How did I get it?:
I bought it!
Synopsis:
Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic science-fiction 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 has 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.
Thoughts:
I think I’m in the minority with this book. I was expecting to love it and rave over it like so many other bloggers are doing, but for me, Geekerella was a decent read but not one that I’ll revisit or rave about in the future. That hype monster well and truly got me. Don’t get me wrong, it was an easy to read, cute story. I just didn’t get it as much as others have done.
Geekerella is a literally its title. It’s a geeky retelling of Cinderella. It’s a modern retelling of the fairy tale. It centres around Elle who is treated pretty badly by her stepmother and stepsisters. They find her strange because she’s absolutely obsessed with the sci-fi show Starfield. Elle connects with the show so much because she spent many an hour with her father discussing/watching/doing anything to do with the show. Elle loves being part of the fandom as she feels like it’s where she belongs. It’s who she is. We also hear from the point of view of Darien Freeman who has just been cast as Carmindor in the movie remake of Starfield. Hardcore fans are sceptical about Darien, including Elle who writes a rather harsh blog post about his casting. Darien struggles with fame, fandom and everything that goes with having a major part in a much loved show.
I think my main problem with this book was that I wasn’t overly fussed on Starfield. I liked references to other fandoms because I knew about them and they were familiar to me. I totally get that this was the point of the story- to relate it all back to Starfield, I guess I just felt disconnected to it.
The characters, however, were amazing. I absolutely loved Elle and her journey to find out who she really was instead of being told by her stepfamily who to be. I loved that she embraced her geekiness. I also thought Darien was a fabulous character. He seemed like he was incredibly confident taking on this massive role at a young age, but really he was insecure and worried about how he was going to be perceived. He wanted it to go well and to prove himself.
I do think there’s so much to be enjoyed for many readers in this book. It just didn’t blow me away as much as I wanted it to and that’s okay!
Would I recommend it?:
Yes!
