The Rainbow Rowell Fan Group discussion

Hi! My name's Karen and I've been a fan of Rainbow Rowell since I read Eleanor & Park in 2014. A friend from grad school introduced me to Rainbow's writing. Did anyone introduce you to Rainbow's books? Or have you shared them with someone?

That's cool Karen! I first read Fangirl, I just saw it in the shop and bought it because it looked cool(this was a few years ago an d I had no idea who Rainbow was). Fastforward a few years and she's my Favourite author, Ive read all of her books, some multiple times, collect some too, and am in the fandom. I'm so glad I found her book in the shop tjose years ago!

My first time reading a Rainbow Rowell book was 2015 when i read a book review of Eleanor and Park in a German newspaper and bought it because of that... loved the book (of course) but didn`t pursue her other works.
Fast Forward to late 2016: Vacation in Wales... to many bookshops. Bought Fangirl and Carry On... been in love ever since...

Hey guys, I'm Girlie from Philippines and I remember reading Eleanor and Park first because my friends went GAGA over it and in Fangirl too, so I decided to read them both immediately. Now I'm one of the crazy about it but Attachment will be my favorite among all. I don't know maybe because I'm still stuck somewhere thinking what were the three words long Eleanor wrote him in the postcard. :(

Savarra wrote: "My first time reading a Rainbow Rowell book was 2015 when i read a book review of Eleanor and Park in a German newspaper and bought it because of that... loved the book (of course) but didn`t pursu..."

Hi Savarra! Try reading Attachments, I super enjoyed it!! ♥

Thanks for the recommendation! <3

My first Rainbow book was Eleanor and Park, I read it for a post recommendation on Pinterest "Book to read before TFIOS" , and I said -"Ok, it looks good an not to long". I like it but I really fall in love with Fangirl, how she present the characters, their live, their dreams and their love! pure and real! I JUST LOVE IT

I was picking books in the YA section of my library when I came across Fangirl, in 2015. I added to my large pile and read it that same night :D

My school was a having a book sale and I saw Fangirl and I bought it, because I really liked the look of it. I LOVED FANGIRL A LOT so I then bought Eleanor & Park and Carry On. I actually just bought Landline a few years ago. And Girlie, I agree about the postcard thing, though I kind of hope it said I Love You...

My freshmen English Teacher recommended Eleanor and Park to me,and I loved it. This was also the book that sparked my love of reading.

I started reading Rainbow Rowell books right after Fangirl was published because my friend had read it and suggested that I should also pick it up. I went to the library after school, checked Fangirl out, read it that same night and completely fell in love with it. I haven't read all of her books yet but I still consider her one of my favourite authors.

I finished my book on my morning train commute - E and P was on the dymocks top 101 shelf and I grabbed it for the way home, little did I know that I would fall so in love with young adult and RR - she is everything!!!

It was 2 years ago or so and I was an even more intense fangirl than I am today: when I heard there was a book about a girl with an obsession with a book series, I had to read it. So I read Fangirl and it took me so long but I loved it so much and I want to reread it soon. After that I was completely hooked and I read E & P soon after and then Carry On, both of which I loved but also emotionally wrecked me. Now Rainbow's one of my favorite authors.

It was actually a couple of days ago. I was roaming Barnes & Noble when I saw “Carry On.” I picked it up and immediately fell in love with it— I finished it in two days and now it’s my favorite book and Rainbow’s my favorite author.

My first time was last year I think... It was Fangirl and I totally loved this book right from the start. It was heart warming and really came to me on a spiritual level. Like I felt like I was Cath.
So yesterday I finished my second book from her: Elenor & Park. My heart just melted away *_* Great story and super cute character.
That´s why I´m here to search for new tipps to read.

My first was Fangirl and I asked my father to get it for me if he could after reading about it from a BuzzFeed list. This book still my reigns my heart to this day *sigh*

Eleanor & Park has just come out. I was working at Barnes & Nobles and you can “borrow” books as an employee there (because they want you to know as much as you can about the new books). I read it in one sitting. I related to both characters as people, but also as the plus-size girl and a biracial person (which is STILL really uncommon representation, so I applaud Ms. Rowell). I wept at the end. I never looked back.

Fangirl is my favorite, but E&P will always have a special place I my heart <3

I read Eleanor And Park in january and OH MY GOD loved so much, and just now finished Attachments and aaaaaa loved it

I first read Fangirl, cause I was a fangirl and obviously wanted to read a story about myself and loved it. Then I saw Eleanor and Park and loved it too. But when I read Carry On, I fell I love with it and I’ve read it like 5 times, it’s probably my favourite book (LGBT Harry Potter is very, very me).

I’m a Nebraskan, so was aware of Rowell as a home girl. I adore “Eleanor and Park” partly because I’m familiar with some of the local references and I grew up in the era of mixtapes. But what truly resonates for me is the character of Park. My teen son was adopted from Korea, so Asian male characters who are complex, non-stereotypical, and cool? They warm my heart.

Well I watch a lot of Booktube and I’ve heard of Rainbow Rowell a lot there. However, I wasn’t convinced to pick up any of her books until I saw the person I have a crush on reading Fangirl(then Carry On). I decided to read those books and I immediately fell in love.

I'm a lesbian and I was really desperate for some gay media of any kind to get some kind of representation for my community. My cousin, who is a much more avid reader than me, lent me her copy of Carry On. I was familiar with the ship "snowbaz" from around the time Fangirl was popular but I had never gotten around to actually reading it. But, I read Carry On and fell completely in love with the book and Rainbow Rowell's writing. I now own all of the full length novels she's written (although I haven't read them yet, I can't wait to!)

I was 13 when i first started wandering around the aisles of the bookstore after my aunt bought some novels for my birthday and i endured them all and found a huge desire to get more, some girl who looked like she just came out of a graffiti wall shoved Fangirl into my arms and told me that i gave her a ‘Cath’ vibe and that i must read that, the she monitored me into buying other books. Out of curiosity and fascination i started Fangirl and i really AM another version of Cath, it was as if she saw right through me. I fell in love with that book and afterwards with Eleanor & Park and every other Rainbow Rowell book. So basically, that girl who blasted off colors and awesomeness along with Rainbow Rowell are what got me into reading and I couldn’t be more thankful.

I first read Fangirl and I looooooovvvvveeeeddd that book so much! I realized that I wanted more Baz and Simon so I decided that I would see if there was in fact a Carry On, and while I waited for my copy to come in a read Eleanor and Park. Ever since then I've been hungry for more Rainbow Rowell so I believe that I have in fact read all her books..... just waiting for Wayward Son!

Mines gonna be a little out there. Lol! I was in a bookstore in South Korea when I came across the book fangirl. The title caught my eye because I'm definitely also a fangirl. Lol! When I got back to the states I searched everywhere, found the book, read it and loved it. Afterwards I saw she made a book with the same name as one of the fanfiction in the story and now I'm in love with Simon and Baz. Can't wait for Wayward Son.

I was a Girl Guide in Canada and we were on a camping trip, and my friend Paxton was reading it and i was pretty curious so I made her read me some of it and by the second chapter I was HOOKED!! When I got home i went to the Library and I read it over and over. then for my 11th birthday my grandparents got it for me and i continued to read it! Thanks Paxton and thanks G&G!!

Fangirl was the first YA book I ever read.

I was around 11, maybe 12, and I thought that I should transition from middle grade to the "Teen Reads" section of the bookstore. I remember being drawn to the cool mint green cover and the simplistic illustrations, totally different from the busy, colorful covers that populate the middle-grade shelves. I picked it up, read the synopsis, and I was so intrigued. From that point on, not only did I begin to read her other books, including Attachments, Eleanor and Park, Pumkinheads, and Carry On, I also began my journey into the world of YA contemporary, sci-fi/fantasy, and adult/new adult contemporary romance, hoping to find a book that made me have the same feels as when I read Carry On. (And I did; Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston is AMAZING!) I'm happy to say that thanks to Rainbow Rowell, I've delved into the immense modern literary world. Now that Wayward Son is out and Any Way the Wind Blows is soon to come, I'm excited to see where Rainbow takes her skills next. (Hopefully, a redesigned hardcover version of Carry On to match the Wayward Son hardcover, a Carry On graphic novel, a box set for Carry On... if you couldn't already tell, Carry On is one of my favorite books) But her books have changed my life, my perspective. They've changed me. And I'm grateful because, without her books, my reading experience would be half as amazing as it is now.

By reading “Carry On” then “Fangirl” for BOTM in “Teen Book Club”

Carry On was an award book at my school and it sounded really good and so I read it and fell in love

Natalie wrote: "Carry On was an award book at my school and it sounded really good and so I read it and fell in love"

YESSSSSSS

I was obsessed with fandom culture a few years back, and when my mom took me to choose a book in my local bookstore I was obviosuly intrigued by this book, so I bought it, read it in a couple days and became obsessed with it. In the next trip to the bookstore I bought Eleanor & Park and loved it as well. For the next couple bookstore trips, I bought all of Rainbow's books that were available to me, and ]I've been a big fan since.

Nuria wrote: "I was obsessed with fandom culture a few years back, and when my mom took me to choose a book in my local bookstore I was obviosuly intrigued by this book, so I bought it, read it in a couple days ..."

SAAAMMMME!! except my mom and dad think i'm have problems b/c i've read all her books..... soooooo

I'd say it was probably 2014 when I was wandering around the book aisle at my local Kmart (even though I wasn't a reader) and I saw Eleanor & Park on the shelf. I was in 6th or 7th grade at the time and like I said, I wasn't much of a reader, but I begged my mom to buy me the book and eventually I actually got around to reading it! It was one of the first books I had read for enjoyment. I'm still not much of a reader today but Carry On is my favorite book! Rainbow Rowell is one author that never disappoints and I love her! Favorite author for sure. :)

I first got introduced to Rainbow in Target :) I was looking up and down the books and I saw Fangirl and knew it was destined for me. I mean a book about a Fangirl!? And a romance? The PERFECT book. So I begged my mom to buy it for me. I started reading it and immediately got pulled in. It became my new favorite book. I read Eleanor and Park after that and it was really good, but it wasn't my absolute favorite. I picked up Carry on after that, but I didn't think I was going to like it. I wasn't a huge fan of the Simon and Baz scenes in Fangirl, but I gave it a shot because it's Rainbow Rowell. And I BECAME SO OBSESSSSEDDDD. So now I'm a diehard Rainbow fan.

Booklovers wrote: "Hi, I'm New to the group.
I first started reading Rainbow because a friend who knew I Liked reading recommended Fangirl from the library. I loved it and now own a few of her books. But wish I had m..."


Hi! After reading Fangirl did you read Carry on? I´m not sure if i should read it or not. I´m also new to the group. :)

PAZ wrote: "Booklovers wrote: "Hi, I'm New to the group.
I first started reading Rainbow because a friend who knew I Liked reading recommended Fangirl from the library. I loved it and now own a few of her book..."

Hello PAZ! The short answer is YES.

The long answer: I absolutely LOVE Carry On! Baz is my favorite character of all time; he is so charming, snarky, sarcastic, smart, and sensitive. But all of the characters are spectacular because I can find a bit of myself in all of them. Except for Agatha. (Okay, even I can relate to Agatha. Hmph.) This story focuses on building the relationships between characters and illustrating raw, real emotions, such as heartbreak, confusion, loneliness, and the all-important question of “Who am I?” The book consists of first-person narratives and chapters from different characters, most of them from the perspectives of Simon and Baz. The romance in Carry On is sweet, intricate, and real, laced with the longing to love and to be loved. This book is utterly breathtaking, an enthralling coming-of-age tale of a boy magician trying to figure out who he is and his purpose in life, a conflict many will relate with. His struggle sheds light on the fact that people aren’t perfect and displays all aspects of growing up, including the beautiful and ugly moments. Many may argue with me and say it's not the best book ever written. And I'd agree with that. But for me, it's the best book I've ever felt.

I attached an edited version of my above post below. If you decide to read Carry On, let me know!


Fangirl was the first YA book I ever read.

I was around 11, maybe 12, and I thought that I should transition from middle grade to the "Teen Reads" section of the bookstore. I remember being drawn to the cool mint green cover and the simplistic illustrations, totally different from the busy, colorful covers that populate the middle-grade shelves. I picked it up, read the synopsis, and I was so intrigued. From that point on, not only did I begin to read her other books, including Attachments, Eleanor and Park, Pumkinheads, and Carry On, I also began my journey into the world of YA contemporary, sci-fi/fantasy, and adult/new adult contemporary romance, hoping to find a book that made me have the same feels as when I read Carry On. (And I did; Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston is AMAZING!) I'm happy to say that thanks to Rainbow Rowell, I've delved into the immense modern literary world. Now that Wayward Son is out and Any Way the Wind Blows is soon to come, I'm excited to see where Rainbow takes her skills next. (Hopefully, a redesigned hardcover version of Carry On to match the Wayward Son hardcover, a Carry On graphic novel, a box set for Carry On... if you couldn't already tell, Carry On is one of my favorite books) But her books have changed my life, my perspective. They've changed me. And I'm grateful because, without her books, my reading experience would be half as amazing as it is now.

Danielle wrote: "PAZ wrote: "Booklovers wrote: "Hi, I'm New to the group.
I first started reading Rainbow because a friend who knew I Liked reading recommended Fangirl from the library. I loved it and now own a few..."
Thanks!!! I will definitely read it. "But for me, it's the best book I've ever felt" wow I can´t wait to experience it myself.

I read Eleanor and Park when I was on my first year of high school, but I fell in love with her narrative in 2015 christmas, probably my least favorite christmas ever. I was sick, I felt terrible and it was one of those first christmas when you are starting to feel like nothing is the same, at least not like when you were a kid. My mom gave me Fangirl as a present and I read it on December 25th. Then read her other books and now I re-read Fangirl every year because it makes me really happy.

The first Contemporary YA book I had read was Fangirl. I remember seeing Fangirl pop up on Amazon and being the "shy" twelve/thirteen year old "geek/nerd" that I was made me gravitate towards Cath's story.
I remember scrolling through Rainbow Rowell's books as soon as I had completed Fangirl. And that's how I went on to read Eleanor and Park and then Carry On and Wayward Son.
But, I'm going to be honest-- even though I feel like Fangirl was the first Contemporary YA book as well as one of Rainbow's first books I had ever read, Eleanor and Park still lays in the back of my mind, constantly calling out to me and... And I think perhaps it was Eleanor and Park that I had read first, but the past is blurred and all I can say is that my journey into YA and Romance all started with Rainbow Rowell...
I honestly cannot be more happier about that fact.