Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Title: Geekerella
Series: (standalone)
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Date Published: April 4, 2017

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. 

My Thoughts: 

After reading the synopsis for Geekerella, I could not wait for it to be released! I myself am somewhat of a Star Trek geek, as I grew up watching it with my own dad, just like Elle watched Starfield with her father. I also couldn't resist a Cinderella retelling. What a great combination!

 I hate to admit that I found this story to be slow at times, and I really had to keep myself focused on what was happening.  I think the biggest reason for this was that I did not  necessarily like Elle- one of the main characters. I mean, I felt bad for her living circumstances, but other than that she seemed kind of...snobby and judgy. At least where Starfield fandom was concerned. I just couldn't really relate to her much.  I much preferred reading from Damien's point-of-view, actually. I found him to be a very likable and nice, and I admired his determination to do his best.

Something that especially bothered me was the texting relationship. It just wasn't safe. Darien and  Elle had no idea who each other really was and yet they kept texting each other. One of them could have been texting a pedophile or something!! So...the idea of starting a relationship this way (accidental text) bothered me.

Ok, with that said- I did like Sage! She had so much spark and personality. I also found the whole ExcelsiCon event to be pretty cool, as well. It made me want to attend some kind of Comic-Con event in the near future. Oh, and can I also say that this cover is super cute?!

I feel bad that I did not like this story as much as other people did, and it appears that I am in the minority. So if you are looking for a fun YA, contemporary that is based off of a sci-fandom, Geekerella  just might be for you!