Carry On

Bottom line: It was good. I recommend it. I think if you enjoy Harry Potter and a good young adult story, you won't be disappointed.
Observations: I was surprised at how well I kept track of the changing narrators. First person, multiple narrators always confuses me, but much less so with this novel than others I've read. Goes to show how well Rowell differentiates her characters' internal voices. And first person truly suited this novel. I loved her use of parentheses, (Especially the myriad of them.) (Seriously, it was awesome.) (I'm not kidding, it added a special snarkiness to it). See?
Story: Overall it was a pretty good read. Hard to put down, I sped through it. There were times when it was getting a bit soapy, and I almost thought that if the soapiness ramped up, I'd have to stop, which made me a little frustrated because I was really enjoying the book. This only happened maybe 2-3 times and the soapiness never did ramp up. So if anything, that's more of a compliment to the book because if I didn't like the book and the characters, I wouldn't have cared if I had to stop reading it.
I think the characters were very realistic and a lot of fun. There are many twists and turns with them that keep you guessing. It got to the point where I was upset that they were figuring out the plot, because I wanted to keep spending time with these characters. What's another 100 pages?
The murder investigation plot I guessed pretty quickly, before the end of book 1, so that was kind of cool to be right about. The mythology behind the magic and the creatures was slowly revealed, and there was always more to learn. I did not see Humdrum twist coming. That was awesome.
Another neat factor--she summed up the previous seven years of Simon's adventures neatly, yet I feel like have a pretty good idea of what happened. This doesn't feel like the first book I've read in the saga. That's something every writer can't do. It actually made it easier to get into than say the first Harry Potter book (yes, blasphemy, I know, but the Harry Potter series still tops ALL books written by mere humans, so there). (Please forgive me JK. You are a deity among us mortals). (See? The parentheses thing is freaking addicting).
I haven't read anything else by Rainbow Rowell, but I probably will after this. I have a HUGE list of books I wanted to read, so not sure when... but I liked her writing style and how genuine her characters were written. A story with decent mythology and amazing characters is all I need to stay invested, so it was pretty easy to get into this book. Penelope and Baz were the best. Obviously.
Though Ebb was a boss too. Some weird cross between Hagrid and Professor McGonagall. She was awesome.
Rowell's writing style was great. Wish there was more in this series to read. I would read those previous nonexistent books without a doubt.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I'm giving it top shelf status!

Imagine, if you will, the following phone call between Rainbow Rowell and her agent (who in this case is obviously a Mary Sue of me, so I'll call her MS) taking place prior to the publication of Fangirl:
RR: So Eleanor and Park was like huge.....
MS: Thank you for that.
RR: So can we please publish my seven-book series of Harry Potter fan fiction now? PLEEEEEEEEZE! I've been asking for like years.
MS: I just threw up in my hand. No.
RR: PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
MS: I'm going to hang up on you now.
RR: Hey, I'm Rainbow Rowell!
MS: That might not mean as much as you think.
RR: But people will love it. It's a proven market. Look at how many people love Harry Potter! You're just being a hater because you don't like Harry Potter. You hater.
MS: Here's the unfortunate downside of fan fiction, sweetie: IT'S FAN FICTION.
RR: ****I KNOW IT'S AWESOME****
MS: It's awful.
RR: What's-her-name did it with Fifty Shades.
MS: It was awful.
RR: It made her agent buckets of money.
MS: This is a good point that you make. Would you be willing to do a search-and-replace on all the names and places?
RR: [Growls viciously for seven minutes] Fine.
MS: Last I checked, you're from Nebraska, not England. Would you be willing to set your fan fiction in the States?
RR: [Affects English accent] [Brandishes imaginary Excalibur at imaginary foe] NEVAH!
MS: [Twitches all over as imaginary insects crawl on her skin] But Americans just don't write British English well. At all. It always comes out sounding like.....y'know.......an American doing fan fiction of British English.
RR: See above on this making you buckets of money.
MS: GOD DAMN YOU TO HELL, WOMAN! Would you be willing to shorten the story from seven books to one?
RR: Sure, as long as most of the book can consist of super-expository backstory.
MS: Now let's talk about what new twists your story will bring to the Harry Potter canon. Will there still be an orphan Chosen One?
RR: Of course! But since this is really an original work of my own invention, I made Harry live in foster homes over the summer.
MS: Damn it, I just threw up in my hand again. Will there still be a know-it-all female sidekick?
RR: Of course! But since this is really an original work of my own invention and #WeNeedDiverseBooks, I made Hermione Indian.
MS: Will there still be a feral-but-lovable groundskeeper?
RR: Of course! But since this is really an original work of my own invention, I made Hagrid a girl.
MS: Will there still be a Bad Guy from an old elitist Bad Guy family who believe that only the elite and pureblooded should attend the magic school?
RR: Of course! But since this is really an original work of my own invention and I HEART TWILIGHT, I made Malfoy a vampire.
MS: [Stomach bile has eaten through the skin of her palms by this point] I can't sell this to editors unless you convince me there's something original about it.
RR: Oh, well, there's gayness.
MS: That was understood when you said it was fan fiction. So is it Harry and Ron who fall in love?
RR: Nah, it's Harry and Malfoy.
MS: SCREECH OF FREAKING BRAKES! That should have been the first sentence out of your mouth. You KNOW I’m a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope!!! OMG OMG! I totally want to see Harry and Malfoy fall in love.
RR: In fandom, we say "I totally ship that."
MS: [Beats her head with the phone] That is so freaking retarded. You know what? No. I can't do this. I have to be able to hold up my head in this town.
RR: Okay, fine. Be that way. I'm gonna go write a book about how it feels to write fan fiction and have everyone constantly tell you it's derivative crap and a waste of time AND THEN YOU'LL BE SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!
MS: You do that, missy.
RR: But if that book makes you buckets of money, THEN can we do the Harry Potter fan fiction book? PLEEEEEEEEEEEZE!?!?!?!
MS: Sigh. I’m gonna regret this…but sure.
RR: Thanks, Mary Sue! You’re the bestest agent a girl could have.

I love books that dabble with magic. Seriously, you wanna be my friend? Suggest a good fantasy novel to read (bonus points if it’s a series). So obviously, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. Ask my husband. I made him watch the movies and he kept asking questions. All I could tell him is he needs to read the books. (He still hasn’t read them.) So I was excited to pick up Carry On. I’d only read one other Rainbow Rowell book and was in love with her writing style.

Simon Snow has been raised in the Normal world most of his life, hopping from orphanage to foster home, never really knowing where he belongs. Until The Mage comes for him and opens his eyes to the World of Mages and the magic within. But most of the time Simon can’t get a spell out correctly and the rest of the time he’s sitting something on fire. Now it’s his final year at Watford, the wizarding school, and he must face a multitude of troubles, including a magic-eating monster that is terrorizing this place he has come to call “home”.

Sounds very similar to a certain other magic-wielding orphan, right? That’s what I thought too when I started Carry On. It put a bad taste in my mouth because it seemed like Rowell was trying to rewrite the Harry Potter story. While there are some strong similarities between the two, Carry On definitely stands apart. With some intricacies not shown in Harry Potter and an ending that left me unsettled, I was sucked in. Rainbow Rowell is a phenomenal author. Once again I was blown away by her story-weaving abilities. In the end, I absolutely loved reading Simon Snow’s story. If I had to complain about anything, it’s that I wish she had turned it into a series if only so I could stay in that world a little longer.

Hidden from normal people there is a society of magic and magical creatures. But that society is only few steps away from destruction, there is the Humdrum that is somehow obliterating magic little by little, and a civil war is almost breaking out amongst the magicians.
Simon, the most powerful magician that has ever been, the chosen one, is probably the only one that can do something about all of this. But besides being the most powerful magician he is also one of the least talented ones.
But Simon still must do something and with his friends by his side, and an unlikely ally, he just might figure out the truths necessary to solve the problems that the magical wold faces.

It is a bit wierd to get into the story at first. It starts when the characters are on their final school year and is a bit like starting with the last book in a series where much has already happened and the characters have already formed friendships and relationships.
But I guess this is supposed to be like the last book of ‚Carry on Simon‘ from ‚Fangirl‘ (by the way it's not necessary to read Fangirl before reading Carry On), or at least Rainbow Rowell‘s take on it, so it is understandable.
But when I got into the story I had a lot of fun reading.
The main focus of the story is definetly on the characters and the romance instead of the plot so if you don‘t like that kind of books this might not be for you. I usually like a good balance between both (plot and characters/their relationships) but I still ended up enjoying Carry on.
I was a bit let down by the climax at the end, it felt a little all over the place in my oppinion and didn‘t leave me as satisfied as I would have liked.
But overall this was still a fun read and I enjoyed it.

This book was so odd - but in the most magical way possible! It is definitely a favorite!

Baz + Simon! I can't believe it, but I think this is the first book I've ever read where the main character is gay... I have no idea why it's taken me this long, but I'm so glad that Simon and Baz were my first, because they were so precious and swoon-worthy! Sigh, I love them sooo much!

This book was so weird because it like drops you in the middle of a children's/young adult fantasy series, but there's just this one standalone book... It was weird, but Rainbow Rowell totally pulled it off! It was everything you hoped for after the glimpses you got in Fangirl.

The magical community and characters were very unique and engaging. The story was so unique, because you kind of expect something Harry Potter -ish, (or at least I did), and yet the story never quite meshes with anything else you've read in this genre/setting. I found it so interesting (and I'm not sure how else I feel about it) that the characters didn't uncover the entire story or history - I don't think I've every read a book like that either. I had no idea how it was going to end, and I did not predict the ending at all! Also, I thought Rowell's depiction of Davy was really good, realistic, and scary...

The magical community and the concepts behind it were really cool - popular words/sayings having power! - but the characters really put this book over the top! I can already tell I'll be thinking about these characters for a long time to come, and I'm pretty sure some are even going on my Favorite Characters of All Time List... BAZ!!!!

Baz, Simon, Penny, Ebb, Nicodemus, Agatha, Natasha, Fiona, Lucy, The Mage

Favorite book - won't be able to stop thinking about it - can't wait to read it again one day!

Originally I received this as an arc from NetGalley and the publisher. ( I ended up reading it in physical form from the library.)

I haven't yet read Fangirl ( I have tried but just couldn't get into it) so I didn't really know what to expect going into this. Besides that, it was a type of fanfiction.

Very early on it was easy to tell that it was fanfiction, but it also felt like things got started really slow, and I could have done without the first 100 or so pages. A lot of info gets put in because we didn't have any back story to explain what was happening, so it was understandable but a bit much at once as well.

We do get to see multiple points of views from Simon, Baz, Agatha and Penelope and few other characters here and there.
Simon's obsession with Baz not only seemed unhealthy but a bit much after awhile. I did like his friendship with Penelope and Agatha were nice to see, and both were very strong in what they believed in and were level headed for the most part.

The world itself is different from harry potter, and it did feel like an older version of it mixed in with vampires. Magic while present wasn't used all the time either in fact Simon hardly used any at all with an actual wand which was interesting.

Overall I really did enjoy it and It surprisingly was a quick read. The romance was okay, it did seem to go from hate to love rather fast, but it had been building for awhile from what the other characters were saying. I am now interested in reading other books by Rainbow Rowell. I'm thinking about going with Landline first.

4 & 1/2 stars
"He is our greatest threat. And you are our greatest hope."

This book was really cute and a simple read. It was a chosen trope and I enjoyed it because unlike many other readers I don't read those much so this was fun. My favorite thing about this novel has to be that Simon is the WORST chosen one. He has so much power flowing through him that he doesn't even know how to handle it or direct it. Carry On also has the whole hate to love trope and I LOVED IT. I enjoy those a lot because although we know the people will get together the journey there is always exciting. And for Simon and Baz, the journey is rough, awkward, and adorable. The story has a few cliches but they work for this story really well. For example, The Mage is a cliche "MY WAY IS THE BEST WAY BUT I AM THE CAUSE OF THIS MESS MADMAN", Agatha is a cliche "I have a perfect life and I don't care if I have magic I just want to be normal and have everything be perfect", The Pitches are the cliche "We are a super mysterious and have a dark house and we are a quiet family, and so on. The cliches aren't bad they are weaved into the story wonderfully. This book is filled with funny moments. The writing was simple and easy to follow. I think the author could've handled the multiple POV's better but it wasn't terrible.

"Look at me. I don't want to have to say this all the time. It's the sort of thing that's supposed to go poetically unsaid..." He meets my eyes, "You're still Simon Snow. You're still the hero of this story."

I won a copy of Carry On through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Personally, I think it is essential to read Fangirl before attempting to read Carry On. My reasoning is such: the main character of Fangirl (Cath) is a huge fan of the Simon Snow novels and writes her own fan fiction surrounding the character and his world. Carry On represents one of those Simon Snow novels in its entirety. Readers who start with Carry On, without the prior knowledge of what it represents, may mistaken its similarities to Harry Potter as a rip off of the famous novels instead of that which it is actually.

Rainbow Rowell has twisted the magical world with this novel and, once I realized the book for what it was, I really enjoyed it. Although some of the world has shades of Harry Potter, the author has taken pains to depart from the similar to completely unique. I was entertained by the novel and was genuinely saddened when it ended. I would definitely recommend Carry On to other readers, especially to those who like books about the magical world.

Simon Snow is starting his final year at Watford School of Magic and just wants to relax and enjoy the last year. Unfortunately things aren't starting off well for Simon, his girlfriend wants to break up with him, his mentor thinks he's a danger and wants to send him away and his roommate hasn't shown up yet. And to top that all off Simon things his roommate is actually evil but he can't help but worry about him.

Carry On is a spin off novel based off the fan fiction from Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. With a lot of Harry Potter type elements a lot will compare the two books but I myself haven't read the Harry Potter series.... yes, I've admitted again I haven't read them. But that means I can't honestly say how similar this one get to Harry Potter or not and I probably wouldn't worry about it if I had, if you love books on magic then just enjoy the ride.

What I did find in this book was a really fun read that had me laughing all the way through. I immediately became attached to Simon as a character as he often had me laughing but then when introduced to Baz in the second book I fell in love with him too.

The book alternates the point of view between characters all the way throughout and what this does is let a reader get to know each of them a lot better. I found myself quite enjoying all of the characters as it went along. The story has a slight bit of a love triangle type of aspect but it's actually more that had me laughing the way it's set up. But the main couple then become absolutely charming when together.

Overall, a fun fantasy read that won me over with the humor of the story, I won't say it didn't have it's flaws here and there but I had too good of a time laughing along to not rate this one high.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, this was a weird ride for me! Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors, and one of my favorite books by her--Fangirl--was about a girl named Cath who loved to write fanfiction about gay magicians. After that book was published, Rowell wrote a book about the gay magicians. That's this one.

I wasn't sure what it was going to be when I picked it up. The bits I enjoyed probably the least about Fangirl were Cath's fanfic excerpts, though I liked having context for what she was trying to do with her stories. So first I thought maybe it would be the book she was writing fic about, and then I thought maybe it would be spun like it was actually her fanfiction, but neither of those is quite what it is. It's Rowell's book about those characters. And they do their gay magician thing, but they also seem just shy of genre aware of the parts they play and they reject the paths that are usually written for characters of their "types." Sometimes. Other times they do what they're supposed to, and revel in it. Sort of.

The most obvious inspiration for the book is clearly Harry Potter, as it's a book about a boy wizard (Simon Snow) going to wizarding school who finds himself famous and different because he is the prophesied Chosen One. He has his smart companion who seems to be a sort of amalgam of Hermione and Ron, and the other one of their threesome is Simon's girlfriend Agatha, with whom he has a clearly lukewarm relationship. And of course the Draco stand-in, vampire roommate Baz, comes prepackaged with his two cronies and his Traditional Bigotry from his family, and they can't not have a rivalry that they both believe will end in death when they're older (and they both believe Simon Snow will win, since Baz knows he's a villain). Our Hagrid is a woman, Ebb, and she's also a powerful magician but nobody seems to really care until the end, and then there's our Dumbledore, who's mostly just known as The Mage and he has a special place for Simon in his heart (but spends most of the story completely absent and not taking care of his school). Watford, the magic school, is in many ways very Hogwarts-like, but in many ways it sort of drags certain aspects of Hogwarts out into the open and says "that is really dumb. there is no reason a wizard school has to have that." They even have a Crucible that chooses your roommate instead of a Sorting Hat that chooses your school house. And everything is deliberately British.

I liked Rowell's take on magic feeling different depending on who casts it, and on different types of dark creatures, and on magickal tools, and on what kinds of classes they take, and especially on Baz's very evocative description of what it's like to be undead. All of these fantastical elements were handled surprisingly well for an author who generally does not write fantasy. And the fact that some of the characters had magic at the center of their world while others just wanted to leave it behind and pay attention to normal stuff was nice too. I didn't like Agatha much as a character, but I loved the idea of her--a person who knows she's beautiful and is kinda arrogant about it, but understands that girls like her don't do well in fairy tales. I love her conception of escape, and how she didn't want to be someone else's happy ending or sacrificial lamb.

The thing I loved the most about this book was, as usual, the way Rowell writes human relationships. The friendships felt relatively real. The romances (well, the main one) came out WONDERFUL. I sometimes read these passages thinking "I just can't believe she can take something as consistently predictable as adolescent love and make it PASSIONATE and VIVID like this." And she doesn't do it with lust or graphic descriptions of sex acts; it's not pretty and picturesque either, and it's got physical elements, but it's just poetry how she writes it without you feeling like she's bribing you to believe. I just love it.

As Cath from Fangirl wrote her fanfiction focused on the Simon/Baz ship, I was expecting them to get together, so that wasn't a surprise, and I was eyeing Simon suspiciously through the entire first 150 pages when Baz had mysteriously not come to school for their last year. His obsession with his missing roommate was dripping with subtext, even though he seemed entirely sure it was about watching out for whatever he was supposedly plotting. When Baz finally arrived on the scene, it was glorious; he made the book come alive for me, and his sections were always my favorite. (I had a little trouble remembering who was narrating sometimes, even though each perspective change is clearly labeled.) Baz is a queer magical vampire who comes from old money and has a dead mom; he's kind of got a lot going on. And what's really interesting about this guy is on some level he does despise Simon even though he's well aware he's also in love with him. He truly sees his flaws and rolls his eyes about said flaws constantly, and Simon's thickheadedness and bad habits and magical incontinence really are irritating to him in a way that isn't constantly reframed as simultaneously adorable. I think that's part of why his attraction felt real; you truly can be irritated to hell by someone and still find them attractive. It's not all black and white. I loved their scenes together, and I loved Simon grappling with his confusion over how he'd even initiated what Baz could never commit to do, and I loved how incredibly familiar they were with each other before they turned their relationship into something else.

In Fangirl, Rowell's character Cath has a line about how she feels like writing fanfiction is saving those characters from an author that doesn't understand them fully. I kinda felt like Rowell herself was doing that to character IDEAS that just always seem to be done a disservice in the stories they're in. She took a hero character and let him still be a hero without spending the whole time trying to keep you from guessing what he's fighting. She took a mentor character and made him worthy of suspicion when he acted so suspiciously. She gave the protagonist a best friend who acted like a best friend without just being a sidekick. She gave the protagonist a love interest who somehow didn't feel predictable falling into his arms despite being his sworn enemy. And she let the beautiful girlfriend escape the destiny of either being sacrificed for male pain or married for male completion. She let her want something else, and she let her run.

And this book does all these things without spending the whole time shoving it in your face that it's doing something. It's unassuming despite its seeming awareness of what it is, and it doesn't go out of its way to do a tap-dance every time it does something clever. She just knows what she's doing, and I will watch her do it anytime, anywhere.

I seriously almost didn’t finish this book. I got to page 120 and I could hardly force myself to continue. I NEVER even think about giving up on books but it seriously almost happened here. However, this book ended up being excellent. It just took a seriously long time to get good, which actually sucks. I don’t even have any suggestions on how it could have improved, I just have to say it is worth taking the time to slog through the first 25% of the book basically.

It felt very Harry Potter-esque but not in a good way. There is a ton of backstory that is rushed through at the beginning and it almost feels like you have been dropped into the middle of a movie with almost no knowledge of what is going on. I did however appreciate the colorful language.

There were some completely surprising moments once it started getting good and really the entire story line went in a direction I did not expect at all but LOVED. I really can’t go into it very much without ruining it but let’s just say that I appreciated the romance aspect of this book; it was refreshing and fun. I was rooting so hard for a specific love connection and I won’t spoil it by saying if I got my wish or not!

The ending was satisfying though a bit rushed. It also got a little cheesy and mushy for me at that point. I still really enjoyed it and I am wishing for more from Rainbow Rowell with these characters.

I really enjoyed Rowell's book, Fangirl, which is where this story originated. It's the book that the MC reads in Fangirl. I thought it was pretty cool that the author would turn this book within a book into something real and I was curious to see if it was any good. I initially went into this thinking it would be something like the Harry Potter series and while there is magic in this world, Rowell puts her own spin on it and the storyline is different entirely.

I will say that there wasn't nearly as much action and intrigue as I was hoping. The pacing was a bit slow and the book dragged on for quite a bit before I really started liking it. I kept waiting for that big moment that would capture my attention and keep me glued to the pages and it didn't happen. Not to say that the book isn't good, it just wasn't as amazing as I hoped it would be. While I liked Simon, Baz, and the gang enough, I didn't love them.

When thinking about Simon and Baz, I didn't really connect to them as a pair. I just didn't get when the relationship went from mutual distaste to mutual liking and the sudden shift, at least from Simon's side just didn't make sense to me. Between the pair, I definitely liked Baz more and found him far more interesting. I enjoyed their individual stories much better.

Overall, Carry On is decent and I liked it in the end. It wasn't as entertaining as I was hoping, but not bad. If you're curious to see how Rowell tackles light Fantasy and Magic, then give it a try. It's a slow start and definitely not my favorite from her in general, but worth a read nonetheless.

Okay so everybody loved this one and I just thought it was okay.

First of all, the world building, while totally necessary and entertaining, was super long and I honestly tried to read as fast as I could to get to what I actually wanted to read. I admit that I enjoyed the world that was built and the different plots going on but it took forever to get to the actual romance, which is what I really wanted to read about. Which leads to my next point.

The romance. While there were moments that were absolutely adorable and I loved them, there were NOT enough of them! I felt kind of cheated. This book is a long one so I don't understand why there couldn't be more focus on that aspect of the story.

Finally, the ending. It was horrible. The climax was super rushed and then everything was over so quickly that I had to actually go back and read it again because I thought that I missed something. It was such a huge disappointment considering all the time invested in getting to that point.

In the end I gave it three stars because it was entertaining and I did like a lot of the book, but these three things kept me from enjoying it to the point of recommendation.

This was my first Rainbow Rowell book, and I must say, it was very entertaining. Since I haven't read Fangirl (which I understand is the book in which Simon the character was introduced), Carry On was quite confusing in the first few chapters. Sadly, the first section (labeled as "Book 1") was also not very interesting. I kept waiting for the well-known Baz to show up, but he never did until "Book 2". But I still appreciate the world building at the beginning; I probably wouldn't have understood much if it went too fast.

Something else that I really admired is the spells. At first it may have seemed rather silly and "unbelievable": what kind of magician uses nursery rhymes and idioms to convey magic? But later on, I realized the significance. The mages used these clever sayings and conveyed magic through the power of words. I've always been a firm believer in the power of words, so I greatly applaud this quirk.

I loved the ending too--it was deep and emotional, balanced out with reality and fluff. Something about Rowell's writing style portrayed this mixture really well. It wasn't all about everyone living happily ever after while Simon and Baz run off into the sunset together. No, there was Agatha's internal crisis that was kind of solved (but not ideally), and Simon didn't forget Penelope. But, most importantly, there was hope for a happy future, and that was what essentially made the ending so admirable.

There's so much more I could say about this book (Simon + Baz, the Humdrum, the Mage), but they all lead to the fact that I highly recommend this book. Even if you haven't read Fangirl like me, give it a try! You might be surprised...I was. It's certainly not as light and childish as it may seem at first.

I was extremely excited to hear that Rainbow Rowell was working on another book. She instantly became my favorite author after reading Eleanor & Park. Although Carry On did not live up to my expectations, Rowell will remain an auto buy author. You win some, you lose some.

The idea for this story began when Rowell wrote Fangirl. In Fangirl the female protagonist, Cath is in love with a fictional character named Simon Snow. She and her twin sister Wren hang out in Simon Snow forums, write Simon Snow fan fiction, and dress up like the characters for every movie premiere. Wren starts outgrowing the fandom but Cath can’t let it go. Rainbow admits she wasn’t able to let go of Simon’s character after writing Fangirl so did her own version of his story. Hence Carry On. When I first heard about Carry On I was super hesitant because I am the first to admit the fan fiction parts in Fangirl were not my favorite. Just knowing Cath wrote fan fiction was enough for me, but because I didn’t enjoy that bit I rated the overall story 4 stars. As hesitant as I was I knew I loved Rowell’s writing and that she would make it entertaining at the very least. There were definitely entertaining parts. The romance was what kept me reading. Everyone knew there was going to be romance, but it was vague who the romance was between. There’s a small cast of characters to choose from and I think the obvious choice is made, but it’s one not written about much in YA. Simon Snow falls in love with Baz (hint – they’re both male characters).

I loved that Baz wasn’t in the story right from the beginning. I enjoyed the wait. I knew he would make a grand entrance. Baz fairly early on lets on that he is in love with Simon, but Simon seems to have absolutely no clue and I spent much of the book mentally shoving Baz at Simon. What happens in Carry On is written so much better than I imagined. So the romance gets an A+ from me. The rest of the story mimics Harry Potter. Simon is the Chosen One, the trio is trying to figure out what is going on, defeat the bad guy, etc. It’s definitely not a parallel story there are huge differences. The writing was definitely not as smooth as in her previous books. The decision to include UK jargon and spelling was confusing and unneeded. There were many pop cultural references, but I think instead of helping the story it a.) dates it, and b.) comes off as lazy. One example of this is a dining room looking like the set of Downton Abbey. I’ve never seen the show so that description, or lack of description, was completely lost on me. The antagonist isn’t really explained well. The mage seems corrupt, the Hundrum doesn’t make sense, and the spells were just silly. People die and I just shrugged my shoulders. While I am impressed with the way everything was tied up at the end it definitely didn’t feel like a proper ending. What started out as a great story turned into a complete mess somehow. I rated Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 3 sad little stars.

This book was just amazing. I bought it because the premise sounded good, and honestly for the price, I thought, "what the hey". Little did I know that I was about to be sucked into a book about magic harder than I had been since reading Harry Potter. Simon Snow is amazing. He's a dork who feels like everyone expects the world of him, expects him to be a legend, but he's painfully aware that he's not legendary, just...human.

Honestly, I stayed up til 4 am reading this book. I devoured it in its entirety in 2 days. I could not put it down. I did not want to. It is well-written with rounded characters and believable relationships.

Read this for funny quips, for mysteries, for gay romance, for an amazing plot, for a unique take on magic--read this for YOURSELF. Seriously, this book is amazing. I recommend it highly to pretty much anyone interested in magic! <3 I'm ordering the rest of R. Rowell's books tonight (knowing that they may be different genres) because based on this book alone, I have utter faith that whatever arrives at my door will be gripping, amazing, and impossible to put down.

4 Platypires for Carry On By Rainbow Rowell

I guess I should start off with the fact that Fangirl is one of my favorite books but the Simon & Baz story line wasn't. Its not that I didn't like it, its just that it wasn't my favorite. Now that being said I wasn't going to pass up a new novel by Rainbow Rowell.
Carry on follow Simon Snow aka Harry Potter is on a new adventure. I know its a fan-fiction story and there are lot of differences. Its really hard not to compare but it does help that the characters are really different. Plus even though the world building is similar to HP- Carry On comes across as more realistic. Using too much magic drains it, the spells are in actual English, and most likely any magician will have to get a real job after finishing school.
The story started off slow and at first I was a tad put off. Basically Carry-On is book 8 in this magical world but this is the first time read for all of us. But after a few chapters everything kinda started making sense but it was still slow. The story did not pick up till Baz made his appearance which was between a third to the midway point. Once that happen the story was really engaging and I could not put it down.
The banter between Simon and Baz was just great. Reading their love/hate relationship grow was totally worth reading. Really quite enjoyable and in true Rainbow Rowell fashion she knows how to create some worthwhile dialogue. Just Awesome.
What I didn't like was the constant change of POVs. Just way too many narrators and a few I could care less for. I honestly feel this might have been better written in just dual POVs or in third person. I believe not many authors could get away with it unless they were like Rainbow Rowell with an already huge built in fan base.
Overall this quite an enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it. The story was just fun

If you've read Rowell's Fangirl, then you probably already know who Simon Snow is. The main character in Fangirl, Cath, was obsessed with a series of children's books featuring a young magician named Simon Snow. She wrote epic-length fanfiction as a means of escaping from her real-life problems. "Carry On" was the title of one of her fanfics, and this novel tells one version of the final chapters in the Simon Snow saga.

Of course, Simon Snow is modeled after another boy wizard you may have heard of, and many of the supporting characters and plot points in Carry On will seem familiar to readers. Throughout Carry On, I felt like as though I was reading about a parallel magical universe, one in which the more familiar (to me) Potter story had been turned sideways. I found the contrasts and overlaps very interesting, and I found myself considering all the variations from the Potter saga that form the basis of Simon Snow's World of Mages.

However, overall the book was just okay for me. Comparisons to the Potter series are inevitable--the book practically invites them--and Carry On simply lacks the depth and scope of Rowling's work. However, Rowell's dialogue was clever, and the relationship between Simon and his archnemesis Baz was compelling.

I don't read a lot of fantasy, other than Harry Potter. Maybe because I love Harry Potter so much. It's kind of hard to top J.K. Rowling. And other books that are too similar seem to be trying to hard. But the great thing about Carry On is that it's kind of supposed to be Harry Potter fan fiction in a way because of it's origins in Fangirl. And that made the similarities OK.

And there are a lot of similarities. Simon Snow is prophesied as The Chosen One, he goes to a boarding school to learn magic, he has a brainiac best girl friend, he has a sworn enemy, there is an evil character he must fight in the end, and he even has an adult friend who loves animals.

But there are also a lot of differences. The World of the Mages is not set apart from the Normal world as much as the Magical world of Harry Potter is separated from the Muggle world. The adults in this story all have real jobs, but also happen to do magic. Everyone has cell phones and talks about pop culture. And the spells are spoken in everyday English. British English. But still English.

I loved how Rainbow Rowell was able to create this fantasy world within our real world. And as always in her books, the characters were amazing.

The story is told in first person in chapters with alternating narrators: Simon, Baz, Penelope, Agatha, The Mage, etc. I loved getting inside their heads. It added so much more depth to the story of The Chosen One. Even the minor characters have complex motivations and back story.

I'll be honest. I was a little worried about the gay romance. But I loved it! Reading Baz's thoughts about Simon. And about Simon questioning his sexuality and giving into his desires. It was all so good. I love a good unrequited love story, and Rainbow Rowell does love so well.

There is so much more I could say, but I don't want to give anything away.

I know this is a book I'll read over and over again.

http://www.momsradius.com/2015/10/book-review-carry-on-ya.html

The Basics:

Simon Snow is the Chosen One, destined to save the World of Mages from the Insidious Humdrum and the brewing war between the elitist old families and the Mage who runs Watford school. If only Simon could get his explosive level of power under control. And maybe figure out how to make his girlfriend happy. And uncover what's up with Baz, his vampire roommate, the rival with whom he’s been nursing an obsessive mutual enmity since they were eleven.

The Downside:

The world of Carry On started as the subject of fanfiction in another Rainbow Rowell book, Fangirl, and the vestigially fanfic-y quality of the setup makes the characters a little difficult to connect with in their own right at first (what's with Harry Potter analogue characters always being named Simon, anyway?). Rowling doesn’t have a monopoly on stories about learning magic, of course, but some of the details here are distractingly specific.

The Upside:

Both the characters and world do eventually assert their uniqueness, and it's a beautiful thing when they do. Every conflict, personal or political, is explored on all sides with extraordinary finesse. The status-quo of the World of Mages is prejudicial and wrong, yet the loudest and therefore most influential revolutionary is half-mad and quick to jump to tactics that do more harm than good. There are good people and good intentions to be found on all sides of the fence, including in the camp that simply wants to run far away.

We get to hear what it’s like to be a chosen one waiting to die, trying to minimize the collateral damage, and yet privately clinging to the hope of a happily ever after he can’t even think about starting to build yet. We hear from the love interest who’d rather be at home away from magic and looming war, living her own story in the now, rather than continuing to be used in evil plot after evil plot as hostage or incentive for the Chosen One, on the promise of a chance to be his happy ending, if he ever gets there. And yet, she cares for him. We hear from the brilliant sidekick who throws herself into every adventure and never looks back. We hear from the generation past, who thought they were doing the right thing. We hear from the guy born into the elitist old money culture who knows that he’s growing into more than one thing his family hates, but the love of family remains, sweet and complicated and unresolvable.

Wrap all of that in a sincerely believable, Rainbow Rowell-grade forbidden romance, and Carry On is a masterpiece both as genre commentary and as a story to stand alone, in equal measure.

**I received this book from Macmillan through NetGalley for an honest review.**

As someone who reads fantasy few and far between, I really enjoyed this book. The characters of Simon and Baz started as fanfic in Rowell’s Fangirl novel. As someone who read ff once upon a time I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of it. To get a separate story, a new story of Simon and Baz was a welcomed surprise. I liked the way things were broken out, the several POVs. There were times where I felt greedy, just wanting things to pick up so all the drama could start. It’s funny after 500+ pages I felt like we could have gotten a little more. I found myself totally engrossed in this world of magick which has honestly been tough for me lately.

The world of magick was for sure sometimes hard for me to follow but still rather enjoyable. I liked sassy Baz, he was something else. Penny as well, I really liked her a lot. I liked the sacrifices of Simon, he was so thoughtful and sweet.

I thought overall this was a really good read/look into the world of magick with Simon and Baz by Rowell. If I could change one thing it would be the way things ended. A bit more of a conclusion with some things would have been great in my opinion.

Wow!! Leave it to Rainbow Rowell to come up with a story like this. This is the perfect book for fans of fantasy stories, and especially for anyone who loves a good twist on LGBT fiction.

If you haven't read FANGIRL, you might have trouble getting into this at the beginning, because it contains a lot of "backstory" that pretends to exist in other books but doesn't. Some lines might feel unnecessarily confusing and under-explained for anyone that doesn't understand that this book stemmed from the fanfiction in FANGIRL. However, that doesn't mean that only readers of FANGIRL can understand CARRY ON. Rainbow Rowell, as always, has created a world that sucks her readers in without regret. This book is part parody, part love story, part action-packed fantasy, and part fanfiction. Some of the writing isn't good (too many parentheses, anyone?), but it seems to not be good on purpose, and, quite honestly, it's bad in a good way; this is supposed to be a fake fanfiction, after all.

What I love move about this book--and the reason I devour all of Rainbow Rowell's books--is the buildup. Rowell is THE QUEEN of building up tension. She never pushes her characters together too soon. Only after the reader has been sitting on the edge of their seat for two hours, yelling "Just tell him you love him!" and "Just kiss already!" does she finally indulge. And oh, how the wait is worth it!

“‘What you are is a f***ing tragedy, Simon Snow. You literally couldn’t be a bigger mess.’

He tries to kiss me, but I hold back—‘And you like that?’

‘I love it,’ he says.

‘Why?’

‘Because we match.’”

Carry on was seriously adorable and exciting. I had so much fun reading about these characters. Rainbow Rowell has a way with writing her characters in such a relatable way. I especially adored Baz. He was dark, and humorous and I loved seeing his relationship to Simon. And how soft he could become where Simon was concerned. It was a warm fuzzy read, with some magical excitement. I give it 4.5 stars.

I went into this book with mixed reviews. I knew that lots of people loved it, but I was also concerned that it would read too much like a knock off of Harry Potter. The premise is this: Simon Snow discovers his magic at the age of 11 and goes a a school for Mages where he meets his best friend Penelope, who is wise beyond her years and smart to boot, and his roommate Baz. The novel Carry On is fictional fanfiction of the Simon Snow series written by another of Rowell’s characters that we met in Fangirl. So we have layers within layers. They are in their sixth year and the Humdrum has grown more powerful and it’s time for some decisions to be made.l-

After several chapters, maybe a hundred pages, I stopped focusing on the similarities between Carry On and Harry Potter and became fully absorbed in the story, where I remained until I finished it several hours later. I found Rowell’s use of pop-culture in the spells catchy and humorous. Her characters were likeable and their interactions stirred emotions within me. I found myself grinning when Baz and Simon were flirting or tumbling over their interactions with each other. I felt like Penny and Simon’s friendship was so cemented and natural. It takes real talent to translate emotions from observation into media that feels real, a talent I feel Rowell possesses. She communicates emotion very effectively in that she makes the reader feel right along with the characters. I felt the same way reading Fangirl.

I don’t think I really got anything out of this book other than happy amusement for the time that I was reading it, and it was quite a welcome distraction from Rush Limbaugh. As I mentioned, I was fully absorbed in the story and went into a warp hole where I heard nothing outside of Carry On for the duration of the novel.

Remember much Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy hate each other in the “Harry Potter” series? Imagine if they were forced to be roommates. Imagine if they were forced to work together! Now, imagine that, despite their intense mutual dislike, they’re both secretly crushing on each other! Now: put them into a situation that forces them to both work together, and confront their undeniable attraction. Now change their names from Harry and Draco to Simon and Baz, and you have Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On. That’s essentially what it is: a Harry Potter slash fiction rip-off. But oh, what a magnificent rip-off it is! Here’s the plot in a nutshell:

Simon Snow, an eighth-year student at Britain’s Watford School of Magicks, is the most powerful magician of his generation, and the one prophesied to defeat the Insidious Humdrum. His latest year at school isn’t going so well. His headmaster and mentor, the Mage, normally lets him in on his battle-plans against the Humdrum, but now he’s being all cryptic and leaving him out of the loop—despite the fact that Simon’s been fighting evil since he was eleven! To top that off, he’s losing touch with Agatha, his long-time girlfriend, and his evil roommate, Baz (who constantly plots against him) has mysteriously disappeared. That should be a good thing, right?

Well, maybe. Even with the Mage acting all mysterious, and his love life on the skids, Simon still can’t get Baz out of his head. What is that tosser up to? Is he off plotting with his aristocratic family to unseat the Mage? Preparing for the inevitable final battle for Watford? Or is it possible that Baz himself is in life-threatening peril?

Obviously, Carry On touches on a lot of what you’d find in Harry Potter, though it’s not as fast-paced as its source material. Rowell chooses the slow and steady approach, and manages to bring new meaning to old genre tropes. It’s also got fantastic characters, including Simon, who wrestles with the existential crisis of being “chosen” as much as he does the Insidious Humdrum; Penelope, his fiercely smart best friend; and Baz, an angsty anti-hero with enough snideness and dry wit to make him this year’s teen heartthrob. Carry On may be a rip-off, but it’s also more than that. It’s a funny, moving tribute to the British fantasy saga that made reading cool again. In the words of any fan-girl: it’s positively squee-worthy.

10 stars!!

Oh my goodness, I have not read such a crazy romantic romance in a long while! It was insane!!! And now I’m heartbroken because I finished the book…

Baz (Simon's roommate and my favorite character) is such a fascinating person with such an interesting, even entertaining personality. Even if you hate him, you’ll love reading about him. He’s very easy to empathize with too, no matter how eccentric and even deranged he can be. Baz is awesome!!! I miss him already…

Simon was cool too, though I found him less interesting than Baz. Simon’s backstory and powers (and prophecy) were intriguing. His philosophy of not thinking, to just do things or to rush into things is pretty cute.

Penelope was cute too, but I wasn’t very interested in her as a character, to be honest. As for Agatha, she’s a complex character who is by no means boring, but I rather disliked her. The Mage was…surprising, to say the least. I didn’t really like Baz’s mom (sorry).

On other things, I loved how their magic spells are based on clichés, quotes, and song lyrics! Absolutely awesome! In addition, I quite like how the characters use so many brackets in their first person narrations, especially Baz’s. Baz has such an attractive and intriguing narrative voice as well!!! The quick alternations between point-of-view narrators during some parts of the story were so exciting too!

It was a nice addition to see a reference to Pokemon and the Transformers. :D

Anyway, I wish there was a sequel...

I didn’t think I could ever love a book based on Harry Potter fanfiction. The Potter universe is untouchable, but Rainbow Rowell touched it and I think it’s awesome! The story chronicles the life of Simon Snow, a teenager in his last year at his magical school, Watford, who is also the chosen one, but lacks skill with his wand. Of course, he has to fight something that’s taking over the magical world known as the Humdrum, with the help of his best friend Penelope and evil roommate, Baz. Not only do these three have to tackle the Humdrum, but they also have to figure out who murdered Baz’s mother all those years ago.

What I love most about this novel, is the love affair between Simon and Baz. I knew it was coming because I read Fangirl, but the secret love Baz has for Simon is super cute and it’s so sweet to read, and it’s even better when they actually make moves on each other. It’s the best part of the entire novel. It’s refreshing to read two boys pinning for each other, instead of a boy and girl. Of course, Penelope is awesome in her smart ass, Hermonie way and always being there for Simon. Although, Penelope is more like a mix between Hermonie and Ron, considering she has A LOT of siblings, and she’s really smart. Baz, is more like Draco, which is hilarious because imagine Harry and Draco making out? LMAO! It would be the best thing ever if that were to happen, but also really weird, but who wouldn’t love that?!

The only thing I can say that is weird about this novel is the Humdrum, and the ending. I felt like the ending was rushed, every last left over detail was thrown into the end, and it made sense, but it was a lot to take in at once and as for the Humdrum, he lacked Voldemort quality. I saw the beloved Potter trio in Simon, Baz and Penelope at least a little, but the Humdrum lacked, evil, he lacked character, he was all confusion and weirdness. No offense to the Humdrum, but Voldemort can’t even be named.

All in all, I really loved, loved, LOVED this novel! Baz and Simon have a huge reason to do with it, but there’s something about it that drew me in once I started reading it. I just didn’t want to put it down, and it’s really easy to get sucked into, I guess it has that Potter affect, but even though it’s a fanfic of Potter, Potter will always reign supreme, ALWAYS! But I do give this novel 4.5 stars because it is definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

~ LazyBookLovers

I was interested to read Carry On after finishing Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell earlier this year. Carry On is a fantasy novel featuring the character Simon Snow, and was introduced to readers in Fangirl. Simon Snow is the Harry Potter of in the Fangirl world, and Rowell decided to write her own take on Simon in Carry On. Confused? It’s okay – I was a bit, too. Carry On is basically a Harry Potter satire with its own twist on the magical world.

As someone who grew up with Harry, Carry On was almost insulting to me. It felt like Rowell was using Carry On to rewrite everything she didn’t like about Harry Potter. For example, the students in Simon Snow’s world don’t have servants to bring them food, like Harry does at Hogwarts. Similarly, Simon Snow’s world uses Muggle technology, and mixes with the normal world a great deal. I struggled to get into Carry On for the first 260 pages, but it was due to the Harry parallels. If you’ve never read Harry Potter, or if it’s not a big part of your life, you will probably have a much easier time reading Carry On.

That being said, once a particular scene occurs, I really started to enjoy the book much more. The story was a lot of fun, and I began to enjoy the characters of Simon and Baz. Rowell does a great job in all of her books of creating unique characters that are very intriguing. That is true in Carry On. I also really enjoyed the adventure that takes place within the story, and how intricately woven the plot is.

Moreover, there are a lot of things about Carry On I really did not like. First, the writing style is very experimental, and I felt like it didn’t work at times. For instance, the novel is written in a multiple-perspective format. I did find it cool that Rowell could jump into the mind of any character, but I think the book would be much stronger if she stuck with a few point-of-views. Readers mainly follow Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha, but every once in a while we hear from the Mage (aka Dumbledore) and other minor characters as well. I would have much preferred the book to focus on a few POVs instead of the many represented.

In the same way, I noticed that for the majority of the book the POV changes only when the chapter changes. However, as the book came to a close, the POV began to change in-chapter. I didn’t understand why this format changed so late in the story. While it’s not a big deal, it did disrupt the uniformity of the writing, and detracted from my enjoyment a bit. I also didn’t understand why Carry On was separated into separate books within one larger novel, when each was following the same overall plot line.

Another issue I had with Carry On is the ending. The book is very well-developed and drawn out until the ending, where Rowell provides the reader with a huge info-dump. The big mystery is ‘resolved’ in a single conversation, and Simon is able to figure out the solution to his problem without explaining it at all to the reader. I found this quite disappointing, and was left trying to put together the pieces. I now understand why some people read this book several times over – one needs to, to understand all that happens!

All of the critiques aside, I recommend Carry On if you enjoyed Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I think that I will one day give Carry On another chance, because I do really enjoy Simon and Baz, and I thought the idea behind the story was a lot of fun. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, go in with an open mind and try not to let Rowell’s commentary on Harry bother you. I enjoyed it much more once I got over those parallels!

*This review originally posted at Adventures in Polishland

Midway through Rowell's “Fangirl,” I read the summary for this book, and I about died. This is it. This is the fanfic that the author-narrator is writing in “Fangirl.” It's a Harry Potter inspired story, with some tweaking to the rules of magic and a lovely add-on of some fantastic theories from the earlier Harry Potter days. Mostly that Draco was thought to be a vampire (the love interest totally is, in this book), and that Dumbledore was willing to throw Harry under the bus to defeat Voldemort. Honestly, I could see this having once been a HP Book 6 fanfic (can't be book 7, too much changed), which Rowell returned to and decided to strip down and build back up.

And it's FANTASTIC. While Rowell still gives us a school of magic and a lot of the basic characters of the HP series, she also made a world that feels a lot more compelling, in the end. Sam Snow is a prodigy of magic, yes, but only in his power levels, and not his control. He has two friends, but both are girls, one whom is both pretty AND smart, and the other who is just emotionally mature and very supportive. The groundskeeper? A woman, with a far more tragic past than Hagrid, and an even closer connection to the tragedies of the previous generation. And the villain? Oh, Voldemort killed without remorse, but this enemy takes away the most important part of this world: the magic. He's erasing magic. And that is terrifying, even for someone in the real world.

And...the romance. It's a little frustrating, because it does build up slow, and then all of a sudden BOOM, there, but it still gets me enough that I ship it. Thanks, Rowell. I'm shipping a pairing from a fanfic...written by an author who exists in a different book entirely. This seems very meta.

Look. If you shipped Draco/Harry even a LITTLE BIT, then you need to read this book. It pokes a bit of fun at the ship and then lifts it up high, dusted with gold and shining in the light of a thousand supernovas. It's just pure happiness.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and part of the few that hasn’t read Fangirl. Perhaps this is part of the reason I didn’t enjoy Carry On so much.
Initially it took me a long time to really get into the book. Never having been introduced to this world I was completely lost a lot of the time and even triple checked to make sure that Carry On could be read as a standalone and was not in fact the sixth part of an ongoing series.
I also didn’t realize that the book would read like a mash up of Harry Potter and Twilight fanfic, not a problem I share with other readers maybe, and perhaps not really much of a problem to anyone who goes into this expecting it. I was not, and was a bit disappointed initially to read something that seemed like such a rip off of the original, which I loved btw, and this rewritten version didn’t engender the same love and awe as the original did for me.
I should mention that the story is told from multiple points of view and this can get a bit confusing but on the whole I didn’t have too much of a problem with it myself. I did however think Agatha was totally pointless to the storyline and honestly I wouldn’t have missed her character at all.
However I did enjoy Baz’s character and the interaction between Baz and Simon a great deal. I don’t generally read non straight romance because here I’ve been thinking, how would I relate. Then the whole Simon Baz thing happened and that little thrill of excitement for a new romance flared up. It also helped that I sort of adored Baz.
Almost all the action happens towards the end of the book, which means you just sort of trudge through the whole book without anything of worth happening, interspersed with bits of comedic relief and then boom, a whole bunch of stuff happens. I can’t decide if this is good or bad, on the one hand reading this was almost like trying to work after eating a huge lunch(like thank you very much but do I really have to?) then the ending, and Simon and Baz butterflies and daddy issues and I’m all confused about how I really feel about this book.
After taking a couple of weeks to decide I’m thinking 3 stars for me give or take half a star. Yes, just like Baz, I too am conflicted.

After reading Carry On, I understand why there are so many negative reviews. It's a published novel that's a fanfiction of a fanfiction of a nonexistent book series in a previous novel. Carry On is a stand-alone novel, but it shines brightest after Fangirl. Without the context of Fangirl, I can see why this book would be confusing.

In Fangirl, the Simon Snow characters are introduced, along with the Carry On fanfiction. The novel Carry On makes much more sense in that context. However, because the Simon Snow books were essentially created to give the world of Fangirl a specialized Harry Potter esq fandom, be aware that there are going to be quite a few similarities. The plot is fairly predictable, but I still rated it five stats because I still enjoyed it immensely.

On that note, I was super happy to read this book. Fangirl left this hole in my heart for MOAR SIMON SNOW and this definitely fills that hole... at least for a while (it's never enough haha).

So if you loved Fangirl and also desired more Simon Snow content, it has arrived and this is it. Go enjoy yourself.

At the end, you can read a bit that Rowell wrote about why she wrote Carry On. After creating so much of it as content for Fangirl, she'd invested in the characters already and wanted to give them a conclusion. If you as a reader are not interested in that conclusion, you aren't going to enjoy this book.

If you DIDN'T like Fangirl or you didn't like the Simon Snow bits of Fangirl, skip this book. If you don't like fanfiction, also skip this book. You aren't missing out by not reading something you won't enjoy.

Charles DeLint reviewing Carry On and Fangirl for Fantasy and SF Magazine noted that Fangirl is about a very talented young fan fiction author, whose stories using a Potter-like fictional universe may even be better written than the Harry Potter books.

Carry On is the book Fangirl was writing, a one volume capstone to a Potter-like book series with movies.

Myself, I liked the "perhaps better" question - coincidentally I had just re-re-read J. K. Rowling, including her Robert Galbraith novels. The truly creative re-invention of the British public school novel, magic lurking among us, and perhaps all of the fantasy genre - over shadows just how richly and deeply crafted is every Rowling paragraph.

Rainbow Rowell has her own remarkable voice, first crafting a neat deritive universe and then a tour de force look at both fan fiction and the original excellence of Harry. People dream about a letter by owl inviting them to Hogwarts, live remarkable lives creatively thinking about the Harry universe and its community of fans, and a few write really excellent stories in fan fiction.

Cath, CatMagick, her sister, room mate and boys or boy friends - they are real, fascinating and demonstrate why reading everything Rainbow Rowell is my new habit. But Cath's take on classic fan fiction tropes - like Spock and Kirk as a romantic, probably disconnected from anything recognizably gay - probably drove DeLint's point about better writing.

Carry On is Cath's "Carry On Simon" from Fangirl. While she is offstage as fictional author, Carry On somehow makes Cath even more real, even as it creatively re-invents Harry and clones, and perhaps triumphantly realizes the two-guy romance strand of fan fiction.

Baz, among many other things, is a gay vampire and for 7 years now, Simon's nemesis, say Draco Malfoy more fully realized and doing plot heavy lifting a bit like 50% of Voldemort.

David Gerrold's "Monsieur" (F&SF 9/2016) comments on Spock/Kirk fan fic (masturbation fantasy for straight momen, a sorta analogy to Lesbian porn for men) in setting up a truly gay "romance with the vampire," especially highlighting the arguable exploitation by a vampire of a younger man who seems more fully carried away by love and lust than Twilight's Bella or other straight women fantasizing, or fan fictioning, about an arguably straight, male vampire.

As with the straight women fantasizing about gay romance, I found it hard to identify with Kirk/Spock romance or watch Brokeback Mountain. Gerrold's young man/old vampire duo, and the perhaps straight writer narrating his own encounter with the young man become - perhaps - a vampire and vampire romantically bewitching the author: the characters were real, even 3D, once you get over gay, vampires and the NAMBLA strand, and work as real people even, or especially, if the reader simply misses sexual attraction, or lust wrapped up in romance.

So I am wondering if Rainbow Rowell outdid Rowling, in parts or derivative parts, but also outdid Gerrold's attempt to write "real" gay men who are also vampires.

Gerrold's follow-on the Monsieur apparently will be privately published (perhaps to gay men, to avoid distractions), and I confess I am not going to try very hard to find and read it. But perhaps one of the best realistic look at gay romance, if you overlook "The Mayor of Castro Street" as a bio of Harvey Milk.

Rainbow Rowell perhaps out writes Gerrold's realistic gay romance, if only because Rowell has a lighter touch with the vampire device as well as young people blundering from friends into lovers and back into friends.

Suggest you follow me - start with Fangirl, then Carry On, and then everything else she has published.

Besides the utter joy of fiction as magical, transformative, good letters, reading the corpus enriches every book, said a fellow who read every Hilary Mantell (Wolf Hall) novel with increasing appreciation and pure joy.

Enjoy!

>Book Review – Carry On –

>I am an independent reviewer. This is a standalone novel of love, fantasy and adventure, along with an HEA. Vaguely reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, this story takes place at a school for magicians. Simon has been tagged with the “savior of all magicians” label, but has yet to live up to it. He is magically inept, which is very funny. No one really knows what to do with him. He is the most powerful magician, in theory, but teachers and classmates can’t seem to show him how to control the magic. Simon’s friend, Penny, is the only person who tries to help Simon and sticks by him.

>Simon is about 18 years old as the story is told. There is a lot of backstory that made me feel as if there was a previous book that I missed. So much action was told about after the fact. I think a prequel book would be a great idea. The Mage is the headmaster of the school. He discovered Simon and brought him to the school. Not to spoil anything, but the Mage is borderline abusive in his treatment of Simon. He sends him to a group home each summer. There is no love or care given to Simon. He has a girlfriend, but the relationship seems to be more for show than any real romance.

>There are two main sources of conflict in the story: the creature eating the magic and Simon’s roommate, Baz. The whole magical realm is fighting amongst each other over how to fight the threat to their magic. The backstory with Baz and Simon is huge, with Baz trying to hurt Simon and Simon trying to stay alive. The twist to the relationship between Baz and Simon is the biggest surprise I’ve had in a book in years.

>In the end, all of the story lines tie up. There are a few characters who were huge disappointments and a lot of surprises. I recommend this story for its twists and turns, even if the romance isn’t up your alley. A more surprising and enjoyable read would be hard to find. This book is recommended for a young adult (16+) to adult audience. I am giving the book 4 stars.

This story was so good!

I’m so glad that Rainbow Rowell decided to write about Simon and Baz, since reading about them on Fangirl their story became one that I really wanted to know and explore. In this book we are told about their past without having to go back, we meet them on their last year at school and about the face the big bad guy, the book is so full of magic, laughter, drama, intensity and so much angst!

It is absolutely beautiful, the world is exciting and you find yourself wishing for those other books, the one that tell Simon’s entire story, but that in no way means this book in lacking in any way, on the contrary, you feel like you have been with them from the beginning and you went through so much to get to the present.

Simon and Baz’s plotline/relationship is no secrets for those of us who read Fangirl and reading about that development in the book was very exciting, I love how everything fell into place, how there weren’t any big revelations, any big moments of OMG I’m Gay! or anything like that, it was just something that was, it was something accepted, the fact that they both like each other and that they were together.

I truly loved and enjoyed this book and at the end I kept putting off reading because I did not want to finish it.

May contain minor spoilers.

Carry On is an alright book. It's not nearly as bad as Fangirl with all the plot holes left unfinished, but it wasn't that good either. Maybe it was because I had such high expectations after reading such good reviews on it. I guess I should know better after reading Fangirl, but I just had to give Carry On a try as well.

So, Carry On. Frankly speaking, there's not much specific parts I can mention about it, not because I wasn't paying attention, but because the details were mundane that they slipped my mind. Simon comes off a little humblebragger in the beginning. He talks about how much he didn't feel like being the Mage's Heir, but hey, someone has to do it and it appeared like the duty just fell down on his shoulders, so he picked it up. At the same time he tell us how dangerous being the Chosen One is and how he never intended to be one, he just regales us about all the things that he had accomplished from from all the previous years (Simon is in his 8th years now, the last year at Watford).

I like Simon's relationship with Penny. It's nice to see a girl and a guy being friends without being in a romantic relationship. The problem is the story took too long to get going. We spent ~1/4 of the book covering what happened in Simon's 1-7 year, what made him special, the Mage's political scheming that everyone but oblivious Simon could see, why is Penny and Simon best of friends, the breakup of Agatha and Simon's relationship that was totally unnecessary drama if only the story started off with them not in a relationship in the first place (but hey, apparently it totally needed that love triangle thing they had going on with Simon, Baz and Agatha). There's so much information about the characters and not enough plot. Maybe if Rowell gave me the time to learn to love the characters, I could have overlooked the TMI information about the characters, but the problem is that I Don't Care. Watford seemed to be in an interesting position now, but I could have honestly done without all the unnecessary extra information. Penny also has a boyfriend she mentions frequently in America who didn't come to play at all in the story? Why? (So it's obvious that despite Penny and Simon being best of friends, they're not getting together, that's why.)

A lot of people compared Watford to Hogwarts of Harry Potter, and I can see it. There's Ebb the goatherder (Hagrid), the Chosen One Simon (Harry Potter) and his rival/love-to-hate Baz (Draco, down to the prestigious family and their view that only pureblood should have access to the school). It didn't help that the setting was very similar as well.

I'm going to nitpick from now on, which means spoilers, which means read at your own risk.

Baz and Simon getting together: I frankly think Rowell took the easy way out here. She did a pretty good job setting up the obsession Simon had with Baz, under the thin veneer that he may be plotting against him, but Penny wasn't fooled and neither was Agatha. Problem is, once Baz came back, Rowell automatically established that Baz love Simon from the beginning, so the hard part of that was taken care of. It just seemed so convenient to their love story and frankly a little unbelievable, considering Rowell never really stated HOW Baz fell in love with Simon when Baz saw him as an idiot and a fool half of the time. Then, when they actually kissed, it was a cliche to have Simon doing that in attempt to save Baz's life. The subsequent everything regarding their relationship after that was so... mundane. There was no conflict, to be or not to be, merely accepting that they are in love with each other and would love to Carry On kissing each other. Simon decides to not worry about the conflict brewing between Baz's family and the Mage (which Simon sides with), a fact that made Baz called Simon stupid, yet he just... went along with it? Baz established himself as homosexual, but Simon never really thought about his sexuality at all. Also, half of the time, even after Baz confessed to loving Simon, I don't see or feel it in his POV.

Conductor: So Simon couldn't control his power, but he can basically become a human magical battery and pass his power to someone else. Cool concept, except for the part where apparently only Baz can access his power. Penny tried and it felt like a painful electrical shock. The question I want to ask is WHY? Is it because Baz is his One True Love? Or was it once again, all for convenience's sake?

Baz the Vampire: The book spent so much emphasis on Baz being a vampire, yet aside from him drinking rat/deer blood occasionally, we see nothing else on that? Baz has so much struggles accepting that he is a vampire, which is expected because vampires are looked down upon as dark creatures in the Magical World and oh, vampires killed Baz's mother, which is how Baz ended up changing in the first place. Yet, there isn't much of a focus there. Simon made Baz say that he is a vampire aloud, and the whole issue was just... dropped? There were also mentions of Baz's extraordinary strength/speed as a vampire, yet it never came in handy/mentioned again because apparently everyone much drive everywhere nowadays. Watford's version of broom, maybe?

The Mage: I know Rowell tried to make him sympathetic, the guy who tried so hard for good reforms and was forced to use so many bad means that he turned bad, but... it didn't really work? His real name is apparently Davy, he created Simon to be the Chosen One, I'm assuming his wife Lucy died because she came back from the Veil, yet there was no mention of how. The story spent so much time from Lucy's part telling us how he tried so hard, but no one is listening to him and thinks he is nuts that I wonder how he ended up being elected by the Coven (and ironically enough, that's the Magic of Ministry for Carry On, not an evil vampire hide out that's going to appear later on.)

Nicodemus: Why, why, Baz's mother? Why didn't you just tell them that it was the Mage? It would have saved the characters so much trouble and saved me so much time and page. I like how Simon, Baz and Penny got closer, but honestly, in the end, I don't even know what's the point when both Baz and Penny admit that the other is smart but they still don't really trust each other. Nicodemus is apparently a mage who willingly walked over to the vampire side, so he is immortal, but... he has no access to magic or exhibits any true benefits that comes with being a vampire. I mean, what? How does that even work and why, why would anyone do that to himself? Immortality, yes, but the story shows that he miss his family and his twin so much. Did he really think this through?

Ebb: A true sweetheart, who, IMO, died for no reason at the end of the story. Her story is a tragedy. If there's anyone I feel keenly for, it's her. It didn't even feel like Simon tried very hard to save her.

The Humdrum: ...Why? So apparently Simon is the Hundrum...? I don't understand was this the case because the Mage meddled with Simon while he was still in his mother's womb, or because Simon was born destined to be both the Chosen One and the one who destroys all of magic. I still don't understand the Humdrum's intention/aim/goal. He is whatever Simon left behind, or something like that. What does that mean, honestly? He is destroyed by Simon giving him all his power, a hole that just wanted to be filled up. For one, innuendo. For two, I still have no idea how or the Humdrum is created, and why did that work? Was Simon originally a Normal? That's the theory and he only had power because the Mage messed with him while Simon was still in the womb, but the Mage and Lucy were both wizards or whatever. Why would they end up creating a normal?

The Ending:
The ending was so... messy and almost anticlimactic. Penny and Baz arrived. Baz pretty much didn't do anything? Penny... Penny casted this one spell and Simon ended up saying a few words and the Mage, also the apparent antagonist, just fell over and died.

... Talk about anticlimactic. The Mage was Simon's father, I think (80% sure). I say I think because the story ended up being that confusing. So did Simon ever realize that he killed his father. Why did Simon end up with wings and a tail after his magic was gone? Was it really necessary? Agatha ended up contributing nothing to the ending except 1) causing Ebb's death and 2) running away.

Penny's mother ended up taking control after ending, which... What? If anything, I thought it would be the dark and evil Pitch-Grim, not Penny's mother. The book repeatedly reminded us that she's smart, but was she ever in running? She and her family seemed so powerless when the Mage -came back time and again, attempting to invade their home. What happened with the traitorous, you're-no-son-of-mine Premal? Why was everything between the Pitch-Grim and Simon/the Mage's Men/the Coven just fine in the end?

HOW CAN SIMON AND BAZ BE TOGETHER IN THE END? Baz's family doesn't approve, never did, (which speaking of which, SERIOUSLY, they did nothing but treat Simon with hospitality when he literally walked into the Lion's den? Here was the perfect chance that they've all been waiting for and they just... let him go because Baz claimed they were doing a school project??) Penny and Simon moved in together, which once again, love their friendship but why?? Penny has a boyfriends in America, did she not care for him anymore, did the boyfriend not mind? Simon and Baz ARE boyfriends, why are they not living together (because they're sick of living together after 8 years in Watford, apparently. They don't have a future as boyfriends if they could only stand each other for 8 years.) Simon is essentially a Normal now and he had went to Watford, a magical school, for 8 years. How is he supposed to live/find a job now? There's so many repercussions that the ending never addressed, and I'm only mentioning what I remembered. By the end, I just read it because why not, I wasted hours of my life on this, I might as well waste a few more minutes to skim through so I can finish.

In conclusion, Carry On is messy. From Fangirl, I know that Cathy was supposed to have written this as Fanfic. At times when I'm remember, I'm impressed that it's pretty good quality by fanfiction standard (90% garbage, 10% quality work). At times, for the same reason, I shake my head. Carry On didn't read like a fanfic, not really, but it's quality wasn't up to publishing standard either, IMO. Once again, very long unnecessary beginning, little plot, lots of plot hole in the little plot that it has, character flaws, has potential that Rowell never rose up to meet.

If I have so many criticisms, why 3-stars then? Where's the saving grace? Answer: it's charming, Carry On. It's spells/magic is based off of common/powerful phrase ("Up, up away" "Some people like it hot"). Apparently this one side character briefly mentioned has a magical belt instead of a wand, so everything he cast a spell, he has to thrust his hip. Nice balance of female and male cast. I like Penny; she's a strong female character. There's a nice modern spin to the whole Magic World idea. Some of the language/phrase that Rowell wrote are seriously nice. The idea of Simon creating wings to fly is cool (keeping them is not though). The potential was there; it just wasn't met.

Carry On is so meta, that it is a fanfic based on a book about fanfics of a series similar to Harry Potter. Simon Snow first appears in Fangirl, as the titular character of the series Cath Avery loves and writes fanfics about. From that book, not much was known about the series aside from the fact that the rivalry between Chosen One, Simon, and his roommate/nemesis Baz hides a deeply passionate love. But Carry On is neither that nor the original (or canon in Fangirl universe); having a story that is deeply involved in the characters and blends magic, comedy and loads of shipping. Simon is back at Watfords for his final year (something Harry Potter never got) and he is sort of tired of his Chosen One status that has been thrust upon him since the day he came into his powers. He is in love with Watford, and everything that it stands for but his powers are as unpredictable as Baz’s moods, and he fears the day he won’t be able to come back to it.

For the final year, Simon is deeply melancholy and when Baz doesn’t return for the school year at the start, he gets worried that he is planning something. In the World of Mages, there is a power struggle going on and these two are on opposite sides of that war. But when Baz’s mother’s spirit comes to Simon, he and Baz share a truce to investigate her murder. Soon enough Penny (his BFF) and Agatha (his ex who likes Baz now) are roped in, but they are missing parts of the equation when it comes to the Humdrum (sort of like an anti-magic vacuum) and the circumstances around the attack on the school. As Simon and Baz become sort of friends, Simon realizes that he might be gay, but he doesn’t concern himself over figuring it out; bigger problems and all that, but it isn’t swept aside either. On the other side, watching Baz trying to get over Simon was hilarious at some moments (he pushed him down stairs!). These two dorks are too adorable and I loved how the book ended – in a bittersweet way, but with good resolution of characters’ arcs.

Received a free galley from Pan Macmillan, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fantastic. I loved it so much. I just finished it and I already want to go back and read it again. Everything that I was worried about disliking was washed away by the first chapter alone.

It was amazing. Snarky Baz, gung-ho Simon, witty Penelope, the magic of Watford, the insidious Humdrum, the corny yet fascinating and catchy spells. This novel was an absolute joy to read.

For those of you who haven’t read “Fangirl” by Rowell you might not know about Simon Snow, but in that novel he is basically that universes Harry Potter. Simon Snow is the chosen one who is expected to defeat the insidious Humdrum and protect the magic in their realm. There are many similarities between Carry On and Harry Potter and shockingly that doesn’t make it come off as a parody but as an homage.

This novel is great on its own and you don’t have to read “Fangirl” to like it, but it may make you appreciate it more. I definitely recommend this novel. It was a real treat and fans of Rainbow Rowell, Harry Potter, magical schools and romance will adore this novel to pieces.

I am a huge Rainbow Rowell fan and was so excited to read Carry On. I hate to admit it, but I really wasn't as in love with it as it seems like everyone else was. It was light, fluffy, and fun like most of Rainbow's other books, but it felt a little drawn out at the beginning and rushed at the end.

I enjoyed the plot for the most part, but Simon's character really bothered me for some reason. He was "The Chosen One", yet he never really seemed to be all that special, and he knew it too. He was constantly whining and complaining and I never felt a connection with him. I also felt like there were way to many things that copied Harry Potter. The story had so many similarities that I was constantly forced to compare the two stories.

All in all, I enjoyed the story, but it didn't live up to the expectations. I love every other story Rowell has written, but this one didn't suck me in like the rest. I would still recommend it to friends if you enjoyed Fangirl, but it wouldn't be on my top list of books this year.

I've read and liked Rainbow Rowell's books before, so when I learned that she had a fantasy novel out, I just had to read it. The synopsis grabbed me from the start. I mean, a male couple in a magic school? Sign me up! This book is the author's interpretation on Simon and Baz, who first appeared as characters in a fanfiction in Fangirl, another of her YA novels.

I found the first part to be on the slower side, but I understand it has to be this way to introduce the characters and the world, as Carry On is supposed to be the last book in a series. But when Baz appears, the story picks up and it became much more interesting. I loved Simon, but the one who really made this book magical was Baz. I appreciated how Simon just went with the flow, and all his determination at catching his nemesis on the act was really how he dealt with his hidden feelings. The two of them are so great together and all their interactions were very entertaining.

The friendship that developed between Penelope and Baz was also fun to see, like how they talked about magic and how awesome their mothers are. The magic system was really interesting. As I understand, the more the words are used, the more effective they are. The plot was also a great part of everything and the author wove all those elements together that made me completely fall in love with this story.

There is, however, one character that I found unnecessary. Agatha didn't really have a big part in the plot. I didn't understand her half of the time and let's not mention the fact that she wanted Baz while she was going out with Simon, which was confusing because they haven't really interacted much.

The ending was awesome, but I found myself wanting more of this world and I can definitely see some loose ends that can be developed into a sequel. In overall, it was a great story that fans of Harry Potter should definitely check out!

I have to start off by saying I will try not to post spoilers but some might slip.

When I first started this book I immediately thought it was a knock off Harry Potter book. A kid named Simon, who’s parent’s gave him up after birth goes from orphanage to orphanage till a Mage comes to him and tells him that he is magical. The Mage takes the boy to a school named Watford School of Magicks. It is an 8 year long school. There is an evil person who wants Simon dead. Or at least they think he wants Simon dead. Simon has only 2 friends. His girlfriend and a girl named Penny. Simon’s roommate Baz is one of his biggest enemies who has tried to kill him many times at school. Does that not sound awfully familiar to Harry Potter?

That being said the more I read the book the more I liked it. There are Vampires, Mages, Normals (aka no magickals), numpties, fairies, and more! The rest of the book doesn’t stay on the same course as Harry Potter. It definitely has its own plot to stand on. It has an interesting twist in the book that I didn’t expect. In the end I have to say I would recommend this book to others. Rainbow Rowell is a great writer. I look forward to reading more of Rainbow Rowells books in the future. I also wish there was a 2nd book to Carry On. I would like to know more about how the characters are living their lives now that school is over, specially Simon.

I received this ebook for free in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Title: Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Series: N/A

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

Okay, I'll be honest here: When I first tried to read this novel, it rang a lot of Harry Potter for me, so much so that I had to put it down for a while. I mean, all the elements were there: magic, mystery, loads of food porn, lots of kissing and witty banter. But when I picked it up again, I decided to put Harry Potter out of my head and just let the book lead me where it wished. My first (and favorite so far) Rainbow Rowell novel, Fangirl, references the Simon Snow series a lot, and I was so excited when I found out that Rowell was writing an actual novel for Simon.

What can I say? This book is a fantasy, but to say it's a just a fantasy does this story a real disservice. It's not just a fantasy--it also pays homage to a lot of familiar elements of that genre, but done with Rainbow Rowell's signature panache and style. I loved it, I'm just going to say it. I really, really loved this book when I finally let go of my "this is just a Harry Potter knockoff" thoughts. For a lot of people, this book was so meta that they couldn't read it, but I really enjoyed it.

The pacing was fantastic, breakneck right out of the gate, and I loved the way the narrative bounced between all the different characters. (I'm such a fan of multiple POVs now, before and after this book. Lol.) I also loved the characters themselves, from Simon, to Baz, to Penelope and Agatha, and back again. I loved this book so much. It just seemed to suck me into it, even when I had my heels dug in. It was so gosh darn good. Even when I wasn't sure I was on board or not! Oh, Rainbow Rowell. If you hadn't already made me a die-hard for your writing with Fangirl, Carry On would've done the job too! Absolutely wonderful! There were some points in the book that were just sort of cheesy, which is why this is only getting four stars instead of the full five, but you can't have everything! Next on deck: The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine!

This is probably one of my favorite books of all time, if not my favorite. I think the whole satirical take on the 'chosen one' trope was very well done without sounding over the top. It was all very subtle in execution. And even though I knew that is what it was, it was still its own, independent story. It was a joy to read. Even the first 10 or so chapters are simply talking about the main character and his friends/enemies were interesting.

Rowell's style is very real. I love books that sound like they could happen in real life and that sound like things I would actually say or do. The character growth was awesome and the relationship the two boys had was so adorable and heartwarming. The REPRESENTATION!!! So happy she created this story (and I hear a SECOND BOOK IS COMING!!!). Overall, I love it.

4.5 STARS!

I first picked up Carry On, admittedly, because of the hype all over book community, and I had very high expectations going into it.

The first chapter, maybe because my expectations were a little TOO high, felt like a bit of a letdown. I began to see it as one of those holiday books were you just cruise through and not really pay a whole lot of attention.

But then, I don’t know what happened! I just found myself turning more and more pages and the story just completely sucked me in! I got completely wrapped up in what was happening and I loved the relationships between the characters in the book.

One thing that stood out for me was how well-developed the characters were. There wasn’t one of those flat, secondary character that we just come to expect when reading a novel of this size (and a fantasy novel, too). For example, I loved Agatha’s character. Though she could have easily been written in a very negative light (after what happens between her and Simon, no spoilers), she had a reason for everything, and those chapters from her POV completely fleshed out her character, and, as I’ve said, it would have been extremely easy just to paint her as “the other love interest that no one’s rooting for”. The fact that she wasn’t makes me admire Rainbow Rowell even more and enjoy this book even more!

Aside from characters, the plot was engaging and enjoyable. The twist wasn’t a complete surprise but that didn’t take away the fun of reading it, because it was so well written.

The spells kind of irritated me for the most part, but I could looks past that. The Kit Kat one did make me laugh out loud while waiting for a bus, which garnered some strange looks.

Overall, I think a 4.5 is fair and it’s very deserving. It’s definitely closer to 5 than 4, so maybe a 4.6? Anyway, a highly enjoyable and fast read despite the size, and I would definitely recommend.

Ever since Fangirl, I was attracted to the other fictional story inside that book because it reminded me of Harry Potter.

So, of course I wanted to read it!

It starts out with a lot of detail and is separated out into chapters that are told by a different character each time. I love that Rainbow didn't make it messy since she took that route.

It is easy to tell that Simon has a hold on Baz and vice versa and it's just one of those frustrating fictional things that annoy you. In a good way. We don't really meet Baz himself until part two of the book and, after that, they are just at each other's throats.

If you have read Fangirl, you know the relationship between Baz and Simon. I didn't like the fact that there weren't many..."kissy" moments between the two. That's the only problem I really had.

I kind of, sort of didn't and did know who the evil character was in the end, but I didn't expect certain death(s). I've never read a Rainbow Rowell book that was filled with heavy thoughts like this, but it was a very enjoyable read that had me going all night.

This is one of those rare books where the characters stay with you even after you're run out of pages. The kind book where you miss the characters after the story ends. Books like this are few and far between for me. Simon, Baz, and Penny will stay with me for a long time.

When I first started reading this book, it reminded me a lot of Harry Potter - a school for magical children, spells, magical creatures... all that stuff. When I realized this I thought that I would be comparing the two the whole time, but above was where the similarities ended for me. Simon is the Chosen One and attends the school for mages - Watford. He has more magic than any other mage in the world. He is the mages' only hope of defeating the Humdrum who is stealing all of the magic from the world. However, Simon cannot control his magic. He's more likely to destroy everything that to help anything. He prefers to use his sword to his wand. As if things aren't already going sideways for Simon, his roommate at Watford for the last 7 years is been his sworn enemy. Baz and Simon are constantly at odds. If it weren't for the spell that keeps roommates from harming one another, they probably would have taken each other out within their first year. They are on opposite sides of the war brewing between The Mage (the school's radical headmaster who believes anyone with magic, no matter how little, should be taught to wield it) and the Old Families (wealthy mages who believe that only the strongest mages should be educated). Baz is a Pitch one of the most influential of the Old Families. The Mage made Simon, an orphan his heir, in order to get him into Watford. Simon and Baz have plotted against one another since being assigned as roommates. Simon is convinced that Baz is a vampire and spends a lot of time trying to expose him.

Simon is in his last year of school. He returns for the start of the year and Baz never shows up. Simon is sure that Baz has purposely not come back to school and is plotting Simon's demise. While Baz is missing, Simon is Visited by Baz's mother who was killed by vampires when Baz was young (Baz was bitten in the process). Baz's mother tells Simon that she was murdered and tells him the name of the person who knows who killed her. When Baz eventually returns to school, Simon promises to help him find out who killed his mother. They take a break from plotting one another's demise and work together to find out who killed Baz's mom. Their search for Baz's mom's killer leads them to finding out more about the Humdrum and that there is more to everything that has happened than they expected. I don't want to give anything away so I'll leave it at that.

One of my favorite things about this book was how the spells are cliches and common sayings. This was so cleverly done.

I was a little disappointed in the ending. It seemed hurried and didn't include all of the characters. I thought it was weird that the reader finds out who Simon's parents are but Simon never does. The big showdown at the end was a little anticlimactic and rushed.

I borrowed this book from the library, but I enjoyed it so much that I will be buying it to put on my shelf that I can read it again later.

This book sits at somewhere between 4.5 and 5 stars for me, so I decided to give it 5 stars. I started reading this book back in October as soon as it came out and my library got it. I was busy and only managed to get a little over 100 pages into it. I returned it to the library and purchased my own copy, because I just KNEW that this was a book that I wanted in my own collection and I needed to buy another book to use up a gift card and get free shipping.

I picked this book up again yesterday at jury duty and quickly flew through the pages. It didn't take me long to get back to where I was when I last put the book down, plus another 150 pages. And all day this morning I didn't want to put the book down, getting all my tasks for the day done was a chore.

I loved this book. The characters were lovely and I was constantly laughing. It was an easy read for me, there wasn't a lot about the world that I had trouble understanding and the plot easily flowed. I didn't find the pacing too fast or two slow, but there were a few moments when it switched POV where you had a read a few lines to figure out when in time everything was taking place. I liked the mystery and the plot of everything as well. It was really interesting, trying to put the puzzle together as the characters did and having pieces of it that they did not have.

Also stories like this? This is what a lot of people want when they talk about LGBT representation in books. They want to know that they can be main characters and chosen ones too. LGBT fiction doesn't have to be about the struggles of being LGBT. It can be fluffy stories about falling in love with your first love or they can be stories about going on an adventure and finding love along the way. The same that straight characters have been doing in books for years.

I loved this book. The spells were entertaining, the story engaging and the characters worked together fabulously (though Agatha was a pain). There were so many funny moments in the story, but at the same time there's this very serious mess going on with the Humdrum and the impending wars. Those genres blended together perfectly though!

I didn't really know what to expect with this book--all I knew going into it was that it had to do with magic. I'm not used to reading books that have prominent gay storylines, but the dynamic between Simon & Baz certainly was electric.

Highly recommend. I read this because I loved Attachments, and I am glad I did! Can't wait to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed Fangirl and when I saw that Rowell was going to write the book Carry On (which is the book the character in Fangirl was working on) I was ecstatic. I pretty much devoured this book. Definitely a guilty pleasure here.

If you read Fangirl you know the premise of this book. Simon Snow has returned for his last year of magic school only to find that his nemesis and roommate, Baz, is missing. Throughout the story Simon is struggling with controlling his magic which is meant to fight the Humdrum, an evil entity that is destroying magic throughout England. When Simon receives a ghostly message from Baz’s mom, Simon and Baz end up joining forces to solve the mystery Baz’s mother left behind. In the process Simon and Baz find out that they might not be the enemies they thought they were.

This wasn't a great fantasy book, but it was a well done relationship type of book and I enjoyed the fantasy backdrop to it. If you were a fan of Fangirl and really wanted to know more about Baz and Simon Snow (the characters Cath from Fangirl wrote fanfic about) this was a great read.

I really enjoyed it a lot and absolutely loved having the opportunity to read more about Simon and Baz. Watching as Simon and Baz fall in love and learn to join forces despite their star-crossed relationship was sweet and engaging. For those who care....this story does feature two teen boys who fall in love, so if that bothers you...

You can’t help but compare this to Harry Potter (it was kind of meant to be Harry Potter fanfic). However the story has different enough elements to it that it kept me interested. I ended up enjoying how the issue with the Humdrum resolved. I also liked some of the twists and turns involving the Headmaster.

It's really too bad this wasn't a better filled out fantasy; I would have liked to read about the adventures between these characters for all the years leading up to this book. However I do realize that fantasy is not really what Rowell writes about. In the end it was probably a better decision for her to just have this be a guilty pleasure sort of stand alone novel.

Overall this was a fantastic opportunity to read more about Simon and Baz (who I absolutely adored in Fangirl). While it’s not a great fantasy in itself; it was an engaging relationship based book with a decent fantasy backdrop. I really loved it and would recommend to all those Fangirl fans out there. I would also recommend if you are interested in reading a more relationship/romance based fantasy.

In some ways the book is very similar in tone to Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage series. If you are interested in reading another GLBT fantasy with a lot of romance/relationship stuff and with a solid fantasy world I would recommend that series as well.

This review has been in the back of my head for a while now. Not that I am saying the book was bad but I just could not find the right words to describe it.

Carry On is a read I did not to find it to be one of the best books I have read but it is still a book worth checking out. This is the book for lovers of Fangirl were waiting for and it has finally been delivered.

The story is divided into two parts, and if you have ever read a review of mine I cannot say how much I love this. However, an author must be careful with how they do this because the connection between chapters needs to be perfect. So I commend Rainbow for pulling this off. The story did flow, there was a good buildup and it ended well.

I recommend you read Fangirl before you read this one and if you have a bad memory like I have been known to have, re-read it before reading Carry On. Reading Fangirl before Carry On will provide you with the best understanding of who Simon and Baz are and their background story. Simon and Baz are both characters you will fall in love with. They are snarky, temperamental, emotional, everything. They are the people that you can’t stay mad at them for long and are always wondering where they are or if they are okay. There are times where you even want to slap them but that is beside the point. The point is they are characters you can relate too and just wish nothing for the best.

Like I said this is a wonderful book to pick up, I do not know why it was just okay for me but do not let me lameness stop you from checking out this book. Carry On will be a great book to read and it will take you on a magical adventure that will stratify your fanfiction heart. This books makes me think about changing the story to my favorite books but then I like…maybe not!

Happy Reading!

To be fair, the first thing to be said is that "Carry On" is basically fanfiction about Harry and Draco. And when I hear "fanfiction about Harry and Draco" I'm the first to stand in line. And if I'm not first, I will elbow you, kick you in the shins, pull your hair, stick my finger into your eye, make you cry and bleed and then I will be first.

The book is about Simon ("the worst chosen one to ever have been chosen", as his roomate Baz says), Baz ("He’s the same on the field as he is everywhere else. Strong. Graceful. Fu***g ruthless" - as Simon says), Simon's best friend Penelope and his girlfiend Agatha.
The world of mages is in danger because of the Insidious Humdrum that sucks magic out. Will Simon stop the decay of his world? Is he really that bad of a Chosen One?

I loved the different POVs. Not only Simon's but Baz's (or maybe Baz's the most) who may not be the villain everyone thinks he is.
I loved Agatha's pov because it showed that she's not only "the pretty one" or the "Chosen One's Girlfriend". She's also funny ("There are pages ripped out and taped all over one wall. (Not taped—stuck to the wall with spells.) (And this is exactly the sort of thing I’m sick of. Like, just use some tape. Why come up with a spell for sticking paper to the wall? Tape. Exists.)" ).

"Carry On" has very obvious allusions to Harry Potter, even to Twilight, or basically to every "chosen one" story there is. But something in Rainbow Rowell's way of writing makes it a totally unique story. I appreciate when the writer is really good with words, and Rainbow is a true wordsmith.
"It feels like the tide going out—if the tide were made of heroin and fire". Just read it out lout. Think about it for a minute. Yes, that's what I've been talking about. Thank you.
This book gave me FEELS. I felt butterfiels. But not the cute, nice and colorful butterfiels but hungry and anxious ones, that will flutter until the thing you want to happen happens. The tension between Simon and Baz was to high that it made me sick of anticipation. I amost cried of relief then THE KISS happened. And what a kiss it was. Damn. Sigh. Swoon. And sigh again.

To be honest, when I was reading "Fangirl" the Baz and Simon excerpts kind of annoyed me. I really didn't want to "Carry On" because of that, but I did and it was the best decision I've made this year (which makes my life look really boring or really excting).
I loved this book so much, I will defiinitely reread it. I would give it 6 stars if i could. Or 10.
Baz and Simon will always be in my heart just as Harry Potter will.

I got this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carry On is hugely enjoyable. I’ve wanted to read this author for ages after reading and hearing so much praise heaped on her novels so I was delighted when I stumbled across this on NetGalley. This novel is really funny and absolutely nuts. There are some crazy moments. I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter and couldn’t help grin when I stumbled across the numerous references in Carry On. Carry On offers its own unique magic system rather than copying JK Rowling which I found impressive. Simon is adorably clueless – he’s chosen to save the world (God help us all) and make a spectacular mess of it. The author is American but the book is wonderfully British offering pop culture references (Ant and Dec anyone?), English humour and British swearing so I felt right at home. The author is American and I was impressed by her research and how right she got Britain and all things British. I feel a patriotic moment coming on. Carry On deals with coming out, coming of age and saving the world – not necessarily in that order. I loved Carry On and definitely want to read more by this author.

What an interesting book.

We follow Simon, the stereotypical chosen one as he comes back to this Universe’s version of Hogwarts (Watford) raised by “The Mage” the Dumbledore of this universe. He fights off evil with the help of his best-friend Penny, his girlfriend Agatha, and his nemesis/roommate Baz: the Draco to his Harry, the Sasuke to his Naruto.

When Simon arrives at school for his final year Baz is missing, and tension is mounting in the wizarding world as factions plan for war against each other even as they all try and fight the forces of the mysterious Humdrum (this Universe’s Big Bad.

I’ll stop with the recap there as I’m ignoring one major element to the story to avoid spoilers. There is a lightness to this story, a fun and refreshing youth-ness to it all. A cheeky magic system and a constant subversion of tropes all too familiar in this my favorite genre. In the hands of a lesser author I don’t think this book would have worked.

These characters and this world was a fictional part of a different series the author wrote and she was so intrigued by it she wrote a story about it. I think its because of this reason, that the first part of the book feels like we’re playing catch up. What would have been the preceding 6 stories are deftly recapped, and somehow, impossibly, we feel the weight of the history between this characters even though is only been told to us and not experienced.

Not everything was perfect, I believe the villain needed more airtime for us to feel the effects of their actions and resolutions, and I think the end ended all too quickly. But the heart of this story, young people and their relationships to each other is great enough to overlook that.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Good
The magic system is interesting. Who would think using ordinary words and adding power to them would be how mages operated? I love the concept of the magic and how different mages use different artifacts to channel their power. Some had wands, while others had rings; someone even used a belt buckle, which was both interesting and comical.

The Bad
The start of this story feels like being dropped in the middle of a sequel. There’s a lot of reference to stuff that’s happened in Simon’s past years at Watford, and it makes sense, but it’s extremely disconcerting. It levels out eventually, but it still, and it is definitely easier to read once it starts switching back and forth between others’ POVs and the pacing of the book’s storyline increased tremendously, so that helps.

The Review
When this book comes out in paperback, I’d love to read it again, and give it another try. I feel like it deserves it. It was a really good story once I got past all the backstory, but it was slow-moving, and there were several times I almost put it down. It was reaaaally hard to slosh through all the backstory. However, it was worth it in the end, and I’d like to read it again after I’ve had a better chance to digest the story.

What can I say about Carry On?

Well... for sure is I wish it had carried on!!!

I did NOT want this book to end and I even got snippy and very sad as I drew close to the ending. And that was NOT how I expected to feel when I first started reading it. To be honest, I was afraid I was reading some sort of Harry Potter knock off... and that was my fault for not understanding the history behind this book.

So, in Rainbow Rowell's other book Fangirl, this whole world (the one that exist in Carry On) is a sort of Harry Potter pseudo world that exist inside of that book, as a book series (book-ception anyone?) And in Fangirl the main character writes fanfiction. So, it made sense once I figured that out and the two main characters in Carry On are the OTP (One true pairing for you un-hip individuals) of the main character in Fangirl!

Once I learned this fact, I was hooked. An author bringing to life a book series in another book?! GENIUS!!!

So, from there I was hooked... add some romance (of the LGBT kind) and I was soaking up every word like a dying sponge. I could not pull myself away. And I fell so deeply into the world, I did not want to come out. Major case of book-hangover once I was done.

I don't want to give anything away about this book, but I do want to share this glowing review. I was so impressed with world and the story, I WANT MORE. And if rumors are true, I may be getting more, but only time will tell.

There is a reason this book made it to my Personal Favorites list, and it will stay on this shelf for ages to come.

Thank you Rainbow Rowell for giving me something I did not know that I needed, and for letting me now never let go of it!

[no spoilers] Sigh. I knew this would happen. I'm a huge Eleanor & Park fan and was SO skeptical about this book as I didn't really care for this aspect of Fangirl. However, the reviews were so strong I got swept up and purchased the darn thing.

As someone who NEVER INDULGED IN THE HP FANDOM... This book feels like a complete rip. I got about 65 pages of the way through. I can't see myself finishing it.

COME ON RAINBOW ROWELL.

4.5 Stars - Original review at 125Pages.com

I have been enamored with Rainbow Rowell since I first read Eleanor & Park in 2013. I have read her previous four books but her two YA’s have been my favorites. Oh Fangirl, how I loved thee…So when I heard Rowell was writing a book based off of the fanfic in Fangirl, I think I may have squeed aloud. Carry On is the magical tale of Simon Snow, the chosen one and his friends and the roommate who hates him. Fighting against the Insidious Humdrum, Simon finds that what he has been told of his powers may not be true. He will need to let go of everything and everyone he has known to get out of the final battle alive. I have seen Carry On compared to Harry Potter fanfic, and it is magic teen saving the world; but it is ever so good. Carry On is inventive, it takes the teen needs to save the world with magic story to a new level. Mixing a romance sub-plot that is not seen frequently in YA novels (M/M) with witty sidekicks and a broody main character, Carry On is a great take on a familiar story. The world building was fantastic and the pacing was strong; although the ending seemed a bit rushed to me (but probably because I didn’t want it to end). Rainbow Rowell is the kind of author who could make the back of a cereal box interesting, so fanfic or no, Carry On is a winner.

upper grades - swearing, homosexuality
first person POV - changes among characters, but that person's name is listed whenever the POV shifts
standalone
no AR test but only just published
fantasy

Based on the fan fiction that one of the characters was writing in the author's book "Fangirl". In that book, Cath was obsessed with the Simon Snow series (i.e. Harry Potter) and wrote well-accepted fan fiction, excerpts of which appeared in that book. The author said she could let the main characters of that book go when she finished, but she kept thinking about Simon and Baz and ended up writing their story. I was reminded of something Cath's writing professor told her, to the effect that her Simon & Baz stories were decent fan fiction, but to truly shine she would need to write her own stories. That is the way I felt about Carry On.

I had mixed feelings about reading this -- it's long, but it's not 7 volumes! It is very loosely based on the Harry Potter series and it was interesting to see the mash-up of all the Chosen One and Wizard School stories. There is foreshadowing so you can figure out most of the answers before the end, and things are nicely wrapped up. I loved Fangirl so wanted to see how this turned out -- but it is quite literally meant to be fan fiction. I liked Eleanor & Park, too, but this was just ok. Do not give up on this author if this is her only book you have read!

Aimed at older teens and adults who have read Harry Potter and /or Fangirl, but you don't have to have read any of them to enjoy this one.

I am a school librarian and was excited to pick up Rowell's book over Winter Break, ready to recommend it to eager pupils upon my return. However, this novel is a painful disappointment. It smacks of a cheap Harry Potter spinoff with underdeveloped characters and a shallow plot. Furthermore, the author's excessive use of the F word is offensive and inappropriate. If her vocabulary is so limited, I highly recommend the purchase of a thesaurus.

Once I have completed a book, I typically pass it off to a friend, recommend it to one of my own teenage children, or donate it to the library. I tossed this one in the recycling bin. It will provide more entertainment as a cereal box.

I'm not a Yound or teen reader and haven't read FANGIRL, but I loved this book. I had read somewhere that Rainbow Rowell was an excellent author so I just wanted to read something by her.
Didn't really think I would enjoy it much because when I started out reading I thought, this is a HARRY POTTER ripoff. As I read I began to love it. Simon, like Harry, is raised in bad circumstances, in his case he's a ward of the state. At the age of eleven he does something magical and is taken to a magic school, similar to Hogwarts. A crucible puts him with Baz as a roommate. They've been roommates since first term and are enemies of sorts.
Baz is from an old magical family and Simon is a poor orphan. Simons mum used to be headmistress but was killed in an attack on the school nursery by vampires. They learn to work together and support each other.
Two things I really liked about this book is that Penny, Simons best friend, is a strong female character, and also East Indian. There are gay characters and it's not treated as a big deal. So racism and sexism aren't an issue. Classism is evident, however, and some look down on people with little magical powers.
Overall, it's just a good adventure read.

Okay, I started this book ages ago and got about halfway through it and lost interest. But then a few weeks ago I saw it popping up on my Instagram feed and I thought, hey, I was reading that one! And I did a bit of research and discovered that this book was written as a spin off from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl and suddenly Carry On made sense to me.

I haven’t read Fangirl (yet) so I was a bit perturbed by the plot line of Carry On, which was a Harry Potter, Twilight mashup with a homoromantic twist. The latter fact didn’t bother me (in fact, it was what hooked me back into the book) but the rip off of the two other books really irritated me. THEN when I realized that was the point (some have said Carry On is a commentary on fan fiction) the book became a lot more intriguing to me. Once I got past that fact, I really ended up enjoying the book.

This definitely a fun read. Just be warned of its fan fiction roots and you’ll not get bogged down as I did. It actually ends up being a really great book in the end.

I totally loved this fabulous book! Rainbow Rowell took her characters Simon and Baz from their fictional existence in her book Fangirl and brought them and their Harry Potter knock off story to life in this fun to read book. Simon Snow is the chosen one who is the most powerful boy magician when he is brought from foster care to Watford, a boarding school in Great Britain for children with magic. All the other kids grew up in magical families and he is the only "Normal" among them, not knowing he had any magikal power until it rather erupted when he was 11 years old. His best friend is Penny, a very smart girl, and he has a beautiful girlfriend named Angela and his roomamate, Boz, is a vampire who has been trying to kill him for years. This is their senior year at Watford and they are still battling the Insidious Humdrum who is creating non-magikal spots throughout Great Britain somehow and is stalking Simon. There is magic, mystery, adventure and romance in this really fun to read book. I also like that the author gave this book a proper ending. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it!

I have been heckled by a friend of mine to read all of the books by Rainbow Rowell, and so I've been doing that.

Fangirl was pretty good, but it didn't stand out for me the way it did for her. And I just didn't really click with this one either.

I guess I should have assumed I wouldn't have been much into this, because when Carry On bits showed up in Fangirl I started to skim past them to get it over with.

I am a big fan of fan fiction, which is why Fangirl was recommended to me in the first place. The difference is that I read fanfiction based on stuff like Harry Potter, of which a good portion of my childhood was dedicated around. And this is based on the final book in a fictional series, so I didn't form any character attachments.

*I got this book from netgalley

I adore Rainbow Rowell. Like I really adore her writing! But...this wasn't my favourite book of hers. I wanted so badly to love it, and parts of it I did, but parts of it, I didn't.

The reviews online were positive, but many are making the same parallel that I did. This screams of Harry Potter fan fiction. Was that the point? I had such high hopes for Simon and Baz after learning they would be appearing in their own novel apart from Fangirl. Anything I've read from Rowell claims that this is her take on "the Chosen One" type of story, but I disagree and couldn't help drawing many parallels to Harry Potter, too many to be a coincidence.

Like Rowell's other books, this too is adorable and heartwarming and if you love Simon Snow, then this book is for you.

In Simon's last year at Watford School of Magicks, everything must come to a head, from his long battle against the Insidious Humdrum to his ongoing rivalry with his handsome, cruel roommate. This is a YA gay romance, playing off Chosen One tropes and cloning Harry Potter (fandom) in particular; I knew that going in, and it fulfilled pretty well every strength and weakness that I expected from that combination. The headhopping first person PoVs make otherwise vivid and diverse characters sound samey, and the developing romance falls just a little flat--there's not enough room for both antagonism and attraction to be convincing. But the way the book lampshades its inspirations allows it to borrow depth, both for the core relationship and the characterization (I'm particularly fond of the way the Mage compares to other mastermind/mentor figures); it's less effective as a commentary on Chosen Ones, but coming in at the tail end of the story works well. This is playful and engaging; and it's insubstantial, but forgivably so.

This book was amazing. I am sort of at a loss of what to say, but I will try anyway. First, the queer element is fantastic, and in my opinion, is what makes the book. I love science fiction and am constantly looking for sci-fi books that incorporate LGB characters. This book hit the mark and did so in a way that is tactful. I am not a prude; however, so many y/a gay fiction novels are highly sexualized. This book is not that. It is a coming of age story about two young men who go from enemies to complicated friends, to lovers. Second, Rainbow Rowell is a good writer. The book draws you in from the first chapter. Fans of Harry Potter will notice the parallels between the Potter world and Watford. The two worlds, though, are different enough that Carry On does not feel like plagiarism or fan fiction. Finally, and perhaps my only qualm with the book, is the tertiary characters. The issue is not that the characters are not interesting or well developed. They are both of these things. The issue is that too many characters are introduced and I was left wondering how their stories end. This is especially the case for Lucy and Fiona.

I read that Rowell has considered revisiting this book for a sequel. I don't think I am alone in saying that this would be amazing ;)

P.S. can anyone recommend similar books?

Genuinely an enjoyable read. Rowell really does write some of the best YA and New Adult characters. Lot's of humor and magic. Baz and Agatha's chapters were hilarious. The whole concepts is very obviously a jab at (or at least a response to) Harry Potter, and while I wouldn't say you have to read or watch HP to understand Carry On, it doesn't hurt, and there are some moments that are direct references to the series. If this is your first fantasy read, you may want to start somewhere else. The first half of the book was perfect, but towards the end things start to fall apart. The romance aspect was great, and the characters are more grounded than most other fantasy YA books, but the second half felt a little over-stuffed, and the "final battle" ends up cluttered and confusing, with certain characters falling in and out of the story. This story probably would have fared better split into two books, because I get the feeling that there was a lot of plot edited out.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness gracious. I have wanted this to be a book ever since I was partway through reading Fangirl! I am so glad this is now in existence. So fyi, this is supposed to be the last book in the series of Simon Snow. That being said, there are references to what would have gone on in previous books, though they are done in a way that is informative and not confusing. To be perfectly honest, it kind of makes me wish that there were more books in this 'series'.
I thought that the story was written and paced well. And I absolutely loved it's conclusion. I thought it was fitting and a bit poetic to be frank. Honestly, other than wanting there to be a bit more in the epilogue (There are some things the reader finds out that Simon never does, and I wish that he could know), I loved the whole thing. Would most def recommend. And now it kind of makes me want to read the Baz/ Simon fanfics. I guess that means I should go reread Fangirl.

I wanted to love Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On! but from the first word I lost hope. Present tense POV makes the action immediate in a story, but for the first 250 pages, Rowell subjects the reader to strange tense changes while she explains six years of previous adventures. I wasn’t opposed to breezing through six years of story, especially considering the context of the narrative to Fangirl, but I was opposed to the level of exposition. The list Simon goes through came off as incredibly lazy. I love all the tropes, but they felt half earned. In a 500 page book, Rowell should have had no trouble building up to events, but it’s like she never heard the phrase “show, don’t tell” because Rowell tells us everything. In the present tense, everything should be shown so the reader experiences it as the characters do. Instead, we’re told on page 34, “Penelope sits on the table with her feet on the chair. (Because...)” rather than seeing an expression on her face or hearing Penny speak. The present tense allows for unreliable narrators, but to me, it seems like she sacrificed craft for content and it did not pay off. Rowell used an action-oriented tense for a whole lot of non-action. There were a lot of things I would have enjoyed a lot more in this book if the writing wasn’t so jarring.
My issues aside, its intentions were noble. The fact that it’s, in a way, fanfiction, legitimizes the genre. Fanfiction is meant to take popular fiction and make it more inclusive. While Carry On! doesn’t achieve this entirely, it takes good steps. Agatha is a great commentary on the usual “Hero’s love interest” role, and Simon’s approach to his sexuality is one that can resonate with people who wouldn’t otherwise have a character they can see themselves in. Baz, despite being Egyptian and spitting on other vampire clichés, is still pale, but his handle on his sexuality and the conflict over his identity are an important part of the narrative. When the writing isn’t considered, I understand all the hype behind this book, but I can’t get behind it.

From time to time a book will come along in which plot, character, pacing, worldbuilding and writing come together to create something wonderful. For me that book was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Carry On is a follow up to Rowell’s Fangirl - Carry On is the final book in the series about which our fangirl protagonist is obsessed. I should point out that it’s not necessary to have read Fangirl before reading Carry On.

I will admit that initially I wasn’t too interested in reading Carry On. Fangirl was one of the few Rainbow Rowell books I did not finish. However some glowing reviews encouraged me to reconsider and I’m very glad I did.

Carry On follows the final school year of Simon Snow, a Harry Potteresque Chosen One, destined to save the magical world from the Insidious Humdrum. As well as the impending confrontation with the Humdrum, Simon must also deal with his growing feelings for his vampire roommate Baz. The book is a perfect blend of humour, romance, adventure and wonderful character moments and I highly recommend it.

I gave Carry On a resounding five stars out of five.

Really lovely writing. All the things I love about fan fiction such as a certain disregard for traditional limits as well as the cohesion and beautiful writing of an actual book written by a brilliant author. It is especially good if you have already read Fan girl, but I don't think that would be necessary to really enjoy the book. I would also recommend getting the audio version. The Baz voice is so perfect that I didn't know whether I should burst into laughter or do a little victory dance.

I loved this book. Since this has been reviewed a lot already, and I've done a vlog talking about it, I'll keep this short.
I really enjoy the take on the 'chosen one' trope.
I loved seeing Simon realise his feelings.
I found more things on a re-read that I enjoyed - the theme of wanting to be in the World of Mages/to leave the World of Mages, and how different characters dealt and/or acted on that was really interesting.
I thought it was a very immersive book, I really liked how Rowell mixes showing & telling to introduce readers to the world. And when she does 'tell', through Simon, it's in a quick one sentence, throw away comment, not long paragraphs of backstory and exposition.

I don't think you need to read Fangirl first before reading this, but I think you might appreciate certain things more if you have.
I talk about this book more in my video discussion of it, which you can find on my channel Ailsa Vlogs.

I'm rounding up about half a star.

This book is a different take on the Chosen One/Prophesied Solution meme, and often entertaining in its difference. It also involves a romance, though it would be a spoiler to say who ends up with whom.

An overarching theme for several of the characters is how to cope with what others perceive to be one's destiny or one's proper place, and how much one can escape those expectations.

It's also a suspenseful story with about the right amount of twists and surprises.

This is my favorite Rainbow Rowell book so far. Yes, it beats out Eleanor & Park which previously held the top position and this is coming from someone who DNF'd Fangirl at 185 pages in and gave it one star. The only thing that stops me from giving it five stars was that you didn't get all Simon Snow's last year at the school. Yes, I would have liked several books instead of flashbacks scattered throughout mentioning the events that took place in previous years. The story starts out strong for the first fifty pages and then there's a bit of lull until Baz shows up at Watford. Baz has an infatuation with Simon that's equal to him wanting to pull Simon's hair just to get his attention so Baz's inner dialogue about what he thinks of Simon can be pretty funny. Simon and Baz are my new ship. I stand strong and will go down with my ship. Can I get a Simon and Baz, the college years book? Please!

Having read hundreds of fantasies of this ilk and for this audience, I found this title to be in desperate need of editing. Over 500 pages long, there is a lot of extraneous verbiage. The central plot is appealing if not extremely derivative, but it's the subplot that is unusual in this genre.
Switching storytellers from chapter to chapter is not helpful to their characterizations and is occasionally confusing. So, plot: thin; characters: thin; book: thick. I can't think of any age I would ever suggest this title to.

You probably ought to know before I start reviewing this that I have read everything Rainbow Rowell has written and chances are I will continue to read everything she writes. I am, without a doubt, a fan. And the book of hers that really hooked me was Fangirl. Eleanor and Park is possibly a better book, but Fangirl just ticked all my boxes. This is important, because Fangirl is about Cath who writes fan fiction based on a series of books which feature a boy wizard at a school for wizards (no, not that boy wizard – this one’s called Simon Snow). The scenes about what’s happening to Cath are punctuated by scenes either from the ‘original’ Simon Snow books or Cath’s fanfic episodes.

So, that’s the background. Having played around with this Simon Snow character in Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell found she couldn’t let him go. Instead, she’s written her own ‘chosen one’ story, with all the hazards and magic and weird, scary creatures and knife-edge moments you’d expect from such a book, plus an imperfect hero with an adversary who may or may not actually be his saviour, and a will-they, won’t-they love story which will have you yelling ‘just kiss him, stupid!’ at the page more than once.

Fangirl made me love the idea of Simon and his nemesis, the vampire Baz falling for each other and so of course I had to read Carry On to see how things would play out. It’s a little slow to start, and there’s an awful lot of references to adventures that the characters have had in the past to get through, as though you were only catching up on a later book in a long series. What it is though it is a near-perfect parody of a chosen one story and of fanfic in general. I do wonder what someone would make of it if they hadn’t read Fangirl.

IMG_2836I love, love, love the design of the book. The dust jacket has the two characters’ faces in silhouette and on the boards the silhouettes are nearer, so that the lips just meet… There’s a plan of the school on the endpapers – that’s always going to win me over. There’s a ribbon page marker. Aaah! I love a well-made book. And it makes you more inclined to fork out for the hardcover when they’ve made a real feature of the design, doesn’t it. (Though tbh I was always going to buy this as soon as it came out.)

I have a couple of niggles, and chances are you’re going to read them, sigh deeply, and go ‘Really?’ in the disparaging way my daughters did. The ‘Englishness’ of the book is a little uneven. Here’s the thing: Rainbow Rowell is an American, so of course, she will have certain ideas of Britain which may be different from people who live here and she may make observations about things that people who live here wouldn’t even notice. And she’s done her research and talked to her British friends and presumably been edited by a British editor. There’s scarcely a word out of place. The dialogue’s just about perfect. But sometimes, just occasionally, there’s a dissonance to the ear of this British reader.

Take for example, the name of the school: Watford. To me, Watford is a rather ugly London suburb. I can’t make the name work as a school for wizards in the English countryside.

Carry On, the book’s title has a similar effect on me. As soon as I see those words I think of those old films, Carry On Camping and Carry On Cleo and all that. That’s my age as well as my nationality, I suppose.

Two other things in particular leaped out and hit me on the head. At one point, Ant and Dec were mentioned. Now, I find this quite difficult to explain, so bear with me. Up to the point when they’d been mentioned, I’m going along with the Rainbow Rowell fantasy version of Britain, and it’s fine because what’s she’s creating is a version of Britain which will be understandable to her American fans as well as her British ones. But then she mentions Ant and Dec, and I think, hang on. This seems like a reference which is too British. You can’t just throw in Ant and Dec. They’re not going to mean anything to a good proportion of the audience. I haven’t explained that very well, have I? Take it from me, it jarred.

Here’s another one that jarred, in a different way. When it was Christmas, Baz’s family had their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and though Simon mentioned it, he didn’t seem to find it particularly odd. But no one in Britain has Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, not unless they are consciously following a tradition from another country. It is unusual enough that Simon absolutely ought to have questioned it.

So, niggles, silly ones.

And a suggestion that you read Fangirl before you read Carry On.

But do read it. Immerse yourself in the world of Simon Snow. Love all the sly reflections of You Know Who and love it for its own charming self. And most of all love it for Rainbow Rowell’s power to make you really believe in two people falling in love.

(And now I’ll just stroke the cover again and take a peek at the plan before I put it back on the shelf…)

I was pleasantly surprised with this book.

I've never really loved Rainbow Rowell's books. I read Fangirl and I found it to have no plot and I overall just thought it was okay. Then I read Eleanor & Park which I liked better but I wasn't a fan of its ending. Based on those two books, I came into this book with not very high expectations.

I also have never read any of the Harry Potter books so I have no idea how this book stacks up to them.

Overall I thought this was a really solid book. There was a plot, which was great because I typically find her books to consist of things happening, but nothing actually happens.

I loved Baz so much. He was my favorite.

The world building wasn't that great, but Rowell typically writes contemporary novels so I don't hold that against her. Also, the book has a map of the school which I love because I love maps in books.

Sorry...I bought this book because I LOVE Rainbow's work, but Carry On was a huge let down. I was excited about losing myself in her latest Eleanor & Park-esque drama and instead realized quickly this was Harry Potter meets the need to constantly drop the "F-bomb". I'm sure the writing is fine, but I couldn't even get past the first 100 pages. Plus, with all the random and unnecessary cussing I can't even put this in my classroom YA library. :( Boo. Rainbow, I love you, but please write what made me want to buy everything you've written again.

This was a great story! I haven't read Fangirl yet, but the Rowell goes a great job of world building that you won't be confused if you haven't read that.

The book does a great job of making you feel for all the characters while subverting tropes that ate so common in fantasy genres. Even the Simon/Baz relationship that was spoiled for most of us already is developed and fleshed out. I also loved the subversion of the Damsel in Distress trope in Agatha.

10/10, will buy for my niece and nephew one day.

First things first. Even though this book has ties to Rowell's book Fangirl (check out my review here!), it can easily be read as a stand alone novel. Rowell took Simon Snow, the fictional character from Fangirl, and gave him his own story.

"Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who's ever been chosen. That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all of this, if he were here -- it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story -- but far, far more monsters."

The story is broke into four "books" or parts. I found it difficult to get started and drawn in with this book. It took me pretty much the entire "Book One," about 150 pages to get into it. After that, I was hooked and didn't put it down until I was finished. It's a typical Rainbow Rowell novel. Full of normal teen-romance-friendship drama that her loyal readers have come to love and expect. Even though it took me a while to get into it, I did still like the book. Rowell is a great writer. She fully develops her characters and gives them a multi-dimensional facet. The only thing that did turn me off a bit, and maybe this is why I struggled with the beginning, are all the similarities to Harry Potter. I grew up with HP. He embodied my reading years from grade school through high school. It's extremely hard for me to consider anything else that closely resembles HP solely due to the place in my heart it will always hold. Now there is a lot more to Carry On that just magic and evil nemesis' and being "The Chosen One." It is still a great story besides all of that. I LOVED the ending. I almost wish I would have read Fangirl after Carry On. Parts of that book would have made more sense, in my opinion. I often felt the fan-fiction sections in Fangirl that talked about Simon Snow and friends were out of place and by reading it after Carry On, I would have had a better understanding of them and their story. Just something to consider if you haven't read either book!

Check out my full review at readinglikeafool.blogspot.com

Gifted by a dear friend who said this would be "perfect" for me, she was not wrong. I read CARRY ON in two days, and I'm now kicking myself for it, because I'm in withdrawal. As a huge Harry Potter fan, the wizard aspect kept me immediately enthralled. As a vampire fan, Baz was my immediate and hopeless love. Perhaps that was what I found so charming and heart-wrenching about this book: the LOVE. So much love but so much confusion on the part of the adorably lost lovers. I've taken to seeking fan fiction about CARRY ON just so I have more to read. Rarely do I find a book that crushes my heart and yet lifts it up. Rarely do I feel this level of mourning for fictional characters. If I could read it all over again, erase my memory and give it another shot, I would read a page a day and make CARRY ON stretch on for years. Kudos to Rowell, and I'm now a devoted member of the SnowBaz collective.

Hi I just finished reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell I have to say I absolutely fell in love with this book. At first I though “oh great another Harry Potter knock off” but it was so much more. I love Simon, Penelope, and Baz! They make the perfect team! I do hope the author continues with their story it would be great to see what happens with them when the dust settles down I was truly surprised at the ending I was looking for more details about why the mage never told him about his past and what happen to his mom. I know she has passed away but I would like to know more. I really wish Simon would have found out that it was his mom calling him her rosebud. The author left out some things I would have liked to know what happen to some of the people like Ebb’s brother he just kind of fell off the radar. I’m really hoping for series from this book. 5 stars

Super cool to see the obvious homage to Harry Potter, while still being a very distinctive verse. I actually really adored how steeped in "Normal" culture the magicks were. Loved Simon and Baz, and their wonderful chemistry and banter and relationship. I do wish we'd gotten a little bit more of relationship-ness between them, because those bits were definitely my favorite.

I wasn't a big fan at all of all of the other random POV chapters though. I just didn't care enough about the other characters, and it made the book drag when all I really cared about was Simon and Baz's POV. I thought Agatha was super blah, and while I appreciate what the author did with her character, I just could not make myself care about her.

Fun read and just super cute all around. I wish we got to read more in this universe with these two!

A few years ago I read Fangirl and of course the obsession of the main character was the world of Simon Snow and the fan fiction that she wrote. Even then it struck me as very Harry Potter like and I'm a huge Potterhead so I thought how cool is it to have a storyline where Harry and Draco get together. I've read quite a few reviews about this book and they are pretty split down the middle. And I am going to add to that down the middle thing.

The book wasn't bad but it also wasn't that good either. It seemed like it took a little too much from Harry Potter. I thought that was a bit over the top. Obviously its a world of magic so none of it is really supposed to make sense. But her spells just seemed stupid to me. The story was pretty strong which is why I said I was down the middle. I liked the characters and their story line...well except for Agatha she was just a waste all the way around.

There are ghosts in this story, betrayal and lots of crazy. And of course a love story. Carry on was presented as the final book in the Simon Snow series and he is beginning his 8th and final year of school. The problem with starting the book like this is the author had to play catch up with her readers and explain what had happened in the years prior and sometimes she fell a little short in the explanation department.

Simon and Baz are roommates at the Watford school of magic it would seem that they absolutely hate each other. Simon is an orphan who was found by the Mage and brought to the Watford school when he was 11 after he had "went off" for the first time. He has a clear obsession with Baz because he has apparently tried to kill him several times throughout the years. Simon's best friend Penelope or Penny is extremely smart and one of the top people in their year. Unlike Simon she channels her magic through a ring instead of a wand. Simon's ex girlfriend Agatha is gorgeous but when it comes to magic she is pretty ordinary. Baz doesn't actually appear until book 2 and as soon as we hear from him he talks about how he has been in love with Simon since he first laid eyes on him. He also admits to trying to kill him previously if only to get him out of his hair.

Each chapter is told from a different characters point of view and that is how they are titled. There are side characters that I will not get into too much detail but they serve their purpose in rounding out the story. I am a fan of Rainbow Rowell but I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars because I think that the story is great but it just felt a little to Potterish and it could have been a little better if she tried to be a little more original.

I had high expectations for this one seeing as it's Rainbow Rowell, and it lived up to them. The first 1/3 is much slower than the rest of the story, though. Not bad, but it didn't impress. Also, it is very much based off Harry Potter since it's supposed to be the Simon Snow (alternate Harry Potter) fanfiction story Cath was writing in Fangirl. It was awkward at first, and I was unsure if it was a tribute to HP or a knockoff. It ended up having its own unique elements and enough differences to evoke the warm feelings of HP while being original.

As always, the characters were great. Simon and Baz (loosely based on Harry and Draco) were adorable to read about, and their grand adventures with Penny and Agatha were a lot of fun. Rowell's writing was superb, no surprise. Can't see what she comes up with next.

If you get the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, I HIGHLY recommend. They voice acting for Baz's character is sinister, cold, calculating and so clearly in love and its absolutely brilliant. Honestly, the way the voice acting was for all the characters just brought the beautiful words and expression of Rowell's characters to life. It was beautiful.

I cannot sing enough praise for Carry On. There's something about the way Rowell writes...I've never read anything like her writing style. No one captures emotions and thoughts like she does. I love all her books, but this is by far my favorite. And I'm absolutely in love with Baz. I was honestly heart broken when it ended. Rowell, please continue their story, there's so much more to explore. It doesn't feel like the end for them yet. Carry on with their story! :)

I don't want to give anything away about this. All I can say is to please give it a chance and read it if you've already gotten this far to look at the reviews. You won't be disappointed. It's beautiful.

Read it if you like:
Harry Potter
Vampires
Badass female characters
Magic
Gay main characters
Mystery
Plot twists

As a longtime fan of Harry Potter and a disappointed gay™ who has only grown more and more disappointed with J.K Rowlings LGBT+ representation (or lack thereof) Carry On was a welcomed and appreciated book. Carry On acts as a quasi-parody to Harry Potter using the same basic premise: magic, an orphaned Chosen One, a prophecy, a benevolent yet manipulative old mage, a boyhood enemy and many magical near-death experiences.

The story starts from Simon Snow’s perspective as he heads to Watford School of Magicks for his final year of school. Although a large part of the story is told from Simons perspective other characters are given center stage as the plot evolves. Such as that of his “enemy” Baz Pitch. In this way, Rainbow Rowell creates a three-dimensional story with a simplistic Fan-fiction like writing style that offers a new perspective on the overused “Chosen One” narrative.

Although overall the narrative, pacing, and plot created an excellent story I did find some parts of the plot far too predictable and the ending felt loose with many unanswered questions. There is a rumor that Rainbow Rowell plans to create a sequel to Carry On which may explain why the ending seemed so very unsatisfactory. I definitely have my fingers crossed and will be on the lookout for a sequel.

Carry On is one of those books that once you get past the first 100 pages you won’t want to put it down, but as soon as you finish it you’ll be upset that you read it too quickly and want more.

Rainbow Rowell had a lot to live up to with this title playing the role of a Harry Potter-esque novel in her previous novel Fangirl. While the world of the Magickals does not have the diabolically twisted and contorted plot that J.K. Rowling created for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter it did have its fair share of original twists.

This story is more than your typical chosen-one novel; it is a YA romance novel. Simon has the sarcasm of Harry Potter on Liquid Luck and curses as much as Ron should’ve if Rowling’s publishers hadn’t asked her to take them out. Baz has the passion for his partner, like many other leading men Rowell has created, that gives you butterflies and makes you want to grab a pair of pom-poms to cheer him on. The diverse characters are thought out and relatable, despite them having magickal powers.

By placing it within our modern day world it took on a different, but necessary, feel than that of Harry Potter, allowing you to separate the two worlds in your head. Her creative play on word spells and pop culture references (worthy of Lorelai Gilmore) bring character to her world and make it all that more entertaining to read.

I loved Cath in Fangirl and I wanted to learn more about the fictional characters she held so dear having experienced a similar draw to fictional characters myself. Though slow to start I thoroughly enjoyed this and truly appreciate what Rainbow Rowell has brought to YA fiction. In the end it has some great lessons for those about to graduate, whether Normal or not.

I wasn't sure about this book because a) I kind of hated the fanfic sections of Fangirl and b) I feel weird about the fact this this is straight up Harry Potter fanfiction published as a book.

It did take me a while to get over the clear Harry Potter parallels, and that definitely took away from my enjoyment from the first quarter of the book. The whole story was also super predictable, which wasn't ideal. This was a lot better written than the Simon/Baz sections of fangirl though, and Baz was less terrible than I expected. Overall I didn't love this, but it was much more enjoyable than I expected and I think fans of Fangirl will love it.

Received from NetGalley.

Carry On is a book worthwhile. It is a book filled with mystery, romance, sadness, and adventure. In this book Simon, (the Chosen one) helps his roommate Baz, figure out what Baz's mother was trying to telling him when she crossed the Veil. To find this out Simon must go out of his comfort zone to help Baz, (who Simon hates). Along the way of their adventure Simon and Baz learn things about each other they would have never know, which changes their lives forever. I recommend this book for people of all ages who have an open and accepting mind that lives for adventure books. If you have read Harry Potter this book is also great to read because it's very similar, it contains a boy who is the Chosen one who has magic and goes to a magic boarding school. This book also contains similar characters such as Penelope Bounce who is Simon's genius best friend who resembles the personality of Hermione Granger, or Baz Pitch who is Simon's roommate. Baz resembles the personality of Draco Malfoy. Overall this book is so amazing, I couldn't put it down, and I love it.

If I could give "Carry On" more than 5 stars, I would in a heartbeat. Rainbow Rowell has done it again, with her amazing dialogue and ability to bring each and every character to life in a different way. You always know who is talking because of how different her characters are. It is a true testament to her as a writer.

I knew this book would be good after reading her book "Fangirl" and getting snippets of Cath's fan fiction (aka "Carry On, Simon") throughout the book. When I saw that Rainbow had made that fantasy series into its own book, I grabbed it the first chance I got.

It reads with similar tones to the Harry Potter series seeing as it is a story about 'The Chosen One', Simon Snow, taking place during his last year at the Watford School of Magicks. Many magical creatures end up making appearances in this one, and with Simon being a bit terrible at doing magic without setting things on fire, it will keep you laughing and guessing from cover to cover.

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and found the narrator, Euan Morton, to bring each and every character to life, even the girls! Sometimes you see that narrators have a difficult time reading the opposite sex's characters, but this wasn't the case with Euan Morton. He did a fantastic job.

Pick up this book if you have a moment, and even if you don't, pick it up and have it at the ready for when you do!

This books okay. Not the worst thing in the world but not anything original. I never read any other Rainbow Rowell books so maybe im missing something but since this is supposed to be a "stand alone" you shouldnt go through this book feeling lost the whole time. The first couple chapters are ridiculously cringey. Like making references to "call me maybe" cringey. The whole book reads like someones okay-written fanfiction. Which maybe that was inentional, but if i wanted to read fanfiction I can do that online for free not in a published book. Additionally I only read this book because I wanted queer representation and this book failed on that end too. The main romance came off rushed and random, and also Simon refused to say he was gay or bisexual despite liking guys and girls. Then for some stupid reason he pointed out in the end that he "ended up with a guy in his arms instead of a girl." Like wow ok Simon we get it, this is a one off, and you're not like those other gays or whatever. :/ Maybe if you're a straight fangirl looking for slash fic you'll like this but otherwise pass.

I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter and also a lover of queer fandom/pairings, so this book seemed right up my alley. I'm so glad it didn't disappoint! It's like a queer love letter to Harry Potter and fandom pairings. It doesn't try to "copy" or "rip off" HP; it still does its own thing, but there are some entertaining parallels and references. The main two characters sort of parallel the popular Harry/Draco pairing in HP fandom (two enemies who seemingly detest one another but are actually in love!). It's a really fun book with some good humor, and the queer pairing is awesome. It's a fairly long book, but it never dragged. Excellent Read!

Don't even get me started on how much I freaking love Baz and Simon. I haven't read something that has given me such a huge book hangover in years I tell you YEARS!!!!
Alright so I have to admit I had no intention of reading this book. When I read Fangirl, I pretty much skipped over the Simon Snow parts because I had no emotional connection with them. I unrightfuly assumed that would be the same with Carry On. This book holds my OTP- no, my OOTP, my ONE One True Pairing ( because let us admit we all have more than one, including me until this book ). I also must admit that what made me finally order this book was Sherlock. I was so upset that I knew Johnlock would never be a thing, I thought a cannon gay romance would solve my problems. I was wrong, but it did help fill a hole in my heart which I didn't even realise was there. I had no idea how desperate I was for a d=good romance with a PLOT!!!! I was so sick of either hard core books where one of the two people I shipped died, or fluffy romances with no plot. I forgot that happy mediums exist! This was the perfect blend of mystery, magic, and romance. I recommend this to any one who isn't homophobic, and even then I still recommend it because it is amazing.
SPOILERY SECTION

Yes, Carry On is a lot like Harry Potter, but Rainbow knew that while writing the story, and she played off it! Genius! Because this book is practically Harry Potter fanfiction, some might say, each of the characters who resemble someone from Harry Potter, will be exactly like them.
Simon Snow ( Harry Potter ) is the good guy who will d=save the world from the Humdrum ( Voldy ), and his enemy, Baz ( Draco ) will try to do everything he can to kill Simon because Baz is eVIL. The Mage ( Dumbledore ) will try his best to help Simon because he is the closest thing to a father figure Simon has. No. Simon is only good because he thinks he has to be. He acts out his part in the life he thinks he is meant to have, not out of the goodness of his heart, but because it has been drilled into his head since he was 11. This doesn't make him a bad person exactly, but still not as good of a person as we would guess because this is sooo mUch like hARry poTTER right????
Now for Tyrannus Bazzy Baz, the love of my life. He is the perfect evil on the outside, soft kitten on the inside character! Draco is pretty mean all the way through and doesn't daydream about kissing his mortal enemy. Ever. But Meet Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, the most evil, fluffy kitten who's only want in life is a terrible boyfriend who will call him pet names.
At last, the Mage is evil. Dumbledore was not. awesome twist that we all were convinced was coming,,, at first. Until of course we became convinced he was Dumbledore, then we all loved him and trusted him with our lives. He he he, good job, Rainbow.

I loved the Simon and Baz relationship so much!!! It was adorable to read Baz's point of view which went something like, "You're a moron, Snow" want to kiss him. It was so cute to watch Simon the straight realize he loved Baz. "That's new. The wanting to kiss.
The looking at Baz and thinking about the way his hair falls in a lazy wave over his forehead . . .
Yeah, nope. I've thought about that before."
Absolutely adorable.
AND THE JEANS. If you have read the book you know what I am talking about.

Finally, the plot. I felt confused with where exactly it was going about halfway through it. We still needed to find Baz's mom's murderer, and also defeat the Humdrum, which we didn't even know how to do! But I think Rainbow pulled it together well, even though it was slightly confusing. Why haven't the holes filled back yet? Why did Simon take magic from places instead of people? Is Baz immortal? Just a few questions, but nothing to keep you up at night.

This is my new all time favorite book which everyone should read. The characters aren't all how they may seem at first, there are twists and the best character development I have read in a while.

This is such an enchanting story~ in some ways it's even better than the Harry Potter series, and coming from a Harry Potter fanatic, that says a lot. Where do I even begin with this book? There are so many aspects of it that I love.
For one, I love the romantic subplot. It seems that most of the time in young adult fiction, the romance either happens too quickly or is entirely built upon clichés. But in Carry On, the antagonistic relationship between the two lovers echoes reality in a world full of magic; along with the passion there's the bickering, tension, and difficult conversations that have an end result of more opened doors in one's heart than are closed.
Another thing I like about this book is that all the characters are realistic and have their own voice. In a novel with multiple first person points of view, it can be difficult to stick to each character's individual perspective, but Rainbow Rowell did an exceptional job with this. The dialogue, another part that's sometimes hard to write, was also very natural and easy to read.
I'm not sure where else to include this, so I'll just say it here: I like how the spells were inspired by song lyrics and everyday expressions~ a creative take on the way the magical world and the nonmagical world blend together at times.
I'd definitely recommend this book for anyone who's looking for a unique story that falls under "The Chosen One" category. Just when I thought that type of story had been beat to death (or I guess written to death), Rainbow Rowell managed to bring it back to life.

One thing I can say about Rainbow Rowell is that she's a master at creating captivating dialogue. While I think at times her characters could be fleshed out a little more, I always feel like I'm eveasdropping on a real conversation with real people when I read her books. It's engrossing, engaging and keeps me flipping the pages every time.

Carry On was no exception. I wasn't going the read this book at first. The Baz and Simeon fan fiction in Fangirl was my least favorite parts of that book. I think it was because we only got chunks of the story, so it seemed choppy and not easy for me to connect with. But since I really enjoy how Rowell can suck me into a story, I decided to give it a try.

I'm so glad that I did. Not only was the dialogue great, but the whole Harry Potter spoof was cleverly humorous. I always looked forward to seeing how she was going to tweet and change those Pottereque elements of the story. While the plot of this book was mostly predictable, there were some surprising and satisfying changes. While the characters in Carry On were superficially similar to the characters in Harry Potter, they were unique and stood apart in their own right.

If you are a fan of Rowell, definitely check out this book. And if you're a fan of well written dialogue, fantasy spoofs, and character driven stories, this is well worth checking out.

Side note: The spells in this book? Absolutely brilliant!!!

This was my first introduction to Rainbow Rowell and I really enjoyed it. I know most readers had an introduction of Simon & Baz in Fangirl but I came to it blind. That wasn't a liability - I'd encourage anyone who enjoys YA & magic to give it a try.

The multiple points of views had me appreciating the varied characters. Not only did it lend to the action but offered up how differently we interpret the world around us (magical or otherwise - things are not easy). Pretty sure this is also the first story I've read with male characters kissing I found the authors approach a very "aah moment".

Can't wait to get Fangirl into my hands.

I bought this from Barnes and Noble as I was randomly searching the shelves for a new and different book to read. I was immediately captivated by the back of the book and thought the writing style was unique. I honestly had no idea what it was about and was pleasantly surprised to learn more with every new word. I legit read this in 10 hours--zero breaks. It has become one of my all-time favorite novels and romance story ? the romantic part was a lovely surprise. You will not regret reading this.

I enjoyed this book very much. I had it read in less than 2 days in between work and other responsibleties. I couldn’t put it down. I never really got into the Harry Potter world and for the books I did read I never shipped Harry and Draco yet I didn’t find myself disappointed by this book. It’s was funny and sarcastic (and done well no less!) It was not Elanor and Park but yet I found it definitely worth the read. Also be prepared, there is some language so if you’re looking for a younger reader just know the f word is not a one or two stray occurrence.

The book amazed me at the beginning and in the middle. There were so many brilliant thoughts placed into the story. Some made really good sense.

Book 2 was interesting when the secret was revealed.

However, when it came to Book 3, I began to question the book. So, the story was not moving intense enough. There was not enough confrontation between Simon and the enemy. And the kiss? It did not make sense. There should be a good development on both sides for that to happen. I could not buy the thought that the kiss could happen just like that.

Right from the beginning, I loved the voice in Carry On. Rowell did an excellent job turning the Chosen One trope on its head, and the worldbuilding, especially the history, was rich and detailed. The magic system was fun and creative, and I especially liked the POV sections from Baz and Penelope. Having said that, I felt like there were more POVs than were required, and sometimes, sections from other POVs were not only not required, they slowed down the plot. I think sticking to Simon, Penelope and Baz would have kept it moving along more tightly. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

If you have read Fangirl you may remember that Simon and Baz were the characters that the MC, Cath, wrote fan fiction about. And S&B were somewhat loosely based on the Harry Potter books.
Carry On is the fictional book #8 in a fictional series of Simon & Baz. Think about it as Harry Potter Fan Fiction, and Rainbow Rowell fan fiction, written by Rainbow Rowell.
Are you still with me?
She has essentially taken the fan fiction from Fangirl and written the book that that fan fiction would be based on. Which also happens to be Harry Potter fan fiction.

Ok, now that is out of the way... this is a marvellous novel. Rowell writes amazing characters and she manages to write distinct voices over multiple characters in this novel as they rotate POVs sometimes more than once a chapter. I loved the take on the HP world ; as yes there is a school for magicians hidden from the "normals" and a "chosen one", Simon, who has unknown parentage but a guardian in "The Mage" (headmaster of the school), but there are also many differences with the MCs being 18 and so there is swearing, and some lovely romance. There are also vampires and other creatures in this world, and everything is not quite as "nice and sweet" as the HP world.

It took me QUITE A WHILE to get into this book mainly because it starts as though you have read the series from the start (which of course there is no series) and that fan fiction barrier is hard to break through until well over half way because there are multiple flashbacks trying to get the reader up to speed. But in the end, I loved the characters, I loved the unique take on a known story, and although the mystery was easy to solve and quite obvious, I still enjoyed the ride.
It would be nice to think that Rowell will continue their story from here and not leave these series characters trapped in a stand alone book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exhange for an honest review.

---I received a free ebook copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.---

I didn't enjoy Fangirl so I didn't think I'd enjoy this either, but I did. I was worried it would be too similar to Harry Potter, and it does start off very similar to it. For those who don’t know, the story of Simon Snow started in Fangirl as the main character’s fanfiction. And in that universe, Simon Snow is like their Harry Potter, it’s an eight book fantasy series with a huge fandom about a magic school and a Chosen One. And then this book, Carry On, isn’t Cath’s fanfic, but it’s still the characters and story Rowell invented in Fangirl. Though in Fangirl, all the fic excerpts were terribly boring and this is a lot better. Are you with me? Alright.

So yes, it starts off with a lot of Harry Potter-isms. There’s an orphan boy who goes to a magical school. People whisper about it being a school for unruly or criminal kids. He’s the Chosen One, but’s not really feeling it. There’s a prophecy that says he’s the most powerful mage there is and he’s been chosen to save the magical world and defeat the Big Bad. He has a really clever friend named Penelope, who would remind anyone of Hermione. He has a rich ~nemesis~ that he’s obsessed with ala Harry and Draco in The Half-Blood Prince. The nemesis lives in a mansion. The headmaster is Simon’s mentor.

But most of these elements are pretty basic. There are lots of stories about Chosen Ones and magical schools. Yes, the similarities are many, because after all Harry Potter is the inspiration, but as far as the plot goes it’s not Harry Potter. I stopped reading it as Harry/Draco fanfiction in not too long.

What is the plot then? Well, there are two basic storylines at work here. Or three, if you include the love story. 1) Help Baz find out what happened to his mother 2) Stop the Humdrum (Big Bad) from stealing magic and destroying the magical world.

During the first 75% or so of the book, I was mostly just interested in Simon and Baz’s relationship. And I was just thinking god, that’s typical, the one time I’m more interested in the romance than the plot the book actually focuses on the plot! LOL. And it does, that surprised me a little. I was sure the focus would be on the romance. Because Rainbow Rowell. I still enjoyed it though, even though the plot and the mysteries didn’t really interest me all that much until it started picking up at the end.

Baz is just too precious. Bless.

That one scene where they hold hands and experiment with Simon’s power gave me life. Same with the scene during Baz’s breakdown.

So, romance: super cute and definitely for you if you like the enemies to lovers trope. Plot: Started out mediocre but ending up interesting. Ending: satisfying and surprising. You had to think a little, which I always like. And there was a lot of irony, which is great too. And bless Rainbow Rowell for that epilogue. I can tell she comes from the world of fanfiction because she knows what the people want.

Now to what really bugged me. The multiple POVs. It drove me mad, it was so annoying. Who thinks it’s a good idea to write multiple POVs in first person? It’s confusing to the reader and pulls them out of the story because they have to remind themselves who’s narrating all the time. It’s like the author forced herself to write all these POVs to make it more ~fantasy~. But if that was the idea then oh god why wasn’t it in third person, why are you doing this to me???

If you’ve read Eleanor & Park you know this narrative style. Alternating chapters that “speed up” when something dramatic happens, like a kiss. The speeding up works for me, because then the sections are so short it’s not possible to forget who’s speaking, but other than that, no. Most of the POVs were completely useless too and added nothing that couldn’t have been added another way. The Mage’s first chapters: boring and unnecessary. Penelope’s chapters: all unnecessary. Agatha: all unnecessary except maybe one towards the end. Nicodemus: sooo unnecessary. I could have done with just Simon, Baz, and Lucy. Lucy provided necessary backstory. But I still needed it to be third person, because after four chapters of Simon my brain is so used to him that it automatically wants to read everything as Simon and then suddenly it’s like “I look at Simon” and I just… wait what who’s this. Adjustments necessary.

Tell me why, when we’re in a room with Simon and Penelope, the chapter is from Penelope’s POV all of a sudden. Why? She’s adding nothing of value and this makes it even harder to remember who’s talking. She’s literally in the room with Simon, talking to him. Simon could narrate this. She’s not off doing something without Simon that adds to the plot and that makes us remember who she is because of the location.

I also found it unnecessary when we followed Penelope and Agatha home for Christmas. Why did we do that? There was a mention of the Bechdel test in those chapters and it made me wonder if they were added for that purpose? Lord have mercy. I’m all for passing the Bechdel test but don’t bore me in the process.

Don’t get me wrong, I like both Penelope and Agatha. Once again, I would have been able to deal with all of this if IT WAS IN THIRD PERSON.

It also becomes painfully obvious sometimes that Carry On is the last book in a series, so to speak. A series that doesn’t exist, because it’s fictional. A lot of things that happen in this book would have made more of an impact if it had been an actual series. The character of the Mage for example, he could have used a few more books to really build him up as a character. He’s been like a parent/mentor thing to Simon, but you don’t really feel that in the book, it’s just told to you. Then the Mage is also the enemy of the Pitch family, but that’s also just told to you. Maybe a trilogy could have done this book some good, maybe even just a duology.

Okay, that seemed like a lot of complaints, but in the end I really did enjoy this book. I sped through it and felt a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. Mostly I enjoyed it because of the characters of Simon and Baz and their relationship, as well as the plot developments towards the end. It really was a lot better than I expected.

(Originally posted on my blog, link in profile)

I did really enjoy this book! I don't have at all a problem with it being like a Harry Potter spin off because I have read Harry Potter and to me Carry On it still different and much more self contained. It can seem a little fan fictiony at parts in the writing but I gather that was the point (which is explained in her book Fangirl).

However being critical I feel like that does excuse the anticlimactic ending. I think this book failed at being a magical adventure story (like Harry Potter) but succeeded in being a simple fantasy love story. The build up and the magic elements were rather lame while the romance was very sweet and enjoyable. I thought most of the characters read very well and their personality's came through pretty strong. If only the plot did too...

I still definitely recommend Carry On and it was very nice to see a book about two magical boys falling for another as popular as it was! Simon and Baz are a treat of a pair!

I'm half on board with this book and half off. I ship Harry/Draco almost exclusively and came gleefully running when I heard about Carry On but I have to say I am disappointment in Rowell for not at least thanking JK Rowling in some form. This is obviously (painfully) pure Harry Potter fanficition despite the attempts at world building and characterization. Draco has developed more as a character in his online form than in the original cannon (Cursed Child couldn't even give him some development? Really?) and Baz reads like so many of the Draco's who have come before in one fanfic or another. So naturally the development of the Simon/Baz relationship read like the many other fanfics I've devoured over the years. It was an enjoyable and long read with wonderful dialogue and I do give props to Rowell for having the daring to bring this relationship into the mainstream but really... she couldn't thank JK Rowling at all? At least be up front about your source material. We all know where this came from... And to those who say she couldn't because of copyright issue, I say whatever. Rowell could have been a little more creative and found a way.

I started out being a bit annoyed with this book as it had SO many similarities to another magical book (*cough* Harry Potter) - an orphaned chosen one to defeat the bad guy, a magical school, a brainy female friend, birds that deliver messages, etc. that I nearly put it down in disgust (which I felt really bad about because I loved Eleanor & Park so much that I wanted to love this one as well). But, I carried on and when the dark and brooding roommate (who is the lead character's nemesis) returns to school, things get pretty interesting and I couldn't put it down.

I actually really enjoyed the story overall and was able to eventually separate myself from comparing the two books and got caught up in this story. From reading the Author's note in the back, the character's from this book are from her book Fangirl, which is the next book on my reading list. :)

Rainbow Rowell books make you want to curl up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in your favorite sweater.

They never fail to leave me feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside, with a hint of nostalgia as well. Fangirl is still probably my favorite YA Contemporary Romance, and even in the top 5 of Grace’s-All-Time-Favorite books. Carry On has now joined the ranks, and is definitely one of the best YA books I have read, and second only to the Harry Potter series when it comes to YA fantasy books.

The writing was quirky (in typical Rowell fashion), the characters were quirky and lovable (and completely unforgettable), and the shenanigans they got up to were rip-roaring hilarious, and I found myself in tears multiple times). I promise you, even if Carry On doesn’t sound like the kind of YA book you typically read, give it a chance anyway. I promise you won’t be disappointed. While you’re at it, check out Rainbow Rowell’s other books as well (she never disappoints).

Not going to lie, this one took me a few chapters to get into. It's pretty similar to Harry Potter and I think maybe that's where I kept getting hung up?? However, once I got past that, I really enjoyed the book!! I think I actually enjoyed it more than the Baz and Simon bits in Fangirl. The characters were lovable...the story was intriguing....and Baz and Simon, how dreamy!!

I am a big fan of Rowell's writing, but was a bit hesitant regarding this latest work. From reading reviews, I was aware it is a fantasy novel, which is not a genre with which I've ever been very fond. However, I'm so glad I didn't pass this by. I loved the world and character building, and the bonds between the main characters were so believable and special; oh, if we could all have such friends! (Perhaps with the exception of Simon and Agatha. His affinity for her was not quite fleshed out) This is a wonderful read for older teens and adults alike.

Carry On is the most romantic book I've ever read: first the yearning of unrequited love, the magical passion of first love, and the eventual bone-deep affectionate bond, humor and appreciation of another person. I love these characters so much, I re-read this story every few months (whenever I remember it!) It's plot moves through several distinct acts. It's exciting and goes places you never would have expected. Yes, at first you see that it was inspired by Harry Potter. (And what better work to be inspired by?). But it quickly takes a huge new life of its own. What a beautiful journey. Thank you Rainbow Rowell. You are always great, but this is your best in my opinion.

I've only recently started reading Rainbow Rowell's work. Right away, I fell in love with Fangirl, which is where we're introduced to the characters that star in Carry On. I don't think you need to read Fangirl before Carry On, just in case you worry about that. It's very much a combination of different fantasy worlds we've all read, but of course my thoughts went straight to Harry Potter. I really enjoyed this book...I think that story was interesting and fun. Like I said, it made me think of HP, which made me enjoy this story even more. And to be honest, I'd rate this higher than HP and the Cursed Child. Carry On is definitely worth the read.

Simon is the worst Chosen One ever. I knew this book would end the way it did, sort of. I mean it's not unpredictable or predictable. Not as god as JK obviously, but it's a unique twist on Magic. I love how common phrases are spells instead of some dead language. Simon is very sweet and Baz is a jerk (sometimes), but also a romantic. I enjoyed this; it was very cute and sweet. I wish this book were longer, or even as equal, but I don't know that Rowell does that. Wonderful read for fantasy and light ya-lgbt+ themes.

This book took me awhile to get into, but that's because I don't typically read books about magic and that world. The characters carry the story and kept me invested, and I'm glad I stuck through to the end. The second half definitely picked up for me. I enjoyed the dynamic between Baz and Simon, and Penny was lovely.

I continue to be a huge fan of Rowell's and will definitely read whatever else she puts out, but this one fell a little below the others for me (that's why the 4 stars).

This book is not what I expected it to be. I've read all of Rowell's other books and I thought that this one was going to be a fun and cute read, and it was (Sort of). The story setting is a little too Harry Potter, and hey it would be hard to compete with such a big franchise because HP has pretty much taken over the magical side of the fantasy genre. So I dont blame people for not liking it. And to be completely honest I stayed to see how the romance between Baz and Simon played out. That was it. I wanted to see their happy ever after. Although I liked this book I can see why some people dont like it.

Cons of this book are:
It is basically Harry Potter except with different characters. I could see this being maybe a sister school to Hogwarts.

All of the Characters are hard to get to know. Because she tried to shove in so many points of view you couldnt really connect with one particular character. You are bombarded with people and, Like Penny said in the book, I only need 2 or 3 friends and or points of view.

Everything that the characters are trying to figure out is in the last hundred pages of this book. This book is so big and has so much potential, but the romance, the climax, and the resolution where all shoved into such a small amount of pages that it was really unbelievable. For example, All of a sudden Simon snow is in love with Baz. He kisses him. Okay, he did spend most of the book obsessing over him but i needed more hints about this. I knew there would be a romance but then it just happened. There wasn't really a development. and the Insidious Humdrum was defeated in less that a paragraph. They spent the entire book trying to figure out how to defeat him and then Poof. He's vanquished. Not really believable.

Pros:
Really, my biggest thing was that I liked the characters. I had to fill in a lot of the blanks to like them, because Rowell left a lot of it to us. It wasn't hard for me to make things up or to come up with a few traits for these characters, but I shouldn't have to do that.

I liked the idea of the evil person. The insidious humdrum.

The romance between the two mains was cute.

So basically, I stayed because I like Rowell. She's a good writer, but this book isn't for a beginning Rowell reader and it maybe could be overlooked entirely. But in the end. I still liked it, I didn't love it, but that's really up to you now.

4.5 stars
I really loved this story. A story about a Chosen One poking fun at but yet honoring that particular trope. A book that began from a girl in another book writing fan fiction. I love the whole idea! The characters are fun and unpredictable. The spells though, those are like the best ever. So many nerd girl references from the 80's and 90's. There are so many similarities with other books but in this case, it was the point. I left this book smiling and that is worth everything!

I loved this book, and I hate Rainbow Rowell. I have hated everything I read by her, but this book was fun. If you like fantasy adventures with a touch of romance, this is definitely for you.

I also read this without reading Fangirl, and thought it stood up very well on its own, so if that is what you are worried about, you can hop right in.

While I really enjoyed the book, I felt that you really had to have read the Harry Potter series in order to fully appreciate what Rowell was doing with the tropes involved -- the chosen one, growing up, magic school, high school romance. It's mainly for this reason that I gave this book a 4-star rating instead of a 5-star one, as this book is not for everyone and anyone. I wonder if someone who had not read the conventional 'magic school' books will like Carry On. The other reason for the 4-star rating was that there were no real action happening, more of a series of flashback and some present day short segments to move things along. Nothing was really described in full and I felt that the final battle was a little anti-climactic. *ducks from all the rotten veggies coming my way* In the end, I had to adjust my expectation that this was really not that type of 'epic' book but more of a parody on the magic high school genre.

Despite all my criticisms, I really did enjoy Carry On a lot. It was fun to see how Rowell used our pre-knowledge to work various scenes. I love Baz and I love hearing the thoughts of all the characters from their perspective. I like how the narrative is bounced between each character in short segments throughout the book. This gave the scenes a dynamism and made me giggle silly-ly. (Wait, is that a word? Aren't giggles silly already?) There were obviously parallels between the characters in Carry On and in Harry Potter but the characters in Carry On were edgier.

I think my experience of Carry On was a somewhat unique one in that I had just finished reading Fangirl (I came to it late) and started on Carry On so it was as if I had been reading all the earlier books about the world of Simon Snow and this is the grand finale of the series of Simon Snow and the Watford School of Magicks. In a way, that was a good thing as I transited smoothly into the book. The characters and world were all familiar to me as if I have been following the (fictional) series from the start. But then at the same time, I had to remind myself that there were no such prior books in existence and that 'Carry On' was sort of a spinoff from a fanfiction written by a fictional character (Cath from Fangirl). It's a somewhat dizzyingly fun and confusing experience which somehow made the world of Simon Snow more real to me and helped my enjoyment of the book.

(Just a mention, I was thrilled (THRILLED!) to see that the cover art of Fangirl was by Noelle Steveson and featured Baz and Simon. I carried that image of Baz and Simon in my mind as I read Carry On. Also, having read Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, I couldn't help but compare the protagonists in the two stories!)

My fault for not investigating thoroughly but I thought this was a sequel to Fangirl. I totally skipped over the "Simon/Baz" crap in the book so that meant this was a major bummer of a book for me. Didn't get through the first page...

I had read some reviews that said this book was worth the read and after finishing fangirl I have to admit I wanted to buy Carry On. However, after reading the first few chapters, I have to say, I am disappointed. The character's just sound way too much like the OG Harry Potter characters. I don't know if that was intentional or not but because of it, I just couldn't "Carry On" reading. With that said, I think Rainbow Rowell's style of writing is intereting and is much different to what I have read in the past, which I like. The reviews here have mostly been positive and praising, but I have to sadly stray from this and say I do not recommennd this book to anyone who has relative knowlege on the HP series. If you have no idea what the HP series consists of, then you may not have disliked it as much as I did.

I loved that this is supposed to be a fanfiction written by a fictional character. I takes Harry Potter and stands it on its head. Carry On follows the book Fangirl. The writing style draws you in and makes you want to keep going...well past 3 am. Simon and Baz made me crazy with their back and forth snarking. I loved the side characters. Penny and Agatha add a nice layer to the story. I'll definitely be reading more of Ms. Rowell's work.
All read

If you have ever read a Chosen One story and wished that someone with great emotional insight would come along, pop off the lid, and show the inner workings of all the different characters and tropes usually sidelined in such stories well-- then this book will be a treat for you.

A few of my friends felt a little anxious beginning this book specifically because, as much as they liked FANGIRL (the Rainbow Rowell book where the seeds of this novel originated), they did not find the bits featuring Simon, Baz, and the World of Mages particularly compelling. All of those friends, however, have been delighted by CARRY ON. It's incredible how immediately different it is to read characters who are notionally the same when Rainbow is writing them as herself, rather than as Gemma T. Leslie or Cather Avery-- I am indifferent to Rowell-Leslie's Simon and Baz, charmed by Rowell-Avery's Simon and Baz, and absolutely, unequivocally UNDONE by Rowell-Rowell's Simon and Baz (and Penny and Agatha and Lucy [GOOD GOD LUCY!!] and Ebb and Fiona and Nicodemus etc. etc. etc.).

Being familiar with Rainbow's work helps, but only because being familiar with Rainbow's work will make your life better, and a rising tide lifts all boats. Being familiar with Harry Potter would help, as the tropes she's engaging with relate most directly to its mythology. But all that's *necessary* to enjoy CARRY ON is an interest in seeing a familiar fantasy narrative turned inside out. An eagerness to check out all its seams and see what else a Chosen One, in the hands of an astute, creative storyteller, might have an opportunity to become.

Read it without reading Fangirl first, and as long as you know Harry Potter you won't miss out on anything. Plays with the world of Harry Potter and the experience of being in fandom to create an original recreation. The best kind of fanfiction

Is there anything Rainbow Rowell​ can't do? (Short answer: No. No, there is not.)

She's back with her fifth novel, CARRY ON, the story of Simon Snow. Fans of Rainbow Rowell may remember Simon from her novel FANGIRL, but this is a totally different story. (It's not Cath's Simon Snow fan fiction about Simon, and it's not Gemma T. Leslie's Simon-- this story is all Rainbow's.)

Simon Snow is the chosen one. But, in his roommate/nemesis Baz's opinion, he's the worst chosen one to ever have been chosen. We meet Simon as he begins his last year at Watford School of Magicks. Immediately, something's in the air. For starters, his roommate/nemesis hasn't bothered to show, and from there, the mysteries reveal themselves.

CARRY ON has everything you want in a Rainbow Rowell novel: it's smart, it's clever, and it's got tons of feels. I first fell in love with her work when I read ELEANOR AND PARK, and CARRY ON has that same sense of urgency, that feeling that you are living the story along with the characters. You don't have to love Harry Potter to love CARRY ON. You don't even have to love magic. It's so much more than a story just about magic school-- it's also a mystery and a love story with well thought out, wonderfully drawn characters. And there are even ghosts. Beautiful writing and a satisfying ending. Just one warning: once you start reading, you're probably not going to want to stop.

This is the first book to make me happy in a very long time. Though a little slow to start, Simon Snow's story will suck you in for hours at a time. As was meant, this novel reminded me of every emotion I felt reading Harry Potter for the first time; wonder, excitement, sadness, suspense, and discovery.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of diverse characters. Without posting any spoilers, I will say that every character felt as if they were well-rounded and thought out. Their entire identity was not based on the way they were diverse (for example, a gay character had more to them than just being "the gay one").

I've fallen in love with this novel and I am certain other fans of Harry Potter and Rainbow Rowell will as well.

- Jackson

Although I would have enjoyed this book on its own merits, I am glad I read FANGIRL first, and was able to meet Simon Snow through Cath’s fan fiction. I didn’t have high expectations for this book, thinking that Rowell was going to just create another version of Harry Potter fantasy. I am so glad I am wrong. Rowell has developed a thoroughly contemporary group of teenaged wizards with challenges Harry Potter and his classmates never experienced.

When i first started reading this, i already knew it would be good, but i didnt expect to get pulled into this story and its deliciously fresh and deep characters so far that while i was in the process of reading it, it was all i could think of, at school, during chores. my head was dizzily, mind you, happily clouded with thoughts of what was possible with this book. All of the characters have a freshness about them that just makes you want to... dig in. especially baz.. The plot is clever and is always suprising. When i finished it, i imediately read it again. This book made me realise how much i love to read. Thank you Rainbow Rowell.

I guess my expectations were too high after E&P, but honestly this is a Harry Potter rip off. I get that it's a more mature and alternative spin off, but it's too similar for comfort. I mean the "Chosen One" befriends the animal caretaker and the headmaster takes care of him until the end where he completely ignores him? Plus, the characters were flat. The only reason I saw any development was because I compared them to their mirrors in HP. Smart nerdy female friend...come on Rowell. I just don't think this was her best, and I was so looking forward to it. I only kept reading it because I don't give up on books. The end was okay, but there was so much blahhhhh in the middle it didn't even mean anything when we got to the "exciting" part.

I was hesitant to read this one because i found the parts in fan girl intrusive, but oh my god, it's like finding a whole new world, one I didn't know was possible, like recycled tropes turned into a new genre. When Baz admits that he is "hopelessly in love," and i look at the clock and see it is time for me to sleep, yeah right, 24 hours later, no more book left and a large nothing where i used to be, its absence truly felt.

Being a Harry Potter lover, I wasn’t sure if I would love this or hate it. I loved it. It also helps that I’m a sucker for a romance. Also, I enjoyed reading from both perspectives! I’d recommend this to all my fellow HP lovers!

This book was amazing! I read Eleanor and Park and I absolutely loved it. Although I haven't yet read FanGirl, that didn't stop me from loving Carry On. This book is spectacular. Yes, it starts out as a slant on the famous book series about the boy wizard, but it goes off in its own unique direction. It has a lot to say about class warfare, expectations, and sexuality. I stayed up late to finish it!

I tried to limit myself to a chapter each day to stretch out this brilliant novel, because the writing is that good. The dialogue feels real and is laugh-out-loud funny at times.

People will try to compare this to Harry Potter, but what's the point? Can no one ever again write about traveling to magical lands, because C.S. Lewis did it first? I think not.

Enjoy this mature, sweet story that will stick with you long after you set it down.

The first third felt like one giant flashback, and there were a lot of glossed over opportunities in the worldbuilding that I would have loved to know more about.

But I adored the characters, the romance, the diversity, the magic system, the gray morality, the glimpses of worldbuilding and so on. Felt like it had the potential to be an amazing series if it hadn't just been written as a standalone 'reaction' to fangirl. Still really, really good though.

I tore through this book without even noticing I was meeting my "over 500 pages" requirement for Book Riot's challenge. This is a piece of meta-fanfiction, so embracing the derivativeness is part of the fun, as is the deliciously slashy romance. The word play and magic system is quite fun, and I think Rainbow brought great insight and love to the Potter/chosen one and vampire tropes.

I loved the Fangirl book so much. This book was written from the shreds of info we got in the Fangirl book, and it shows. This world is an obvious rip off of harry potter, which was fine in Fangirl but seems like it's desperate to make a story in this book. The writing was good, just like in Fangirl, but I couldn't get into this book the way I was sucked into Fangirl. I really wanted to like this book, but couldn't finish it. I just felt like this whole book was a parody and critique of harry potter rather than its own story. There was nothing wrong with the style or characters really, I just felt as if this whole book was very forced.

This is another fantastic book by Rainbow Rowell. Anyone who enjoyed the Harry Potter series or her previous works, such as Fangirl, will love it. Each chapter is told from one of several character's point of view. Rowell does make references to well-known series and tropes. The characters feel authentic, each with his or her unique personality, and the plot is gripping and surprising at times. I do wish there had been more romantic scenes like there were in Fangirl, but overall it was an excellent book. *This honest review was written in exchange for a free ARC copy of the novel.*

This book needs to become standard issue in high school classrooms. It has been ages since I was so taken with a book - any book! - much less a young adult novel. This is my first experience with Rainbow Rowell, and I must say that she has accomplished a truly impressive feat by queering and inverting the rote "Chosen One" narrative. "Carry On" is transgressive in the best way, but also wildly entertaining. I blew through it in two days, which is saying something coming from a busy adult with a full time job. I cannot even fathom the positive effect that it is going to have on today's LGBTQ youth to see themselves reflected in a quality, well-written fantasy novel. Certainly if this had been my Harry Potter, some things might've been different... I'm struggling to come up with enough superlatives for this book. Just read it. Go now. Add it to your cart, share it with your family, read it and re-read it.

I am so happy that Rainbow Rowell wrote this book. Can't lie, after reading Fan Girl I was quite curious about Simon Snow and Baz characters that Cath was so obsessed with. I'm so happy that Simon bugged Rowell until she wrote this novel. I absolutely love it and it's bloody brilliant. This book is so worth the read if you're a fan of Fangirl.

This won't be a verified purchase review because I got this book from the library, but I highly recommend it! Rowell's writing is fantastic, and the story was engaging and exciting. I really enjoyed the whole book, and appreciated the plot twists. Simon is a crazy character, and he made me laugh several times with his antics. I approve!

The very beginning and the epilogue were done a bit awkwardly but I really loved everything else. The reveal (I mean, I read Fangirl and I knew what Baz really felt, but still) was done really well.
All in all, it was cute. Enjoyable enough for me to finish in 24 hours, not so good that I was highlighting every other sentence.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is said to be the Chosen One. Yet, he can not get his magic to work as it should, much less control it.

Simon loves attending Watford School of Magicks, but almost as soon as he gets there things go wrong. His guardian and leader of the school, The Mage, is not there when he arrives. A magic eating monster, the Humdrum, is out and about and it looks like Simon. Simon's roommate and nemesis, Baz, is missing and no one seems worried or concerned and on top of everything, Simon's girlfriend Agatha, broke up with him.

Can Simon set things right?

Is war inevitable?

I enjoyed this book! To me, it has a Harry Potter feel to it. I personally am not apart of the Harry Potter craze. However, with all the twists and the imaginative storyline, it held my interest.

*Checkout & follow my blog:
http://wicked-blogs.blogspot.com

I really liked this book until the abrupt ending. I thought Cath and Levi's story could have concluded a little better. I was so dismayed with the ending that I looked for additional pages. Also, to be honest, all of the Simon and Baz material in Italics I just skipped over. I saw no point in reading that in the middle of the book I was reading. I thought it was pointless.

I hate posting negative reviews but this book really does only deserve two stars. I am an avid Harry Potter fan who heard about this book from friends. I knew this book wouldn't compare to HP but this is just sad. The author copied almost every detail from Harry Potter. It was almost like reading a horrible spin off of the series I know and love. From the school to the train ride to the characters, I could connect a lot of the details to the Harry Potter books. I am not going to post any spoilers in case people reading my review would stil like to read the book.

I also did not enjoy this author's writing style very much. I have not read her other books and I do not plan on reading them after this.

I wasn't sure what I would think about this book when I started to read it. I enjoyed it a lot, however, it seemed like a long book. I don't think the plot of the story was very clear for most of the book. It seemed like too many things were happening at the same time. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend.

My first knowledge of Simon and Baz came from reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. The main character "fan girls" over the fictional Simon and Baz stories and I always found myself wishing I could read the stories that she loved so much AND HERE IT FINALLY IS! ❤️
Loved it. Rainbow Rowell never disappoints.

This was the second gay love story I have read, and I have to say that it was more believable than the other. The world of Carry On is similar to Harry Potter, but the plot rushes forward halfway through the book into its own unique story. I fell in love with the relationships and I liked the end a lot.

I strongly recommend the audio version. Euan Morton does a great job with the voices and inflections. I could point out some things that could have been improved, plot-wise, but I gave it 5 stars for its pure entertainment value and the power of the core romance. Frankly, I loved it.

Other highlights:
Penelope blew Hermione out of the water by the third chapter.
I had to laugh when the hero's girlfriend told him she wasn't interested in hanging around in order to be his reward "at the end.".

In Rainbow Rowell's "Carry On" Simon Snow, chosen one, wizard, and roommate to his moody vampire nemesis is facing his arch enemy the Humdrum for the last time in his final year at a magical school.

I wasn't a fan of "Fangirl" and didn't really enjoy the snippets from "Carry On" in there, but I decided to give Rowell one last chance. And what can I say - sometimes books or certain authors just don't match your taste. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're bad.

If you're going to rip-off/write an homage, at least TRY to be original...

When I first heard that Rowell is writing this, I was actually pretty offended. It's cash grabbing, obviously. Simon Snow and Baz are the subject of the fan fiction of Rowell's character Cath from "Fangirl". They're an homage to Draco and Harry from the Harry Potter Series. And then Rowell goes ahead and writes a book about them. This would be fine and all if she actually put any effort in making "Carry On" an actual stand-alone.

This book can't survive without Harry Potter. It's full of references that you only get if you're familiar with the HP books and EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER is blatantly ripped off from Rowling. From a genderbent!Hagrid to Hermione/Penelope to Dumbledore/The Mage to Voldemort/The Humdrum.
And it's just not fun to guess who's who for 500 pages, it's just insanely frustrating to read a super predictable retelling of a better book whose only difference to the original is that it has more diverse characters. This is all there is to "Carry On" for me, the only thing that it does better than the HP books is the diversity. It's not suggested, it's not implied, it's referenced repeatedly. Kudos to Rowell, my rating goes up a whole star just for this.

The base frame may be copied, but the plot is her original... and it's not good.

Rowell completely loses herself in world building and neglects everything else. There is no reason for the reader to root for Simon, who's constantly complaining and cursing and giving off bad vibes. He's not sympathetic and he really is "the worst chosen one who's ever been chosen" like love interest Baz put it so nicely. He's a horrible character. I've had issues with Rowell's voice before, and yet again she can't write authentic teenage voices at all. Every word that comes out of Simon's mouth makes me cringe, even worse when combined with the excessive unnecessary cursing.

Well, not everything is bad about "Carry On". I like the way she did copy stuff from the HP books but just altered it enough for this book to not be considered fan fiction. There are numerous magical beings and there's a nice ghost sub plot, but it's just not enough to keep my attention for whopping 522 pages. This book seriously needs some tightening. It's definitely interesting, but it gets old very easily. After about 150 pages I was just bored and had to force myself to continue. It just wasn't fun for me. I wish I would have liked this more, but the bitter aftertaste of "Carry On" being the least original thing to hit the YA market this year just makes me cringe infinitely.

Rating:
★★☆☆☆

Overall: Do I Recommend?

I'm simply not a fan of Rowell's novels personally. Her style is hard to read for me and insanely boring and every time I actually finish a book by her I feel like I've wasted my time. This doesn't mean that the books are bad. You'll have to find out for yourself, but I can just say that I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone with similar taste like me.

Very neat story, I'm a harry potter fan and I appreciated that this was similar but also different, in style and also that the characters seemed a lot realer. Got the title from a reading list and glad I took a chance on it!

I can't get Simon and Baz out of my head. They are the kind of characters that stay with you long after the turn of the last page. I'm obsessed with Carry On. It's going back on my "to be read again" list. Rowell's writing style is simplistic, yet deeply impactful. I sped through it and couldn't put it down. I even neglected my own writing to read this book, which is saying something for me. Read this book if you like love stories that stick with you and delicious dialogue.

another book that i want to give all the stars in the universe. I just finished Carry On and I already want to reread it. It brought me out of a slump and I finished it in less than 48 hours. Let me remind you, this is not a small book. Carry On was so insanely beautiful and had me laughing and crying and just wow. Definitely in my top 5 all time favorite books.

This book was everything I expected and more. I read this book and I still can’t stop thinking about two weeks after I read it. Rainbow has a way where she makes it into your head and sets up shop there, it truly is a magical about about love, loss, and friendship. I really hope they make this into a movie or tv show. So much potential for this to be even mor greater than it is. I loved this.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. I love its writing, the story, and the twist on the "Chosen One" storyline. The little nods to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and other greats are especially awesome. Agatha surprised me most of all, and I love what Rowell did with her, and with Simon and Baz. What a beautiful, entertaining book.

I hadn't read Fangirl so it took me a second to get through the HP similarities in the beginning but then I learned what spawned the story and just plain got sucked in and loved it! Don't want to talk specifics and give anything away but definitely enjoyed it.

Such a lovely and touching love story. Yes it is a traditional "Chosen One" plot, but full of rich characters, with queer perspective that I would have loved to have as a younger reader. Rainbow Rowell said it herself that after Fangirl she wanted to see Simon and Baz play out in their own story and I think she did a beautiful job with Carry On.

I choose this book out of curiosity and I'm glad I did. I heard great things about this book. I recently started getting into reading again and this made my TBR. I really like the spin on what Rainbow Rowell thought about the world of Magic through her mind! I enjoyed the many laughs and how mesmerized I was.

So first I read fangirl then i was like hmmm I wonder if she has written any other books? And I found this one and I remembered it from fangirl and decided to try it. I haven't read any books with gay characters but i loved it so much I read it nonstop for about 4-5 hours straight and reread it over and over and even while rereading it I couldn't put it down. Five stars for the best fantasy magic book I've read

It's very well written and in certain points I was absorbed into the story; however I couldn't help but feel some Harry Potter-ish vibe (and I love Harry Potter, but if I had wanted to read the series I would have again). I think although the author I'm sure wasn't planning on it, it's difficult to write a book about magical characters and not think of the HP series and look for similarities.

Then again I haven't read Fangirl, so maybe that would give me a better perspective.

This book was absolutely wonderful to read. Rainbow Rowell does a great job adding the extra bit of detail. Simon and Baz are incredibly cute together and add that little bit of romance into it just like a classic Rainbow Rowell book. If you have read "Fangirl", this book is a must read!

The first 1/3 of the book is a lot like Harry Potter and it took me a while to try and separate the two. I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book and wish there was more of that! That being said, I felt like the overall plot was all over the place and the ending was really sudden and questionable. Overall, it was a good book to read leisurely but I wouldn't say it was amazing.

I could not finish this. I'm surprised at all the rave reviews for this fan fiction. It's nothing like Harry Potter, which was a magical adventure. If I'd known it was fan fiction, I wouldn't have picked it up. It's told mainly from the boy's POV but definitely doesn't feel like a boy's perspective. It's all introspective instead of action.

I rolled my eyes so often reading this very PC boring book I thought my eyes might stay rolled. The characters are right out of Harry Potter, but his red headed friend Ron is now a red headed girl. The main character's name is even lifted from Game of Thrones--orphaned Simon Snow. There is very little action, as most of it is in the past, and the constant change on POV makes it a bit hard to follow. I think the author spent a great deal of time trying to be J.K. Rowling when she could have written something original and fresh.

As other people have mentioned in their reviews, I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. to read this book. I loved every minute of it! After reading Fangirl, I've been waiting for this book eagerly. It exceeded my expectations. I laughed out loud, teared up, and so many moments just brought a huge smile to my face. Rainbow Rowell, you did it again. Thank you!

I love the adventures that Rainbow Rowell takes us on. Her stories are so well written that you can't help but be immersed into the world of Simon and Baz. It's an amazing read, especially is you loved FanGirl

So, I guess this was a sort of companion to Fangirl. Carry On was a great book, so was Fangirl but Eleanor and Park will always be my personal favourite. I think the story was intriguing and it was interesfing to see how the story would actually be. The whole time I was reading Fangirl, I kept thinking: What's the whole story?!?!
Anyway, Carry On was a witty and fun story. Recommended to all.
Signed;
Eleanor, Age 7

This book is incredible - I enjoyed it so much that I read it, then reread it a week later. This instantly became one of my favorite books of all time and put Rowell on my list of must-read authors. In fact, I just purchased "Fangirl" so I can get a bit more backstory (and some more Simon/Baz lovin'). I'm hoping to read more about Simon Snow and gang in the future, but I'm sure that anything Rowell writes will be a pleasure to read.

I totally don't regret it!! I read this one first despite people saying you had to read Fangirl first. Nonsense!! This was totally enjoyable on its own and when I did read Fangirl I think I appreciated the main character more for it. At least 3 times while reading this book I yelled "SHUT UP!" and laughed out loud. The writing and dialogue was fantastic. I liked how it payed homage to Harry Potter while standing on its own in its own world. If Rainbow Rowell made this an 8 book series she could totally pull it off.

Everything about this was utter joyful perfection, apart from the bi-erasure. I love the story and the characters. Baz and Simon are so utterly gorgeous. Even the concept of this book is mind-blowing. But the lack of the word bisexual really bummed me out.

I have to be completely honest, when I read Fangirl I skipped all the Simon Snow parts and when I heard that Rainbow Rowell was writing Carry On, I was apprehensive because I didn’t like the Simon Snow parts of Fangirl and wasn’t sure I’d like a full length novel. My good friends Mel and Cam raved about Carry On so I went ahead and borrowed the audiobook from the library. I really should’ve listened to my gut because SPOILER ALERT: I HATED THIS.

I’m so angry with myself because I knew this wasn’t going to be the book for me yet I still needed to see if I was proven wrong.

Why did I hate this? I didn’t like the writing; it felt so over the place. I LOVE books with multiple perspectives, if a book has multiple perspectives GIVE IT TO ME. This one was just UGH. I hated it. It felt so disjointed. Nothing was flowing right and half the time I was wondering whose head I was in because everyone sounded the same. I found a lot of it to be predictable. I couldn’t get passed 64% because at that point it was just plain torture so I started skimming and pretty much everything I predicted came true. THAT WAS DISAPPOINTING.

The characters. I’m sorry but towards 64% I just wanted them all to die so that I could be done with this torture. None of them made me say, “hey I want to find out what’s going to happen to this character” to make me continue. None of them appealed to me at all. Maybe I missed something? Maybe I didn't read the same book everyone else did? I don't know it feels like I read an entirely different book from everyone else.

The magic system was just so ridiculous. I couldn’t over look it. Or maybe because J.K. Rowling spoiled us that now anything with magic has to be up to par or it’s just not even worth it. Like this book that just wasn't worth it.

Overall, this was one of the top 16 books I planned on reading this year. It was entirely disappointing. And I am just going to carry on and read fantastic books because this was just awful.

I read this and within the first 100 pages I knew it was going to become my new favorite stand-alone novel. It is incredibly funny, sad, and lovely. I loved every single character and found myself re-reading the book all over again the minute I ended it. I cannot stop thinking about it and how great it is and how much I love the characters. It is the perfect mix of fantasy and contemporary and it is everything I have ever wanted in a book.

Read Fangirl. Loved Fangirl. I was hesitant to read the story created in Fangirl, but started it anyway. Didn't love it. Then I saw Rainbow Rowell speak and based on the way she discussed the book, decided to give it another try. I am so glad I did. It doesn't take long (once Baz finally shows up) to forget why/how Carry On came to be and just enjoy it for its own sake.

I'm really bad at writing reviews but all you need to know about this book is that it is really really really good. The world it takes place on is truly amazing, the story is incredible and you really can't help falling in love with the characters.

I could not stop reading this. When I had to, all I could think about was getting back to it. It's impossible to describe how much this story gets under your skin! I loved the ways it relates to the best fanfic, and although I was initially disappointed that this wasn't a full version of the Carry On that's quoted in Fangirl, I never minded while reading it. The emotion between Simon and Baz is so intense and perfect. This is utterly delicious!

First and foremost, people should know that this is fanfic! As in fanfiction, as in the world heavily relies on the world of another. Once people get that out of the way then I think they will enjoy this book for the wonderfulness that it is. So yeah I recommend this to everyone!
Love,
Tessah.

It's hard for me to put into words how much I enjoyed this book. It's also hard to talk about parts I liked without spoilers. But in short, I felt like I was reading really good Harry Potter fan fiction. But with the names changed, and the personalities, and the romantic interests.

I'm not even sure how to explain myself. The characters were amazing, the story was amazing, the writing made me laugh hysterically and I just... it's amazing. I highly, highly recommend this book. I wasn't expecting much, but I'm telling you it's worth it.

This book is amazing. Rowell shows that she can pretty much do anything and it's amazing. While it is pretty much a more gay Harry Potter fanfiction, it's been done so well that you don't really notice.

This instantly became my favorite book. I love Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, but this is just on another level. The audio book is also something special. If you like Harry Potter or first love stories this should be the NEXT book you read.

I was excited for this book, but was so thoroughly disappointed. It was immaturely written and felt more like crack than anything else. The characters lacked real depth, the world building was mediocre, and there was so much cheesiness I wanted to throw the book out a few times. The big romantic climax was a major let down as well. I forced myself to get to the end and was not pleased.

I enjoyed "Eleanor and Park" very much, and I was only slightly less enthusiastic for "Fangirl" but I realize now that my reaction to FG in part can be attributed to the halo effect of EP. So I still had very high expectations for "Carry On" - and I was very disappointed. Read about 40% of it, was not enjoying it at all. I did not read any of the Harry Potter books because I am not that into fantasy, so it was my mistake to ever start "Carry On".

But not all of my criticisms of CO tie to the genre. I thought most of the characters were rather flat and uninteresting, not at all likable. I didn't really care what was happening to any of them. And by page 200, if you don't care for Simon, Baz, Agatha, the Mage....what's the point? Secondly, not a lot was happening. There were some brief interesting moments, mostly in the retelling of past events, but little excitement, no tension.

I think there is a huge, big picture difference between "E&P" and "Carry On" that potential readers must consider before committing to this 522 page read. "Eleanor and Park" may be classified by many as Young Adult, but in fact it made the year's Best Book Lists (for all readers) from several highly regarded publications, and deservedly so. "Carry On" is Young Adult fantasy fiction.

This book was amazing. Rainbow Rowell is a fantastic writer. I love that she was able to take a fanfiction story she wrote about in Fangirl and create an entire novel based on that story. Make sure you read Fangirl before this one.

Loved it!!! CARRY ON is funny, magical, poignant, refreshing, and original. Some parts read a bit 2-dimensional and flat, but the charm of this book makes up for it. I enjoyed it way more than Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, neither of which I liked much, for some reason. Read it now!

I bought and finished this book today (along with another book) and let me just say I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN'S WRITING!! She paints a great picture in your mind of what's going on. Baz is my favorite :) I hope there's a sequell!!

FIVE
STARS
!!!!

Generally speaking, it's not the type of book that I enjoy. But Rowell's writing is superb, and the plot kept me turning pages.

I much preferred Eleanor & Park, but Carry On was well worth a read.

It is pretty clear that fantasy is not the genre R.R. generally writes, but she does a capable job rounding out the world. Where she shines is in the depth with which she creates relationships. And here she shines again.

I'm a HUGE Rainbow Rowell fan, and have read all of her books. Some of them (E&P, Fangirl) multiple times. BUT, this was a big disappointment. I feel like it lacked all the chemistry and smart dialogue that pulls me in with all of her other books. At page 129, I considered not finishing it. I was utterly bored, but when Baz appears in the story, it did start to pick up. It's not terrible, but it's not great.

The beginning of this book I completely suffered through as.it read like horrible Harry Potter fan fiction. I still feel like it read like fan fiction, but I loved the story, the Baz/Simon relationship, and some of the new magical elements. So if you're looking for a easy, cute read- go for it! But you'll need to get past the beginning first...

it had a nice idea but it's so poorly written and constructed ... feels like im reading a fanfic by an edgy 13 years old. The intro takes over 100 pages and I still don't even have a good sense of what the setting is like, and I've yet to actually meet Baz, the other main character?? And when he's introduced it's so ... boring. Anticlimatic. And thank god i didnt buy this book & went to the library instead (lol). Out of curiosity I flipped to the last 2 pages and even the conclusion is boring.

tl;dr - if John Green likes an author , and you dont like john green, dont read that authors books!

I've loved all of rainbow rowell's other books and I'm a huge Harry Potter fan so I was very excited to get my hands on "Carry On". All of her books have been quick, exciting reads for me where I could barely put the book down, but this one was hard to get through. The plot was thin, although I thought the explanation of the humdrum was quite clever. I didn't connect with any of the characters, maybe because Rowell tries to pick up as though the reader is already in the middle of a series as opposed to introducing us to them, but they all came off as unrelatable, and rather than rooting for them to succeed I just wanted the book to be over. The central romance seemed contrived and difficult to believe. Some might say I'm biased because it's a gay romance but I think if it were well written I wouldn't have felt that way. I'm still excited for rainbow rowell's next book but now I'm cautiously optimisric as opposed to unrestrainedly enthusiastic as I would have been before reading "carry on".

Sorry to say that this book went nowhere. Initially, it seemed novel and interesting with the concept of parodying or undermining the whole Chosen One trope. But the book never really established itself in its own right. It seemed like it wanted to be about a Chosen One, yet also critique the whole idea. Really, it was just kind of a Chosen One story with a protagonist who struggled to live up to that potential. That doesn't really put the whole Chosen One concept on its head. In anime, there've been many protagonists with a hidden power that erupts spontaneously-ie Naruto, Gohan (pre-Cell Games), Kuwabara's dimension-breaking spirit sword.

The really short, sometimes one sentence chapters felt extremely unnecessary and contrived. Almost just stuck in there to be artistic or non-commercial. They didn't come off as all that artistic, though.

Tone-wise, the book was way too melancholy. Kind of switched from trying to be fun to getting too serious.

The pacing wasn't all that great-lots of needless backstory, inner monologues that didn't move the story forward.

The sense of urgency was a bit too vague for me-there's the Humdrum, okay, and the Old Families on the verge of war with the Mage, but, again, these were more like vague threats. These needed to be shown (not told) earlier in the story with more riveting effects OR a deadline should've been set ie the Humdrum will destroy us all in X days.

Lastly, I liked the idea that this was kind of a response to Harry Potter, but at the same time, it also seemed to rely too much on the same elements of Harry Potter. I can't help but thinking that if a person hadn't read Harry Potter, many references of this story might've held little weight.

All in all, a poorly executed story with bloated plotting that never quite defined itself properly.

After seeing the rave reviews, I was excited for this one. I found it incredibly boring, and I didn't feel like any of the characters were fleshed out. Couldn't get into it. I didn't care for Eleanor and Park, and thought Fangirl was just ok. Maybe this author does not strike a chord with me.

I had serious HIGH hopes for this book. This is supposed to be a spin-off for Fangirl which, as you can tell, I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened here but I did NOT enjoy Carry On. I found the plot to be confusing and slow; the characters to be dim-witted and not at all relatable; and the overall book was just so meh that it took me a lot longer to read than what I had expected. I mean, Fangirl was so good. What happened?! Also, I want to point out that I am not the only one who thought so. This book was picked for my book club and from what I saw, a lot of them did not enjoy it either.

First of all, the plot. Can I just ask, what the hell happened? It kept twisting and turning and not in a good way. I mean, I love plot twist, but that “plot twist” was just way too out there. It was also incredibly confusing mainly because the author wrote the book in the perspective of about 50 people. Some of them made sense like Simon or Baz or even Penelope. Then others did not make sense at all and would only show up for a chapter or two such as Nicodemus or Ebb. Was it really necessary to make one random chapter from the perspective of someone else? It was hard to follow and not at all necessary.

Also, I want to mention that this whole World of Mages thing seem WAY too similar to Harry Potter. The whole 7 books series, the usage of wands even though everyone knows that magicians don’t use wands to perform their “magic”, the spell casting even though, again, everyone knows that magicians don’t cast spells, etc. Everything is just so similar to Harry Potter but in a really, really cheap sense of way. It doesn’t have the same character richness or the amazing plot that Harry Potter has. Honestly, it really makes me wonder about Fangirl and how/why exactly does she love the Simon Snow series so much. It’s really not that great.

Then, let’s talk about the characters. In Fangirl¸ the characters literally made the book. In Carry On¸ the characters were such a flop. Simon was so dim-witted (even Baz, in the book, mentioned it so many times). I mean, he couldn’t even figure out if he was gay or not and this was after having intense makeout sessions with Baz. Baz was pretty much the typical angst vampire and until he mentioned that he was in love in Simon, I didn’t get the hint at all. There wasn’t even any kind of chemistry between the two – more of an obsession especially from Simon’s end because he was literally always thinking of Baz and how to overcome any “plots” he might have. It was a little ridiculous, to be honest. Even Penelope (or should I say, Hermione) wasn’t that great. Sure, she was smart but she was annoying and I felt no love for her.

Overall, this was really not a great book. The ending was horrid – it was so out of the blue and it seemed as if even the author herself lost interest and simply wanted to wrap the book up. A lot of things didn’t make sense and it didn’t even make sense to the characters! That was the most ridiculous things. How do you expect the readers to understand when even the characters in the plot are questioning the same thing to no avail? Anyways, I definitely recommend Fangirl but that’s it. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

Click here to view entire review: [...]

So I hate to be the first negative review, but I want to write the review I wish I had read before I tried to read Carry On. And before you flip your lid, please note I've starred this as two stars, which the store defines as: I didn't like it. I didn't. YMMV.

The most important thing you should know is that this is a book based on fictional characters from Rainbow Rowell's earlier novel, Fangirl. Most of the reviews I've seen are from people who read and loved Fangirl. If you didn't, please know you're going to be working at a disadvantage from the start. I really wish its connection to Fangirl was clear in the marketing copy.

The second most important thing you need to know is that the fictional universe is itself a kind of Harry Potter fanfiction, except without the - oh, I don't know, the elegance? The charm (no pun intended)? The hope? In Carry On, you're reading this weird kind of meta fanfiction of fanfiction of Harry Potter, except grittier. When I started reading it and realized that, I just kept thinking, "I'd rather be re-reading Harry Potter." (Spoiler: that's what I ended up doing.)

I don't usually review books I didn't finish, but I feel like this isn't being marketed fairly, and I wanted to save readers like me a little time and money. If you loved Fangirl and you're all about thrice-removed Harry Potter fanfiction, this will be your jam, as you can see from all the 5-star reviews.

Lost a lot of respect for Rainbow Rowell with this book. I loved Eleanor and Park! But I BARELY got 50 pages in before I shut it and I haven't touched it since. From what I read, it just seemed like a Rainbow wasted a lot of time writing a book making fun of Harry Potter and it lacked any originality or plot, really.

I love Rainbow Rowell's books and was so excited for this book because I adored Fangirl. But ugh, this book was terrible. I'm so excited for Rainbow Rowell's next book as long as it's closer to the Eleanor and Park vein... How disappointing.

Um, are you kidding me?
Please. Tell. Me. This. Is. Fake.
This is a blatant Harry Potter rip off, I'm surprised it was even published!
(Although, Rowell's a good writer. She should consider writing Drarry fanfic on ao3. Would be better.)

One of the worst books I have ever read. I am not her target audience, but I have enjoyed her previous books. This one is a poor adaptation of Harry Potter, ridiculous plot with no depth to it. It was a waste of time to read it.

So disappointing. Really great characters, story, lore...and then plop. The main character has a vague erotic exchange with his "arch rival" and this suddenly becomes a "queer centric" novel. Not. Super unrealistic character development, predictable ending, continuous unrealistic development of "queer" characters, poorly exacted climax. Sorry, this novel was definitely not worth 500 pages of reading. This is just more examples of straight people writing slash fiction about gay teens and fetishizing gay relationships. Ugh. What a disappointment. If you live your life on tumblr or fan fiction sites then I guess this is the novel for you. Straight people have a really messed up perception of how gay teenage romance actually works or happens or develops or anything. So disappointing.