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Book Reco: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

We'll start with full disclosure: I love Rainbow Rowell. I just do. Technically, I don't know her. But after reading 3 of her novels, I kinda feel like I do. Regardless, I adore her. So, now that that's out in the open...

 Carry On is Rainbow Rowell's newest YA book. She took a brief departure from YA with Landline (which I haven't read yet), but she's back. And not only is she back to YA, but she pulled two characters from her previous book, Fangirl, (loved it!) and wrote a book about them.

What makes this even more interesting is that the characters she pulled from her book Fangirl, were actually characters in a book in Fangirl. As Rowell puts it, Carry On is "inspired by fictional fan fiction of a fictional series." Seriously.

But this part is only interesting if you've read Fangirl. And you should, too...but you don't need to to enjoy Carry On.

Here's my favorite description of the book:

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story-- but far, far more monsters.

Love that. And you know me...you're not getting anything else on the actual plot from me. You can Google that. But this is what I will tell you...

I started reading this book--as per usual, without reading the blurb-- and I was a little ho-hum in the  beginning. All was good, but not great. And I started to bum-out...was Rowell going to let me down this time?

Answer: No.

There's a moment about a quarter-to-a-third of the way into the book (you might know it when you read it) when everything shifts...when everything I had been hoping for without even realizing I'd been hoping for it happens. And I was sunk. I devoured the rest of the book in, like, two days.

And it was delicious.

Thank you, Rainbow.

What you need to know: It's a fun, easy read. Nothing too heavy. There's love and kissing, and swords and action, and magic and vampires...it's kind of a smorgasbord...but in a good way.

It's just fun.

Until next time, I bid you good reading.



P.S. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite of Rowell's books: Eleanor and Park. If you haven't read it, do. It's in my top ten of all time. I loved it.


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