW!!!
I don't know if this would be good as a series but i want more. I thing Rainbow Rowell could probably pull it off. Like making this into a series because she is so fantastic!
When Levi was like "I'm picking out my own dress" and oh my pickles i just love him so much!!
I started crying around 3:00 😭😭😭😭
Christine just knows how to say everyting that I feel ❤️👍🏼
I know I'm really late to this train but I have to comment! I'm still in middle school and I love to read. reading is my escape and I'm almost always reading at school. I'm not necessarily a shy or introverted person but I do get made fun of for reading so much. I am most definitely a fangirl as well and I read fabrics and I a very much "nerdy" like Cath. Cath was that character for me who I really connected with and I just wanted to share that! Nonetheless I Love you Christine and I know you might not see this but your one of my main inspirations. you inspire me to write and to have passion and I just love this channel!!!!
my fav part of this beautifully written novel (which is v hard, since i loved every minute of it) was the adorable scene in levi's room where cath kissed every part of levi's face and repeated "i really like you" or "i like you so much here" AHH and i'm so in love with the line "he was too lovely, too good". OJFDK I JUST RLLY LOVE THIS BOOK I WANNA REREAD IT FOREVER AND EVER
Awee, you made me teary-eyed
I absolutely adored the fanfiction sections because they felt so Potter-esque to me and I just crave more Harry Potter type books. Rainbow is actually writing Carry On which should be published in September, which I can't even contain my excitement about! squeeeeeeee
My favorite scene in the book was when Reagan and Cath were in the cafeteria and they were making fun of everyone not even giving a care in the world. Also I was sitting here agreeing with almost every word that you spoke. Except a few parts, but I could have totally used more I swear ugh.
Too many great moments in this book! I loved everything from her naming Levi's room to her and wren trying to finish her fan fiction. I have to agree with you I wish she would have stretched it out more to tell what happens in the book and how her and Levi stay together.
You 1000% perfectly explained everything I felt reading this book. I honestly believe only people that went through the fangirl phase and/or are currently in it will understand. I mean the REAL fangirl stage. Every character was amazing and at the end even with all the tears this book made me feel so happy and proud to be a fangirl. I LOVED IT.
I related so much to these characters. I feel that I was a mixture of Cath and Reagan, Cath in the way that I like to keep to myself and will avoid any kind of socialising at all costs, seriously. however when people get to know me, I'm incredibly direct just like Reagan, and the description of Reagan sounded exactly like me! I loved this book. I can see myself re reading this book numerous times.
I'm glad someone else understood this book as much as I did :D A wonderful review yet again, Christine.
I was so excited to read this book. I'm on page150 and so far i just cant get into it. Cath is so frustrating.
I love Rainbow Rowell's writing style but i sort of dont want to pick up another one of her titles. I loved Eleanor and Park but i got frustrated with Eleanor. makes me wonder if all her female characters are like this.
For some people her female characters are really really relatable. I think it's either you fall in love with them or I guess you don't really understand them as much
Simone Ingstrup you're right. I hated eleanor & park book. But i loved this one. And I swore that after reading eleanor & park I told myself: I'M NEVER BUYING HER BOOKS AGAIN. Because it just sucked. But fangirl was 5/5 stars for me. I can't explain how this happened.
***** ME TOOOO i cant get into it at all
I loved this book! It was just so relatable! You made some interesting points. Yeah, my favorite part was when she meets that fan. I started crying, because if that happened to me I would be flipping out.
I loved Cath and Levi and how they fit together, but I would like to see a spinoff of fangirl in Wrens point of view in freshman year and her falling in love with Jandro
I love how you always make your outfits relevant to the book. I'm 3/4 of the way through so I couldn't watch the whole video!....yet!
For my English class I had to do a book project and I did it on Fangirl. For the project I added my own ending where they leave for the summer and catch gets to meet Levi's family.
Can that be a thing?!?!
I made it a thing Ellen Eisenhauer
+Louisa Hall We need a link to this!
Agreed!
I just finished Fangirl and I LOVED it! My favorite scenes were the Emergency Dance Party, their First Kiss, when Levi insisted on carrying her laundry, and when they went to the release of the last Simon Snow book... I have a lot haha I feel like this whole book is just a favorite in general :)
I loved all the references in this book. The V.C. Andrews one was like a blast to my childhood
I finished this book about an hour ago. I love the bit where Cath is in Levi's room reading the end of her fanfiction to him and also when she has that emergency dance party.
I love everything you say in this review! It encompasses so many realities of what it means to be a reader or a writer.
Reading fangirl was truly an awesome chance to relate and feel understood. At 14, really small, and socially awkward, reading about Cath and her story was a relief process. I have anxiety issues, troubles/fears with talking to people, and extreme self confidence problems. So it's good to know that not only do I, you, or Cath have anxiety issues, but that other people might be scared just like me. :)
I CAN FINALLY WATCH THIS BECAUSE I'VE FINALLY READ THE BOOK!!
Okay, so I loved everything you said in this booktalk. I feel like you spoke exactly what I thought. I didn't grew up with Harry Potter, because my dad said it wasn't good and that I shouldn't read it at all and all that shit, and I believed him..when I was 7. When I turned 10 and I started middle schol, tho.. the last movie just came aut and I wasn't interested in it then..and in that winter, when I finally read all of the books I cursed myself for not going to see that movie at the teather, and for listening to my father, because I realised what I'd lost. I kind of continued my growing up process rereading the whole series. Everytime I reread it, it always felt even more special. So I kind of get what you're saying, but not quite. And that makes me sad :(
BUT I did loved Fangirl a lot. Like... A LOT. I really wanted more of the "Carry on, Simon" fanfic parts. I really wanted to know how it ended, in Cath's way. I felt like the author of Simon Snow kind of made Simon and Buz be together in the eight book, because of that fragment of the story we got near the end, when Cath was reading it with Levi... And I like that in the end, we saw that Regan was a true friend. And that Wren was actually reading Cath's story. And I loved that she agreed to help her write it near the end, like they did in old times.
And I loved her and Levi's relationship. It wasn't rushed, and I loved their little moments.
I felt like everything was perfect in the end (but I wanted more. I still want more)
And OMG sorry for writing so much!
Loved Cath. She was such a relatable character ahhhh. LEVI AND CATH ARE THE CUTEST THING
My fav part was when cath said I love you for the first time and Levi was like say it again!So adorable!!!
I love how much Cath loved Levi's eyebrows. That was so funny
I loved the subtle hints of the Mexican culture in this book. Pan Dulce, the taco trucks. And I cannot tell you how much I adored the Emergency Kanye Party. I just couldn't stop smiling. And anything to do with Levi made me smile as well. I can't ever stop falling in love with love stories.
OMG the protein bars and how Levi sneakily ate them! soooooooo cute. sorry just just
SO MANY FEELS
I JUST FINISHED IT OH MY GOD!!! THE ENDING WITH SIMON AND BAZ I WAS LAUGHING MY ASS OFF! I love this book so much and Reagan and Caths friendship was just hysterical
I just finished this book and I LOVED IT!!! I feel like I also really relate to Cath, and it was nice to see a character so relatable for once! Rainbow is steadily creeping up on my favourite authors list!
I loved how her real life tied in with FanFiction, like how she was making her own ending for Carry On Simon, and how the real book finished pretty much with no ending so you had to make your own. If that makes any sense.
I agreeeee that it ended SO abruptly. A lot of plots left unfinished.
It ended way too abruptly maybe she'll write a sequel? :)
Xochitl Rocha I want her to write the Simon Snow Seriessssssss
Everyone who's read this book relates to Cath but I really relate to Reagan haha! The book made me realise how scary I am 😂
natasha moore I related to her as well XD
you literally just took all the thought in my head and put it in a video.
I loved the fanfiction parts and am SO looking forward to the CARRY ON NOVEL THIS YEAR ARGHHHH
Yesss, it was so hard to see her not push herself! Also, you're making me emotional watching this. All the feels! Loved this. :)
I absolutely LOVED fangirl!!! It was so relatable, I wish we could have gotten to see cath finish writing her fic though
I love this book so much. Whenever I feel sad this is definitely one of the books I go to.