Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The Quick Cut: Twin sisters go to college. Anxious one writes fanfiction and prefers isolation. Social one gets over her head and gets into trouble. Family drama ensues.

A Real Review:

I had such high hopes for this book going in since everyone I knew likes this one. Being at the end of this now, I can't help but feel like this:

At this point, I'm wondering if we all read the same book because I'm horrified by this book honestly. It's portrayal of mental disorders here is not only bad, but it sets a terrifying precedent here. This is beyond the unfortunate choice of words throughout the novel, like this quote...

Underneath this veneer of slightly crazy and mildly socially retarded, I'm a complete disaster.

Again, maybe I'm overreacting here but it's never okay in my book to use the r word. I get it, you're portraying teenagers but there's other phrases and words you can use.

Then I get to Cath herself, our main lead. Full disclosure: I hated her. When she started dating her boyfriend in the book (spoiler free as to who), I got furious because I thought "Really? She doesn't deserve him." The book itself seems to serve to justify Caths behavior, which is a problem considering she does appear to suffer from some mental disorder. Whether that be PTSD from her mom leaving or an anxiety disorder, here is a list of the symptoms I saw in the book:

• Decreased interest in typical social interaction, to the point of going out of her way to avoid being around crowds

• Lack of trust in others

• Sleep issues

• High anxiety all the time

• Hypervigilance (example: checking doors to make herself feel better)

• Hyper emotional responses to situations with people

Those are all signs of PTSD and anxiety problems, this girl needs a therapist and likely some medication. It's disturbing because in all likelihood, she's probably a totally different person and she admits as much in the book! However, never in the book do they make the right choice and go get help for Cath (or her father, who is just as big a mess). Instead, the slightly better balanced sister Wren ends up getting facepalmed, apologizing, and eating her words on the topic.

It's so unhealthy from a mental standpoint, I can't fathom how those novel got published. This isn't a good example to set here - if someone is struggling, you get help. If your friends or family are the ones going through it, you should help them see it so they can get the proper medication and therapies.

I would never recommend this book to anyone and I can't imagine reading from this author again. They really didn't do anyone a favor here, which is very unfortunate considering her popularity.

My rating: 1 out of 5