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Quick answer: If you loved Fangirl, try Carry On, Eliza and Her Monsters, Radio Silence, Geekerella, Queens of Geek and Eleanor & Park. Each one offers warm college or teen romance, fandom or a shy heroine growing into herself.
Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl follows Cath, an anxious college freshman who would rather write fan fiction about the magical Simon Snow books than deal with her new life. Her twin sister Wren wants space, her father needs looking after and her roommate's friend Levi will not stop smiling at her. Readers love the awkward heroine, the slow romance and the love letter to fandom. These books share that comfort, humor and tenderness.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carry On | Rainbow Rowell | YA | readers who want Simon Snow himself |
| Eliza and Her Monsters | Francesca Zappia | YA | readers who love online creators |
| Radio Silence | Alice Oseman | YA | readers who like friendship over romance |
| Geekerella | Ashley Poston | YA | readers who want fandom and fairy tales |
| Queens of Geek | Jen Wilde | YA | readers who like convention settings |
| Eleanor & Park | Rainbow Rowell | YA | readers who want more Rowell |
| Attachments | Rainbow Rowell | Adult | older readers who want Rowell's humor |
| To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Jenny Han | YA | readers who like shy heroines |
| Emergency Contact | Mary H.K. Choi | YA | readers who like college romance |
| Tweet Cute | Emma Lord | YA | readers who like online banter |
| Anna and the French Kiss | Stephanie Perkins | YA | readers who love slow-burn romance |
| Loveless | Alice Oseman | YA | readers who like college friendship |
| Heartstopper | Alice Oseman | YA | readers who want a cozy comic |
| The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight | Jennifer E. Smith | YA | readers who want something quick |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Adult | older readers who love writers |
1. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
The fictional wizard from Fangirl gets his own novel and a surprising love story.
Best for: readers who want Simon Snow himself.
2. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
A shy teen secretly runs a hit webcomic and meets a boy who is its biggest fan.
Best for: readers who love online creators.
3. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
A top student befriends the boy behind her favorite podcast.
Best for: readers who like friendship over romance.
4. Geekerella by Ashley Poston
A sci-fi fan enters a cosplay contest in this Cinderella retelling.
Best for: readers who want fandom and fairy tales.
5. Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Three friends go to a fan convention and find love and courage.
Best for: readers who like convention settings.
6. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Two misfit teens fall in love over comics and mixtapes in 1986.
Best for: readers who want more Rowell.
7. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
An IT worker falls for a woman whose emails he is paid to monitor.
Best for: older readers who want Rowell's humor.
8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
A girl's secret love letters are mailed to every boy she ever liked.
Best for: readers who like shy heroines.
9. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
Two college students fall in love almost entirely by text.
Best for: readers who like college romance.
10. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Two rival teens have a Twitter feud while unknowingly chatting in secret.
Best for: readers who like online banter.
11. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
An American girl falls for a boy at her Paris boarding school.
Best for: readers who love slow-burn romance.
12. Loveless by Alice Oseman
A college freshman comes to understand that she is asexual and aromantic.
Best for: readers who like college friendship.
13. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Two British schoolboys fall in love in a gentle graphic novel series.
Best for: readers who want a cozy comic.
14. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Two teens meet on a flight to London and change one another's plans.
Best for: readers who want something quick.
15. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two authors with writer's block swap genres for a summer.
Best for: older readers who love writers.
How to Choose
Go straight to Carry On if you were curious about Simon and Baz, since Rowell gives them their own series. If the fandom was the appeal, Eliza and Her Monsters, Geekerella and Queens of Geek all celebrate the joy of being a fan, and Eliza and Her Monsters best captures the pressure of being a shy creator. If Cath's college anxiety felt familiar, Emergency Contact and Loveless have the same first-year uncertainty, and Radio Silence is a wonderful choice for readers who care more about friendship than romance. Older readers can pick up Attachments or Beach Read, which share Rowell's warmth and wit in an adult setting. If you only want a cozy comfort read for a rainy weekend, Heartstopper is hard to beat.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fangirl about?
Cath, an introverted fan fiction writer, starts college and learns to live without leaning on her twin sister.
Is Simon Snow a real book series?
Simon Snow began as a fictional series inside Fangirl, but Rowell later wrote Carry On and its sequels about the characters.
Is Fangirl a young adult book?
It is usually shelved as young adult, though its college setting makes it popular with new adult readers too.
Is Fangirl appropriate for teens?
Mostly yes. It has some language and mild romantic content, and it suits readers about 14 and up.
Do I need to read Fangirl before Carry On?
No, but Fangirl gives you a fun extra layer of context for the Simon Snow story.
Does Fangirl have a love interest?
Yes. Levi, a friendly and persistent farm boy who works at a coffee shop, is the love interest.