This is a pretty good debut, and one that does have me interested in seeing what the author will write next. I liked the main character, a Black girl who's very passionate about cosplay and other fandom things, and appreciated the conversations around this.

The writing style didn't always work for me though. Even though it's a quick read, I felt like the writing didn't always flow nicely. I also felt like the storyline of Ramona's identity being a secret in her emails to Caleb was drawn out too much, and this made the story slightly more dramatic than I would have liked to see.

This was such a fun book to read! It’s very easy to read and has some importante messages in ir. Specially about being proud of yourself and to always stay truth to yourself and ideias. It’s a very light reading and it explores problems and relationships with family (in this case with the mother).

This was such a cute book to kick off the year with!

I enjoyed the story but definitely think it would be great for younger readers.

The story has a great message about being proud of yourself and being true to yourself, which I adored.

I loved watching Ramona and Caleb's relationship grow from a one-sided crush to actual friends and more.

I also really liked how the author also explored Ramona's relationship with her family, especially her mother.

Overall, a great, light read!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was super cute and I wish it was longer. The reunion scene was adorable and it made me so proud of Ramona.

I received an arc through netgalley.

A cute YA. Classic miscommunication. I liked the added artwork on the chapter pages. There were moments that felt a bit slow/repetitive, but basically what you’d expect with a YA romcom.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

unfortunately i am dnf’ing this book at 30%. i tried my hardest to get through it but i just really struggle with 3rd person pov! if i had known it was 3rd pov i wouldn’t have requested. the story so far seemed cute, it’s a little on the younger ya side, but i think this would enjoyable to someone who likes cosplaying! i would recommend to others it just sadly isn’t for me.

Sorry not sorry I love this book more than I should (there’s nothing like that though!).

First of all, I always remind myself that when I am reading a young adult fiction I should be able to see things from a young adult perspective. Just this open secret mantra and I did end up enjoying this book more!

This is the story of Ramona who is a shy sixteen year old who’s quite interesting in cosplaying. She’s been quite close to her best friend who moves away and knowing that no one understands her love for cosplay, she ends up being a character she chooses to cosplay while letting her real self behind the cosplay self. That’s a lot of cosplay!

She decides to do this as she wants to know about her crush more being the other persona while her other self chooses to stay behind the scenes. Meanwhile she and Caleb (ooh! That’s the crush, y’all!) has been exchanging emails back and forth getting closer everyday virtually through her cosplay persona.

Well… she ultimately has to choose either to show her real self or remain as her cosplay persona virtually.

This story is cute and so worth reading. Perfect for beginners and teens!

What a great story. Definitely some coming of age, mixed with a bunch of nerdiness, and some seriousness.

Ramona uses her cosplay alter ego - REL - to communicate with her crush, Caleb. After a while, she starts feeling dishonest about it, but is afraid it's gone too far for her to come clean about it. Will this blow up in her face? And how will she handle things, with her best friend recently moved away and parents, who don't seem to care about her or her interests?

I really loved this story. I could definitely relate to the relationship Ramona has with her parents. I also appreciated the representation, with Ramona being a black girl who is into nerdy cosplay stuff - people like her are out there, and I'm happy they can read this and feel seen.

I giggled, I cried, I smiled like a lunatic while reading this. It is a book I feel comfortable recommending highly.

* I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Our main character is incredibly cingy. I mean I get it, we mostly all are when we first start dating but this was a lot.

It was difficult to get back the ick the character made me feel to enjoy the story, but I can imagine A LOT of teens/tweens deeply relating.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a cute quick teen romance about Romona, a 16 year old girl with a love for cosplay. She has a crush on Caleb, a boy from one of her classes. One day she decides to be kinda brave and leave a poem and a drawing in Caleb’s locker and he actually responds. Only problem is Caleb doesn’t know it’s from Ramona. Overall the story progressed well and Ramona is a very likable character. Her family dynamics are relatable as well. I would definitely like to read more from the author in the future.
Overall rating 3.5 stars out of 5
Thank you to Running Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited by the idea of this book but I didn't hugely enjoy the writing. It's fun seeing a book using cosplay as the creative outlet even as the MC experiences a typical teenage life. But I didn't find myself caring enough to really want to keep reading it.

Bonus point - I love that the header image on the chapters was Miku, That was fun.

2.5 stars. This was good, but forgettable. The saving grace was DEFINITELY Ramona, but the book was still quick and I don’t know how to feel overall

Thank you, Running Press, for allowing me to read NerdCrush early.

I'm not someone who dares to do cosplay but I love stories where the characters actually enjoy to do so. NerdCrush is a sweet and easily to read story, however the writing style was not exactly my thing. Overall, and okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press Kids for the ARC of NerdCrush in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the premise and blurb for this story! Ms. Emrich builds some interesting characters and relationships in the novel, and her descriptions of ComicCon events were very fun to read. The family dynamics within Ramona's family were interesting to follow.
There were places I found the writing over-explanatory (telling vs showing) or the tone of dialogue wasn't totally believable for teenagers.
The twists and turns in the plot were interesting and the story had a nice depth between the Ramona and Caleb dynamics and other relationships in Ramona's life.