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.
*ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
I have so many heart eyes for this book, it’s not even funny. I absolutely, absolutely adore this. I mean, so much love. For realsies. It’s the cute, geeky cousin to the actual Cinderella, and I love it.
Geekerella follows the story of Danielle “Elle” Whittimer and how she falls for Darien Freeman, the hot actor who is all set to reprise the role of Carmindor, Elle’s favourite fictional crush, in the movie reboot of old time show Starfield. Geekerella borrows heavily from A Cinderella Story a la Hillary Duff & Chad Michael Murray and I love it. It has the famous guy (Darien) and the girl next door (Elle) and texting people without knowing their identities and Elle despising Darien without knowing anything about him. It’s all amazing. And the fandom references are lush. So many of them. I was in heaven.
Elle has loved Starfield for as long as she can remember – the love instilled in her at an early age by her parents who met and fell in love because of their mutual love for the show. They were fandom royalty in their day and her father even started a convention – ExcelsiCon that was his pride and joy. But, her mother died when she four and then her father remarried and died in an accident a few years later, leaving her with a stepmother who is more of a step monster, her equally annoying step sisters and a house that’s hers but isn’t really. Her stepmother makes her do all the chores, her sisters make all sorts of horrible comments about her and she doesn’t have any friends apart from Sage, her coworker at the Magic Pumpkin – a vegan food truck – and her fellow Starfield fans. She runs a blog called Rebelgunner where she talks about all things Starfield. When, Darien Freeman is cast as the lead in the movie reboot for the franchise, Elle is pissed. Her passionate blog post about why Darien isn’t the right Carmindor makes her an overnight sensation. Then, she finds out that the winner of the cosplay competition at ExcelsiCon, her dad’s brainchild, will win a meet and greet with said actor, Elle decides that she needs to win it so that she can meet Darien in person and call him out and also so that she can escape her shitty home life. Amidst all this, she receives a call which was really meant for her dad (she inherited his old number) and begins talking to the cute boy on the other end. They connect over their shared love of Starfield and slowly develop feelings for each other.
I really like how dedicated Elle is to her fandom. She is so passionate about it and loves it so much. It really is amazing. She has a bad home life but doesn’t let that deter her and makes the best of it. Yes, she complains about stuff at times, but mostly, she keeps her head high and that is admirable because her step family treats her like she’s less than dirt. She’s been burned by a boy in the past and that’s made her reluctant to open up to any boy, but she can’t help like the boy who called her, the one she starts to refer to as Carmindor. He understands her in a way that no one else does and he’s almost as passionate about Starfield as she is. I love how the romance built in this one. So cute.
And then, there’s Darien Freeman. Darien, who loves Starfield. Darien, the geek who loved going to cons and make geek references. He’s thrust in the limelight by his father, who his more of a manager than a parent. He doesn’t like the image his dad has created for him in the media and really wants people to like him for who he is and not because of his abs (which have been insured, by the way). When he starts talking to the girl he accidentally calls in relation to his ExcelsiCon appearance, he feels that he can finally be himself without the shadow of his screen name. So, he hides who he is and talks to Elle as if he just your average guy. He is so freaking shit cute. I absolutely adored him. Right from the beginning. He has so much to deal with in regards to his father, the media, his best friend who turned out to be just a money and fame hungry parasite and the plethora of fans who believe he isn’t their Carmindor, especially the Rebelgunner, yet he keeps his cool and his head up and faces everything head on. He’s only eighteen, but he seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders and really just needs someone who would understand who he is as a person and like that person.
These two kids are just amaze all throughout the story and I love them. Totally. So cute. And they’re both such dorks. It’s awesome.
This story is definitely one that will leave a smile to your face and make you fall in love with it. It will also make you want to hug it tight because reading this will be like home because you’re a geek and you love your fandoms.
A definite must read.
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Advertisements Share this:ASHLEY POSTON loves dread pirates, moving castles, and starry night skies. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in How to Kick Butt Without Even Trying (aka English), and fell in love with the Romantics. When not proclaiming her love for Lord Byron (in that #problematicfavs sort of way), she’s in search for her next great adventure. She lives in South Carolina with her bossy cat, and they are firm believers that we’re all a bunch of weirdos looking at other weirdos, asking for their usernames.
Sometimes, you can catch her lurking around in coffee shops where she reads copious amounts of fanfic and plays a lot of video games. Oh, and she writes books, too. Sometimes. When the stars are in position.
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