Indonesians Who Love English Books discussion

Welcome to October guys!

This means that we are now officially starting our first quarterly group read - Mod's Choice!

So, who has started? What are your initial thoughts?

Don't forget, if you write a review within this thread, you'll be in the running to win a t-shirt!

Happy reading, lovelies :)

I'm currently reading Eleanor & Park which also by Rainbow Rowell and loving it so far. So I'm very interested in joining this group read. But I've gotta have the book first. Be right back. :D

Fangirl is my Rainbow Rowell's first read and I like her writing style. The characters names also cool (Cath and Wren from Catherine? It just...wow). The relationship between Cath and Wren pretty much weird for me.After 18 years they'd be as soulmate, and Wren suddenly move out and Cath just sunk in Simon Snow's obsession alone? It seems like Wren wasn't think that Cath is her soulmate (just a twin sister). Twins usually have stronger emotional bounds rather than non-twins, but since I have no twin, maybe my opinion could be wrong. I just felt sad for Cath when Wren misdialled Cath's number when she drunk.

And it was hard for me to not imagine Simon Snow as Harry Potter. It's hard! The magical world, the scenes, the hype. For me, Simon Snow is the blonde HP :D (I'm sorry for my lack imagination)

@Juliana: Have you read any of Rowell's other books? I've read Eleanor & Park, Landline, Attachments and Fangirl and my absolute favorite is Fangirl. That's why I'm super excited to be re-reading the book with everyone here!

@Darnia: Hi! I know, I sort of hated Wren in the beginning (heck even through the middle of the book) but you know, I sort of understand her wish for independence. Her reasoning makes sense; why shouldn't she forge her own identity? But of course, it is a sad situation for Cath - but it also made her look pathetic too, haha.

Oh goodness, Simon Snow is Harry Potter! I'm sure it was done deliberately. That's one of the reasons why I think this book resonated so well with me. All the references that Rowell put in, I knew them and I knew them well. For me, Fangirl is the book of my generation.

I'm planning to start read Fangirl next week since I'm still reading other books right now.

I already read Eleanor & Park, and I love Rainbow Rowell's writing even tho I kinda have a love & hate relationships with that book.

I will join this group read! I bought Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell last month, but I'm still reading The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I only read one book at a time, so I wish I can finish that book real soon.

I've read Fangirl in February and I love it so much! I want to re-read it but since I work outside Jakarta, I didn't bring it with me. But I am planning to re-read it either in the end of the year or early next year.

This book is just a feel good book. You can't help but to feel happy after finishing it. I connected with Cath as a a character and it made me remember when I was in university. The Simon Snow fanfiction is a clever idea and Cath's relationship with Levi.. so adorable!

I can say that Rainbow Rowell is my favorite author. Her writing is simple but packs a big punch. And also, she writes the best dialogues. I'm currently reading Attachments and have already read all of her other works. My favorite book is Eleanor & Park but Fangirl is a very close second :)

Orinthia & Winoko21: Can't wait for you both to start reading and start discussing the book here! :) Spoilers under the cut, okay guys?

Patricia: I agree with you regarding the dialogues. I mean, Cath's interactions with virtually everyone is such a delight to read!

Did anyone write fanfiction when they were younger? Or, does anyone here write fanfiction? Another reason why this book resonated so well with me is because I used to write fanfiction when I was waaaay younger and I so, so, soooo much understand the "fandom" and the world of "fanfiction".

Rachel wrote: "Orinthia & Winoko21: Can't wait for you both to start reading and start discussing the book here! :) Spoilers under the cut, okay guys?

Patricia: I agree with you regarding the dialogues. I mean,..."

Currently i read this book and somehow it amuse me when iam also the one who always writes some fanfiction hahaha.. yes rachel, in the past and currently iam still active make some fanfiction (even it's not published yet into fanfiction.net) hahaa..

iam still way far from finish this books. hmm iam still in Reagan who accompany cath to eating in dining hall since cath always eat protein bars.. i hope i can finish it soon :D

I've read Fangirl around the beginning of this year and I loved it so much. But I'll be re-reading it again just for this! So reviews will come soon, and I can't wait to read what all of you guys think about this book :D


Rachel wrote: "Did anyone write fanfiction when they were younger? Or, does anyone here write fanfiction?"

I wrote fanfiction as well when I was younger (and still do!) and YES, I totally get Cath's attachment to fandom, ships and of course her OTP, which is also one of the reason (among many other reasons) why I relate to Cath so much!

I was into fanart rather than fanfiction, but I know the feel. I read some of reviews about Fangirl and some of them disagreed about how the fanfic's author could be so introvert, hard to made friends and seemed to live in their own world like Cath"s did. I knew one or two friends who looks like Cath, so I have no complaint about what RR described. The fanfic they wrote also incredibly good.

But since some of you were (or still are) a fanfiction author, was it true?

Reading the posts here tells me I'm going to be in the minority lol.
I'm more or less 2/3rd of the way through the book and I'll share my thoughts when I'm done :)

@Darnia
i think it's doesn't mean all of fanfic's author is introvert and hard made friends. iam extrovert person and easy made friends but i love to write some fanfics hehe. However, my best friend is someone like Cath so i understand that she more comfortable make fanfics and it can be read only for someone she really trust.. that's why iam also no complaint about what RR described in the book. my best friend now love make some fan art in Deviantart than fanfics :)

@Gerry
haha.. just wait until i finish the book then.. since it's rarely YA books can fascinate me except A.S king works :p

Rachel wrote: Oh goodness, Simon Snow is Harry Potter!
yes! i think simon snow is harry potter, because RR said she read a lot of HP fanfics. XD

Okay, for those of you who has written fanfiction, or still are, what did you write about?

@Gerry: hahaha, I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

@Darnia & Marina: Is the complaint about how Cath was too introvert of a character? Well, I think it's because of her mum. Cath and Wren are so different right, but they are flawed in their extremities: Cath's introvert tendencies and Wren's extrovert tendencies. Personally I think the reason why these qualities have manifested the way they did in the girls is mainly because the mum left them. Both of them are not OK. So I think, in order to judge Cath's character, I think people should look at her situation as a whole, and not just limited to her fanfiction / college world. Because people and characters have more to them than just that.

I hope I made sense.

I was a fanfiction author way back when, and I would say I'm a half and half. I can be very quite and shy, but I can also be very loud and very 'present'. It depends on my mood. But yes, I can definitely get lost in my own world. Occasionally, I still do :D

So i finished the book yesterday and here are my thoughts :P it's not a review, they're just the things that pops in my mind as i read the book.
There might be some spoilers inside so~ read at your own risk.

(view spoiler)[
First of all I like the small references in the book to various other works like the ps3 batman game, battlestar galactica (watch the tv series from a few years back it is seriously good), movie references like parent trap, twilight, and soylent green!!!(look it up on wikipedia).

When i read the reference on soylent green early in the book i was instantly hooked and it started me on a good note.
But then it goes downhill from there :/

Cath is an introvert i get it, but the way she is described somehow made me think she has agoraphobia or something lol.

The more i read into the book i the more i feel like I'm watching a teen romantic comedy-drama film (or maybe because it is that kind of book? lol) ala 10 things i hate about you, etc. There're the usual elements like the Class Hottie (Nick), The boy next door (levi), the rebel (wren), the geek/new girl (cath), cheerleader/hottie type (courtney), etc. I mean there's nothing wrong with these type of stories its just that i find it sort of .... predictable? I mean i kinda half-guessed that Cath is going to end up with Levi and Nick is just a 'decoy' right after Levi picks Cath up from the library. I had my suspicion because levi has way more dialog/interaction with Cath than Cath's own roommate Reagan but when he picks her up i was sold. I dunno maybe its just not my thing and i was expecting something else hahahaha

I like how the characters interacts with each other, great dialogs between all of them. But the characters i like best are Dad and Reagan. The dad is like the coolest dad ever, so laid-back and chill. Their father daughter talks are pretty fun to read i think the most memorable one was about the googling for periods lol.
Reagan is just cool and how she forces Cath out of her comfort zone is great.

As the Simon Snow part of the book, I kinda read them at first, but by the middle of the book i just skipped them entirely and find that they don't have any impact to the story at all and just there for flavor i guess. Or maybe the author wants to share Cath's obsession with Simon Snow with us or something, in that case I don't think the excerpts will be enough. But thats just me.

I am interested on how her actual fiction writing turns out though but unfortunately it is left out of the ending :(
No explanation, no grades, no review from her professor (which i am actually interested in). Just a hint that its probably based on her relationship with her mother.

I think that's all i can think of atm. Feel free to share your opinions :)

(hide spoiler)]

already started reading Fangirl even before October started but still stuck in page less-than 100, so yeah, will do. Not gonna come here cause read too much spoiler already lol

I have added Fangirl as my to-read since weeks (or months ago) but I've just got time to read. I'm glad this group reading is inline with what I am reading now. Actually, I'm still in chapter 6 and there's a looong way to go.

Lots of my friends have already read this book, and they were impressed with Rowell's works, especially Eleanor and Park and this one. So yeah, I was curious as they were like, fangirling the characters, especially Park and Levi. And am trying to keep reading, and hopefully could finish it as soon as possible to be more involved in this thread. Promise!

so i just finished the book. i enjoyed reading through the book. i liked cather's character and i see bits of myself in her, which is always great when you are reading a book and you an relate to the main character. i thought that she was waaay to anti social though in the begining. i thought that wren was a bit annoying at first, though i understand she wanted to be her own person but the way she did it was wrong. i was happy when the writer kept me guessing will it be nick or will it be levi. that was fun. levi just made me swoon. loved reagan's character! i'm glad cather had her as an ally to get her out of her shell .enjoyed reading it. but the ending kinda made me go huh? that's it?

I finally decided to ditch H2G2 for a while and started reading Fangirl. I'm 100 pages in, and I'm enjoying it so far xD

I just got the book and gonna start to read it soon XD
Probably I'll avoid to open this thread until I finished because of too many spoiler lol

Wow, so many posts over the weekend. It'll be hard for me to keep up. But keep them coming, guys!

@Gerry: Thank you for your thoughts! Here are mine for you: (view spoiler)[ I know where you're coming from and I admit that one of the reasons why this book had me was because I didn't realize that Levi was endgame. I read the eBook version of it the first time around, and I didn't realize that the man on the cover is Levi. So, I thought it was Nick - which I didn't get also, because he was an a**. So for a while I was confused. But when I found it was Levi, I mean, he's great, isn't he?

Regarding her fiction writing, her piece was included as the ending, right? Rowell didn't include the grade because Cath's piece was the winner of the competition (that Nick so badly wanted to win), and that pretty much says that it was an amazing piece of writing. It wasn't really about her and her mum; I think it was about her breaking free from her old self, it was about self-discovery. (hide spoiler)]

The Simon Snow tidbits were just for flavour, I agree. So we sort of get to be in the fandom as well. Rowell is thinking of writing the Snow books, did you know? Will you be interested? :D

@Cininta: Why did the ending made you go huh? What would you have liked instead? :) I personally loved it.

@Rachel (view spoiler)[I read the ebook as well, didn't pay attention to the cover till about midway but then the flannel shirt kinda gives it away :P
Ah i actually missed her piece and didn't read it at all LOL!
I was reading on my macbook and it was displayed 2 pages at a time, her piece was displayed together with the Acknowledgements page and i totally skipped thru it hahaha. I just assumed earlier it would be based on her mom because of her answer to the professor.
Yes now that i've read it, it is about breaking free from her old self and not because someone else made her do it or anything but on her own.
It wasn't about the grade she gets for the piece per se, i just want to know how it went but now i know. :) (hide spoiler)]

@Cininta There's one particular experience that i can relate to with Cath's (view spoiler)[it was when she was telling how going to the dining hall was awkward for her because of not knowing where to sit, where the line for food starts, etc basically the 'rules' no one explains.
Cuz i had similar thoughts when i was younger and had to go to school abroad on my own. I did not go to the extreme like Cath did tho lol I sort of handled it like a normal person would and i think it went alright for me. :P (hide spoiler)]

Phew, i just didn't know what would count as a spoiler and what wouldn't so i just tagged them all :D

I have started to read the book. I'm only up to Chapter 4 and I must say I'm not so impressed either by Cath, Wren, or Levi. Maybe it's too early for me to judge, there are still a long way to go. :)

I agree with Jessica, I will not read this thread until I'm finished. :D

@Rachel ans Gerry: it better left Simon Snow as nowadays, IMO. Like Rachel said in the comment before that RR said Simon Snow is Harry Potter, I just feel it people would judge it as HP, no matter what. Some scenes (which also wrote in Fangirl) remain me to some HP's scenes.

Besides, I think people who want Simon Snow to be written are those who love Simon through Carry On, Simon. But it just my opinion

@rachel i wasn't expecting it to end so soon. i want to know what happens to her mom and their relationship. and if wren still wants to see their mom. and i know that we're supposed to asume that she did the writing assignment and got it published in the journal thing i'm curious at what she wrote. was it really about her mom leavig and all or more about the relationship between her and wren. i think that was the two things that i felt i was still left hanging. :)

@Cininta: RR did include Cath's piece at the end of the book. As I mentioned to Gerry as well, (view spoiler)[ her piece was about breaking free from her old self, it was about self discovery. Hmm, for me personally, I think Cath's relationship with Wren is still strong, even though now Cath is her own person. Unlike Wren, Cath won't abandon her, so I think Cath will be with Wren every step of the way, because now you get the sense that Wren is the one who's lost. And regarding if Wren still wants to see her mum or not, I think RR left it up for us to decide. If you were in Wren's position, would you still? :) (hide spoiler)]. Did you read the eBook as well?

wanted to re-read fangirl but I decide to use the time to read secret history hahahaha~

It was really fun reading the comments from everyone! I really love how the book also tells about Cather's life outside her fangirl life, it just gives better perspective to her character's development.

Lots of people are being judged based on what they say/ do/ like in the fandom, while actually everyone is so much more than that. Everyone has their own fights. In a lot of case being in a fandom is a way to help them cope with their "real life" situation...

On the other hand, having Cather's closest people accepting (and even supporting) her fangirl life is the best. This I can say as a fangirl/ ex-ff author myself hahahaha... and to have Levi read her fanfic OMG it's like one of the sweetest things ever~ *insert excessive flailing here*

P.S. Simon and Baz are totally Harry and Draco! LOL

fangirl is one of my favorite book, I'll re-read it soon... but I still stuck (for good) with James Dahner's Maze Runner series ;p

@yanti: yup! agree with you, a fangirl need a guy like levi lol

I have read Fangirl and I love it! I know most of you guys think Simon Snow is Harry Potter, but I still want to read the whole story about him. I’m sure Rainbow Rowell can bring Simon Snow to life in a different way from Harry Potter!

...Still, I myself can’t help but think Simon and Baz are Harry and Draco ;)

I love the book so much, and I can't help but relate to Cath (but in different fandoms). I write fanfiction or fanart sometimes. Cath's struggle in college life is probably what I'll be worrying too when I'm going to college.

@Nabila: Please make sure you eat something other than protein bars in college! :D

Guys, I've got a couple of book discussion questions for you:

1) Why do you think it's easier for Wren to move on from Simon Snow?

2) Did you feel that the fanfic sections helped or hindered the plot?

Sound off your answers! :)

I've just finished reading Fangirl and, OMG, I want Levi!

Answering the questions, I think

1) Wren liked to try something new, like, when she got into college, she was feeling excited about social life and going to parties. And I think she was just too easy-going and was able to easily move on. In Laura's case, for example, Wren also forgave her and even hung out with her! Sooo my answer is, similar to examples above, that's just Wren's nature to easily forget and move on from Simon Snow :)

2)In some parts, the fanfic sections really helped the plot because it had a strong relationship with Cath, the main character. However, in some, I also found that the fanfic sections were too loose and didn't have any connections with the chapters, or even the whole book. I'm not a big fan of Simon Snow fanfic, but I don't hate it either. However, the point is, Rainbow Rowell has successfully built two fictions into one book, and that is just WOW.

Hi Fadilla, thanks for answering the questions!

A follow-up question, did you resent Wren for leaving Cath behind the way she did? I did, even though I get where she was coming from.

Also, if RR were to release a slew of Simon Snow books, I take it you won't purchase it?

I do wonder, however, if she will write the Simon Snow books along the same vein as Cath which is canon (Keep Calm and Carry On Simon), or the actual original Simon Snow. Hmm. What say you, guys? And which one will you be more interested in?

nabila wrote: "I love the book so much, and I can't help but relate to Cath (but in different fandoms). I write fanfiction or fanart sometimes. Cath's struggle in college life is probably what I'll be worrying to..."

Yeah i Agree with Fadilla as well, Wren comes off to me as a more of an extrovert. She's comfortable in crowds and around new people so i would think that it'd be easier for her to move on and probably find new things to try and maybe get obsessed with sooner compared to Cath.

As for the fanfic, I don't think it helped nor hindered the plot.
It gives flavor to the book by giving us a taste of what Cath is really into but i think it has no impact to Cath's own story.

All of the book has already been released, Cath read all of them except the last one. It's not like Cath made any decision regarding her RL situation because she read something in the Simon Snow book so as far as i can see it really has no effect to the main plot itself (except maybe the very last excerpt of the final SS book).

If RR is releasing SS books i'd think it would be too similar to the HP franchise and people who doesn't know Fangirl might just label it as a HP clone or something. :P
Or if she released a Cath version it might even be labelled as Gay HP lolz.
I personally wouldn't buy the book because it is too similar to HP, and if it is the carry on Simon version i.... well.... don't find that kind of book very appealing lol but thats just me xD.

@Rachel: to be honest, at fist I resented Cath because she was waaay too introvert and scared to encounter new environment. Eating protein bar because too anxious to meet new people? Duh. But I was too soon to judge, so no I didn't hate Wren nor Cath. I knew they were meant for each other, so when Wren left Cath behind, I knew they would get back together :))

Hmm if RR decides to publish Simon Snow, I might give it a try. I'm just not a fan of Simon Snow as a part of Fangirl. But if it is separated from Cath's story, I'd love to read it! :D

Fadilla wrote: "@Rachel: to be honest, at fist I resented Cath because she was waaay too introvert and scared to encounter new environment. Eating protein bar because too anxious to meet new people? Duh. But I was..."

yes! agree! i hated the way cath was waay too introvert. so over dramatic that she resorted to eating protein bars because she was too afraid to go to the cafeteria. man when you are hungry you eat :D

but when their father got sick and wren wouldn't come home, i was angry at her. i was also angry at her for not realizing that she has a drinking problem.

Rachel wrote: "@Cininta: RR did include Cath's piece at the end of the book. As I mentioned to Gerry as well, [spoilers removed]. Did you read the eBook as well?"
if i was in wrens position i don't think i would want to see her mother again. it's weird that their mother doesn't want to be there for the tough stuff. that's a very interesting insight you have about wren and cath. yes, at first it seemed that cath is fragile one, but in the end it seemed like wren is the fragile one.

Gerry wrote: "@Rachel I read the ebook as well, didn't pay attention to the cover till about midway but then the flannel shirt kinda gives it away :P
Ah i actually missed her piece and didn't read it at all LOL!..."

oh wow you had an experience just like her! amazing :D for me there's something she said about how she sometimes imagines her everyday life playing out as if it was a movie/story (or something to that effect). i do that a lot haha

Re: Cath being too afraid to go out of her room, I think it's more than just being introverted. I think she might have had a serious case of social anxiety. It's a mix of being abandoned by her mom as a kid, having an unstable father that she actually has to help take care of, and then feeling left out by her twin sister, who she thought who'd always be there by her side. It seems like a deeper psychological problem than just being shy/introverted.

That's also why I disagree with reviews/comments saying that Rowell created a stereotype of fanfic authors as geeky hermits who don't leave their rooms. It's just Cath's personal circumstances that caused her to become like that, not being a fanfic author. Not all fanfic authors have personal/family problems like Cath. Fanfic is just her means to escape. She seems to be the type who shuts herself and escapes inward when facing issues, while Wren escapes outward by going to parties to forget her problems, etc.

as a fangirl myself, I don't know why I could't enjoy this book as I did with Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture 2 ,dropped this months ago.

I need the hardcopy perhaps, orz

Yes, Dini, yes! I also believe that people should look at Cath's personal circumstances as a whole and not just the outward packaging, do you know what I mean? I hardly think that Fangirl is stereotypical - far from it. I mean, of course some of Cath's qualities are - hmm, not stereotypical but... - relatable but of course some of them were bound to be. I think readers and critics should also look at the bits and pieces that make Cath unique and different. And not just Cath really, but all the other characters in the book.

My two cents, my two cents.

Mayday wrote: "as a fangirl myself, I don't know why I could't enjoy this book as I did with Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture 2 ,dropped this months ago."

Genshiken has more 'fandom' in it i think :P
Here the focus is not on the fandom itself but more on Cath's life and relationship with the people around her.
At least thats how i look at it.
Genshiken is awesome btw :D

not about the fandom, but how I relate it to myself, my real life otaku friends and life in general. Genshiken hit home :v

That sounds so subjective, huh. Btw, I got the Indonesian edition to be reviewed just now, this will finally make me read fangirl for sure xD

I have finished this book and I must say that I like it. :) At first I was not impressed either with Cath, Wren, nor Levi. (view spoiler)[I even got upset with Cath when she was so scared to ask anyone where the dining hall is. (hide spoiler)] But as I got further, I think I can understand why she acted like that. I absolutely agree with Dini about Cath.

I can relate to the fangirling thing. I myself is a big Harry Potter fan. I joined the community, became one of the crew for Harry Potter movie screening events, collecting Harry Potter shirts and stuffs, etc. But I'm not a fanfiction writer, so I don't quite understand Cath's obsession for her fanfiction. (view spoiler)[Especially the part when she seemed so willingly to give up on her classes just because she wanted so badly to finish Carry On, Simon before the 8th book released. Just like Ron said, she needs to sort out her priorities. :D (hide spoiler)]

I felt like giving her a smack on the back of her head for that. Seriously. *fanfiction writers, please don't hate me* :) Thank goodness that finally (view spoiler)[Levi spoke up and Cath listened to him. (hide spoiler)]

The second half of the book is more interesting. Cause that's where we get to know better each of the characters, their background story and conflicts, and how their relationships developed.

But there's this one thing. I think Cath and Wren's mother appearance did not do anything to the whole story. Because what did she give us? Nothing. (view spoiler)[Yes, we know she left them because she wasn't ready for being a mother bla bla bla. But we all know that from Cath's and her dad's perspective. No explanation whatsoever from HER side. So what's the point in spending Christmas together with Wren? Wren surely didn't give any clue that she and her mother had a serious talk during Christmas. Next she showed up at the hospital and then... gone.

Sorry if I got a little too emotional on this because I'm a mother of two and I can't imagine how can she left her daughters in such young age and when she finally came back she didn't seem to do much effort to reach them back. (hide spoiler)]I understand she had her own reasons and I'm trying not to blame her here, but she owe her daughters an explanation. That's all. Tbh I'm on Cath's side. :D

I gave this book 4 stars.

Hi Juliana! Thank you so much for your thoughts.

Regarding the mother's appearance, on the contrary, I think it shed such an important light on the story. See the thing is, I don't think her appearance was FOR her, do you know what I mean? Because it's not her story, it's Cath's and Wren's story. And by appearing again in their lives, it shows how damaged and vulnerable the girls are; it sheds more light on why they are who they are, why they do what they do.

And I think the mother just wants to reconnect - but without the responsibility of being a mother. I mean, that's why she bailed in the first place, right? Her action - or rather, her lack there of, further cemented Cath's and her dad's perspective of her. Some people are just like that, unfortunately.

Again, my two cents :)

I just finish reading Fangirl last night. Read the translation version, and I think the quality of the translation just...okay. I assume that the translator is new so his translation is not as smooth like translated book I usually read. But it's not bad too. Like Google translate bad.

I read through my friend's review and also some comments there. Some complaining about the pace, and I agree that the pace is so SNOW...err SLOW. I agree that Cather was overdramatic at first, her introvert side is too much and when she defend her fanfic over her Professor, I'm so tempted to smack her head.

But, even Cather is not a lovable person, I can relate to her. Because she remind me of myself. So much. Extrovert people like Levi and Reagan make Cath exhausted and for people that immerse herself totally on Net and fanfic, her reaction is understable. It's quite normal for Cath to behave like that, even it's not for people that surround her. Even it also make reader scream, because Cather is so immature. But, again, she still in her early college, in the end of her teenage years. She has so many flaws, and that is what make her human.

To answer Rachel's Qs:

1. Why Wren is so easy to move from Simon Snow? Maybe because she think that Cath can be too..clingy? I don't know about this twin stuff, but maybe she just tired people think that she and Cath is one package. I think, that Rowell want to show the twins dynamic too. Because if Cath and Wren have the same personalities, there's will be no conflict, or the conflict just a minor ones.

2. I always assume that Fangirl is Rowell's "love letter" to fanfic world. But it's also her "advice" to fanfic writer. Remember when Professor Piper want Cath to write her own story, to not write about Simon and Baz, even Cath don't want too. It's like Rowell said "C'mon! I know you love to write fanfic. But I know you can write your own story, from the scratch.". Maybe this one refer to pulled to published book trend *shrug*

@Juliana: Agree about the whole mother thing. Like Cath said (view spoiler)[Laura supposed to connect with the twins. With much effort than usual. Seems unfair for Cath, because I know deep inside she yearn for a mother (hide spoiler)]