"Real life was something happening to her peripheral vision." 
 *4.5 stars 
 Fangirl is a tribute to nerds and fandoms, a coming-of-age story that sounds way too familiar to any geeky introvert who would rather daydream about Hogwarts or Middle Earth than deal with day to day life. 
 Cath Avery is indeed a true fangirl, spending more time on her laptop writing Simon Snow fanfiction (an equivalent to our Harry Potter), than she does talking to other people. She is one of the most relatable characters I've ever come across in literature. Many authors try to present their protagonists as socially awkward bookworms, but Rainbow Rowell is the first one that seems to actually understand the struggles of introversion and social anxiety. Indeed, Fangirl touches on several occasions the subject of mental illness (except from Cath's anxiety other characters suffer from bipolar disorder, and mild alcoholism), but always with respect, without romanticizing or using it as a plot device. 
 The only problem, for me, was the love interest. He was too understanding, too caring, too perfect for Cath; and their relationship was way too easy. College boys don't tend to fall madly in love just because you read them some gay fanfiction (or do they? Truth be told, I've never tried), and even if they did, the relationship itself would be harder to maintain; the thing with anxiety is that it doesn't simply go away when you fall in love. Cath's anxiety didn't (thankfully it wasn't one of those stories), but Levi was too considerate and tolerant from day one, although he didn't have any previous experience with mental illness. People are not generally like that. Seeing under the veil of anxiety, through the other person's fears and peculiarities takes time. Accepting the other person for what they are takes time. Maybe Levi was a brilliant exception, but I just didn't buy it. 
 But after all,Fangirl is one of those books, that reminds us that we are not alone; that it is okay to be weird, to love stories more than parties, to have a close group of friends instead of dozens of acquaintances, if that is what truly makes us happy. Cath feels like a real person, a real friend and her story left me warm and happy.