This sweet and relevant retelling of Cinderella as a geek princess speaks to my inner fangirl. I loved that we got to hear from a vulnerable "Prince Charming" in this version, and it is absolutely amazing that the author could create such fandom for a fictional series. I really want to watch this show that doesn't exist! Perfect for fans of fairy tale mashups, and fans of fandoms in general.

I loved this quirky and geeky take on Cinderella. Ashley is a true fangirl and it really shows in her writing. I'm not going to lie, some references I didn't get, but the fangirl inside of me was so happy while reading this book. I think Elle is an outstanding character and love how she finds solace at a con. Definitely a fun and fast read!

Elle is stuck living with her awful step-mother and step-sisters. They treat her like garbage and constantly make fun of her Starfield obsession, the only thing she has left to connect her to her late father. Now, on top of it all, Darien Freeman (teen sitcom heartthrob) has been chosen to play the lead in the new Starfield movie, and he could not be more wrong for the part. Meanwhile, Darien is struggling to balance his geeky interests with his fame. When their paths collide, Elle and Darien learn a lot about fandoms, fame, and themselves.

Ok, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. But it definitely ended up with love in the end. At first, I wasn't entirely convinced by the Cinderella retelling. I want my retellings to be more original and veer away from the traditional story. I don't mean that Geekerella wasn't original, by any means. But there are lots of aspects from Cinderella that appear throughout the book. A girl living with her step-mother and two horrible step-sisters, forced to clean and cook for them, and working in a food truck called the Magic Pumpkin. And that's just the start. There's even a glass slipper. It's not a bad thing to include these elements, but it's not my personal preference.

I got over this issue pretty quickly, however. I was able to look past the cheesy Cinderella elements as I kept reading and fell in love with the story and characters. The book actually ended up being a combination of Cinderella and You've Got Mail (which happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time). The story was so stinking cute. All of the supporting characters were brought to life beautifully and some of them were absolutely hilarious. And you couldn't help but root for Elle and Darien - personally and romantically.

While the story was obviously leading toward a happily ever after, the romance didn't feel overbearing. Of course it was there (this is a Cinderella story after all), but I found myself cheering Elle and Darien on throughout the book as they were finding their place in the world. It was nice to see a book with a romantic story, but characters that were independently strong on their own.

Overall, Geekerella turned out to be sticky-sweet and ooey-gooey and just wonderful. It is such a lovely feel-good story that I think just about everyone can enjoy. If you are a hardcore member of pretty much any fandom, you will understand and love Elle's and Darien's commitment to Starfield. Even if you aren't a fangirl or fanboy, you will still love the hilarious and adorable story presented in Geekerella.

➜Took awhile to get into. It came across as a lot of white nonsense at first. Wasn’t sure how bad her life was actually going to be & I’m in no mood for a whiney brat.
➜Be careful my fellow survivors! The abuse was hard to read, it was so accurate and gut wrenching. It took me right back into that horrid “I can’t do anything right and it’s all my fault. I ruin everything” mindset. 
➜Teared up several times and straight up sobbed at the end. Abused girl thriving and living her dream gets me every time. 
➜Doesn’t deal with why her dad fell for such an awful person, how it was before he died, or why she’s so terrible besides the cliche jealousy that doesn’t make much sense in this case. 
➜Yay for new besties! And crafters! And positive fandom experiences! 
➜W/W supporting character romance. POC LI. Mentions racism POC LI faces in fandom.
➜I was not in love with the romance at first either but thankfully it’s a slow get to know you, which gave me time to be won over. And I was definitely won over. 
➜There is one romance-texting moment that I question: Why would she ask him what a character’s catch phrase? If she can run a sewing tutorial on her brick phone, she can Google a question. Seems fake. 
➜Their show is a mix of Firefly and Star Trek. I was thinking it was a Firefly stand-in until about half-way through when it was suddenly mentioned half a dozen times like someone finally realized and didn’t want it to be too obvious.
➜This made me want to watch the best Cinderella adaptation ever: Brandi’s Cinderella. Which totally holds up still.
➜Recommended if: You’re in a fandom, esp. Sci-fi or fantasy audiovisual. You like mystery romance paramours. You like Cinderella (duh) without any of the can’t-recognize-you, must-use-slipper nonsense. 
➜You might also like: Gena/Finn, Fangirl, Starfish,

I never get tired of the Cinderella story and this one did it justice, representing geeks and con-goers out there. Really fun, modern day take, which will really resonate with die hard fans!

What a geeky cinderella retelling (see what I did there?)! I loved every minute of this! The setting is vibrant and the characters quirky, and I just LOVE LOVE LOVED the romance from start to finish.

I loved this book. This book is perfect for the young adult geek who loved classic stories. This combines cosplay and Cinderella into one wonderful adorable story

Though I'm huge fan of retellings, 9/10 the Cinderella ones seem to fall flat for me. Geekerella didn't. It was everything I need in an adorable YA Contemporary wrapped up in a fun and quirky package. I absolutely loved all of the characters(well, *most*) and Elle and Darien were super cute together. I don't want to give any spoilers away, though, so I'll leave those two at that.
I will say I love books like this that embrace the Con culture without making the participants look like "weird" antisocial recluses, but the everyday fangirls(and boys!) that we are. Just an overall supercute read that I highly recommend to teens and adult YA fans. I look forward to more from the author.

Oh my geeky feels! I am in love. Ridiculously in love with Ashley Poston's Geekerella. This book is a fun rendition to every single person out there who has ever loved and have been part of a fandom. Absolutely perfect!

What I Loved:

Cinderella is one of my all-time favorite fairy tales and I'm always happy to jump into a new spin, just like Geekerella's. This is a modern retelling, similar to Hillary Duff's A Cinderella Story movie, but much more entertaining and relatable to us geeky lovers. It has the horrible step-mother and step-sisters who Elle is forced to comply every demand, but with the fun twist of being a fandom-obsessed blogger, daughter of the ExcelsiCon creator of said fandom, and finding herself exchanging texts with none other than the actor who will play the main lead in the new Starfield reboot.

In "real" life, Elle absolutely hates the idea of Darien playing Carmindor, the Starfield hero since he seems to be just a popular heartthrob playing the part only for the money. However, Darien is as much of a fan as Elle, though he has to constantly struggle with the prejudice and expectations of the public. When they start texting each other, completely unaware of their true identities, they start to feel a connection and have the chance to truly be themselves. Sparks fly, feelings ensue, and an adorable romantic fairy tale takes place between the two.

When it comes to made-up fandoms inside books, I often struggle to feel invested in them as much as the characters, but this time, I fell madly in love with Carmindor and Starfield to the point of wanting to believe that it's a real Sci-Fi series. Elle and Darien speak so passionately about this fandom that it's hard not to feel for it, to dream of one day watching the new reboot with Darien in it (and also to see the old episodes!).

Author Ashley Poston constantly shares a few quotes from the Starfield series and I can't stop myself from sharing my favorite one:

"Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite." - Federation Prince Carmindor

Oh, why does this quote make my heart swell so much? Geekerella truly ignited my geek-loving soul, its aim went true and struck me in a way that no book had done in such a long time. I am madly in love with the characters, Elle's and Darien's love story, their passion and vulnerability at being the odd ones out. And not only Elle and Darien, but also the other supporting characters that made this story even more magical. Like Darien's assistant Gail or Elle's coworker in the Magic Pumpkin food truck, Sage. This is a book where everyone (good) could be themselves and stand out on their own.

Final Verdict:

Forgive all my fangirling, but I really cannot stop raving about this book. Geekerella may very well be my favorite read of the year so far. It's absolutely magical, romantic, and perfect for all of us geek at heart. Trust me on this one, you definitely want this book to be at the top of your TBR pile!

I"m usually not big on retellings but I do love all things Cinderella and the author does a great job with this modern day take on a classic tale.

Ever After is my all time favorite movie retelling of this classic and I love the reference made in the book toward it. A cute story that I think most people will like. Predictable as we all know how the story goes but if you need something light and adorable, this is the way to go.

This was absolutely the cutest thing I have read all year. I love retellings, and this was a great one. A must read!

Geekerella de Ashley Poston (✰✰1/2): como el propio título deja entrever, se trata de un retelling de la historia de Cenicienta. Lo que me llamó la atención de este libro, dejando a un lado el gran hype que había visto en torno a él en la comunidad de booktube en inglés, fue que se centrase en el personaje de una Cenicienta moderna. Esta es otra de esas historias sobre una chica normal que quizá es un poco friki y no tiene muchos amigos pero siempre cosigue su final perdiz. Aunque me llevé una decepción, creo que para ser el debut de la autora no está del todo mal.

A geeky Cinderella retelling, do I need to say anything else?

In Geekerella we follow two different main characters, both super fans of a TV show called Starfield. One of them is Elle, one of Starfield's biggest fans and daughter of the creator of one of the most important cons. The other one is Darien, another super fan who also happens to be the actor playing the main role in the Starfield movie remake. By chance of destiny, these two characters get in contact with each other and become close friends, even though they don't know who the other one is.

I loved all the characters, their roles in this story, and their relationship with the classic story. With that said, Elle got on my nerves way too many times, such as pretentious thing, and Darien seemed like a "meh" character at times.

However, that is overlooked by the great writing style, plot, and all those turns and every little thing that brought the story together. I definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to read it, especially if you're a geek at heart (cause, god the references!).

Unfortunately, I DNFed this book in the first 24%. It just didn't grab my attention.

Ahh….who doesn’t like a feel-good story. I loved this book!

This is a modern day Cinderella tale starring Elle Wittimer, a geeky 17 year old, who feels like she doesn’t belong anywhere. She is orphaned when her father dies and forced into virtual slave labour by her demanding stepmother and twin stepsisters. Elle escapes her bleak reality by losing herself in the fantasy world of Starfield, an old TV show, which she used to watch with her dad. She even writes extensively about all things Starfield on her blog, Rebelgunner.

Elle discovers that her favourite show is being remade into a film. She is extremely disappointed to find that Darien Freeman, a soap star, will be playing Federation Prince Carmindor.

Elle hears that the producers of Starfield are hosting a CosPlay contest, which she is desperate to win as it could be her ticket to a brighter and better future for herself. She has been scrimping and saving behind her stepmother’s back so that she can pay for her ExcelsiCon ticket and expenses.
Elle works part-time on the Magic Pumpkin food truck with Sage, her green-haired, kick-ass best friend, who helps her on her quest to go to ExcelsiCon. Sage, together with Elle’s newfound text “friend”, embolden her to open up and take charge of her life.
Meanwhile, Darien is reluctant about having to participate in this year’s ExcelsiCon as the “true” Starfield fans have written him off as just another shallow heartthrob, totally unsuitable to play Carmindor. What they don’t know is that Darien is a closet nerd and a Starfield super fan. Under pressure from his father, Darien is frustrated by the constant burden of having to maintain his superstar image when all he really wants is to be himself. He wants someone in his life, who will understand and support him without judgement. Someone like the girl he’s been texting, which was by accident in the first place, but feels right as he can be himself with her – except he can’t reveal his identity.

This book pays homage to the fandom culture and I highly recommend it. I was charmed by the references to Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, amongst others. The Cinderella retelling made me feel nostalgic and happy.
This book helps us to understand that we are all unique and deserve to be loved. We discovered how much the characters learnt about themselves and despite being scared, they were brave enough to stand up for what they believed in and what they wanted.

The advice then is: You have a voice, so use it to stand up for yourself. This is your life. Take charge and unlock your potential. Surround yourself with people who care about you and distance yourself from those who seek to trample all over you. You also deserve a happy ending.

This book was surprisingly good! I wasn't expecting this book to make me feel as much as I did whilst reading it. I naively assumed that this book would be lighthearted - perhaps to the point of lacking substance - a bit of fun, but without much impact. Man, was I wrong. Of all the books that I would guess would make me start crying, it wasn't Geekerella, but the characters and the story are so easy to delve into and get attached to. 

Geekerella is, as you can probably tell by the title, a Cinderella retelling. I don't mean this in the way that you often hear YA fantasies call themselves fantasy retellings whilst changing the story altogether, I mean it is literally a Cinderella retelling. Right down to a pumpkin carriage - albeit, a pumpkin food truck. Since her father's death, Elle has been living a miserable life with her stepmother Catherine and her step-twin-sisters Cal and Chloe. All that she has left to hold onto is Starfield, the sci-fi television show that her father introduced her to as a child. She knows everything that there is to know about it, and runs her own little blog dedicated to it. When she sees a cosplay contest at this year's ExcelsiCon, she knows that the prize money is exactly what she needs to get out from under her stepmother's thumb and make her own way in the world. All she needs is to find a costume. Meanwhile, Darien Freeman, teen superstar actor, has been cast in the lead role, and is struggling with fan expectations. He has always loved Starfield, but being a nerd doesn't quite fit with his image, and Starfield's hard core fanbase are ripping into him, so judging this years' cosplay competition is the last thing that he wants to do. Both Elle and Darien struggle in their respective worlds, only finding solace in the text messages that they swap with a mysterious stranger, as obsessed with Starfield as they are. 

The characters in this novel had depth and detail, they were interesting and had their own struggles and storylines even apart from the romantic one. Elle's friendship with Sage, her relationships with her sisters and step-mother, were all important. So was Darien's struggle with his job and relationships. Apart from this, Starfield itself was also incredibly well-developed, which, for a novel which explores fandom so much, was vital to the characters feeling real. Although Starfield is a made-up television show, I found it easy to relate to how much the characters love the stories and the characters, their passion for it, and how much they care about the remake. I also liked how Starfield was the background against which the characters' personal struggles play out against, because it meant that we understood their motivations and feelings. For Elle, Starfield is at the heart of all her memories of her parents, which explains not only why she cares so much about the remake but also why she is so desperate to win the cosplay competition - to make her parents proud. For Darien, his internal struggles with confidence are made clear in his playing the lead role in Starfield. He doesn't believe that he is good enough to play his favourite character, and he finds it difficult to be surrounded by actors who don't care about the show in the same way that he does. The characters, the story, and the show Starfield itself, were equally important in making Geekerella as good as it was, because they all bounced off each other to create a really moving and fun story. 

I also loved how much this novel is inspired by Cinderella. Of course, there was still so much original content to this book, but it was fun to spot the comparisons. For example, instead of a pumpkin becoming a carriage, the pumpkin themed vegan food truck that Elle works at it her carriage, and her fairy godmother is her colleague Sage, who helps her to make her costume and encourages her to keep fighting for what she believes in. It was also nice to see more development to the characters, like in Darien and Elle's own storylines, and also in the minor characters. Catherine, the evil stepmother, and the sisters Cal and Chloe were nuanced characters, and I especially looked forward to the scenes with Catherine where she showed a bit more of her human side, and the redemption arc for Cal. All of the references to the fairytale were interesting to find and made reading Geekerella even more fun to read. 

Overall, Geekerella was a really enjoyable book and I sincerely regret leaving it unread for so long. The story is sweet and simple, with nuanced and interesting characters, and told in a fun way. Definitely give this book a chance, even if it doesn't seem like it's quite your type. You might find, like me, that you judged it too early.

Wonderful story. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story.

Elle is a huge fan of an old sci-fi tv series that she loved with her dad who has passed away. The story is being revamped into a new movie and she's not too happy about who they picked for the lead. She writes a very popular blog about the series. She also has a step mother and two stepsisters who treat her like crap.

Darien Freeman is a star of a romantic ya tv series and is also a fan of the show but most people do not want to give him the chance to do really well in it. They never really mention that Darien is black but they do mention that he has brown skin. But I sort of like that because it really doesn't affect the storyline at all.

Elle and Darien accidentally start texting each other knowing very little about each other. Elle doesn't find out that Darien is the guy she has developed feelings for. He doesn't know that she is the one who wrote the scathing review of him.

Having grown up on a steady diet of fairytales and Disney films, it won't surprise you to learn that I have a rather large soft spot for happily ever afters and modern spins on classic fairytales. Geekerella is a brilliant take on the classic Cinderella story, weaving in fandom, conventions like Comic Con and references to make it something special all on its own. It is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite takes on Cinderella that I've ever experienced!

Geekerella is told from two different character perspectives, Elle Wittimer and Darien Freeman. Elle is a diehard fan of the TV show Starfield, which is getting remade into a movie with a brand-new cast. She wants to enter the cosplay contest sponsored by the producers, both because she is a fan and because the first prize would help her gain her freedom from her stepfamily much sooner. Darien, on the other hand, is also a Starfield fan, and it's a dream come true for him when he's cast as Federation Prince Carmindor in the remake. But he'll have to fight to prove that he's more than just a pretty face to the Starfield diehards who've dismissed him. Their paths cross, and sparks fly - but it remains to be seen what sort of happy ending is in store for these two.

I loved Geekerella. It's the perfect modern take on Cinderella, and feels like the novel I've been waiting for that I never knew I wanted until I was reading it already. Poston does a lovely job of incorporating familiar details from Cinderella (and even a few things that felt very much like A Cinderella Story, another favorite Cinderella interpretation of mine). But while the story mirrors the fairytale, it also stands on its own quite well. I loved Elle, I loved Darien and I adored their relationship (even though as a long-time rom-com fan, I could totally see where it was going). But most of all, I loved the way Poston wrote about fandom. As someone who wholeheartedly throws herself into the fandoms of the things she loves, it was refreshing to see someone who gets it and knows how to describe the experience, the feeling, the everything about it.

Like I said, I loved Geekerella. If you haven't yet decided whether to read this one, if it hasn't even been on your radar, if you like a good love story, if you love a young adult contemporary, if you want a Cinderella retelling, if you want something incredible to read, well, definitely get your hands on this book right away. You won't regret it!

Very cute! Loved the characters... even though some were very obvious stereotypes. You definitely will root for Elle (the lead) and be pleased with her outcome. Sometimes books need a happy ending and don't get it. Thankfully, Ashley Poston delivered along with some fandom easter eggs sure to please every fannish reader's heart.

This was awesome! Such a great celebration of loving yourself and fandom! I can't wait to booktalk this to a bunch of teens.