Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is a fresh, witty take on the chosen-one trope, following Simon Snow, a reluctant hero, through his final year at a magical school. With quirky characters, humor, and an unexpected romance, it’s both a fantasy adventure and a heartfelt story of identity. Perfect for fantasy lovers!

I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Ive read this book a few times now and I still like it, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author

dnf @ 43%

I tried. I really tried and this book is just not doing anything for me. To be fair, I have not read Fangirl or any of the Harry Potter books. I don't feel like much has happened in the book so far and I just don't seem to want to pick it up. This may be something that I need to be in a certain mood for so I may try again at a later date.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley and a copy of the audiobook was borrowed from my local library.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC of this book.

I have been trying to read this book for 6 years. I found it really hard to get into. The beginning reads like it’s picking up in the middle of a series and you haven’t started with the first book. You have to read about 40% of the book before the lead character even has a conversation with his love interest.

It was easier to read once Baz, the love interest, turned up. His point of view is more interesting than the lead, Simon. He is more self-aware and there is more action once he arrives.

It’s a shame because I thought ‘Eleanor and Park’ by the same author was perfection, so I know Rowell can write a beautiful, well contained, sublime love story but this book felt self-indulgent and rambling by comparison. I don’t think fantasy is her forte.

I adored this book!

This book tells of the story which is featured in Rainbow Rowell’s previous book: Fangirl (Which was amazing too). The story is based of two characters Simon Snow and Baz and is a fanfic retelling that the main character in the previous book wrote. Now it’s very obvious that their is some very loose connections to Harry Potter but when reading the story you enter a new world that has some similarities but very much has become its own story. I loved this one and can’t wait to read more from this series

I have tried to read this one on several occasions not but I just cannot get on with it and so have now decided to unhaul it and dnf. It's a shame as I've heard a lot of good things about it but it just doesn't seem to be my cup of tea.

Great idea and concept for a book. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended. .

DNF at around 47%

I was a huge fan of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell back when I read it in 2015. So when Carry On was announced, I was excited! The premise was really interesting, with Harry Potter-like vibes. As it turns out, sadly, I end up not finishing this book. My main reason is I was really bored, given that this was based on Harry Potter, which I've read multiple times. The characters were also not that interesting. The only thing I enjoyed were Simon and Baz's interactions and dynamics, but sadly it wasn't enough to keep me going in the end.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book early in. It seemed like bad Harry Potter fanfiction, and I would much rather read Harry Potter. I am obviously in the minority, as this series is well loved by the book community. I love the author's contemporary novels, and her graphic novel, Pumpkinheads. However, I won't be continuing her Simon Snow series. I give it 2 stars, because the author is a wonderful author - it just isn't my cup of tea.

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favourite YA authors, and Carry On really is another brilliant novel.

Throughout reading Fangirl, I loved reading the snippets about Simon and Baz, and the link of being Harry Potter. Admittedly at first I couldn't help but feel that the links were making the story a little too predictable in this story, but Rowell pulled it off. She took the characters' stories in different directions, and it really was like reading an enticing fan fiction you used to read when you got in from school. Beautifully told, and a brilliantly told spin-off from Fangirl.

Carry On is the story of Simon and Baz who were first mentioned in Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. In Carry On, Rowell has given them a full story in their own rights rather than being the fan fiction that it was presented as previously.

If I am totally honest, it took a while for me to get into Carry On. I think because I knew it was a story based on the fictional fan fiction (whew, this could get confusing) I think I kept myself separated from it, I didn’t allow myself to fall for the characters too much. Equally, the story is told from multi-perspective which I think allowed me to stop myself getting too attached. I think that because the setting and the back story had a lot of similarities to another wizarding world I was able to keep myself at a distance. However, Carry On is an epic sized novel and gives you time to change your mind. Before long I was fully invested in Baz and Simon’s story.

What I really loved is that Rowell put herself completely outside of the world she knows. This is a very British book – curry, rich tea biscuits, tea. It is all very British and Rowell did really well to convey that level of reality in a fantasy YA novel.

Reading Carry On has made me really eager to read the sequel Wayward Son.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is available now.

For more information regarding Rainbow Rowell (@rainbowrowell) please visit www.rainbowrowell.com.

For more information regarding Pan Macmillan (@panmacmillan) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

With all the hype going around this book, I expected something more spectacular. 99% of the reviews I've read have been praising it to no end. I get why people enjoyed it, but I can't get the hype. I don’t have anything against fanfiction. But this book just relied on Harry Potter nostalgia too heavily. When you have an entire book that relies on the reader knowing and loving the world and premise of another, that’s not really satisfying to me. I didn’t feel like this book could stand on its own.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is a fun little read that will definitely fit the reading needs of my high school students. It's perfect for our fans of Fangirl, as it extends Cath's fan-fiction into a full-length novel. But it's also perfect for our fantasy readers who have never read Fangirl at all. I also know I can recommend it to Harry Potter fans, and the kids in my school's GSA were fighting over it when I booktalked the book to them. We will definitely be buying the sequel as well!

I struggled with this book. I felt like it followed too closely with Harry Potter so everytime something would happen it would make me think back to something that happened with Potter. The characters were well-developed, though, and the language was well-written. I'm just not a fan of fan fiction, and I felt like that was what I was reading.

I wish I could have liked this like everyone else but this just wasn't the book or story for me. I like comedy and like the idea of spoofing really famous and popular things. However, this didn't read very well to me. I know its a copycat like of Hogwarts and the like but outside of that there just wasn't anything that I actually grabbed me. I didn't care about the characters or this world.

Carry On was an engrossing read right from the start but slowly built to a great read. It’s Harry Potter-esque but with a lot more romance, and specifically romance between a gay vampire and his possibly ‘Chosen One’ orphaned room-mate. There’s a plucky best friend, evil lurking round every corner and lots of magic battles, but ultimately this is more than just a homage to the world of Hogwarts. The characters are likeable and complex and the writing’s great.

I surprisingly loved this book! It started out a little rough, it took me a little time to get into. But once I did I was hooked. I really enjoyed Baz & Simons banter and back and forth. I found myself laughing many times because if their antics! The story reminded me of Harry Potter, but it was definitely a lot different. It’s obviously just the magical vibe the story has.

Carry On was fun, fresh and well written. I really enjoy Rainbow’s writing. It imaginative and heart warming. I can’t wait to read Wayward Son!

I absolutely loved Simon and Baz!!!! It's a little slow going at first but as soon as you get to experience Simon and Baz you will not want to let go. I wanted more though, more of them together, more of Lucy, just more in general, but what we did get I absolutely loved.

A fun, lighthearted entertaining read which had me laughing out loud - something I rarely do whilst reading. I really enjoyed the book but was left wanting more (mystery, romance, magic etc.) This could easily have been a 5* story but because of how I felt at the end, it's only 4*s.