The Fangirl Life

April 11, 2016
In this witty and sympathetic debut, therapist Smith—a self-proclaimed fangirl and proprietor of the blog Fangirl Therapy—offers wise advice on being a devout but well-rounded fan and even turning obsession into inspiration for one’s own life. Using helpful exercises, Smith seeks to empower fellow fangirls to become women who will stand firmly behind their thoughts and actions, deal constructively with conflict, and use the books and people they admire to create their life stories. A particularly inspired tactic is reframing mistakes and missteps as “plot development.” Smith points out that avid writers of fan fiction can channel that creativity into a full-time job writing original fiction. She also turns normally intimidating therapy-speak on its head in a chapter entitled “All the Feels,” describing such made-up diagnoses as obsessive imagination
disorder and preseason anxiety disorder. While the adolescent tone can occasionally be a bit cloying, the author pulls it off by weaving in snippets of her own most embarrassing—and transforming—fangirl moments. Agent: Hannah Brown Gordon, Foundry Literary + Media.