The story finally allows Cath to acknowledge her pain and stop hiding from it. She writes about Laura abandoning her family. Cath pours all of the pain she’s experienced into that project.

Cath can finally turn her attention to her writing, with two goals in mind: She wants to finish her fanfiction novel before the Simon Snow series comes to an end in May, and she also has to turn in a final project in her creative writing class. Wren experiences alcohol poisoning, but survives, and she and Cath become close again. However, her friendship with Levi, Reagan’s friend and ex-boyfriend, draws her back to campus for the spring semester. She leaves to look after him, and considers not returning to school. Cath misses the end of her fall semester when her father is admitted to a mental hospital. Cath refuses this offer, preventing the story from being published, and stops writing with Nick altogether.

When Nick's story, which she helped him with, is selected for publication in the college literary journal, their teacher, who suspects Cath helped Nick, tells him it can only be published if he gives Cath credit. She befriends a boy named Nick, and they write together, but Cath later learns that he was just using her for her writing skill. Laura re-enters her life during this semester, after ten years of absence, and Wren seems fine with it. She watches from a distance as Wren drinks more and more, and parties.

But even with Reagan’s support, Cath’s fall semester is a mess. This is a huge blow to Cath, but thankfully, an upperclassman named Reagan befriends Cath and introduces her to life at college. Beyond just wanting some space, Wren no longer wants to be recognized as Cath's twin. Wren is the more outgoing twin, and without her, Cath feels isolated. These are the books upon which her fanfiction is based. In addition to the stress in her life, Cath dreads the end of the Simon Snow series. Cath’s father, Art, suffers from a manic disorder, which also impacts Cath’s life. Cath’s mother, Laura, wants to reestablish a relationship with her after she abandoned her and Wren. Her twin sister, Wren, wants some space all of a sudden, and becomes an alcoholic. However, real life begins to encroach on the delicate balance she created during her high school years. Cather Avery, a college freshman who suffers from insecurity, has channeled the difficulties of her life by writing a work of fanfiction based on her favorite young adult book series. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, is a novel about overcoming the pain of the past.

Fangirl book review