REVIEW: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
My Rating: 5 Stars

"In new situations, all the trickiest rules are the ones nobody bothers to explain to you. (And the ones you can't Google)."

Synopsis (From Goodreads): 

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review (Spoiler Free): 

I can not believe it took me so long to read this book. One word can be used to describe Fangirl: Uber-freaking-adorable.
Lately, I've been trying to find more books that are set in college. Mainly because that is where I want to be and because the college dynamic is different, students behave differently, and characters have more freedom. I would say anybody could read this book. I think there are many aspects that relate to different people. It has humor, sarcasm, inspiration, and more. 


Spoiler Discussions: 

One: Cath and Levi's relationship: 
I have to admit that I wanted a little bit more affection between them, but one of the great things about their relationship is the connection outside of the physical. Instead of showing readers kisses and make out sessions, Rainbow Rowell has banter and reading sessions. Both of their relationships with Reagan were particularly funny and creative. It wasn't ordinary and that is what I'm always drawn to. At first, I was scared that Reagan would get in between Cath and Levi, but as you realize that Reagan doesn't really care, it gets better!
Two: How much I despise Nick:
The whole section of Nick taking Cath's writing and not giving her credit astounded me. I wanted to smack him and myself for ever thinking that Nick would be a love-interest. I'm happy he wasn't though because he turned into something that was needed more: a chance for Cath to stand up for herself and not take anymore bullshit. I wanted to punch him again when he had the nerve to plead to Cath about letting him put her name on their work. It shouldn't be a question in the first place! Of course, he didn't even apologize. He just wanted the award that came with the story that they wrote.
Third: College, in general:
It may have seemed like a gigantic betrayal when Wren didn't want to be roommates. But like many situations, this betrayal was a blessing in disguise. If everything had gone according to plan, Cath would have never met Reagan, and in turn never met Levi. I absolutely love that this coming-of-age novel was set in college. Truth be told, it is more realistic this way. I was able to fantasize about college through Fangirl. It made me think what I would do in the Nick situations and  how I'd deal if I was out of my comfort zone.
To anybody reading, I just wanted to say thank you for reading what I had to say. It means a lot to me.

Write you later, 
         Akiko

REVIEW: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
My Rating: 5 Stars

"For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home." 

Synopsis (From Goodreads): 

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Review (Spoiler free): 

HIAAIVNRUBWDJ. This book had me going through feels that required me to put the book down, breathe, and contemplate on what I read. Ok yes, I do agree the premise of this book make it sound like a sappy chick lit that doesn't deserve a place on your bookshelf, or like something that is worth the effort to read. But trust me when I say that this book is the total opposite of that. By the first few chapters, the characters' dialogue and thoughts had me literally laughing out loud.

The setting also adds so much to the charm of this story. It's practically guaranteed that anyone who reads a word about the Notre-Dame, or Point Zéro, or any of the other places Anna and her group of friends visit will have an urge and want to visit Paris. The most romantic city in the world. 

I love the fact that it is set in a different city of the world. Since Anna is American, it's pretty cool to watch her figure out how to do anything that won't insult Parisians. Of course, in the beginning when she talks about things she thought of Paris, almost all of them stereotypes, it was a bit annoying. (Who seriously didn't know that oui was spelled o-u-i and not w-e-e???) But you don't even notice it because of the great plot and characters. 

THE CHARACTERS! Étienne St. Clair! Anna Oliphant! St. Clair is like the foreign and British guy that I always fantasize about. The relationships between all five of the best friends were great. They were honest and real and hilarious. St. Clair, Anna, Mer, Josh, and Rashmi were a perfect combination of giggles and jaw-dropping moments. It was a perfect relationship to tie throughout the book –especially all of the group's fights. 

And last but not least, the romance was wonderfully made. It pulled my heart in all the right places, made me squeal at Anna-Étienne moments (Annaeine? Étienna?), and made me wish for a relationship that was at least half as passionate. How they talked to each other about everything is what I loved most. 

This book is an easy 5 stars. If you like cute Chick Lit.s, contemporary novels, or really... any books, this book is a great read. 

"I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul." 

Spoiler Discussions!! (WARNING: Obvious Spoiler Alerts!):

There isn't much that I wanted to rant about, but here we go. 

Firstly, THE ENDING. Yeah that's right, I'm going to start with the ending. I thought it was a perfect ending to a perfect book. It was sweet how St. Clair overcame his fear of heights so that he could confess how he felt to Anna. It was beautiful how they were at the top of Paris. It was cute when he said "I love you" and when he admitted he inadvertently became her physics partner. And I love the fact that they will only be a twenty-minute train ride away from each other when they go off to college. I could read the last few pages over and over again and not get bored of it. I loved the last chapter, the one where Anna and St. Clair are left alone in Anna's room. Since the majority of the book wasn't scenes of them together as a couple, I'm thankful Stephanie Perkins gave us one chapter where the two of them are all lovey-dovey and real couple. I totally vote for extra scenes from Stephanie about their relationship! *Raises hand* I just *sigh* love them together, and it makes my heart melt just thinking about them. 

Secondly and lastly, the reason they didn't get together in the first place -_-. Though I didn't like how long it took them to end up together, I guess it is more dramatic this way. I wanted Ellie gone a loooooong time ago. St. Clair even admitted that he liked Anna from day 1, so why in the heck would he wait so long to break up with her!? Oh yeah... he didn't want to be alone. Which is dumb since Anna was always there. His little, secretive ways to say sounded like he might as well whispered it to a ladybug in America. At least to Anna it was. If I were her, I'd be so confused at the mixed signals St. Clair sends. He tells me I'm beautiful. He sleeps in the same bed as me. And then he doesn't talk about it or talk to me for a month. I'd be pretty annoyed. But seriously. When Anna confronted him on her accepting he wasn't going to break up with Ellie, but him getting mad when she talks to Dave, I whooped in favor of Anna. Because it's true. He had no right to get angry when Anna was dealing with his problem of breaking up. 

That's all I can think about right now, but there will probably be more later. My brain takes awhile to remember everything. In the meantime, tell me what you thought! Did you like this book as much as me, or was it like "Ehh,"? 

Write you later, 

         Akiko