Written in a cross between manga and illustrated graphic novel , this adaptation of Rainbow Rowell’s novel Fangirl, offers readers the feel of a rom-com tale driven by the art of comics. Not to put it lightly, much of the original story elements are transposed genuinely through the illustrated art. Readers will see the novel unfold visually before their eyes as they read, however, since this is vol 1 and there are three more expected volumes, I expect character depth will be an area of growth for the flow of the story.

Absolutely perfect! Rainbow Rowell's story is perfectly realized as a Manga, staying true to the original but creating something new at the same time. The story feels even more immersive, and I cannot wait to read Part 2! Great to read both if you're familiar with the novel already, or if you haven't read it yet!

I absolutely adored this manga adaptation of a story I already adored. This format will open the book up to an entirely new audience.

Rainbow Rowell has many adult readers who may not be familiar with the manga format. This version of Rowell’s beloved novel provides an exciting new way to appreciate a story I’ve loved to revisit. Hopefully a Simon Snow series manga will follow.

The manga adaptation of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. Cath is a Simon Snow fan, she writes fan fiction and spends time with her sister. But now she is in college and out of her comfort zone.

I liked the art a lot, it is cute and fits the story well. Manga's are read right to left and because this is listed as a manga I did struggle some with the story because it does not read right to left like a traditional manga. I read a lot of manga so if I stepped away I would oftentimes forget this and have to reread pages because I was reading it out of order.

I have not read the original novel so I am not sure how close to the novel this is, but it was super cute and I enjoyed reading it. It is all about finding yourself in the real world. I got to the end cliffhanger and really wanted more. Is it time for Volume 2 yet?

Creative Team:
Novel by Rainbow Rowell
Adapted by Sam Maggs
Illustrated by Gabi Nam
Published by Viz

Thank You Netgalley

I had never read the original novel Fangirl, but I had always heard good things about it. When I seen this manga edition on Netgalley, I knew it was the perfect time to check it out. I am not usually into manga or graphic novels in general, but something about this story fit so perfectly with it. The artwork is so cute and the characters are so relatable.

In fact, immediately upon finishing I ordered the original novel and the Simon Snow series because I just needed more of this world.

The only negative I could come up with was this isn't the full story, you have to wait until the next one comes out. Haha I am looking forward to reading the rest of this story in the manga format and will definitely be purchasing.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

You know when you hear that a great book by a great author is being adapted for a new format? And you're like, well, this is going to be fantastic? That. Fangirl excels in every format, really, and here is was just perfect.

Rainbow Rowell, and Fangirl specifically, are popular with teens and a good number of adults in my library. I was only able to read a portion of Volume 1, but I think it does a good job in offering a graphic/visual representation of the story and will certainly be well-liked by those who enjoy slice-of-life and geek-centric manga. I look forward to reading more.

When I learned that Rowell's "Fangirl" was getting the adaptation treatment I was pretty excited as a fan of the series. I was extra excited learning that Sam Maggs was at the helm of this adaptation. Vol. 1 only catches maybe the first third of the original novel so future installments are definitely on their way. I hope to see more from the Simon Snow sections in the future installments but like Cath, I'm just a big fan of them. Maggs did a wonderful job adapting the original text and truly creating the essence of the novel in the Manga form. The art and color palette perfectly captures the original. This Manga is sure to please previous Rowell fans while also bringing in new fans to the series. Here's to hoping this dream team also adapts the Simon Snow spin-offs!

I had heard good things about the original story so I looked forward to the graphic novel and it did not disappoint! Engaging story about a shy new freshman adjusting to college without her twin. She also writes fan fiction so there is an additional story as well. Looking forward to volume 2.

I have read the original source material a few times and its one of my favorite books of all time so I had high expectations coming into it. However, like some the manga only scratched the surface and gave us beautiful art on top of it.
One of the complaints I have heard from this, is that a lot of stuff is missing from the manga that helps build character development and plot development along and I can definitely agree with that.
However, if someone who is not comfortable reading a novel and wanted to pick up the manga instead to start, I wouldn't stop them but I would tell them the novel gives more information. The only other issue I had for this was the Carry On/Simon Snow parts were weirdly placed for me even worse than the original source material. If it ever gets its own manga I think it would flow better but I think if they were cutting out parts of the novel for the manga they should of cut some Simon parts rather than actual Fangirl parts(just me though). Overall though, I am curious how the rest of the book will be adapted and how the manga will be recieved by only manga readers. 3-3.5 out of 5 stars

I've never read Fangirl (but I have read the two Simon Snow books and absolutely loved them!) so experiencing the story for the first time in manga format is a joy! The artwork is so beautiful!
Highly recommend for fans of the original series and newcomers alike!

As someone who had mixed feelings about the book version of fangirl, I was surprised that I like this graphic novel version so much. So, I was very interested to see how this turned out and if I would have mixed feelings about this too. However, right from the start, I loved the illustrations and how they portrayed Cath as a character and all of her emotions. This was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me.

What I was most impressed about was the adaptation and the parts of the story that were chosen to be told and illustrated. They did a great job of telling the story vibrantly and while of course there were some minor details left out, there is no way you would have noticed if you had not previously read the novel. As someone who has read both, I honestly think that I enjoyed this more than the book and it was so nice to see it from an illustrated point of view.

I would totally recommend this book to all graphic novel lovers and all contemporary young adult readers who either have or have not read Fangirl!

(To be posted to my Instagram @trulyreading by 12/10/20)

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I love love LOVE Rainbow Rowell. So, when I found out there was going to be a graphic novel of Fangirl, I HAD to get my hands on it. The GN does not disappoint and does the original work justice!

I liked the original book, don't get me wrong, but over the years I have realised some major issues I have with it and as I was reading the graphic novel version of it I just felt like it wasn't really adding much.

I have heard many other readers who have loved this book and was excited for a graphic novel. This is just graphic novel number 1, Cath is dealing with a lot of different things. Moving into a college dorm, her twin sister wanting space without her, and she is also a fangirl writer about a popular set of books. I loved seeing a young adult girl starting to find her way in college. Getting around to everywhere she needs to go and trying to meet new friends. I feel like it stopped abruptly, but I do understand that this is only volume 1. I think this is a books that everyone would enjoy to read.

The manga edition of Fan Girl rings very true to the original text. They illustrations perfectly imagine not just Cath's world but also the world of Simon Snow that she creates. I can't wait for Vol. 2 to be published!

I read the original book (it was my first Rainbow Rowell book) and I'm glad to be re-reading the story in this format. It makes it seem new. I like the illustrations and I can't wait to read the next volume.

Ah no, this was over way too soon!!!

Actually, I'd been looking for a reason to go back and reread Fangirl again, mainly because I love Levi so much. So this happened to come along at the perfect time.

I found out that I had forgotten things. Like just how long Cath goes on thinking that Levi is Reagan (her roommate's) boyfriend. To be fair on her, it looks a whole lot like he is. Except for the part where he meets her at the library after all her writing sessions with Nick, which I'd remembered. On the other hand, I'd forgotten how that came out of he and Reagan feeling protective over their young freshman companion.

I'd also forgotten how she tries to submit fanfiction as an assessment on a university level writing course! Hilarious, but sad for her as well.

Something that I honestly feel was better fleshed out in this book was the relationship Cath has with her dad. And, in particular, his mental illness. There's just something about seeing the house that he's in after Cath and her sister Wren go to university that is more than seeing probably very similar stuff written about in the narrative.

Given that the mental health rep was something I loved in the novel, I was super happy to see it not glossed over here.

The other thing I want to reference is the way that Cath's fanfic 'Carry On' was handled. Given that fanfic is an inherently written past time, it's just a little bit strange to see images that look a lot like the posters on Cath's walls interspersing the narrative of Cath's life. I get that they were trying to capture the fanfic sections in the novel, but I'm just not sure that it worked as well as they wanted.

This is only Vol. 1, which takes us only as far into the story as Cath's failing grade and the dance party between her and Levi immediately after (page 115 of the paperback).

I am not going to rehash the plot of Fangirl here, but it is definitely worth reading in novel form if you have not yet done so. If you choose not to go that route, that’s okay. This adaptation is aces at fitting in a lot of information without relying on long blocks of text. Many points to Sam Maggs for doing such a good job with the adaptation, even though the manga does not tell the entire story of Fangirl. It stops less than halfway through, and at a part which will leave readers - even those familiar with the story - making grabby hands for the next volume.

Artwise, I really like the way Gabi Nam has drawn Cather, though I’m less convinced about Wren’s look. Reagan looks a mite too sultry, in my opinion, but I’m going to give Nam the benefit of the doubt and say that this is simply how Cather sees Reagan. Levi is not really as I pictured him either, but the more I read, the more he grew on me. The manga versions of Baz and Simon, canonically and in fanfic form, are pretty neat. I like how Nam really leans into the manga style to emphasize that these are fictional characters, rather than the softer, more realistic style used to illustrate the actual story.

On an unrelated note: the VIZ Media watermark on my ARC made it really difficult to read the middle of the page, which was frustrating to me, since there were lots of details there I’m certain I missed.