The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (2006)

Yeah it gets two. I almost didn't finish it cause, it was...boring. At least to me. I'm sure a teenage-y, angsty boy/person would get more out of it. Not bad, just not great. ( )

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. At the beginning I out and out hated it. The middle, I loved. The end...eh? It was def. creative. And I can actually see myself revisiting it in the future. But the characters were such extremes that I can never saw that I loved this book.

But I did like it.

I think. ( )

An enjoyable, if kind of annoying, read. You can almost hear the author screaming through the pages "I KNOW A LOT ABOUT COMICS!" Arguably, it's because the main character is working on a graphic novel and has a huge man-crush on Brian Bendis, but it feels like it goes beyond that, with obscure Alan Moore references and name-dropping of other, even-more-indy creators. The story was engrossing and well-written, if a bit typical (smart outcast nerd meets outcast girl; they become friends until he does something that pisses her off greatly), but the name-dropping distracts from the narrative. ( )

Lexi Dubovick
SWAG
Book Review
1/24/13

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl

By: Barry Lyga

“The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl” by Barry Lyga is a book about comic loving, outcast, loner, Fanboy. He is just trying to make it in high school even though he likes his comic books one thousand times better than any of the people, except for his jock best friend Cal and his secret crush, the ultra popular “goddess” Deena Jurgens. The only thing he has to look forward to each day is his secret comic, “Schmeta” that not even Cal knows about. Unexpectedly, he meets Kyra. She is the classic goth and also can’t stand a single person she knows. She is outrageous, she is not ever afraid to speak her mind, and she is Gothgirl. The two form a unique friendship and begin to get to know each other’s deepest secrets, fears, everything.The story is about their friendship and how they’re making it now that they can help each other through it.
This book was not like any other. I am not a loner comic book nerd nor am I a complex loner goth girl who hates everyone she knows, but still it had such a relatable feeling which propelled me to keep reading. I felt connected to the characters as if they were real people. It was as if I was in the mind of Fanboy, looking through his eyes, and feeling what he feels. I loved his personality. Infact, I think the characters were the best part about the book. This is a case where the most important part thing is the characters. If they didn’t use these characters or changed any major details about them, the entire book would need to be changed, but I think the characters and the whole book are amazing the way they are.
I would give this book five stars because the characters were incredible, the plot was set up in such a way that everything came together, it was relatable, and I loved every word. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it at first because I thought it would be too much about comics for me but that actually wasn’t the case. I still understood the entire book and made sense of it all. I would recommend it to any teenager looking for a refreshingly unusual story about a lonely high schooler who just wants to get out. It may be a little too mature for anybody not in high school. Maybe you feel the same way as the characters, maybe you just want a good read, but if you get the chance, I would definitely read this book! ( )

This book was okay...I really was going to give up this book a couple of times... ( )