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Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.
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. 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 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.
Review:
I am, one might say, a member of a geeky family. We watch Anime, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. My kids play Pokemon, and D & D. We also go to Cons (conventions like San Diego ComicCon). So Geekerella, set in the world of these Cons, was instantly going to make me interested.
This updated version of Cinderella was a charming YA rom-com. With many fun characters and situations, this book showed how seriously people take Cosplay! The romance was fun and believable. In short, this was a very entertaining read.
What I Liked:
Setting:Because this is a Cinderella retelling, we get two very distinct settings. The "prince", Darien, is Hollywood royalty so he, obviously, is on a movie set. The Cinderella character, Elle, is wallowing in the shadows of her cranky step-mother and step-sisters in a small South Carolina town.
There were many small details that were really fun such as Elle working in a pumpkin-themed food truck, and the Ball being held at a ComicCon.
Characters:
While the settings may be completely different, both Darien and Elle feel controlled by others. Darien is working on a movie, a Star-trek like show called Starfield. He has a lot to live up to and must constantly exercise, keep away from carbs, and stay out of the tabloids. His father makes all the decisions for him.
Elle, whose father has died, is living with her step-mother and step-sisters. She mopes around her summer job, working for a pumpkin food truck. She feels trapped. Her one bright spot is her blog about all things Starfield.
I also enjoyed several of the side characters such as the step-sisters, Elle's coworker (who could actually be her fairy godmother), and the other actors on the set of Starfield. This attention to minor characters works great and invites the author to tell their stories in more detail in the sequels.
Story:
I loved the meet-cute, the behind the scenes look at movie making, and the fandom culture.
The "meet-cute" is very appropriate. Darien texts what he thinks is the person in charge of a ComicCon. He is trying to get out of appearing before rabid Starfield fans. Elle's dad (who has died) ran the Con and gets his message. Neither know who the other is and this makes for some very entertaining texts!
The story showed the not so glamorous life of an actor on a movie set. Darien had to constantly work out, keep to a strict diet, and do things for publicity like "date" his co-star. The one bright spot of his day is texting a mysterious girl.
Elle, looking for a bright spot in her life, begins working on a Cosplay of one of the Starfield characters. Can she win the costume contest and get to go to the Ball? I loved the respect shown to people who Cosplay. The effort and attention to detail that each person puts into a costume is mind-blowing.
What I Was Mixed About:
I found the characters of Elle's step-mother and Darien's father to be rather two-dimensional. By having the step-mom be in financial trouble she had some motivation for her behavior. But I felt she was so obsessed with her own life that she wouldn't have had the energy to be so terrible to Elle.Darien's father was also a control freak who seemed eager to cash in on his son's success. Acting as his son's manager (never a good idea, by the way), he pulls every trick he can thing of to keep his son's career on track. But it's always in his own self-interest. He never treated Darien as an actual son. This seemed a little far-fetched to me.
Rating:
Release Date: April 4th, 2017
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Page Length: 320 Page
Source: Public Library
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A fun rom-com retelling of Cinderella. If you enjoy books about fandoms, you will really like this book.
I really loved this book when I first read it. I just finished the 2nd book in this series this year and I didn't really enjoy it as much as this one. Great review!
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