I received, not too long ago, a book tag from one of my friends on Facebook. The tag was simple: name ten books that have stuck with you throughout your life. I had obvious choices ranging from Harry Potter to The Monster at the End of this Book, but there was one book that made that list that just stuck after a few weeks. It was Fangirl.

I read this book at the beginning of the Fall 2013 semester and usually I have to wait a while to process a good review for a book. It wasn’t until a few days ago when I received the book tag that I was convinced that Fangirl would stay with me for a while. It follows Cath, a college freshman that is studying English and who is also a fanfiction writer. One of the major advantages to this novel is that it is so relatable. Things that were significant to me like writing, going to college, having struggles and stresses, and having to deal with family are all in there.

One very (and I mean very) minor flaw in this book is the illusion of Simon Snow. Simon is a character that Cath writes in her fanfiction. Throughout the novel, I related Simon Snow to the equivalent of Harry Potter. Harry, much like Simon in this case, changed me and a vast majority of young adult and adult readers alike. I, much like Cath, grew up with Harry and Cath grew up with Simon. There’s a line in the book where Cath mentions Harry Potter and, I must admit, it threw me off. Simon being cooler than Harry? I just couldn’t buy into that, but then again I haven’t read Simon Snow like Cath has.

I’m a super sucker for all things cheesy and “melt your heart into butter” kind of adorable, and this book has a whole bunch of that awesome cheese. Watch out hopeless romantics, this one will drive you crazy. Here’s the fun part though, the dynamics of the relationships are so strong and well-developed that it will keep you turning pages to see what happens. It’s not the stupid kind of cheese where you realize it’s just been sitting out and is over-cultivated. It’s like a mozzarella stick that when you bite into it, it just keeps growing and expanding and just leaves you with this longing. (See what I did there?)

There are so many things that are working for this book and I highly recommend it because it’s definitely worth it.

You might even devour it in one sitting.