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Monday, May 08, 2017

Release & Review - Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Image and blurb from Goodreads
Title: Geekerella
Author: Ashley Poston
Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance (Retelling)
Publication Date: April 4th, 2017
Publisher: Quirk Books

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.


Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

3.5 “Cinderella goes to Comic Con” Stars


This was a cute read, but it could've been better if it had been more focused on the romance.

I went into this book holding the blurb's promise close to heart: part romance, part love letter to nerd culture. While I could feel the author's love for fandom and cons and everything related to that culture, I didn't feel the romance as much as I would've wanted.

Geekerella is the story of geek girl Elle and teen actor Darien. These two come together (virtually) after the Starfield movie is announced. Elle, one of the show's biggest fans, isn't all that happy about Darien being chosen to play the main character, Carmindor. Darien, on the other hand, is already dealing with his on insecurities and doesn't need anyone else hating on him for taking his dream role.

The thing with Darien and Elle is that they're both hiding. Darien is hiding behind the "hot actor" facade when in truth he's a geek who loves Starfield as much as the fans who are criticizing him. Elle is hiding from the world and herself, and in true Cinderella fashion, she lets her stepmother and stepsisters walk all over her.

For me, it wasn’t an easy task to connect with Elle. I tend to shy away from characters who are too passive. I love heroines who know how to stand up for themselves, and Elle didn’t. The way she let her “family” treat her wasn't reasonable at all, and it irritated me most of the time. I have to be completely honest and say I’m not such a big fan of Cinderella in the first place because of her passive personality, but I was still hoping Elle would have more fire. I understand this was arc--learning how to stand up for herself, but it took her too long to get there.

Darien a little bit better, even though he still let his father control most of his life. But I saw more "fire" in him, which made things a bit better.

But I have to say my biggest problem here was still the lack of romance promised. Elle and Darien spent too much time apart. In fact, they only saw each other when we were getting close to the end. They communicated via texts, but the romance will just go so far when the characters aren't spending any quality time together. Their individual journeys took too much of the story's time and focus, leaving little for the romance itself. I felt a little cheated, because the book promised more of them together than what I got.

On the plus side, I really, really enjoyed the fandom culture and love in this book. I'm not huge part of any fandom, but I know enough to enjoy it. I liked how both characters were big fans of the show and how they always found a way to relate Starfield with what was happening in their lives, showing us how we can learn with the stories we love.

I also enjoyed the friendships portrayed in the book. Elle's new friend was fun and quirky, and Darien's old friend was loyal to him.

The author did a great job incorporating Cinderella elements into the story and making it original. The 
Magic Pumpkin food truck was genius.


Overall, this was a fun read. Had it delivered on the romance story it promised in the blurb, I would've enjoyed it a whole lot more.
*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

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