Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell came out in 2013, and has remained popular in the years since. Rowell has been the darling of the young adult world, with her 2015 follow-up Carry On, and its sequel Wayward Son, as well as a number of graphic novels for Marvel and other works.

Be that as it may, a Fangirl manga seemed a bit a of a stretch to me. The book came out seven years ago, and though it remains popular, not every book needs a graphic adaptation. I was a big fan of the book, but haven’t reread it since 2015, so I decided to give the first volume a shot to see how it holds up.

The art is beautiful, for a start. Character design is on point, Cath and Wren in particular stand out as well drawn, easily differentiated both by their minor physical dissimilarities and by their body language and expressions. Reagan was one of my favorite characters in the novel, and she is really well portrayed here. Levi looked a little different than I expected, but his facial design is so open and smiley that it perfectly captures his character.

I think this adaptation really captures the mood of the novel, which is generally pretty gloomy and lonely, with some lighter moments and humor. I think the manga really conveyed the loneliness Cath feels, and her emotional state as she tries to transition to college life without the support she needs. Cath still comes across as very sympathetic, even as her flaws are easier to understand through a visual medium. I think the adaptation to manga actually adds quite a bit to the perspective the reader has on the story, and is a very enjoyable read. For me, it really held up, and reading it again reminded me of all of the things I liked about it. I would recommend picking up the first volume, at least to see if it’s for you.

This is a really fantastic adaptation of one of my favorite books! It sticks to the FANGIRL story and dialogue pretty closely, but there are some changes for the general flow of the story. I love the way the illustrator shows differences between Simon and Baz in the fictional Simon Snow books versus the Simon and Baz in Cath's head--that's an incredibly relatable feeling as a fan. I can't wait to read the next part!

This book is basically just a manga adaption of the book, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. It has been a while since I read the book Fangirl, but I remember really enjoying it so it was fun to read this because I don't typically re-read books as I'd rather read a new book with my spare time than one I've already read. This was a really good adaption in my opinion, I really enjoyed the art style and I think the overall style with manga was a really good choice for this story. It seemed a little rushed in places but that's because it is a manga, and you can't exactly add every line and everything they do word for word. (plus it's been a while since I read the book, so I can't exactly say what was added and what wasn't but I feel like it was a little paraphrased in some places). Overall I think this was a really cute read, and I'm excited for the next volume to come out!

I’m a big fan of the novel and thought this transitioned well to graphic format. I enjoyed it but not quite as much as the original. I would definitely recommend to people looking for YA graphic novels.

This is a great manga version of the book Fangirl. I’d recommend it to anyone who loved the book, but it’s also good for anyone who hasn’t read the book but likes manga. The art is great!

I hadn’t realized this was volume 1 of 4 until I finished it and then said, “What?!” as it definitely left on a cliffhanger. (Good work on that part.) I’m definitely going to be coming back for more once volume 2 is released.

This retelling of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is fantastic. It has been a few years since I have read the book but this quickly made me remember how much I love the characters and story. I highly recommend this graphic novel for those looking for a new way to enjoy the book or experience it for the first time. Now I just need to know when the next part will be available!

I love anything by Rainbow Rowell, and I have read Fangirl, the novel, many times. So it was a fun adventure to see it in Manga form. Fangirl follows Cath, a twin who is just starting college. Her twin Rhen is going there too, but she is living in a different dorm, to “meet new people”. Cath would have been happy to share a room with Rhen, so she is having trouble adjusting. She also is the writer of some very popular fanfiction centered around Simon Snow (Think Harry Potter but slightly different) and his secret love interest Baz. In this part, she is just starting to maybe adjust to being at college separated from her twin.
This manga is amazing. I love seeing the story in this format. I also am LOVING the little interspersed Simon and Baz bits, which are MY FAVORITE PART. I hope after they finish Fangirl, they go on to Carry On and Wayward Son. The story is fun, the art is great, what is not to love?!?!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book is a manga based off of the novel of the same name by Rainbow Rowell. I have read and am a huge fan of the original novel. This manga is an excellent adaptation of the story. Reading it gave me new insight into the characters in the story and so I recommend giving it a try even if you are familiar with the original book. I look forward to the future volumes of this manga.

I'm a huge fan of Fangirl so I was excited to see it in a manga version. I found myself just as absorbed in the graphic novel as I did in the book and didn't want it to end. I'm impressed that Sam Maggs was able to cover such a good deal in volume one and faithfully stick to the story line. I can't wait to continue the series!

This was a delightful manga-style adaptation for a book. I'm coming from the perspective of someone who has not read the book yet, and this successfully made me engaged with the characters and want to persue reading the novel in my own time. Super cute story and endearing visual style.

Fangirl still remains one of my all-time favourite books that I've ever read. Since I finished reading it, I always thought it would be awesome to re-read in a graphic novel/manga book format. I'm so happy with the way it turned out, and I can't wait to read the next volumes in the series. I'm also excited to see it in it's finished form as well. I can't wait to see it in my store and get to have it as a new recommendation piece. I already know a lot of people who love the novel, so getting to show them the manga version is going to be so much fun!

Cath is experiencing her first year of college where her twin sister doesn’t want to room together so they could maybe find themselves apart and she just is having the worst luck navigating college life. So she dives into her comfort zone which is writing fanfic of her fav series Simon Snow and the Mage’s heir and which is spliced in between scenes in the manga which help break up the story. She is there to major in creative writing and English and her professor doesn’t take to kindly to fanfic and the use of copy written material in something that is supposed to be original content.
While I haven’t read Fangirl the novel, the manga version was interesting way to read it. I really enjoyed how it was illustrated and the art work was just really great. I can’t wait to read part 2 and what happens with Cath, Wren and her friends.
Thanks to Viz Media and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Rainbow Rowell is a treasure. Her work always gets checked out in my high school library and passed around with enthusiastic reviews. I was surprised to see this as a graphic novel, but pleasantly surprised at how well the story translates to the medium. At first, the "manga-esque" art style wasn't my favorite, but after reading, I think it works for the subject matter at hand. This is a definite purchase for me.

Cath is a college freshman and is having a hard time. Her twin sister wants to start her own path, she is having trouble connecting with her roommate, and she wants to try and keep up with her popular Simon Snow fanfiction. As the year progresses, she begins to learn more about her writing and herself.

This is a great adaptation of the original book. It captures the essence of the original while breathing new life into the story. The illustrations of her fanficition really help to bring it to life. I really liked the manga illustrations. This new fresh take on the story is sure to please current fans and attract new fans in the process. I cannot wait to see what the subsequent volumes look like.

I absolutely loved this version of Fangirl. I read the novel itself a few months ago and found the characters and storyline to be so unbelievably relatable. Because of the plot, I was so excited to see how the novel would translate into manga and it did not disappoint. The artistic renderings of the characters were better than I imagined and the pages were well organized and creative. Thank God I already know the story because I'd be so upset by how this book ends with such a cliffhanger. I wish the entire story could fit into one graphic novel, but it makes sense that it would take up multiple volumes. I would definitely recommend others read this after reading the novel itself.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback. I LOVED Fangirl the first time around in its original form and as an English Language teacher, fell in love with it again. The manga is beautiful, the story is exactly as I remember it and I can't wait to read it again with high school students. It's perfect for anyone who wants to return to the world of Simon Snow and experience it all over again from the beginning!

My favorite Rainbow Rowell book in a manga series. Great illustrations and I love that this story is being retold for another audience. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Great graphic novel/manga adaptation of Fangirl. It enhances the original story while playing into its own potential fandom.

A wonderful graphic novel of the beloved YA book by Rainbow Rowell. Perfect for fans of Giants Days and Check, Please!

I received this first installment of the Fangirl Manga series from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I recently read "Fangirl" for a book club I'm in, and this couldn't have come at a more perfect time. The other members in the club are looking forward to reading it themselves after I told them about it.

I found that so far, the manga series is following the book very closely, so the storyline isn't different. I love how the characters have been drawn, with Regan being a particular favorite. (She was my fave in the book, and seeing her as someone else imagined her was really interesting.) I also thought it was neat to see the physical space, Cath's dorm room teeming with her Simon Snow/Baz items compared to Regan's side, which was mostly occupied by Levi. (Levi is just as charming in manga form.)

One thing I actually liked more about the Manga was the fact that the Simon Snow/Baz fanfiction didn't overwhelm Cath's storyline. In the "Fangirl" book, there were large sections of Simon/Baz fanfiction that Cath had written. These distracted from the overall storyline to me, and I often disconnected from these parts, my brain taking a little vacation. They didn't add to the book for me.

In the manga, you get hints of Simon/Baz in a page or two that breaks things up, displaying how Cath sees them, and it didn't feel like a disruption. It was a fun little insert of something important to Cath that didn't take over the whole story.

Overall I really enjoyed this adaptation, and I am looking forward to the next volume.