Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Oh. Wow. Rainbow Rowell is a force to be reckoned with. I was blown away by her earlier novel, Eleanor and Park. And now Fangirl. Two fantastic books published in the same year!

As with Eleanor and Park, the plot isn't the big draw in Fangirl: twin sisters experience their first year of college, with all the challenges that entails. The characterization and the relationships are what hooked me. Rowell gets us right inside their heads and they are such interesting people.

Wren is the outgoing and vivacious twin while Cath is anxious and fearful of anything new. They have both been huge fans of Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) since they were children, but Wren is ready to move on. Cath is not. She has a huge following for the gay Simon Snow fan fiction she writes online. Unfortunately, the prof in Cath's fiction-writing class considers fan fiction plagiarism. Throw in some cute guys, some roommate drama, and communication from the mother who abandoned them 10 years earlier. Plus, their father's mental health is fragile and he struggles to cope without his daughters around. I felt like I knew these people.

Rowell has joined the ranks of John Green and A.S. King. In other words, I will read anything she writes from now on.