Dear Rainbow Rowell,
I remember seeing Fangirl on Goodreads my freshman year of high school. My English teacher was having my class look through the site to find books that we potentially wanted to read for our independent choice books. I freaked out when I saw Fangirl because in a sense I felt that the title just described my whole entire life. I didn't end up reading the book at all but I never forgot about it. Once my sophomore year rolled around I finally read Fangirl and I never fell in love with a book like I fell in love with Fangirl. Cath and I have a lot in common and I really appreciated her as a character because she was so relatable to me and who I am. You might get that a lot Rainbow, but it is the truth.
When I moved on to Eleanor and Park, I met yet another character that I saw myself in. I saw a lot of myself in Eleanor, not only do we share the same hair color but because the way we view ourselves and the world around us is very similar. When Carry On came out I was very excited and I bought it as soon as I could. I was enchanted by the world of mages and the story of Simon and Baz. I'm waiting a bit to read Attachments and Landline but I know that I will love them just as much as your YA novels.
The real reason I'm writing this is to thank you. Thank you for creating characters the I see myself in. That is so rare for me. Both Cath and Eleanor mean so much to me and they are characters that I am so protective over. I have read Fangirl and Eleanor and Park so many times and each time I read them I fall more in love (and I get more upset over the mystery of those three words). Your books made me want to venture out and read more, and I can honestly say that that was one of the best feelings. Your books allowed me to escape my world but still see bits and pieces of myself in the worlds you created. You have had such an impact on who I am and your books are books that I turn to when I need to escape.
You're writing is amazing and your ability to create these characters that are relatable but yet still have depth and substance to them is amazing. I hope that one day I will be able to write like that and create such amazing stories like you do. One more thing that I want to thank you for is getting me back into writing. Once I hit high school age I slowly stopped writing creatively because that's just what happens in high school. But your books have inspired me to get back to be creating things. You are my favorite author and I hope that one day I have the honor to meet you and thank you in person. Thank Rainbow for being so much more than just an author to me, thank you for being an inspiration. Your books will forever hold a special place in my heart.
