Geekerella by Ashley Poston (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Heart of Iron
Published by Quirk Books on April 4th 2017
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
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.hen she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The
You guys! This book is geek/nerd heaven and I loved every second of it! Elle Wittimer loves Starfield, a classic sci-fi series she grew up immersed in because of her late father. Now they’re bringing the classic to the big screen and she’s convinced Hollywood is going to ruin it. First indication – the announcement that Hollywood Hot Commodity Darien Freeman is cast as the lead, Carmindor. Elle isn’t the only person who thinks he can’t pull this role off, but what everyone doesn’t know is that Darien used to live for cons and he’s a huge Starfield fan too and he’s determined to do the part justice. But Darien is more than the sexy abs that his father/manager makes him show off whenever possible and he’s struggled with his celebrity. He’s lost friends and doesn’t know just who to trust… even his father is more manager than family member.
Both Elle and Darian are set to attend ExcelsiCon… Darian to reluctantly meet fans and sign posters and Elle to win a Cosplay contest and get away from her evil stepfamily, but the road there is filled with bumps.
This of course is a Cinderella retelling, and it’s very easy to recognize all the marks, but I liked Poston’s spin on the classic tale. She made it fun and relatable and allowed her MC to find her voice and grow throughout the story. I loved the contemporary spin on this and know that so many others will too!
I absolutely loved how Darien and and Elle first connect and grow the bond between them. Their text messages were fun and sweet and a lovely way to modernize the story! I have to admit that I also really loved Elle’s fairy godmother Sage! She was so fun and it was great to see Elle find someone she could lean on … because the people in Elle’s family will piss you off like you can’t believe. I think that’s why I’m giving this 4 stars, and I get it. I get that Poston didn’t want to step too far away from the classic in that respect, but ugh every time she had an interaction with her stepmom I wanted to jump in the book and punch her mom in the face and shake Elle and tell her to find her spine!
I think readers are going to love this nod to fandom and geekdom, and while Starfield is fictional, so many of us will be able to easily relate this story to our own fandoms. If you’re looking for a cute, fun, contemporary spin on the classic Cinderella story, then look no further. Geekerella hits all the right notes as a quirky, engaging retelling!
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
About Ashley Poston
Growing up in a small southern town, Ashley Poston got her nerd on early in the fanfic community, and went on to earned a BA in English from the University of South Carolina. By day, she masquerades as a graphic designer, but by night she dawns her unicorn onesie and huddles down in a dark corner to stalk tumblr.
Sometimes, you can catch her lurking around in coffee shops where she reads copious amounts of fanfiction (shhhh, don’t tell her agent Holly Root) and plays a lot of video games. Somewhere between the fanfics and killing darkspawn, she writes nerdy books for young adults.
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