I got the privilege to hear Rainbow Rowell speak and meet her for a very brief moment, and she was fully awe inspiring.  Just as she writes the most real, relatable characters, she is witty, unassuming, and so relatable.  It was motivating to hear of her bumpy road to success.  She wrote her first two books while she was working full time as a newspaper reporter, at her local Starbucks. Eleanor and Park did poorly in London on its initial release, it finally became a best seller here in the states released as a YA novel, marketed as ‘funny sad.’

She faced setbacks, but wrote with faith in herself, and I am so thankful she did. Rainbow Rowell writes about women who are flawed, fat, insecure, and most of all loved. Truly loved for who they are without transforming, getting skinny first, or finding their best self, because they are already worthy of love. This nugget of truth runs through all her books: you are worthy of love as you are.  This is the reason I devour them; this is the reason they resonate with so many readers. Rainbow herself was real; I am inspired by her discipline and her faith to write in an Omaha coffee shop without knowing if anyone would ever read her books or care. I am thankful for every character she has written, because they have helped me feel less alone, and reminded me we are all worthy of love just as we are, today.

Here is a picture of a star-struck me, with the fantastic Rainbow Rowell.

Here is my review of Carry On. Read it. Read it now. Forget your laundry, ignore TV. Read it.

Carry On is the continuation of the fan fiction characters from Fan Girl. Set at Watford, the school of Magic. Penelope, Agatha, Baz, and the chosen one, Simon Snow are students at Watford, a school for young magicians. Rainbow writes her signature sharp, fresh dialogue and builds a fantasy world you long to escape into. Baz and Simon are sworn enemies, and roommates. Agatha is Simon’s love and destiny, and Penelope is Simon’s faithful best friend. When evil and mysterious accidents begin at Watford, Penelope and Simon seek answers. They delve into a world more complicated and twisted than they could have ever imagined. I was not sure I was ready for to read a fantasy novel from Rainbow Rowell, it turns out I wasn’t ready for it to end.

To Purchase this book on Amazon, click here: Carry On