Ohhhh I LOVED this one !!! It was so cute and emotional and full of Cinderella awesomeness.

I love all the fandom in here, the cosplay, the con.. just so great !! I love those kind of things, and even though I'm not brave enough to cosplay, I've been to a couple of Con's myself and I love it. All the geeks together haha, just great !!

Elle was a great MC, been through so much and she has the most awful people around her. I really felt for her and Darien. I loved how real Darien was, and read about him being in a movie and what it entails ^^

And can we talk about Sage for a moment? She was awesome !! She took Elle under her wing and helped her out so much. She was a great friend and I really liked reading about their developing friendship !!

The only thing that well, I can't say it really bothered me, because it didn't.. but I did notice some things that made me think of Cinder & Ella. Okay like most of the plot is basically the same. But it was just so sweet and addictive and that made it okay?

All in all a great read. Not like super tragic or anything, but a lovely, geeky, piece of fandom awesomeness.

Geekerella fulfilled all of my expectations plus more. It was a fantastic take on the classic story with the addition of fandoms, a crazy convention, unique characters, and one adorable Weiner dog (who I didn't even notice on the cover at first but look! He's SO CUTE!).

Like I said, Geekerella is (obviously?) a modern retelling of Cinderella. However, Ashley makes this story interesting and unique with a fan convention instead of a royal ball, a vegan food truck instead of a magic pumpkin, and an adorable Frankenweiner instead of mice. The characters have more depth, being diverse and representing often overlooked minorities. I loved the small touches that give all the characters life and thought they worked together to make the book original and not too predictable in a story everybody already knows. Elle and Darien make for believable heroines, each with their own conflicts and struggles, particularly with their families, their aspirations, and their love of Starfield.

The other star of this story is the focus on Starfield and the people that love it. I loved the way Ashley discusses the passion fans feel towards their favorite shows, the way both Elle and Darien overcome other's ideas of fandoms to show how much they relate to Starfield and how much it means to them. In a world where they both feel like outsiders and alone, this con and this show gives them a safe place with characters and people they love. The way they gain courage and inspiration from the characters of Starfield is relatable and adorable and really helps both the characters and the plot to be fresh and relevant.

There were points where I wished there was slightly more original elements from Cinderella, though I totally understand why it followed very closely to the classic story. Darien and Elle both spend a good while taking crap from people around them, over and over again, when I felt like it wouldn't have been weird begin to break away a little sooner. I also wished we got even more information on Starfield (I know, I'm crazy, right?!). While I love retellings, sometimes knowing exactly what's going to happen wears on you as read, and I think that for the most part, Ashley did a great job in keeping the story new and different.

Overall, I loved Geekerella. It's a fun, original romp through a classic story. The characters are great (I especially loved Sage and Franko) and the details surrounding the fictional Starfield are fantastic. I loved the modern touches and the representation of characters. The passion with which these characters love the things they do, and learn to love them without shame or embarrassment with those who love and support them, is a wonderful message and is at the heart of this story.

This story is a cool take on Cinderella. Poor Elle Wittimer is being forced to live in an unhappy existence with her stepmother and two semi-nasty stepsisters. Life is quite unpleasant and the only thing that makes it a little better is her love of 'Starfield' an epic sci-fi television show that she used to watch with her dad.

Finding out this old television show is about to be rebooted as a film completely makes her day, month, year but her joy is crushed when teen heartthrob Darien Freeman is cast in the lead role of Prince Carmindor. Elle thinks Darien is far too lightweight to bring gravitas to the role and surely he knows nothing about the original show. He is so not the one or is he?

Through a comedy of errors and a cast of interesting characters, Elle and Darien connect first anonymously through a series of texts and then eventually in person. This is a delightful story with a few twists and turns that aren't always expected. Anyone who has ever cosplayed or been involved with a geek convention or perhaps has totally fangirled out on a particular television show or star will totally be on board with the setting of this story. It was just an all round fun story which brought a smile to my face and a fist pump to the air when certain characters faced divine retribution. Absolutely worth the time and energy to read - you won't be disappointed.

Hello my name is Taylor...and I'm a OBBSESSED FANGIRL over this book. I can't even get myself together to write this review. I am so in love, I am going to go buy every book by Ashley Poston.
OKAY first I loved that it was set in Charleston SC such a beautiful area! Also fangirl moment here Yallfest takes place there and I could so picture the pumpkin going through downtown. Okay back to the review.... This gave me so many happy feels. I related to Elle on so many levels. I spent all of highschool with my black glasses, died red hair, my miniature dachshund, and everything nerdy thing known to man.
"You’re a good boy, yes you are! Once I save up enough, I’ll spring the both of us out of here. Whatcha think of that, copilot?” His tail pat-pats excitedly in the mud. “I’ll even get us matching sunglasses. The whole nine yards.”
If this is not me I don't know what is. So Elle has my heart. She was a relatable character that truly had you rooting for her. I loved that she was a writer and blogger. The blogging and vlogging world is so important to me and many other fangirls and boys. So it was really special to see that world portrayed here.
SAGE my wonderful green haired goddess, I did not know it was possible to relate to so many characters yet here we are. As the B in the LBGTQ I was so here for this character and everything she was! Really one of the best side characters ever. I could go for a book about what comes next for her!
Darien my nerd girl heart! I loved him. I know some guys who look like your typical popular jock, who could never understand fandom's but that is not always the case ALL people can surprise you. Anyone can be geeky and Darien is no exception. I loved his story and the difference between who he wanted to be verses who the world though he was.
Excelsicon was done so well. I have always wanted to do a cosplay contest but I can't sow to save my life! This whole book was geeky wonderfulness! If someone wants to do a movie version i'm here for that! This gave me Cinderella story circa Hilary Duff days! Only 1000 times better because these were characters I could relate too! PEOPLE get your preorder going because it's so worth it. SO MANY STARS FOR THIS.

Favorite Quote and next tattooo! Because OH YES this will be tattooed on my body!

"Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite."

Quick fun read. Perfect or fans of scifi tv/movies

There were a few things that I liked about Ashley Poston's Geekella. Firstly, it does a great job of retelling the classic Cinderella in a way that serves as a love letter to fandom in general. Secondly, I adored the character Sage, Elle's co-worker who basically plays the role of the "fairy godmother" in this retelling. And finally the text conversations between Darien and Elle were truly adorable.

All that being said, I didn't enjoy Geekella as much as I thought. Perhaps it was that it the book wasn't as light hearted or fun as I thought it would be or maybe it's for the reason that the pacing felt uneven especially near the end. Still by the novel's end, I did end up caring for Elle as a character and while I can't say the same about Darien or her relationship with him it was incredibly satisfying to see Elle finally get her happy ending after some much cruelty and heartbreak.

Oh my gosh this book was so cute. I already adore nerdy love stories but this for me was even better then BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE. There were some spelling and grammatical errors throughout but not enough that it would turn me off from reading it. I honestly felt like I was Elle and my fiance was Carmindor! So wonderful!

I couldn't put this book down. I felt like I related to her so much! the geekiness. The determination! the laughter! I will recommend to everyone when this comes out.

This is one of the books of 2017 I have been looking forward to the most. I like re-tellings. I like to fangirl on occasion. This book just seemed like it would be such an adorable, fun read. However, I find myself a little disappointed. It might just be my current reading mood. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of mystery and suspense and whenever I reach for something a little lighter I end up being a little underwhelmed.

Let’s start with what I did like. I liked Darien, the up-and-coming actor who wins the main role of Starfield. He had a good sense of humor and though he had a few stupid boy moments, he was just So Nice. I loved seeing a leading man who wasn’t some cocky man-whore. I liked Sage, Elle’s co-worker/friend/fairy godmother, too.

I didn’t really like Elle, though. I know that she’s had a lot of horrible things happen to her, but I found her really whiny and over-dramatic. She was completely oblivious anytime anyone tried to show her any kindness or friendship for much of the book. She had no backbone whatsoever for the whole story and then once she gets to ExcelsiCon she starts acting the exact opposite. It just didn’t work for me.

I also felt the story was too slow and much too long. For most of the book I felt like nothing was happening. You would think being on the set of a movie would be a little more exciting – or at least a little interesting. It was not. And I felt like we just saw Elle live the same day over and over again until it was time to go to the Con. I will say that when we got to about the last quarter or so of the book I started to enjoy it a lot more. I felt like actual plot happened and I was finally able to hop on the Elle-Darien ship.

Overall, Geekerella was just an ok read for me. I think it would have benefited from being a little shorter so it didn’t feel so slow and drawn out. However, I did like Darien’s humor and I enjoyed the story more by the end. I think that there are a lot of people that will enjoy this book, though, especially if you are a fan of YA Contemporary and enjoy participating in fandoms. I’m bumping my original rating up a little since the writing really wasn’t bad and I feel like if I was in a different mood I’d probably feel more favorable towards it.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

This book made my heart sing with happiness. It started as a sweet, light take on Cinderella and turned into a book I just couldn't put down. It was well written and fast paced with interesting characters. I even liked the Acknowledgments at the end of it.

The sci-fi fandom aspect added a lot to the story and was a clever twist. By the time the book ended, I felt like Starfield was a series I had actually watched.

Geekerella is exactly what the title suggests, an adorable book dedicated to geeks and fandoms with a Cinderella retelling twist. It’s about a girl called Elle who grew up watching an old but hugely popular sci-fi series: Starfield. She’s the biggest fan of the show and her dreams come true when she finds out Hollywood are doing a brand new adaptation.

Elle’s excitement for a new Starfield doesn’t last long when she finds out Hollywood’s up and coming ‘it’ boy is being cast as Prince Carmindor; Starfield leading male character. Sure Darien Freeman maybe perfectly cast in the looks department but he’s far too arrogant and glamorous to play her Prince Carmindor, I mean the guy has his abs insured? Soo not Carmindor. Naturally Elle goes to her blog to rant about the casting choice and overnight it becomes an Internet sensation.

Staying true to the Cinderella classic, Elle lives with her terrible Stepmother and stepsisters. She's also desperate to attend ExcelsiCon, a fangirls dream convention in order to enter the Cosplay contest. It’s at ExcelsiCon that Elle bumps into Darien Freeman. This was such a cute story; I loved watching Elle and Darien work through their problems, both with their careers and family life.

Now while this book was all kinds of adorable, it was just far too slow for my liking. I enjoyed that Elle and Darien didn’t meet straight away but when they finally do near the end of the book, everything speeds up and then it's over. The erratic pacing put me off slightly and I just wanted more of a connection between the two. I get that having a fandom in common is pretty much everything to a fellow fanboy/girl but I would have loved them to connect in other ways or at least interact a little more. I guess I just wanted more of a romance as I was expecting a star crossed lovers/true love trope.

Geekerella is such a wonderful novel. It's a celebration of fandom culture, a super cute and fluffy romance and a really interesting retelling of Cinderella.

I really liked the retelling aspect of this story. While obviously you can guess where some things are going, that didn't stop me from still being surprised by some things and deeply impacted by others. I really like how well this story fits the basic construct of Cinderella while still being a very original story. Sometimes I definitely had to suspend my disbelief a little bit though. Things play out in a way they probably wouldn't in real life. But I never really thought it was too extreme or annoying - just very cute and fluffy.

The story has a dual point of view which I personally thought Poston was able to pull of super well. Both main characters, Elle and Darien, were likeable and it was interesting to read about their very different lives and how they came together through fandom. But I think most of all I liked the side-characters. Elle's co-worker Sage is one of the most unique and likeable characters I ever got to read about and I would gladly take a whole novel from her perspective. But also Darien's "side-kicks" Gail and Lonny were wonderful. Also I found all of the villainous characters in this story interesting and far from one-dimensional!
The main character Darien is a man of colour, although I'm not sure if it ever gets mentioned what ethnicity he is exactly. There is also a lesbian side-character and another queer side-character!

I think what I definitely liked most about this novel was the fandom elements and how much I was able to relate to them. You can clearly tell that Ashley Poston is a full-time fangirl and I loved that. She knew exactly what she was writing about and it made me feel right at home. I think if you ever loved a book, tv-show, movie or video game SO MUCH that it almost hurt, you will be able to relate to this. And while I know it's not an actual part of the book, Poston's acknowledgments are still note-worthy to me. They were wonderful and beautiful and even made me tear up a little.
The Stargunner Fandom is obviously made up but I felt super invested in the show and the fandom in general! And this is exactly what sets this book apart from something like Fangirl. Yes, maybe I shouldn't even make the connection between the two.. but they are in similar in ways and I just feel like if you enjoyed Fangirl but weren't ever interested in the Simon Snow parts, you will absolutely love Geekerella.

Overall I just had an absolutely wonderful experience reading this book. I did think some parts in the middle were a little slow but it is a really enjoyable read that I would absolutely recommend to everyone who is looking for something fandom-related or just a different kind of retelling!

If you have ever watched (and loved) Another Cinderella Story with Selena Gomez, or any modern Cinderella movie, you'll love this book. It has the exact same feel and sort of same concept. Regular girl falls in love with a movie star, but her wicked stepmother wants her to clean her house while letting her know that "I own you, and you can't even work where you want to work because I can't trust you!"
I know that this is literally the whole plot of Cinderella, but this feels different because it's modern day... with geeks. And it was so cute.
This book also reminded me of This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.
Which is cute.
If you love Jennifer E. Smith, or Cinderella, or anything geeky, this book will be your new best friend.

This is another book from NetGalley, I was going to hold off on reviewing it but wanted to share my thoughts.  First lets just start of with saying I’ve already pre-ordered this book to own a physical copy.  This book reminds me both of Fangirl and Cinder & Ella in the best of ways.
My overall thought of the book plot wise is there is no real surprise about the book, it’s a straight up retelling put in the fandom/geeky community however it was a delight to read.  This was another one day read for me and honestly I could identify with so much.  The characters themselves were extremely well written and each had their own voice and she did a great job of naturally bringing diversity into the book without feeling forced, each character existed because they fit.
What I think I loved most about this book was the obvious connection to the community and culture Ashley has and her ability to put that into her writing. Reading this book was very nostalgic in many ways for me and reminded me why I love the fandom community. It’s a great representation of the heart of fandom.  Now I totally want to get back into being involved. I also feel like the author is somebody if I ever had the chance I’d love to grab coffee with and geek out with.
Needless to say,  I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to own a physical copy.

This is a fun and geeky modern fairy tale. I like that the story was told by alternating back and forth between the viewpoints of the two main characters.

This book really took me by surprise. I was expecting a cute contemporary read and not not much more to be honest but I ended up absolutely loving it.
It works so well as a Cinderella retelling and the way its based around fandom is an absolute joy. I have never actually been to a convention but I spend ages each year watching the panels and interviews for my favourite TV shows at Comic Con on youtube and would love to attend one in the future so I still feel a big connection to fandom.
Even though its pretty obvious where the story is heading what with it being a retelling I was still so eager to read on and find out how it got there. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a cute retelling of Cinderella that also includes elements of “You’ve Got Mail,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “Cinder.”

It’s set in current day Charleston, South Carolina, where Danielle (“Elle”) Wittimer, 17, is part of “Starfield” fandom (they call themselves Stargunners). (Starfield is a Startrek-like series that, in this story, has been on the air in re-runs for forty years.). Elle writes a blog about Starfield, and she is extremely critical when Darien Freeman, 18, gets the movie role of Carmindor, the Federation Prince. She assumes he is just a shallow, spoiled movie star, and therefore an insult to fans who love the stories and characters so much.

In alternate chapters we hear from Darien, who actually is more like Elle than she thinks - he too watched the show religiously and it also filled a gap in his life. His mother had no interest in him, and his father, Mark, seems to care for Darien only as a commodity.

As for Elle, she is our Cinderella. When she is not being tormented by her evil stepmother and her twin daughters, Chloe and Calliope, she has to do chores and cleaning. She also has to have a job, in spite of all the money her stepmother was left when Elle’s father died. She works on a food truck called - wait for it - The Magic Pumpkin. Her boss is a girl around her age named Sage, who becomes her fairy godmother.

To promote the movie of Starfield, Darien is signed up to appear at the annual convention for Starfield fans - ExcelsiCon (coincidentally started by Elle’s dad). In addition, ExcelsiCon will host a fan competition for cosplay and a masquerade ball. (Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game.) The big prize is two tickets to the premiere of the Starfield movie and some cash.

Elle would love to win the cash so she could go out on her own when she turns 18 and get away from the stepmonster.

Before the ball, Elle and Darien inadvertently “meet” through texts, in a “You’ve Got Mail” kind of situation, and fall for each other. But neither knows the identity of the other; they refer to each other as Carmindor and Princess Amara.

At the ball, it all comes together as you would expect, except that Elle has to leave by midnight to get in before her curfew, and Darien doesn’t even know her name.

If you know the story of Cinderella, you won’t be surprised at the ending. But it is still entertaining, and a clever retelling.

Evaluation: Fans of comic cons and cosplay will especially love this adorable retelling for young adults.

This book was pretty cute. I was with it for most of the story. But it just got a little bit over the top for me. The fandom stuff went from kinda relatable to kinda ridiculous. Elle in general started out engaging and then went a little too far overboard. I couldn't relate to her, and I wanted to feel bad for her. Her situation was terrible, but not very believable. And as the book wore on she got a little bit too bitter and obnoxious about the fandom and her life in general. Darien seemed okay-ish I guess. He was pretty whiny and spineless for most of the novel. Not my cup of tea. Initially I was drawn in, but ultimately I couldn't really connect with these two and I didn't think the chemistry was totally there between them either. I'm also pretty sure Elle's stepmother could not legally sell the house out from under Elle, being that it doesn't legally belong to her. I mean, that was kinda the whole point of leaving it to Elle. There are laws about these things ya know. That just bugged me because that plot point didn't really hold up at all.
Overall this is a cute, fast read. Not a bad choice for a light vacation read, but it's not the best retelling I've read and I probably won't remember much about it or reread it in the future.

I think this book is going to appeal a reader with a certain set of interests. It is not a book that I feel like I can give to anyone, but I think that the right fit reader will really enjoy this book!

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