Cover Image: Geekerella

Geekerella

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I first learned of Geekerella when I was still in university, coincidentally doing a project about fan culture, specifically fanfiction, and very immersed in the Bellarke fandom on Tumblr. So, you can imagine I was very excited to hear about Geekerella, a book that essentially celebrates what fan culture is all about plus, it was a retelling. But, the trade paperback was crazy expensive but lucky for us university students, we had a yearly allowance provided by our government to purchase books (it was supposed to be for school books). And after much budgeting, I finally managed to squeeze in a spot for Geekerella because lord, did it eat a whole in my pocket. And I devoured it in a single day because it was just so good. So,

When the approval for Geekerella popped up in my inbox recently, I was a little surprised. Didn’t I request for this book ages ago? Wait, what’s going on? Hadn’t this book already been released and I have saved up a shit ton of money to buy it? Well, read on to find out why Geekerella is once again making it’s rounds and why I love this book so much. As always, my reviews may contain spoilers. I say may because what’s a spoiler to you may not be a spoiler for me.

Verdict:

Great news for fans of Geekerella who have always wanted to read it but didn’t want to splurge on a hardback (seriously, who can afford it? ). It’s finally here in paperback!

It comes with a brand new cover as well as an exclusive script from Starfield! You can check out an excerpt of the script here. http://ew.com/books/2018/04/05/geekerella-paperback-preview-exclusive/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly

Anyway, now that you know the big news, let’s get on with the review. I actually reread a big portion of Geekerella just to see if anything major has changed and I can say that if there are any changes, it’s not noticeable. In fact, Geekerella is still the heart-warming, aww-inducing ode to fan culture that I’ve come to love.

To quickly recap, Geekerella is about geek and Starfield-fangirl, Elle, whose biggest connection with her late parents is the TV series that’s about to get a reboot with a lead actor she doesn’t quite approve of. Naturally, like the fairy tale, Elle lives with step monsters whose goal in life is to make her miserable. When the annual ExcelsiCon (a convention her father helped start) holds a cosplay competition with a grand prize to the Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the new lead actor, Elle seeks her chance at escaping the awful life she’s lead so far. Along the way is a collection of journeys: from self-discovery, to learning about family, creating new relationships and acceptance. That goes for both Elle and Darien.

Elle and Darien are adorable. Both are struggling with their family lives and their friendships and they end up finding solace in fandom (as so many of us do, admit it) as well as a fandom friend which, when you’re the loneliest person in your world can feel incredibly liberating.

As I mentioned briefly above, there’s a parallel between Elle and Darien that draw them together despite their different places in life: him, an actor and her, a fry girl. Poston writes this incredibly well from their struggles in their family life to not having any friends as well as making new friends. I particularly loved the parallel between their aversion to conventions and overcoming that hurdle.
Most importantly what I loved about Geekerella was not the story but the material itself. It was a great demonstration of how uniting fandom can be (if you ignore the romance-y part), especially when you feel the loneliest. Elle and Darien were brought together by a community of people who loved Starfield and they were able to find a way to heal from the hurts in their lives through participating in the fandom.

Speaking from personal experience, being part of a fandom whether in person or online can be extremely freeing especially when you’re someone like me who has the tiniest possible circle of friends and rarely finds the chances to meet new people. But with fandom, I am able to meet people from all walks of life, who can teach me so many things and essentially, these people are my friends. I go to them with my problems, just like Elle and Darien and they’re not “online” friends; they’re just friends.

For comparison, Rainbow Rowell’s fangirl also deals with the topic of fandom, but from a different aspect with a much more dramatic tone to the entire story. She still touches on how fandom can help a person form their identity and community but in a less fluffy way, with a stronger emphasis on Cath’s relationship with Levi.

But,

As always, I do have a couple of problems with Geekerella but none of them glaring enough for me to go on a massive rant. But, I will go through them anyway.

Firstly, Elle and Darien didn’t feel convincing as a couple or even as two people falling in love. Perhaps, it is because we are reading text messages but as someone who has had long distance relationships with people I have only met through chats/texts, it didn’t feel like they were connecting on a romantic level. And I felt completely disconnected from the romance the entire ride.

I was more invested in their separate personal journeys as well as their friendships.

Secondly, the whole retelling aspect lacked originality. There are elements from the fairytale that have been creatively transferred like the Fairy Godmother and the Magic Pumpkin but A Cinderella Story, the movie featuring Hilary Duff felt more convincing as a born-again Cinderella fairytale. However, the convention/fandom element took precedence over the Cinderella aspect.

Conclusion:

Geekerella will remain one of my favourite novels, especially for a light summer read. It’s fun and fresh and very sweet, guaranteed to make your stone cold heart melt. It is also an ode to fandom and fan culture which I truly appreciated. But it does have it’s low points but they’re not glaring or bothersome enough to ruin the reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This review edition may differ from the final edition.

Was this review helpful?

This is an adorably perfect Cinderella retelling! There were just enough nods to the original to make it a solid retelling, but I was impressed at a lot of the original takes on the classic.

Was this review helpful?

*Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* Ashley Poston's 'Geekerella' is a fun YA book that combines the traditional fairytale of Cinderella with the modern phenomenon of fandoms. Elle Wittimer is a teenage girl living with her evil stepmother and two stepsisters... sound familiar? She is obsessed with the cult TV show, Starfield and is desperate to attend ExcelsiCon, a convention where all things geek are celebrated. With a healthy dose of romance, humour and even a pumpkin carriage, this book should appeal to teens. I am most definitely not a teen, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book! A super cute and super fun retelling of Cinderella with a fandom twist. I can't wait to read the 2nd.

Was this review helpful?

I really love retellings of classic fairytales, so when I saw this available in Netgalley, I immediately requested it.

The blurb sounds really interesting. The MC is a fangirl like me which instantly connects me to her. The writing is good. I just don't really like how both main characters fell in love via text message, especially nowadays there are a lot of people who pretend to be other people. However, the two main characters are really likable.

Nonetheless, a cute, fun love story for everyone.

Was this review helpful?

This is just as awesome as I knew this would be! I love how the cons are a part of this. I can definitely relate haha. Perfect. Can't wait to read more!

Was this review helpful?

I couldn't really get into this one, to be honest. The writing is quite good, and I like the storyline/plot premise. But the way the main character refers to her relatives, and the discomfort of that, made it hard for me to connect with her (or anyone else in the book honestly) and I just decided to stop reading. This definitely may work well for others, and there's a chance I may revisit this down the track and really enjoy it, but right now it is a no from me.

Was this review helpful?

I'm obsessed with Cinderella stories and this a pretty good one at that. Poston has managed to slip in the tiniest details which makes a Cinderella fan squeak in excitement for the memories. But it still also could stand on it's own.

We have a geeky (cinder)Ella who is a fandom girl (who doesn't like fandoms!) who works in a pumpkin (See! It's fun!) and a famous actor standing in as a prince. Of course the modern take makes our MC-s meet through texting. And its good! It lets us see the falling in love part instead of the insta-love we get in the fairytale. We get to know the "prince" and see the falling in love from both sides.

But something didn't quite click for me. Maybe I was expecting tooo much, I was expecting to be wowed to the floor. Instead I found that I didn't care. I didn't care about the Starfield world. I did watch it like Harry Potter or any other fandom I'm familiar with but I couldn't connect. I didn't care for Dariens problems. They were too cliche - an actor who doesn't care about fame and money and is tired of crazy fans and demanding directors. Blaablaaablaa.

<spoiler> I really didn't like how the human side of the step-mother came out in the end. How she did try to love her etc. It didn't sound believable and didn't make sense. She acted like she treated all of her daughters similarly and was sometimes meaner to Ella but it wasn't so. But maybe she was just deceived.
The lovestory between Cal and Sage was so weird case of insta-love. I was like whyy?! How?! When??! It didn't make sense with the history given to us. </spoiler>

All in all a cute, light and fun read for all the geeks and cinderella fans out there.

Was this review helpful?

Geekerella follows Danielle Wittimer, also known as Elle, the geek girl who adores the TV show Starfield, a sci-fi series she watched with her late father. Her father was the creator of ExcelisCon, a Starfield convention that Elle attended every year. This is the first year that Ella plans on going to the convention since her father died. Her plan is to enter the cosplay contest and win.

We also follow Darien Freeman, the teen actor who used to love attending ExcelisCon, before he became famous. Darien always dreamed of playing Prince Carmindor in Starfield, but he has been written off by the Starfield fandom. Darien feels like he is a fake as his meet and greet at ExcelisCon draws nearer. This is until he meets a girl who changes his mind.

This books pulled my heart out, stomped on it and put it right back. I loved this book a lot! I had avoided picking up this book for a long time as I do not like fairy-tale retellings. What a huge mistake I was making to not have read this book sooner. The Cinderella retelling is so subtle that I completely forgot that this was a retelling. It could easily have been classified as a noel with some references to Cinderella. I think this helped me to enjoy the books even more as the retelling aspects didn’t take me away from the story.

I loved how Darien and Elle’s stories intertwined. I got lost in their storylines. Elle was an excellent representation of geek girls; she was a huge part of the Starfield fandom and has her own blog dedicated to Starfield. Elle is also having to deal with her horrible stepmom and bratty stepsisters. I loved how hardworking and determined Elle was to win the cosplay contest and get herself a new life away from her stepmom. Darien stole my heart! He has been given the opportunity of a lifetime but doesn’t quite know who he is just yet. I loved how Darien spent the length of the story figuring out who he is and what he wants to do with his life.

Ashley Poston has done an excellent job of writing the fandom aspect of Geekerella. Ashley manages to sprinkle a lot of pop culture and fandom references throughout the story that I loved and I feel added to the story. The Starfield fandom that Ashley created has me hooked, I wanted to watch the show so badly. Starfield was special to both Elle and Darien and it helped to bond Elle’s parents, Elle and her father as well as Elle and Darien. I would love a Geekerella movie as well as a Starfield TV show. Ashley’s writing is so powerful I was convinced Starfield was real.

This book instantly landed a place on my top ten favourite books of all time. It is such an adorable book, with an added f/f romance which I loved. Geekerella is a love letter to fandoms and is a book I never knew I needed. Geekerella honours fandoms.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. I couldn’t put it down. If you are looking for a book on fandoms with added Cinderella aspects, this is the books for you.

Thank you to, Quirk Books, Ashley Poston and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Geekerella is a modern day retelling of Cinderella that features the fandom of fictional TV show Starfield. The author does a great job of incorporating the fairytale we know so well into the story, and it is fun that the culture of comic conventions takes center stage in the book. Unfortunately, Geekerella was just an okay read for me, and it did not live up the the hype it received from so many other book bloggers and reviewers.

First things first, I was very excited to pick up a book that featured a vegan food truck – The Magic Pumpkin. Unfortunately, I have no idea why the author decided to include a vegan truck in the story. Not only is the only vegan character in the novel a side character's mother, but the protagonist Ella and her sidekick Sage both make fun of veganism and "don't get it at all" because they "are too much of a bacon fan," (p. 83). While this is obviously not a core part of the story, it is disappointing that Geekerella included a vegan food truck for no other reason besides, seemingly, mocking vegans.

Moreover, Geekerella is replete with typographical errors that should have easily been caught during the editing process. Unfortunately, it felt as if this book was rushed for publication, as most of the errors take place during the final section of the story. These errors affected my reading experience, and thus I considered them when rating the book.

As for the story itself, I did find both Ella and Darien to be likable enough characters. However, the entire plot makes me very uncomfortable. I cannot get over the fact that Ella and Darien meet via text message, and fall in love not knowing much at all about the other person. While it is addressed in the book that Darien could be an older man, or a bald one at that, Ella still wants to meet him at ExcelsiCon. I think this sends a dangerous message to teenagers reading this book. Yes, this is fiction, but it's really not okay to agree to meet up with strangers to whom you've never spoken to outside of text messaging, especially when you are underage. Plus, it felt a little silly to me that they become so in love so quickly.

In the end, Geekerella is a run-of-the-mill YA contemporary for me. I think the concept is cute, and I do think the retelling aspect of the story is done very well. I'm not sure that I will continue with the series, but I do know that this book will be a bit forgettable for me. I would only recommend it if the plot summary sounds especially interesting.

Was this review helpful?

I was really excited about reading this book for 3 reasons:
1. Cinderella is one of my favorites fairy tales.
2. I love re-tellings
3. I am a geek and I was cosplayer.
So, even tho we all now how the cinderella story develope, I actually loved very much this ride. I liked the introduction of this fairy tale to the modern world and over all, to the fandom world.
I am a former cosplayer and I almost cried with every moment were the real spirit of cosplaying is shown, even now I am thinking about doing one just to recall all the good emotions that doing cosplay gave me.
I loved the figure of the father, he was awesome and I even missed him along with Elle everytime that she did.
Other thing that I loved is that I saw a little bit more influence from the "Ever after" movie, than the original Cinderella plot, and well, I LOVE that movie because Danielle is fierce, stubborn, smart and passionate,, so 10 points to Gryffindor for that!

This book is a total YES for all people out there that are part of a fandom, the geeks, the ones that choose to believe in magic, parallel worlds, spaceships and that needs to know that you will never be alone because a fandom is a family.

Was this review helpful?

I received a free copy for an honest review from netgalley. As a name geekerella suggest the story is a retread of the Cinderella story we all know and grew up with. Living with a stepmother who makes her work around the house and disrespect her and her father's memory Elle escapes into her fandom. Her favorite show which she watch with her father was cancelled too soon and now they are doing a reboot. While this wasn't a book that I wanted to read in a single sitting I did like it. What really set us up with apart from All the Other Cinderella retreads we have had both literary and on film was the inclusion of the fandom. As a fan girl I appreciated that there was a real connection to what a fandom is.

Was this review helpful?

Geekerella was such an amazing surprise. I loved it beyond all expectations. Even though it doesn’t seem to be really original, the story is, and the author totally nailed the love story between Elle and Darien! You sure will love the characters and enjoy this reading by thinking of the fangirl or fanboy you are.

[FRENCH]
J’avais beaucoup entendu parler de Geekerella sur la blogo anglophone, et l’univers geek me tentait énormément. Ce n’est que lorsque je l’ai eu en ma possession que j’ai appris qu’il s’agit d’une réécriture de conte, de Cendrillon ! Bon, le titre aurait dû me mettre sur la voie. Mais je vous le signale, des fois que vous ne l’ayez pas remarqué non plus, sait-on jamais !

Il m’a fallu quelques pages (mais quand je dis « quelques pages », ça doit être entre 5 et 10 pages) pour me mettre dans l’histoire. Mais une fois que j’y ai été plongée, c’en était fini de moi et de ma vie sociale. Je ne pouvais rien faire d’autre que lire ce roman à chaque minute libre de mon temps (et dans des situations pas du tout pratiques pour lire, avouons-le).

Je trouve déjà très intéressant le principe de l’histoire car il nous permet de suivre le point de vue de Danielle alias Elle, une jeune fan comme n’importe lequel d’entre nous, mais également celui de Darien, une star montante. C’est cette dernière partie qui m’intéresse, car elle permet de découvrir un autre univers en quelque sorte, et c’est toujours intéressant — sous réserve que cela soit bien écrit !

On peut croire en lisant le résumé que Geekerella va être bourré de clichés, mais pas du tout. L’autrice n’est pas passée par les chemins faciles et heureusement, auquel cas l’histoire n’aurait aucune saveur. La rencontre annoncée par le résumé induit en erreur justement, mais ne vous y fiez pas. Il y a bien plus que ce meet-and-greet à une convention derrière leur histoire, et je trouve dommage que le résumé limite le roman à ça.

Concernant les personnages, ils sont si authentiques qu’on ne peut que les apprécier. Elle est une fan de Starfield comme nous pouvons l’être pour notre saga préférée, et Darien est un autre geek qui s’est simplement retrouvé propulsé dans la célébrité : cela le rend tout de suite plus accessible, pas comme le serait une star qui peut paraître hors d’atteinte.
Mais il n’est pas question que d’Elle et Darien dans Geekerella. Vous apprendrez à aimer les personnages secondaires autant que les principaux.

Parlons maintenant du fait que ce soit une réécriture de Cendrillon. Ce que j’aime, pour les réécritures de conte, c’est qu’il soit à peine perceptible derrière l’intrigue (comme c’est le cas pour les Chroniques Lunaires par exemple). Ici, ça l’est plus ou moins, parfois un peu trop d’ailleurs, mais ce n’est qu’un petit point négatif qui passe inaperçu face à tous les autres — positifs.

Je m’attendais honnêtement à une lecture légère, sympathique, et c’est ce que j’ai eu mais pas seulement. Je me suis retrouvée à rire, à stresser, et même à pleurer — ce qui ne m’était pas arrivé depuis bien longtemps.

Quant à l’intrigue, comme je vous le disais plus haut il n’y a pas de clichés, ce qui est très important. Le fil conducteur de l’histoire est dans l’ensemble plutôt prévisible mais des intrigues secondaires se greffent et permettent d’égayer l’intrigue principale. Cette dernière n’est pas pour autant ennuyeuse, non, elle fait partie de ces histoires qui vous prennent aux tripes et auxquelles vous vous accrochez jusqu’au bout car vous vivez avec les personnages.

EN CONCLUSION, Geekerella a été un énorme coup de cœur totalement inattendu ! J’ai vibré avec les personnages, et j’ai été touchée par leur histoire qui pourrait au premier abord paraître clichée et banale, ce qu’elle n’est pas du tout !
Je vous conseille mille fois de vous plonger dans cette lecture qui saura très certainement charmer votre cœur de fan.

Was this review helpful?

Loved it! Amazing writing and great character development. I absolutely adored this book and I would recommend it to everyone who wants an entertaining but well written read!

Was this review helpful?

Geekerella was such a cute contemporary retelling of Cinderella. It has all the classic elements: evil stepmother, an evil stepsister and her not-so-evil twin sister, glass slippers, ball, and Prince Charming. Cinderella retellings are a little played out at this point, but it's still something I enjoy.

What makes Geekerella stand out is that it is essentially a love letter to fandom culture. Not only are we getting the cute love story, we get all the best things about fandom life. In this book, there's fanfiction, cosplay, conventions, and of course, the best thing about fandom culture: meeting people who share that same passion as you. So I think if you are a fan of fairy tale retellings AND part of a fandom, you will enjoy this book.

Summary
Elle or Danielle, is a avid blogger, fanfiction writer, and absolute geek for the Starfield TV series (a bit like Star Trek). Her father was also a huge fan and created a huge convention, ExcelsiCon, which is devoted to Starfield. After her father dies, Elle is even more attached to Starfield because of the memories she's shared with her dad surrounding the series.

Then we have the Prince. Darien is a soap opera star who was cast to play Prince Carmindor in the new Starfield movie, and it's his dream role since he is a big fan of the show. However, Starfield fans are not happy; Elle, in particular, writes scathing blog posts about Darien. Darien tries to pull out of a meet & greet that's happening at ExcelsiCon due to personal reasons. He calls the number on the ExcelsiCon website that just happens to be Elle's father's phone number, which Elle is using now. And of course, we then we get a text-conversation-turned-friendship-turned-relationship situation happening. Both Elle and Darien are very lonely. Elle is isolated from her family and Darien is pushed around by his management company. So it makes sense that their shared love of Starfield keeps them coming back to each other.

Elle decides to go to the ExcelsiCon and enter the cosplay contest. Darien decides to do the convention. Events unfold. I won't spoil anything but if you know the Cinderella story, I'm sure you can guess that it's a happy ending with Cinderella ending up with her Prince Charming.

Characters
I will say this was a very fast read. Elle was a great character and I love how she finally shows a bit of backbone as the story progresses. Her co-worker and friend Sage is perhaps my favorite character. She's bold, funny, and confident. Darien was an okay character. I liked him, and we do get to see a lot of his side in the story too. However, I felt like Darien's character always revolved around Elle in some way. Either he was thinking about her or texting her. Elle had deeper interactions with the side characters separate from Darien. As far as Elle's family, I hated her stepmother. We get glimpses of why she treats Elle like dirt, but it does not justify her mistreatment of Elle. Ugh! Don't get me started on the evil stepsister. What a conniving, hateful person. But I guess you had to have them since it is a Cinderella story.

Similarities with Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram
Overall, I enjoyed. If I'm being honest, my 4-star rating is probably a little generous but to no fault of the author. I read a very, VERY, similar ebook to Geekerella last year called Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram. Both female protagonists were bloggers, both male characters are actors playing the role of a beloved character. Their relationship also starts off anonymous and over the Internet. They both meet at a convention where the female protagonist cosplays. The endings are almost identical too. Geekerella sticks a bit more to the Cinderella story. Ella's family isn't as hateful in Cinder & Ella. If I hadn't read Cinder & Ella already, I would have enjoyed Geekerella a lot more. Unfortunately, I was able to guess a lot of what was going to happen because these stories were so similar.

Love Letter to Fandom Culture
If I had to choose, I did enjoy Geekerella more because of the fandom aspect. The author's note at the end of the book was so good. It made me think about my life being part of different fandoms. I wish I could have been more proud of being a "crazy" fan of Harry Potter and went to more events and made Potterhead friends in high school and college. My group of friends knew I loved Harry Potter but they weren't big fans. They never shamed me, but for some reason, I was too shy and too embarrassed to seek out others at my school who seemed to share my love. Fast forward many years, and I'm so happy to have found my niche of friends in the book community. For the first time, I feel like I can share my love for all these fandoms I'm part of with others. And they don't just accept, but they understand and gush along with me.

Excerpt from the Author's Note:
"Never give up on your dreams, and never let anyone tell you that what you love is inconsequential or useless or a waste of time. Because if you love it? If that OTP or children's card game or abridged series or YA book or animated series makes you happy? That is never a waste of time. Because in the end we're all just a bunch of weirdos standing in front of other weirdos, asking for their username. So, as Carmindor always says: Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite."

Was this review helpful?

While Geekerella released last year, I never got around to reading it. I was reminded of it again when I saw it up for review, so naturally I requested it and I'm so glad I did! This book is the right amount of dorky and cute.

I usually dislike dual points of view, but I thought it was handled fairly well here. Sometimes the two characters did read the same, but overall, we really get to see two such different personalities and how they interact. Elle is cute and quirky, and while I got some second-hand embarrassment from her situations sometimes, I still loved her. Darien's character was also thought out, although I would have liked more thought to him as a person of color.

They really only talked about Darien being brown when they were like, at least the character he's playing wasn't whitewashed. Other than that? It was never brought up rip or maybe that's just me being picky.

If you want a fun, fandom-y read, you should definitely pick up Geekerella! It's got heart, and love, and just the right amount of cringeyness. And who doesn't want those things?

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting my request to review this book. It did not affect my honest opinion.

This book is very relatable. The plot is interesting, a modernized and nerdy version of the famous Cinderella story. I was hooked up from the first chapter, and I couldn't stop until then!
The writing is also clear and gives the sequence of events a smooth, unrushed flow. I hardly confuse the events.
The characters are also excellent, each with their own profiles. Geeky Danielle, the main character, is very well-described in this book, portraying nicely as the role of an orphaned geek nearly friendless.
There were some flaws, though, that affected my rating. First of all, I find the text messages that the characters exchange very puzzling. I keep wondering who sent which. Perhaps it is just because of the ebook format, but it would be nice to have it fixed.
Second, regarding the texts as well, the format makes it hard to for me to decipher which is part of the text message, and which part is actually just the person's thoughts. Third, I still wonder how they (the characters) are comfortable with texting a total stranger. Normally one would be more cautious, despite the need to socialize.
Overall, I love this book so far, truly unique and brilliant. A well-written modern Cinderella story.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this one--fun little story that was a light read for the weekend. The story was a neat one, and I would definitely read more by this author.

Was this review helpful?

Are you a fangirl or fanboy? If so, what's your fandom?
I'm a total Buffy fangirl! SMJ is my idol. In hs, I dressed like her. I dyed my hair blonde like her. She was my first motivation to be strong yet feminine. I definitely have more Buffy merch than any other kind. I own all seven seasons on dvd and can quote every episode word-for-word with my eyes closed. I watched all the seasons of Angel just to see the in-between Buffy episodes. (And we STILL don't know what happened when they met up after Buffy came back to life! Joss Whedon, you are cruel.) I read the comic books. Slayer is my most anticipated read of 2019. I even wrote a Buffy blog, complete with fan fiction stories, back in hs and college.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston definitely appealed to my fangirl side! It was quirky and fun, with an mc I could totally relate to and a live story so nerdy and cute it made me melt. My fave line from the book was when Elle described how Starfield made her feel: "I know it's all fake. But those characters...they were my friends when everyone in the real world passed around rumors behind my back, called me weird, shoved me into lockers, and baited me into thinking I was beautiful only to push me away just before we kissed. They never abandoned me. They were loyal, honorable, caring, and smart." It's exactly how I feel about Buffy, and I think it's so cool that another author gets that! Plus, this book is a contemporary Cinderella retelling, which made it even more awesome! 5 stars!

Was this review helpful?

I loved Geekerella, its sweet, its pleasant, and pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin. A modern day fairy tale, it takes everything you know and love about Cinderella, and repackages it into the world of nerd. This book will appeal to everyone who follows a fandom, those who consider themselves a geek, or pretty much everyone who loves a contemporary YA romance.

The book switches perspective between the two protagonists, our very own Cinder, otherwise known as Elle, and Prince Charming, or Darien. Both were pleasant characters, who were easy to relate too, and you instantly find yourself cheering for them both to fix all of their problems. The antagonists are suitably wicked, with a special mention to the Wicked Stepmother. You cant help but hate her, which is exactly what you want from a Cinderella retake.

The setting was great fun, from a giant drive-able pumpkin, to a massive ball at a comic convention, the clever retakes on the olde tale were fantastic. I found the writing style very simple and easy to follow, which is exactly what you want in a contemporary, and the switch between perspectives also added a nice dimension to the story.

All in all this was a great read, perhaps there was just one last little flourish of extra fairy godmother sparkle that was missing, that would have allowed it to become a 5 star read. But to be fair, when you are taking a story that everyone knows, its a uphill struggle to find that unique wow factor. Geekerella was fun and a lovely little journey into the fictional world of Starfield, I would definitely recommend this one as a wonderful, summery read.

Was this review helpful?