This book is highly rated on GR, so I thought that I'd give it a shot. I knew from things I've read that it was fanfiction of HP, that was featured in Fangirl as fanfiction of the fictional Simon Snow series and now has it's own book....how this even makes sense, I'll never know. But hey, I was willing to give it a go. 
 Maybe this didn't strike a cord with me because I love HP too much.... 
 This book, for me, began SO SLOWLY . I literally wanted to DNF it so badly, but I think that DNF-ing a book is unjust, unless you get halfway through it. So I read on. There were just so many comparisons that I was making to HP in my head, because they were glaringly obvious. Carry on uses so many of the Harry Potter plot lines: wizarding customs, Simon's unknown background, Simon's parents, a prophecy about a "Chosen One", a deadly forest, a creature caretaker with a softspot for the main character, animosity with a powerful family descendant, the presence of a threat to all magic and magicians, that threat trying to kill the main character every year of school. This could really be why I didn't find this book to be a 4 or 5 star book. There was TOO much similarity, like Rowell was trying too hard. 
 I also could. not. stand. the spells. They were frickin' catchphrases or common phrases. Like what?? Why. Just no. I was NOT having it. #notafan 
 For Example: 
 Into thin air 
 Some like it hot 
 Stay cool 
 Come out, come out, wherever you are 
 U can't touch this (this one only works if the object knows the damn song #smh) 
 Oh and my very favorite: Scooby-Dooby-Doo where are you 
 These spells made it very hard for me to take this book seriously and in my opinion, just made the book seem childish. 
 Honestly I felt nothing for this book until Baz showed up. I was definitely into the pairing that Rowell showcased. I could have read a followup book about just the gang, if spells and such were taken out. 
 Overall, I wasn't thrilled with this book and I would never read it again. It still got 3 stars, largely due to the romance of it. I feel like there were plot holes that could have been cleaned up, answers that could have been given, and characters that could have been expanded upon...but the book didn't leave me needing those things, so I know it just wasn't for me. 
 Oh well, in the magic that is the Simon Snow universe, I guess It is what it is!