Carry On - Book Review

Ok. So it's 2:20am and I finished this book about 5 minutes ago. Of course, I'm still kinda in the shock-phase that comes after finishing a book. Luckily for me, there are other books in the series after this one. Because I really, really liked this book. Like, you know when you like something a lot, a lot -- so much that it hurts? That's me with this book and with these characters. This happens to me occasionally with books, and almost exclusively with books. I just try not to think about how much I like the book, because if I do, it hurts. That makes no sense. It's just that, I'm not used to emotions. And this book gave me emotions. How cringey. 

I actually don't know where to start. Like, this book was so good and I want to cry and I want to rant about it and I want to read it again and again and I want to do it justice. But I'm gonna try to keep this review spoiler-free, because it's the first book of a series and I try to keep reviews for those spoiler-free. I also need to try and type with the least aggression as possible, because it is quite late at night (or you could say early in the morning) and I don't wanna get caught reading/blogging at 2:30 in the morning. Let me tell you, typing this quietly is very slow. But I have already had to get up and grab my laptop, which made my very creaky bed make some very loud noises. Ok, I should probably talk about the actual book now. After all, I am kinda clutching it and stroking the cover like a weirdo. Warning, though: this review is probably going to be a mess because I have many thoughts.

The first thing I am going to say is that I think I read this book at the right time. By that, I mean that I don't think I'd have appreciated it as much if I had read it like a year ago, when I bought it. Yeah, yeah, I know, I have to stop buying books when I already have heaps of unread ones. But, look, it turned out good for me this time. Be grateful it's not drugs. 

So, I read Fangirl (also by Rainbow Rowell) early last year. I really did enjoy it, and considered it one of my favourite books at the time. Unfortunately, I wrote a very underwhelming review for it. But yeah, I really liked it. So I bought Carry On.

I remember when I bought this book, the person at the checkout of the bookstore was very nice, and get this, she talked to me about books. At a bookstore. When I was buying books. Woah. Anyway. She asked me if I had read Fangirl, and I said yes, and she said that she hadn't read Fangirl before Carry On, and was very concerned by how similar it was to Harry Potter in a way. After reading Carry On, I can now laugh at that. 

Honestly, yes, Carry On is very Harry Potter-ish. I'm pretty sure it was meant to be like that. 

Ok. If you're one of those hardcore Potterheads, can you please just skip over the next paragraph I write? Thanks. 

Ok, this is a very big and controversial statement to make, but... I actually think that Carry On is better than Harry Potter. Obviously I can only speak for the first book in the Simon Snow series, since it's the only one I've read so far, but like. Carry On is better than The Philosopher's Stone. For sure. Subjectively. Plus, Rainbow Rowell isn't an absolute bitch!

Ok. So. The characters. Absjkfsugsvj. I think I got a spoiler somewhere about... one of the relationships that emerges during this book? Maybe it was from Fangirl, I dunno. This was one of the few times where this spoiler was good-ish. Because it was wonderful to laugh at the characters before they got together, and to see all the foreshadowing of it. And when they did finally become a thing, my heart melted for them. I think I found my OTP. If I wasn't trying to not give spoilers, I would be ranting about these two characters right now.

I really liked most of the characters in this book though!! The two main characters were both iconic, especially together. They really balanced each other out. I was ranting about Baz to my friend at school, and I think that friend thought that I ✨liked✨ him. Which is awkward for all three of us (Baz included). I should probably come out to that friend. 

Speaking of which, the queer representation in Carry On was amazing. It was so great to see queer characters who weren't the type of characters who you see once and then never again! Yayyyy we enjoy celebrating the bare minimum. Obviously there's still a loooooooong way to go. But it was nice.

Rainbow Rowell mentioned in the acknowledgements of the book that someone convinced her to have a higher body count. In the book, not in real life. I kinda agree with that person. It was sad when some of the characters died, but we like a brutal and realistic book.

I also really liked Carry On because it was rather plot twisty. And mystery-ish. And I feel like a few of the plot twists crept up on me, you know? They weren't the type that are just revealed in one line. Or maybe that's just me being dumb and not picking stuff up in other books. But yeah, I really think that Carry On was written well in that way. The plot was so good. The ending, too.

Ok, so was it just me or did the ending seem very ending-ish? Like, I dunno, this one book ended in a way that some other last-book-in-the-series end? I actually think it was because the main characters left school at the end. And it was kinda a "happy ending", heaps of things were resolved and like, the last 3 words were the name of the book. I'm not complaining, though. I want to hug this book and all three of the main characters in it (Simon, Baz, Penny). And Rainbow. The author's note was so sweet.

Also the writing style was so good! I really liked how each character had a distinctive voice when they were narrating. The large amounts of swearing were so funny, and also very realistic for highschoolers. I feel like the swearing enhanced the greatness of this book. Which is a weird thing for someone like me to say. But yeah, very realistic. I unfortunately spend a lot of time around teenagers, so I can confirm.

Also, this is random, but for anyone who is reading this and has also read the actual book, I keep thinking about the Bohemian Rhapsody scene. Hahaha. That was hilarious but also very intense and you know... sad.

Honestly I just want to start reading Wayward Son. But alas, it is 3:15am now and that would be unwise. I'm kinda worried that I'm not gonna be able to buy the final book in time but I will find a way. 

It was kinda awkward because there is like a picture/drawing of Simon and Baz on the cover of Carry On, right, and since they conventionally-attractive-ised them (like bro, they didn't even look like how I imagined them) I didn't want my parents to see, because they would have judged me for it. So I basically hid the book from them. Then I showed my brother the book (because I wanted to rant about it to him) and he started drawing the picture on the front. Then showed my dad while asking me what the character's name was, again. So I have no idea who my dad thinks the drawing was of. But I didn't say anything because awkward. Also, Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch is a mouthful of a name to say.

Ok, so that just about sums up everything I have the brain-power to say about this book right now. I'm very curious about what Wayward Son will bring. Very excited to read it.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT I LIKED IT A LOT. When I finished it I made a squeaky crying noise. 

Ahh now I have to put my laptop back on my desk, which means I have to try and stop my bed from creaking. Wish me luck. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, 14+* ★★★★★

*This age recommendation is only my opinion. Some younger people might feel comfortable reading this book, and some older people might not. That's fine, either way. Warning for medium-level violence, gore, sexual references, weird kissing stuff, lots of swearing, homophobic attitudes from certain characters, and potentially upsetting themes.