Full disclosure, I am a lover of fairytales and their retellings. I have read THOUSANDS of versions of them. There is something so interesting to me about taking the same old story we know and love and twisting it into something new. Sometimes the results are wonderful, other times, not so much.

I had heard about Geekerella by Ashley Poston back when it came out last April, but hadn’t had a chance to pick myself up a copy. Then, while staying with one of my best friends, I noticed it on her bookshelf, and being the AMAZING person she is, she gave me the go ahead to raid her bookshelves whenever I like. Clearly this was one of the first one I pilfered. Click below for my thoughts.

According to Goodreads, Geekerella is summed up as:

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.

Geekerella is a pretty simple read, I was able to play through it in a little over a day. Yes, I realize it’s a YA novel, but my point is that it is a cute, engaging tale that keeps you entertained. Since, the narration switches back and forth between Elle and Darien’s points of view, which really allows the reader to feel for both Elle and Darien. Despite basically knowing where the story was going, found myself rooting for them. The [anonymous] communication set up between Elle and Darien makes the “love at fist sight” part of the story a bit easier to swollow for me too.

But by far my favorite character is Elle’s best friend, Sage. She is, my opinion, is a total standout character. She is funny, sarcastic and talented. She is also warmhearted and unapologetic in who she is. Her color changing hair, her williningness to stand up for Elle, even before their friendship is fully formed, make her someone you would want in your life. The perfect modern day fairy godmother.

And total bonus, there’s a wiener dog! [Insert gleeful Sqweeing here].

But aside from the fairytale storyline, it is the pop culture within the book that make Geekerella such a wonderful read for geeks of any fandom. References to Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly and numerous other fandoms are  expertly woven throughout the story. One scene in particular, happening at the cosplay contest, beautifully captures the community spirt that lives with in the cosplay world. Truely a love letter to fandoms in general.

I figured that Geekerella would be a quick, little read, but I didn’t expect it to give me all the geeky feels. Looking for a feel good read? I definitely recommend picking up Ashley Poston’s Geekerella.

Going to NYCC 2017 and wanna pick up a copy? Author Ashley Poston will be there signing copies on Thursday, October 5th, from 2pm-3pm, at the Quirk Books Booth #2236.

-EM