The Fangirl Project coming November 4th, 2025 from Delacorte Romance; 368 pages
Content Warning: Bullying
About the Author: “Beth Reekles is the author of the bestselling YA series THE KISSING BOOTH (now a hit trilogy on Netflix) alongside several other rom-com novels. Her fourteenth book THE REUNION was Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month in June 2024. A self-confessed nerd and rom-com fan, she is now a full-time author living in South Wales, and shares movie reviews on her Instagram” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Beth Reekles on the following platforms:
After Cerys’ best friend turned crush, Jake, moves away, she’s worried their relationship won’t survive the distance. In an attempt to work around the miles between them—and to catch Jake’s eye—Cerys decides to dive into the one thing Jake won’t stop talking about: Of Wrath and Rune (OWAR), a popular fantasy fandom. But when Jake introduces her to his new best friend Max, an OWAR superfan, Cerys starts to wonder if she’s in over her head. Still, determined to spend more time with Jake, she keeps colliding paths with Max and the fandom. In the months she spends watching the show and immersing herself in every aspect of the fandom, Cerys discovers unexpected connections—and feelings—in the process.
Despite its promising premise, The Fangirl Project ultimately fell flat for me. While I appreciated the incorporation of multimedia elements—like texts, DMs, and lists—that added some variety to the storytelling, the rest of the book didn’t quite hold up. There were far too many pop culture references for my personal preference, which at times pulled me out of the story and may make the book seem dated to future readers. The humor also felt a bit forced and millennial in tone, making it difficult to fully connect with the characters. I found it a bit hard to care for the fan fiction Cerys was writing since I didn’t identify with any aspects of OWAR, and I found Cerys herself to be irritating and frustrating. She was not a good friend to Anissa nor Daphne, or anyone else for that matter. Though there was potential for an exploration of Cerys’ relationship with her parents, and her mom and dad’s relationship with each other, that subplot was left largely unexplored. There was some promising buildup when they were interacting peacefully and with familiarity that made Cerys uncomfortable but it ultimately led nowhere. Instead, Reekles seemed to focus more on Cerys’ complaints about her life and her parents’ actions. On another note, the romance was predictable, and although I was prepared for it, the miscommunication trope made it even less enjoyable. Both love interests felt one-dimensional, and that made it really hard to feel invested in Cerys’ relationship with either Jake or Max. The banter between Cerys and Max was borderline painful and seemed as forced as her interactions with Jake. While I appreciated the novel’s message about embracing authenticity, it wasn’t enough to make up for the flat characters and unoriginal plot.
The Fangirl Project releases on November 4th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Vanshikha Vij, Pine Reads Review Writer