Paragraph Review: Geekerella (Ashley Poston)

Title: Geekerella
Series: standalone
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Told: First Person (Elle, Darien), Present Tense
Content Rating: Teen (some language, kissing)
Format Read: Hardcover (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.

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 Starfieldfandom 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.

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."

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Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. Thank you, Quirk Books!

In a Sentence: A fun and fannish Cinderella retelling with great characters and a sweet romance that no geek should miss.

If you're a geek who enjoys retellings, then you are in for a treat with Geekerella! Partially set at a sci-fi convention and fully focused on fandom, this is a playful reboot about embracing who you are and knowing that you are never alone - especially if you're a geek. With a lighthearted style that still wasn't afraid to get emotional (I teared up a few times), I enjoyed following the story from both Elle and Darien's distinct and quirky point of views as, by way of hasty judgments and bad decisions they nonetheless found their footing and found each other. Elle could be just a bit too dense for me considering her hard-knock life upbringing, but Darien was pure gold with his outside actor facade and inside fanboy. Their "happily ever after" romance was sweet and realistic as they didn't fall for each other right away (always a plus with me), instead slowly getting to know each other through witty texts that were the book's highlight. While I never enjoy the darker Cinderella moments in any retelling, I did thoroughly enjoy Geekerella's modern twists on the classic story (the fairy godmother, the pumpkin carriage) as well as the diverse differences like Cal. Granted the book did have a few minor faults (the plot tended to drive Elle more than her actions drove it, and the voices blended near the end), but overall this was a great story of self-discovery and sci-fi conventions that shouldn't be missed.

Conclusion: While I'm not much for Cinderella angst, I really enjoyed this retelling with its modern twists and focus on fandom culture. Although Elle was a little too insecure for me at times, Darien was adorable and their fairytale ending was sweet. I highly recommend Geekerella for geeks everywhere!

For Fans Of: Cinderella retellings, geek culture

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles