I want to preface all of this by saying I’m already a fan of Rainbow Rowell. I’ve read everything in her arsenal so far and have genuinely enjoyed it all. This graphic novel hit all of the notes that made me love her books so much... so if you’re a fan already, I hope you pick this up immediately.

If you haven’t read her before?
Well...
Still pick this up. Really. Now. You guys, this is so cute.

Cath and her identical sister Wren are finally off to college. Wren is ready to go her own way and Cath... well, she’s not so enthused about it. Growing up, the two wrote a successful online Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) fanfiction, but in recent years (and as they’ve grown apart) it’s been maintained solely by Cath, Simon Snow superfan. The idea of rooming with someone other than her sister doesn’t sit well with Cath, and she’s prepared to spend her college experience holed up in her room rather than meet more people. Enter an older, sarcastic roommate and her boyfriend(?) Levi, who force Cath to start considering life unboxed.

As was the case in the book, I empathized a lot with Cath and her feelings of anxiety in a new and overwhelming situation. Her need to hide in her writing really resonated with me, especially in my younger years. And Levi. Ohhhhh Levi. I want you to take literal sunshine, force it down into a sixish foot human shape, give it a voice and some serious charm and you have this amazing character. I’d forgotten how much I loved Levi!

The pacing felt different in this graphic novel (a bit quicker, definitely) than the book, but I think that’s to be expected in this format. It definitely retained the feel of the original without watering it down too much. And the art! Honestly, it added another element I didn’t know I was craving, but it lent itself so well to the story and the elements of fandom that are ever present. I’m excited for the next volume!

I’ll be recommending this to my older teens and adults who enjoy love stories, and to people who I think will be able to appreciate Cath’s plight and growth.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fangirl vol. 1 is the first of 4 manga books that is reimagining Fangirl the novel by Rainbow Rowell into a cute comic series.
I was excited when I heard this series was happening and I’m so glad for the chance to have read it. Cath is starting college with her twin sister but her twin sister, Wren, is pushing for more space between them so she can experience life on her own and maybe force Cath to try things without relying on her.
Cath suffers from anxiety and takes solace in the Simon Snow fandom that she grew up with. As school goes on she starts to form a friendship of sorts with her roommate Raegan, Raegan’s kinda sorta but not boyfriend Levi, and classmate Nick whom she shares her passion for writing with. She drifts further from Wren and struggles to find out who she is without her twin.
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I loved the art style for this, it was cute and fun. The story, a book I’m familiar with, does an amazing job reimagining the novel into images. It’s so wonderful. I also love all the Simon Snow stuff sprinkled throughout the book, like there is one spread that is about how the series Simon and Baz comes from and how the author imagines them, and then not long after there is another spread that is Cath’s take on the two characters. Fandom is it’s own world and it’s fun seeing it taken into account here.
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I look forward to the rest of the series and can’t wait to include them all in my own shelf.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

All I have to say is yes.

Yes to the adaptation to manga form. Yes to the visual representation of all my favourite characters. Yes to all the Baz and Simon content. Everything is just a big fat yes!

I was thrilled when this series was announced, because I had just fallen in love with Rowell’s writing of Carry On and Fangirl, and I desperately wanted more content. It’s not often popular contemporary books gets adapted into manga. The only one that springs to mind is Twilight during its peak popularity, and I definitely think there is a market for it, and not just in big fans of the book. Visual media can help kids with dyslexia or aren’t strong readers get into stories, and still appreciate the written word, and as a dyslexic this would’ve been a great help to me. The story had me on tender hooks, even though I knew exactly what would happen because I love the book so much.

I love actually getting to see our characters. Cath looks so small and vulnerable in her new environment, and how her body language shows how scared and intimidated she feels. I love seeing Reagan being confident and cool, and actually seeing a curvy girl, and Levi is just as I imagined him, yet his smile still charms me through the page. I love seeing the Baz and Snow extracts sewn in, and all the Carry On content that will make any fan jump for joy.

Even if you haven’t read Fangirl, this is still a worthwhile series. It’s a love letter to all fan culture, in how we can express ourselves through media we enjoy, and how it can give us happiness and the inspiration to find our own way in life, even if no one else understands why we love it. I just felt so good reading it, when the little moments came that made Cath happy had also made me happy, and I never related to a character more than I did with her.

And the art is superb! Everyone is so detailed and pretty! It makes my heart so happy.

This is the first instalment, and I cannot wait to read the rest.

Amazing.

I haven't read the regular non-manga version of this book (although it is on my TBR) and now I really want to read it! Cath reminds me a bit of me - anxious, loner, into unusual hobbies. I can't wait to read the novel version of this book!