Fangirl: The Manga Books in Order

Fangirl: The Manga retells Rainbow Rowell’s novel Fangirl as a four volume comic, keeping Cath Avery’s inner world intact while showing it in black and white panels. It is a campus story, a fandom story and a gentle romance all at once.

Cath and her twin sister Wren leave home for their first year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wren wants to reinvent herself with parties and new friends, so she refuses to be Cath’s roommate. Cath ends up in a cramped dorm room with Reagan, a sharp, intimidating upperclassman, and spends most of her energy hiding behind her laptop and writing Simon Snow fanfiction for thousands of readers online.

The manga leans into that push and pull between online life and real life. Cath’s dad is back in Omaha trying to stay stable without his daughters around. On campus she meets Levi, Reagan’s endlessly cheerful ex-boyfriend who keeps hanging around their room, and Nick, a serious classmate who wants to collaborate on stories. Between awkward dining hall meals, creative writing workshops and late night revision sessions, Cath is quietly asked to decide whether she can be more than her screen name.

Because this is manga, you see every flinch, eye roll and half smile, rather than just hearing about it.

Each volume tracks a different stretch of Cath’s freshman year. Volume 1 covers move in day, the shock of being separated from Wren and the early days of meeting Reagan and Levi. Volume 2 deepens Cath’s ties on campus as she starts writing with Nick and realizes that her feelings for Levi are not as simple as friendship. Volume 3 follows the fallout when trust is broken, Wren leans too hard into partying and the twins’ estranged mother steps back into their lives. Volume 4 carries Cath through finals, family repairs and the hard work of finishing both her fanfic and an original story.

Along the way, the art cuts in scenes from Cath’s Simon Snow fanfiction, giving brief glimpses of magic battles and dragon winged boys that echo what she is working through in her own life. The result feels very close to the novel while still adding something new; you can read the manga on its own or as a companion, especially if you like seeing shy characters and crowded dorms drawn in expressive detail.