There were many nice throwbacks to Geekerella but a reader could easily pick up this book without knowing anything about the first and not be lost. The characters were great and it was easy to understand each of them. I can admit to being a fangirl at times and being very passionate so I can understand wanting to save a favourite characters or franchise. I can also see how it could be frustrating for an actor to feel like they're getting stuck in a role or typecasted as someone they never wanted to be.
It was a quick read, enjoyable, and I liked the added twist of the mystery of who was posting the script online. I would love to see more from this world of Geekerella.

4,5/5 stars!

The Princess and the Fangirl is one of those books that is just so easy to read, and one that you never want to end. All of the fandom references make you feel giddy while reading (and perhaps even make you squeal out loud when David Tennant is mentioned) and not having fandom being made fun of makes you feel good, accepted. ExcelsiCon is just a place you want to be. The characters are people you want to know, want to be friends with (I'm looking at you, Ethan). Friends you never want to say goodbye to.

But then why, you ask, is it not a full 5 stars? That's simple. Jess. I had some trouble with her POV, and it took me a very long time to start liking her. It didn't help that her thoughts didn't always seem to match who she was. Jess is supposed to be anti-fandom, anti-geek, and yet her thoughts include loads of references and recognition of cosplays. it was a bit confusing. Not to mention her passion being thrown in out of nowhere, seemingly making no sense given her dislike of Starfield. So even if it felt a bit random at times, I loved her character growth and ended up really liking her by the end! SCORE.

Imogen was an instant favorite. I related a lot to her self doubts, but sometimes it got to be a bit too much. I just wanted to wrap her up in a blanket. Also, she is fighting for a female character to survive, fighting for female characters to be treated better in general, which is something I wholeheartedly support; I'm glad this book gave me some badass women to love! Imogen's family (including Bran), and especially Milo, give me all the warm and fuzzy feelings. I can't help it. There's just so much love and trust there, even with everything going on.

The romances are very predictable, but I didn't mind. It wasn't a main storyline in either of the POVs, so it all felt very natural. If, of course, very fanfiction trope like. Which, is definitely not a complaint. I love fanfiction! The one downside of the romances for me, was that only one of them seemed to wrap up nicely and got more attention than the other. I love that romance, but I really wanted to have a bit more of the other one!

Also. Ethan. I love Ethan. I want my own Ethan. All The Ethan.

There is plenty left to tell for Jess and Imogen, I think, so I'm rooting for a third book, even if it'd probably follow different characters again. Getting all four characters back and moving on with their stories, relationships, the Starfield Sequel, would be an absolute dream come true. So much room for drama with a certain new character, , with relationships while filming! So many opportunities and I'm sure that if Poston decides to write a third one she'll come up with much better things than I ever could.

This book was an absolute joy and I would definitely recommend! Cannot wait to have my own physical copy!

“Bless Darien Freeman. Bless his tight jeans and his curly hair and his insufferable smile. Bless everything about that hufflepuff.”

Not really important, I just want to point out that even fictional hugflepuffs are awesome. I loved Darien I’m the first book and I love him in this one. I like the new characters as well. It was really hard to like Jessica Stone and honestly I don’t think I ever did which made the story just bleh for me. Even after all is done if it wasn’t for Imogen Lovelace her Doppelgänger which I loved I don’t think the story would have worked for me. However, by the end I was rooting for these girls!! Jess and Mo had issues and cried and were scared and they were just so human. I loved it. I loved them. They were also smart and strong and courageous. It’s hard to fight for what you believe. These girls did it though.

All the geeky references continued and it was full of funny sweet moments. Definitely recommend it. Just fair warning, it’s a slow burn. Not to love but to the action. It felt like it took forever for something to actually happen. But when it did, it was amazing!

This was everything that I was hoping it would be and so much more, it was such a cute contemporary romance book. There were so many great pop culture references that were made throughout the books that I was living for, and this book had wonderful diversity and representation in my opinion.

I loved the convention setting in this book, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book, it was for perfect for this story. I loved everything surrounding the mystery and having to snoop around to convention for the who dun it mystery.

The characters, of course, was one of my favorite aspects of the book, they really made this book the perfection that it is. They were both so different from each other but I really enjoyed the friendship they ended up developing over the course of the story, and they begin to understand each other better. One of my favorite character relationships in this book was Imogen and Ethan, I was always anticipating their scenes because they were my favorite to read. I do wish we had gotten more scenes with the characters from Geekerella so that was a minor disappointment.

This was the perfect mood lifting book and it was exactly when I needed at the time, and I’m hoping that there are more books to come in this series, all I can say is sign me up.

This book was such FUN. When an ultimate fangirl gets the chance to swap places with the reluctant star (whose role she wants to save) of her favorite fandom, what else can ensue but hijinks? It's got an entertaining story with lots of references to Geekerella for those who enjoyed the first book, but it's also a fun book (with a lot of heart) to read if you have an appreciation for fandom culture (even if it's from afar).

"Sometimes the stories we need are the ones that can show us a happy ending and make us feel whole and welcome and loved."

Holy nerdgasm, Batman.

I have fallen head over heels for a fandom that doesn't exist

The Prince and the Pauper is far from my favorite of fairy tales, but this modern retelling, with a movie star space princess who doesn't want her fandom (because honestly...who would?) and a fangirl who just wants to save her favorite character from getting killed off, switching places to prevent the leaking of the top-secret sequel script to the next Starfield movie...and this is a run-on sentence which should show how much I enjoyed this book!

It's certainly not deep and honestly, who gives a flying fuck?

There's a lot to be had in this story: lesbian relationships, discussions of the toxicity of the fantasy/sci-fi fandoms towards women (and the varying levels of hell it can descend do depending on privilege), oodles of Easter Eggs, measuring success, imposter syndrome, and an important discussion of intellectuality and popular culture.

Speaking of fandoms and the love of things that aren't Oscar-worthy art flicks that literally no one but the critics will see—this is a rousing endorsement that it's totally okay to let your freak flag fly and love whatever the hell thing you want to love. (view spoiler)

Anywho, one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"What I am built for is to fall in love slowly, page by page, like reading a favorite book."

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I came late to the Geekerella party. I know, I can’t believe I waited so long either. But I’m caught up now, so when I saw The Princess and the Fangirl was available on NetGalley to request? You bet I did.

I inhaled the story, and I lost sleep. But it was SO WORTH IT. First reaction? SO MUCH CUTE, OMG.

Ashley Poston’s The Princess and the Fangirl is the follow up to Geekerella. Some time has passed since the end of Geekerella, and this time, we follow Jessica’s life. She happens to be Darien’s costar, and play’s Princess Amara, in Starfield. Jessica meets Imogen, her doppelganger, and shenanigans ensue. They’re back at ExcelsiCon one year later, and in this Prince and the Pauper retelling, there is a mystery, a chase, and princesses saving themselves.

I love everything that this story represents. There were so many similarities between them, but also many qualities that make them unique. Jess and Imogen each have this dormant power that they both had to discover for themselves. They both were looking for something more, when they both just had to become sure of who they were and realize it was already there. The soul-searching, the nerdy references, and DEFINITELY, the love interests were all parts of this story that I enjoyed.

But most of all?

I loved how empowered and amazing I felt right when i finished reading it.

Guys, this was cute and geeky – everything that we got from Geekerella but different yet familiar. I have a lot of incoherent words for how much I enjoyed this story. You can’t compare them, so you’ll have to make room in your heart for both of them.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of The Princess & the Fangirl in exchange for an honest review! Please note that any quotes used in this review may not match with the final copy.

Extend the hand first, act like the bigger person, grip tightly, and then punch your fist through his sternum — no wait. That’s a Mortal Kombat move.


Holy geekery & cuteness, Batman. Wow. Little fun fact, Geekerella by Ashley Poston is the very first book that I reviewed on my blog, so it means the world to me that I was able to read & review an ARC of it’s companion novel, The Princess & the Fangirl! It can probably go without saying, but this book is one of my 2019 anticipated releases & it definitely, without a doubt, didn’t let me down. I smiled the entire time I was reading — that at some point, my cheeks started to ache. & when I got to that final page, I felt the goosebumps arrive & the tears threaten to pour out.

THIS WAS SO GOOD.

Ashley Poston is absolutely phenomenal. A lot of it has to do with how relatable she truly is, but also the fact that each word in her Once Upon a Con series shines with how much she really loves what she’s writing. & a writer that is passionate about her work is a writer I can find myself supporting.

I’m going to be 100 with ya, this review is probably going to get lengthy. I have two pages worth of notes that I’m ready to just scream about. So, look to the stars! Aim! Ignite!

I was in complete awe with Geekerella; I even remember the night I stayed cuddled onto the couch, flipping page after page & laughing out loud at the references to different fandoms. It was definitely one of the books that stood out to me last year.

The Princess & the Fangirl is the perfect companion novel to Geekerella.

The writing continues from novel to novel so seamlessly, although it's main focus is on two totally different characters -- Jessica Stone & Imogen Lovelace. In the first entry of the Once Upon a Con series, we get to meet Jessica Stone as she takes on the role of Amara in the new Starfield film. However, we don't really get to dive into her personality until The Princess & the Fangirl. As for Imogen, she's a whole new player in the book. Ghouls, I didn't expect such a dramatic turn of events, but Jessica Stone became one of my characters in this universe.

Things start off rocky when the two characters come face to face -- Imogen, a fan who wants nothing more than to save Amara & Jessica, who wants nothing more than to be unattached from her character in Starfield. By the end of The Princess & the Fangirl, both girls have undergone so much development on their own & within their relationship.

There's a big difference between the writing of Jessica's P.O.V. & the writing of Imogen's P.O.V. Jessica's portions felt very lyrical? Her inner thoughts/monologue had me in my feels for a majority of the time. Whereas Imogen's portions felt more like it was coming from a fangirl (which she is -- which makes this whole concept even more amazing). I have no idea if this was intended, or just a thing that fell into place as Ashley Poston wrote this book; whatever is, I absolutely loved it.

For me, Imogen was such a relatable character. She's placed in a setting that I'm very familiar with & talks about how good Nightwing's butt is, HELLO?!@1 IT'S ME. But, really, she's such a lil' nerd & is very knowledgeable about fandoms & says things like, "why am I like this?!" -- I absolutely adored Imogen.

OH, SPEAKING OF NERDS -- y'all, just like in Geekerella, The Princess & the Fangirl is filled with references. Imogen's mothers (yes, plural!!) create an Iron Throne out of Funko boxes, Nerfherder is hurled as an insult, time is wibbly-wobbly, Yuri!! On Ice is featured on t-shirts, Darien Freeman is a Hufflepuff (hashtag blessed) -- the list goes on and on and on. & we all know that I'm a MAJOR sucker for some nerdy references.

We're just satellites that fall into each other's orbit for a breath and then travel on.


One of the things I feel people were unsure of when this book was announced was if there'd be LGBTQ+ representation in The Princess & the Fangirl & I'm happy to say that yes, there is a F/F ship (outside of Cal x Sage from Geekerella) that I would die for. Both of the ships in this book had me feelin' some type of way.

The Princess & the Fangirl is one of those books that's so hard for me to review, because I just want to talk about every detail -- which, unfortunately, spoils the book. If you are a Geekerella fan, you will not be disappointed! Plus, there are cameos & mentions of things that we already fell in love with when we read Geekerella. I definitely 100% recommend getting your hands on The Princess & the Fangirl!

I gave this one a try since I found the plot description intriguing even though it sounded like completely harebrained story. I'd say it’s very light entertainment for a very specific readership. It features lots of LGBT characters (all the characters are unbelievably progressive, which does not cause a problem for anyone ever), but the story is bordering on the ridiculous and, overall, the author just tried too hard with awfully plump pearls of wisdom that render the whole thing even more trite than the plot suggests. I think sci-fi fans who regularly attend conventions will be entertained by this harmless novel and will enjoy the romance parts. I guess for anyone else it might be quite dull. Also, I’d say it rather appeals to an American readership and the culture of ComiCons, Twitter and Hollywood. I don’t think many of my students will be able to identify with the characters or the plot. An okay book if you are under 20, a sci-fi fan, and looking for very light entertainment.

Truly wasn’t my cup of tea. I felt like I didn’t relate or like any of the characters. It felt very cut and dry and like there was a lot of substance lacking.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The fangirl was trying to save the princess, but this princess did not want to be saved.

• Pro: Poston did a fantastic job capturing the magic of ExcelsiCon once again, and once again, I was left feeling all the happy feels.

• Pro: I thought employing The Prince and the Pauper switch-a-roo tactic for this story was brilliant. By literally walking in each other's shoes, both Jess and Imogen learned a LOT about the other side of fandoms, while also learning a bit about themselves.

• Pro: I love that this book celebrated fandoms, but I also appreciated that Poston took time to shed light on the negative side of cons, sci-fi, and fandoms.

• Pro: This was a twofer. That's right, I got two romances in this book, and both were fun and sweet and adorable. Though they took a back seat to the central plot, I found myself loving the pairings and cheering for them.

• Pro: This book was packed with fantastic and fun characters to love. Not only did we get to spend time with our friends from Geekerella, we also got to meet Imogen, her brother, his boyfriend, Jess, and her assistant. They all really played a big part in making this a super-fun and nerdtastic experience for me.

• Pro: I was already smiling from the too cute romances and some justice that had been served, but that ending just made me grin even harder. It was surprising and awesome and perfect.

Overall: Poston gave me another amazing trip to ExcelsiCon, which was filled with new and old friends, a little romance, a bit of subterfuge, and lots of nerdy fun. I really hope we get to return to the con again next year.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.
Geekerella was one of the most surprising and delightful YA reads for me in a while. It created a fandom that felt so genuine and real that it was hard to believe it wasn't. When I found out there was a second book coming out to compliment it, I couldn't resist. I'm happy to say that this book continues on with the authenticity of the fandom and gives the reader characters that you can connect and root for just like the first.
While the first one was a modern and fun take on Cinderella, this one takes on The Prince and the Pauper. Jessica Stone and Imogen Lovelace look surprisingly alike. So much so that Imogen is sent onstage as her during Starfield's panel by accident and nobody notices. When Jessica runs into trouble and has very little time to right a wrong, she takes advantage of this and they switch places.
Again, this is a quick read (I read it in one sitting) that immediately brings you back into a fandom you were first immersed in with Geekerella. The reader gets to see both the fun and dark side of a fandom with Jessica's POV and Imogen's as Jessica hates being part of it (like Robert Pattinson in Twilight) and Imogen wants the character to stay part of the franchise.
The best part of this book is that there's great LGBT representation with many of the characters. Imogen has two moms, her brother has a great boyfriend, and there's one more surprise later in the book. Imogen butts heads with Ethan, Jessica's assistant and longtime friend, which just makes you root for them to get together almost immediately. We get some mentions of Elle and Dare throughout the book as well, which I enjoyed. It takes place over one weekend so one has to suspend belief (much like any romcom) that these characters can genuinely fall for each other but the author makes it work. It's a solid sequel that I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed the first one and I hope that there is more in the future from this author!

The Princess and the Fangirl was incredibly cute, made me goofy smile and was so easy to read. After reading Geekerella last year I knew I had to get my hands on this book. It was so nerdy and I loved every second of it.

It is set at a convention, known as Exelsicon, which is based on a show and movie franchise called Starfield. We meet some brand new characters but also see some familiar faces from Geekerella. It follows two main characters, Jess and Imogen, who each have different but intertwining weekends at the Con. Jess is an actress who played a character in the Starfield universe called Princess Amara, but she is feeling the pressure from the press and the fandom about her performance. So when a girl who looks exactly like her (Imogen) runs into her, she takes advantage and swaps identities with her for the Con. Both Jess and Imogen experience different lives and learn about themselves and each other in the process. And they both happen to find some romance.

It was such a heartwarming and addictive book! It made me laugh out loud so many times and I loved every character. It was such a nice experience to read about relatable and real characters, full of geekiness. What I loved about this book was that although the two romances were fantastic to read, the book also had a bit of mystery to it. A movie script has gone missing at the Con and its up to Jess to try and find it. This only added to my love for this story.

If you love adorable and super nerdy books with cute romance that will leave a goofy smile on your face I would highly recommend The Princess and the Fangirl, and its prequel Geekerella! Ashley Poston is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.

What a wonderfully heartwarming tale about learning to see things from another's point of view. Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary teenager who doesn't feel quite good enough and Jessica Stone is a starlet who doesn't feel like she can be herself, if she even knows who she is anymore. Switching lives for a few days allow them to understand the challenges of love, fame, and anonymity and the pitfalls of social media and stifling your personality. Add in a sweet homage to geekdom and you have a fantastic followup to Ashley Poston's Geekerella. Jess says it best when she says "sometimes the stories we need are the ones that can show us a happy ending and make us feel whole and welcome and loved." The Princess and the Fangirl is just that kind of story.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

So let’s flashback for a moment. The year is 2018. I’m reading Geekerella for the first time, thanks to a recommendation from Malka. The strange thing is, when I went onto Goodreads to add Geekerella to my currently reading I saw, “Once Upon a Con #1”. Obviously, I automatically freaked out. Is there a second one? Will there be a second one? Is this just a glitch on Goodreads?

After 5 minutes of freaking out, I totally forgot about it. That is until I visited the Quirk books booth at Comic-Con. It was there that I got confirmation about a second book! Flashforward a bit, and I got the confirmation notification from Netgalley that I was approved for this book and it absolutely made my day!

I really liked Geekerella, it was so cute and nerdy, and none of that was lost in this wonderful companion novel.

I don’t think you have to read Geekerella to understand what’s going on in The Princess and the Fangirl, but you definitely should. If only for the fact that you’ll understand all the amazing cameos.



The Princess and the Fangirl is a modern retelling of the Prince and Pauper. It follows look-alikes Jessica Stone-actress extraordinaire-and Imogen Lovelace-fangirl supreme-as they switch places during ExcelsiCon.

Jessica Stone is fed up of being Princess Amara. Constantly being attacked by fans about her interpretation of the role, no love is lost between Jess and Starfield fandom. Meanwhile, Imogen, a die-hard Starfield fangirl, is working her best to make sure that Princess Amara doesn’t get killed off from the franchise. After accidentally crossing paths, Jess and Imogen clash immediately However, when the script for the next Starfield movie begins to leak, they realize that they must cooperate to find the culprit.



This book was so cute! One thing I  loved was how we got to read from Jess’s point of view. In the first book, Jess is a side character, whom you don’t know much about, and she honestly comes off as a little rude and bitter. But in The Princess and the Fangirl, you see that Jess really has it tough with all the hate coming her way. She feels as if she isn’t valid as an actress in the role of Princess Amara, and I think it’s a really important point to bring across.

I know that it’s hard for fans to realize that actors and actresses are real people, but Ashley Poston helped by showing both sides of the story in this book. You’ve got Jess, who is just fed up with everything. She hates Starfield, she’s constantly barraged with hate, in person, and over social media, and it’s hard for her to see what’s positive about the role. Then you have Imogen, who is trying her best to save Princess Amara. She’s a fangirl who looks up to Princess Amara, and who thinks there couldn’t be anything better than playing Princess Amara in a movie.

Jessica and Imogen are complete opposites, and they clash upon meeting due to the simple fact that they don’t understand each other at all. Jessica can’t understand why Imogen is so obsessed with Amara, and Imogen can’t understand how Jessica can throw away such an amazing opportunity. By switching places they slowly come to understand each other and that leads to amazing character development. Showing that people can change when given an alternate point of view.

One thing I definitely preferred about The Princess and the Fangirl over Geekerella I is the way the con is described in this book. I don’t think that Geekerella gave that much page time to the description of the convention, but it was definitely all covered in this book. From the description of the booths to the panels to all the people in costumes, it made you feel like you were really there.

All in all, I enjoyed it. It was a cute, fluffy read with good characters and a fun environment.

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Quirk Books and Ashley Poston for this opportunity

LOOK TO THE STARS. AIM. IGNITE!

STARFLAME! I was swept away by this book! I love every single thing this book offered: friendship, love, courage, representation, adventure, confidence

I was craving for a good YA read, and this book totally satisfied it! I can't wait for everyone to read this in April! I loved Geekerella but I only gave it a 4.5 stars because I know it could offer more, and Ashley Poston finally did it in The Princess and the Fangirl!

Starfield will now have a special place in my heart. ALWAYS. I couldn't recommend this enough.

GO. READ. THIS. BOOK.

If I had to get you to read this book by only telling you one thing, I would let you know that I read this book—in its entirety—in one sitting. Sure, I may have gotten up once or twice to go to the bathroom or get some water, but otherwise, I was stuck in bed with a cat on my lap until I finished the whole book. If that’s not enough to get you to at least try, I don’t know what will be, but just in case, let me tell you a little more.

It’s worthwhile to note that this is a companion novel to Geekerella and not strictly a sequel. This means that reading Geekerella, while suggested, is not necessarily necessary to enjoy The Princess and the Fangirl. The events of this novel take place after the conclusion of Geekerella, but we get two new perspectives! One is someone we met previously, the fabulous and talented Jessica Stone. While she played a very minor role in Geekerella, she’s front and center this time around. Our other perspective comes through the eyes of new character Imogen Ada Lovelace (kudos to Poston for her character-naming skills). Known as Mo or Monster (a nickname used by her family that she somewhat begrudgingly allows), she’s got a bright pink pixie cut and a striking resemblance to one fabulously talented actress. Shenanigans incoming.

Our fairy tale to be adapted in this case is, predictably, The Prince and the Pauper. Which means that there were less universally acknowledged elements that had to be a part of the story, as was the case with a Cinderella adaptation. So this book was a delightful surprise at every turn. It takes the best parts of Geekerella and brings all sorts of new twists and turns. Jess and Imogen attempt to use their physical similarities to their advantages, but they each have motives they keep to themselves and things get messy quickly.

What makes this story so fun is that it is set entirely during ExcelsiCon, the convention devoted to Starfield, a Firefly-esque sci-fi television show that has a strong cult following and a new movie reboot that has premiered a little under a year previous to the start of the book. The convention makes a brief but important appearance in Geekerella and is, in my humble opinion, one of the best parts in that book. So now we get to see it front and center, for all three days of the convention, as our story unfolds.

The chaos and excitement that always accompanies conventions lend themselves well to the turmoil Jess and Mo both experience in their time there. The decision to switch places, made perhaps somewhat hastily, shows them both the other side of the coin. Jessica, who was just using Starfield and her role as Princess Amara as a springboard to get her name into consideration for more serious acting roles, gets to see the convention as Imogen, aka Amara’s greatest fan. And Mo, who couldn’t understand why Jess wouldn’t absolutely love being Amara, experiences firsthand how toxic the internet can be and how difficult it is for her to stand under the scrutiny of thousands of “fans” to whom she could never be good enough. They both only saw the side of the Starfield fandom that they wanted to see.

Over the course of this book, their experiences change them in ways they couldn’t have anticipated at the start of their convention weekend. And while I may have anticipated the general arc, my voracious YA novel reading gives me an unfair advantage. But that did not diminish my experience reading this book in the slightest. There were still twists I didn’t expect, a mystery I couldn’t solve ahead of time, and plenty of heartstrings to be pulled.

So don’t think that just because you think you know how this book is going to go that that’s enough reason to not pick it up. Because a) it’s not and b) you don’t. Trust me. This one is worth it. It’s a quick read that will delight you and cause you just enough distress to keep you clinging to the pages until you’ve come out the other side. For six hours. Without moving.

I regret nothing.

Thank you to Quirk Books and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored Geekerella so when I heard there would be a companion book I was so excited! And this book did not disappoint. In fact I probably loved this even more than Geekerella.

This book is filled with so much adorable geekiness, I just cannot deal! It’s a feel good book that left me feeling giddy and wanting to go to a con myself. There is so many pop culture references and I loved it! From Harry Potter to Star Wars and so much more. It made the characters, being at the con so real and so relatable! Honestly, I don’t read many contemporaries especially cute fluffy ones but wow did I love this.

This story is essentially a modern prince and the pauper retelling and it was so nice to see a retelling of a different story, as all I seem to see a beauty and the beast retellings. With the added bonus of it being set in a con over four days, it was fun and fast paced and intense. A lot happens in these four days from each of the girls learning more about themselves and each other to how it is on the other side of the fandom.

I really loved the diversity in the book too. Ethan is Asian and there is a f/f romance. I thought it was really well written and not like it was forced in there.

Jessica is the actress who plays Princess Amara on the film Starfield and she receives a lot of hate. People are always commenting all over her social media, sending her hateful messages, which is difficult for her to handle. She feels as though no one wants her there because she wasn’t a Starfield fan and she didn’t want to be in future films. As a result of all of this she is distant and generally looks like she doesn’t want to be there. Although I didn’t particularly Jess at the beginning of the book as her story developed and we get to see all that she has had to go through and how unhappy and lonely she is and I ended up really loving her and totally rooting for her!

“We need those stories, too. Stories that tell us that we can be bold and brash and make mistakes and still come out better on the other side”

Imogen is probably the opposite of Jess. She is reckless and passionate and adores Starfield. So much so that she has spearheaded a campaign and started a petition to save Amara. She has a younger brother Milo who she feels she is constantly in the shadow of. Her mums can be a little over protective and she had her heartbroken at the last excelsicon. So she puts everything into the saving Amara campaign, regardless of whether Jessica Stone wants to continue being Amara or not. Throughout the story we learn why saving Amara is so important to Imogen but she also learns why it isn’t okay to force Jess to play a role that makes her so unhappy.

They both have some great character development even though it is only set over four days and the beginning of a romance. While they switched places they both meet someone who they start to develop feelings for. Imogen’s hate to love was great, I loved how they both misunderstood each other and their own prejudices got in the way of them realising their feelings. And I oved that Jess was able to meet a girl who she could talk openly to without fear of her words being twisted and shared all over the internet. I loved seeing their friendship develop into something more. I liked that neither couple “fell in love” but that it was the beginning of something as they have only known each for a few days.

I loved that the darker side of cons and being part of a fandom was also discussed from how obsessive fans can make the actors feel uncomfortable and unsafe. To how females are portrayed in films, especially sci-fi/fantasy. They tend to be a love interested and there to push the story and character development of the male hero. How actresses are held to higher and stricter standards than their male colleagues, even mentioning real actresses that this has happened to.

“I’m sick and tired of princesses being either damsels in distress or the foil for a male character’s emotional growth.”

I think the only thing I was unsure of was the motives of the person who leaked the script. Why was it leaked? What did this person hope to achieve? I also figured out pretty early on who it was but none of this lessened my enjoyment of this book. It’s honestly so fun and anyone who loves cons and is part of a fandom will love this!

P.S Can we have Starfield made into a real show?

(Review will go live 26th March on my blog)

Ya'll are probably aware of how much I loved Geekerella already (and if you aren't then go check out our A Tale of Two Booksellers podcast Episode 1 where we RAVE about it!) so of course when I heard there was going to be a spin off book, you can bet I lost my MIND with excitement.

I am an absolute sucker for anything related to or hinting at fandom and conventions. I grew up in a time where manga was niche, when it wasn't the done thing for girls to be reading comics and I ended up hiding a large part of who I was in my late teens, early twenties. So to see these kinds of books hitting YA shelves just makes my heart sing with delight.

I threw myself back into the world of ExcelsiCon and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Imogen was spunk and sass, I loved her. Jessica on the other hand, I really struggled to like at first. I didn't GET HER. The further into the book though, the more it became clear that she sometimes didn't get herself either. It was more Jessica's journey than it was Imogen's but I loved how the two characters stories interwove. Ashley Poston is really amazing at writing dual POV and making the characters fit together in their storytelling flawlessly.

The love interests in this book were cute and fun. How they all fitted in together was great and I loved how it all ended. I think in the end Jessica was actually my favourite character. She had the most growth and she found a new appreciation for fandom. I loved it. (I want to say more about some of the last scenes and how they made my heart race and my face break out into a grin but it would be too many spoilers!!)

If you are any kind of fan or part of any fandom, this is a funny and sassy read that you'll love!

I was really happy when we were approved for an e-arc of The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston on Netgalley.  I don't read a lot of contemporaries, especially cute fluff ones, so I do like it when I can get a good one to change up my reading a bit.

Let me start off by saying I liked Geekerella but I LOVED The Princess and the Fangirl. It's a loose retelling of The Prince and the Pauper and just that is a refreshing change form the usually fairy tales that every author seems to pic (cough*Beauty and the Beast*cough). Ashley Poston was able to bring this story to a modern geeky time and she did it brilliantly in my opinion. I also feel her writing got much stronger in this one compared to Geekerella.

Yet again the geekiness in The Princess and the Fangirl, as was Geekerella, is at a maximum. As a geek I can't tell you how much I loved all the references from pop culture there was in this book. Major props for making a Hamilton / Burr joke, almost spit my coffee out on that one. The story moves at a good pace and I didn't feel like it lagged at some places. As expected from an Ashley Poston book, there is a ton of diversity which we always love to see.

I loved these characters. Jess and Imogen, our two main ladies, are just the perfect pair. Though they come from different places, I felt their story was very similar. Their whole quest was about doing something meaningful and being enough in this world. When they cross path in the most unusual circumstances, both of them will be put face-to-face with their fears and struggles while looking through the other's eyes to see that they are not alone to live in doubt. For Imogen, living in the shadow of her overachiever sibling isn’t a new thing but with her initiative to #saveAmara, Imogen struggles to have her voice heard. Jess, the actress, who was cast into an idolized and almost « canonized» character, wishes she could leave it all behind. She is always in the spotlight, scrutinized and judged from every angle as her social media accounts keep reminding her. She's used to being deemed unworthy of the character and the success that she has so much so that you can see that she has started to believe it. Why do we continue to do this to successful women in this society? Instead of elevating each other we have a tendency to find flaws and diminished one another.  If you look at the life expectancy, career wise, of women in show business, by their 30s some have trouble finding work, nothing changed in their acting skills between their 20s and 30s except they got older. It's ridiculous. Even in every day life, women are more judged than men. We have to be attractive and successful but not too much so we don't appear intimidating. We need to want kids because if we don't then there is something seriously wrong with us. I hope for future generations that we start to empower our girls and show them that they are enough and that they do not need to fit in all these boxes that prior generations have determined, that who they are is just what this world needs. I love how Ashley Poston put a light on these fears and struggles that we all have and showed how one can be strong and that the only person you have to please and make happy is yourself.

I was really happy to revisit some old friends and meet some new ones with this book. I am hoping that we might get a third book in this universe where we might see Sage story told??? I really enjoyed this book and hope you guys will too. I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars.