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 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. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?
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. ~ Goodreads
Source: Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I’m doing a review for Geekerella by Ashley Poston Friday Fast 5 style!
5 Reasons You Should Read Geekerella!
1.
Geekerella is a Cinderella re-telling with a clever, modern spin. Poston kept all the details from Cinderella but with a fresh take that felt very up-to-date and relevant. A vegan food truck named The Magic Pumpkin, a Cos Play competition for the ball and gown, diverse characters (PoC, LGBQT) to name just a few things.
2.
No Cinderella re-telling would be complete without the evil stepmother and sisters. Again, true to the original but with a bit more development for the characters, adding lot of depth to the story and keeping them from becoming just caricatures.
3.
Female empowerment & friendships. I loved how resourceful and strong Elle was despite her circumstances at home. The classic sci-fi series, Starfield, and the ExcelsiCon, are her only joy and connection to her deceased parents. She overcomes a lot of her own fears and misconceptions to preserve their legacy and honor the series.
She forms several friendships with girls that could have been written as catty and competitive but instead were supportive and, in some cases, surprising allies.
4.
The romance. Super cute! It had a slow burn, You’ve Got Mail (through anonymous texting) vibe at first with a bit of hate at first sight thrown in when our couple finally meets. Teen heartthrob, Darien Freeman, is not AT ALL who Elle thinks should play her favorite federation Prince and passionately blogs to her followers about it...until she gets to know him. Darien is under a lot of pressure from the fandom and from his father and doesn't come off as another woe-is-me actor. Loved him so much!
5.
Fandom!
If you are into fandom or geeky in any way – this is the book for you!
If you think you will like this book and add it to your keep shelf I HIGHLY recommend getting the hardcover. The attention to detail is amazing inside and out! And truly representative of the story and characters in the book.
Geekerella was a delightful, relatable story with surprising depth yet still kept the fairy tale feel and was a joy to read.
I absolutely loved this one too Karen and have just finished reading it myself. Wasn't it lovely and adorable and Elle is a protagonist that you can't help but champion. I expected something fluffy but was surprised by the depth of the themes explored too. So glad you loved this one too Karen, brilliant review sweetheart <3 <3
ReplyDeleteIt was SO DAMN CUTE & fun & inclusive...all the things.
DeleteI loved how the author kept everything important from Cinderella but also left behind the things that would have bogged the story down or made it feel dated.Very well done!
It was SO DAMN CUTE & fun & inclusive...all the things.
DeleteI loved how the author kept everything important from Cinderella but also left behind the things that would have bogged the story down or made it feel dated.Very well done!
It does sound delightful :D
ReplyDeleteIt was!
DeleteI am so excited to get this book!! Everyone has loved it. I like the way it is a modern Cinderella retelling and it sounds like it has a lot of fun elements. Great review!
ReplyDeleteIt's so cute but really sweet and relevant too.
DeleteThis book sounds adorable! I hadn't heard of it before but it's on my radar now, for sure :)
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear it!
DeleteI really need to buy this one :D
ReplyDeleteIt's so cute and definitely a hardcover for the keeper shelf
DeleteThis does sound good, and I just finished another book- Queens of Geek- that was set at a convention. I may have to give this a try too.
ReplyDeleteI read and reviewed that one as well. This is similar but different enough to not feel like you're reading the same book. Both are good but I enjoyed this one a bit more.
DeleteI love Cinderella retellings and this one just sounds super cute. I will definitely have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteThen you NEED to read it! It's done really well.
DeleteI really love the LOOK of this one - I definitely need a physical copy. I love books that focus on fandom/geeky things, and yay for diverse characters! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh this does sound really fun! The twists on the basics from the original Cinderella sound awesome, as do the friendships. And that's great that it even gives the stepmom and sisters some depth to make them more realistic. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou had me at geek and finished me with supportive friends. Yea, this one sounds like something I would really enjoy! Will also have to check out the hard book cover. :)
ReplyDeleteThe vegan truck. Love that!
ReplyDeleteI’m looking forward to read this book. When real life gets crazy busy I tend to read fluffy and light-hearted books. It looks like this story has not only lovely stuff, but some depth. Wonderful review, Karen! I love this format.
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ReplyDelete