Geekerella is such a wonderful novel. It's a celebration of fandom culture, a super cute and fluffy romance and a really interesting retelling of Cinderella.

I really liked the retelling aspect of this story. While obviously you can guess where some things are going, that didn't stop me from still being surprised by some things and deeply impacted by others. I really like how well this story fits the basic construct of Cinderella while still being a very original story. Sometimes I definitely had to suspend my disbelief a little bit though. Things play out in a way they probably wouldn't in real life. But I never really thought it was too extreme or annoying - just very cute and fluffy.

The story has a dual point of view which I personally thought Poston was able to pull of super well. Both main characters, Elle and Darien, were likeable and it was interesting to read about their very different lives and how they came together through fandom. But I think most of all I liked the side-characters. Elle's co-worker Sage is one of the most unique and likeable characters I ever got to read about and I would gladly take a whole novel from her perspective. But also Darien's "side-kicks" Gail and Lonny were wonderful. Also I found all of the villainous characters in this story interesting and far from one-dimensional!
The main character Darien is a man of colour, although I'm not sure if it ever gets mentioned what ethnicity he is exactly. There is also a lesbian side-character and another queer side-character!

I think what I definitely liked most about this novel was the fandom elements and how much I was able to relate to them. You can clearly tell that Ashley Poston is a full-time fangirl and I loved that. She knew exactly what she was writing about and it made me feel right at home. I think if you ever loved a book, tv-show, movie or video game SO MUCH that it almost hurt, you will be able to relate to this. And while I know it's not an actual part of the book, Poston's acknowledgments are still note-worthy to me. They were wonderful and beautiful and even made me tear up a little.
The Stargunner Fandom is obviously made up but I felt super invested in the show and the fandom in general! And this is exactly what sets this book apart from something like Fangirl. Yes, maybe I shouldn't even make the connection between the two.. but they are in similar in ways and I just feel like if you enjoyed Fangirl but weren't ever interested in the Simon Snow parts, you will absolutely love Geekerella.

Overall I just had an absolutely wonderful experience reading this book. I did think some parts in the middle were a little slow but it is a really enjoyable read that I would absolutely recommend to everyone who is looking for something fandom-related or just a different kind of retelling!

If you have ever watched (and loved) Another Cinderella Story with Selena Gomez, or any modern Cinderella movie, you'll love this book. It has the exact same feel and sort of same concept. Regular girl falls in love with a movie star, but her wicked stepmother wants her to clean her house while letting her know that "I own you, and you can't even work where you want to work because I can't trust you!"
I know that this is literally the whole plot of Cinderella, but this feels different because it's modern day... with geeks. And it was so cute.
This book also reminded me of This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.
Which is cute.
If you love Jennifer E. Smith, or Cinderella, or anything geeky, this book will be your new best friend.

This is a fun and geeky modern fairy tale. I like that the story was told by alternating back and forth between the viewpoints of the two main characters.

This book really took me by surprise. I was expecting a cute contemporary read and not not much more to be honest but I ended up absolutely loving it.
It works so well as a Cinderella retelling and the way its based around fandom is an absolute joy. I have never actually been to a convention but I spend ages each year watching the panels and interviews for my favourite TV shows at Comic Con on youtube and would love to attend one in the future so I still feel a big connection to fandom.
Even though its pretty obvious where the story is heading what with it being a retelling I was still so eager to read on and find out how it got there. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a cute retelling of Cinderella that also includes elements of “You’ve Got Mail,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “Cinder.”

It’s set in current day Charleston, South Carolina, where Danielle (“Elle”) Wittimer, 17, is part of “Starfield” fandom (they call themselves Stargunners). (Starfield is a Startrek-like series that, in this story, has been on the air in re-runs for forty years.). Elle writes a blog about Starfield, and she is extremely critical when Darien Freeman, 18, gets the movie role of Carmindor, the Federation Prince. She assumes he is just a shallow, spoiled movie star, and therefore an insult to fans who love the stories and characters so much.

In alternate chapters we hear from Darien, who actually is more like Elle than she thinks - he too watched the show religiously and it also filled a gap in his life. His mother had no interest in him, and his father, Mark, seems to care for Darien only as a commodity.

As for Elle, she is our Cinderella. When she is not being tormented by her evil stepmother and her twin daughters, Chloe and Calliope, she has to do chores and cleaning. She also has to have a job, in spite of all the money her stepmother was left when Elle’s father died. She works on a food truck called - wait for it - The Magic Pumpkin. Her boss is a girl around her age named Sage, who becomes her fairy godmother.

To promote the movie of Starfield, Darien is signed up to appear at the annual convention for Starfield fans - ExcelsiCon (coincidentally started by Elle’s dad). In addition, ExcelsiCon will host a fan competition for cosplay and a masquerade ball. (Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game.) The big prize is two tickets to the premiere of the Starfield movie and some cash.

Elle would love to win the cash so she could go out on her own when she turns 18 and get away from the stepmonster.

Before the ball, Elle and Darien inadvertently “meet” through texts, in a “You’ve Got Mail” kind of situation, and fall for each other. But neither knows the identity of the other; they refer to each other as Carmindor and Princess Amara.

At the ball, it all comes together as you would expect, except that Elle has to leave by midnight to get in before her curfew, and Darien doesn’t even know her name.

If you know the story of Cinderella, you won’t be surprised at the ending. But it is still entertaining, and a clever retelling.

Evaluation: Fans of comic cons and cosplay will especially love this adorable retelling for young adults.

This book was pretty cute. I was with it for most of the story. But it just got a little bit over the top for me. The fandom stuff went from kinda relatable to kinda ridiculous. Elle in general started out engaging and then went a little too far overboard. I couldn't relate to her, and I wanted to feel bad for her. Her situation was terrible, but not very believable. And as the book wore on she got a little bit too bitter and obnoxious about the fandom and her life in general. Darien seemed okay-ish I guess. He was pretty whiny and spineless for most of the novel. Not my cup of tea. Initially I was drawn in, but ultimately I couldn't really connect with these two and I didn't think the chemistry was totally there between them either. I'm also pretty sure Elle's stepmother could not legally sell the house out from under Elle, being that it doesn't legally belong to her. I mean, that was kinda the whole point of leaving it to Elle. There are laws about these things ya know. That just bugged me because that plot point didn't really hold up at all.
Overall this is a cute, fast read. Not a bad choice for a light vacation read, but it's not the best retelling I've read and I probably won't remember much about it or reread it in the future.

I think this book is going to appeal a reader with a certain set of interests. It is not a book that I feel like I can give to anyone, but I think that the right fit reader will really enjoy this book!

http://bookreviewsandknittycreations.blogspot.com/2017/03/geekerella-by-ashley-poston.html

There is nothing I love more than a good retelling, pop culture references, romance and some texting. In Poston's novel, Geekerella, the retelling of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella is fun, charismatic and easy to read. Unlike most retelling's, Geekerella follows two point of views; our modern day Cinderella, Danielle Wittimer, and our prince charming, Darien Freeman. The stepmother in Poston's version is portrayed as a vain, cruel and selfish party planner similar to Disney's version of Cinderella Story, however this was the first retelling I've read where the twins weren't nearly as wicked as they usually are - at least one of them anyhow.

Personally, I was impressed and drawn in by the endless pop culture references, specifically for the science fiction content and enjoyed stumbling along beside the main character. This novel was fun, easy to read and indulged my inner nerd. In the end I was torn between giving Geekerella 3 or a 4 star rating, but ultimately settled on a 3. It's a light read, and great for a summer afternoon spent down by the beach or beside a pool. While the references to current pop culture where spot on, I don't know how this book will stand the test of time or read to future generations. Either way, it was a great read and I would recommend this to anyone who likes fairytales or cute contemporary reads.

He’s an up-and-coming movie star, set to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot of the cult classic, Starfield. She’s a Starfield superfan whose blog is the perfect place for her to vent about the choice of pretty boy Darien for the new reboot (and to escape her awful stepmother and stepsisters). These unlikely friends unknowingly begin a You’ve Got Mail-esque texting relationship, but what will happen when they both arrive at the same con?

As you might have guessed, Geekerella is a Cinderella retelling. Elle can’t wait to graduate so she can leave behind her horrible stepmother and her gorgeous, snooty twin stepsisters. Her one solace is Starfield, the TV show that brought her mother and father together and which her father taught her to love before he died. The ball she wants to attend is cosplay at the con her father started, and her fairy godmother is Sage, her coworker at an appropriately pumpkin-themed food truck.

Meanwhile, Darien is nervous about portraying his hero, Carmindor, on the big screen. He’s being harassed by Starfield fans (including Elle) for not understanding the deep cult following the show has–they don’t know that before he was famous, he liked nothing better than to roam ExcelsiCon with his (now former) best friend. Desperately lonely, when Darien texts Elle on the mistaken assumption that she’s in charge of the con he’s being forced to attend, they start to bond over their shared love of the show.

I’ve talked before about how much I love You’ve Got Mail. The book I reviewed that touted itself as a food-themed You’ve Got Mail didn’t quite live up to expectations, but Geekerella absolutely did. Elle and Darien turn to each other when the stresses in their lives become too much, not knowing that they’re actually supposed to hate each other. As they get closer to meeting, this ratchets up the tension–what will they do when they realize he’s famous and she’s the blogger who’s trying to take him down?

The Geekerella spin on the old Cinderella tale works well for the most part, too. My biggest complaint about the book is how straight-up evil Elle’s stepmother is. We’ve seen the evil stepmother before; can’t we have a more nuanced, realistic version? There are plenty of ways a stepmother can be unknowingly cruel without actually trying to be horrible, as Catherine does. The stepsisters get a bit more nuance than the stepmother, but I felt that Elle’s family relationships left something to be desired. Fortunately, her friendship with quirky seamstress Sage allows for more depth.

On the other hand, I absolutely loved how Darien (the Geekerella prince) got a lot more to do than the original Cinderella prince. He struggles with being famous for playing a part on Seaside Cove that’s not even close to who he is, and he wants to prove to himself and the other Starfield fans that he can do justice to an iconic character, even at age eighteen. Darien’s relationships with his pushy, calculating manager (and father), his slightly incompetent handler, and his stoic bodyguard are all wonderful as well.

This is one of those books that, once I got about halfway through, I knew I was going to stay up late to finish reading. Not only are the characters interesting and sympathetic, but the romance is super sweet. Anyone who considers themselves a part of any fandom, anyone who has attended (or thought of attending) a con, will definitely enjoy this YA romance.

This book is delightful, these light reads I've been reading recently have not disappointed and I keep waiting to read more and more of them. This one gave me all the warm and fuzzy feels. This is very much a love letter to Geek culture the acknowledgments literally are, I don't usually mention the acknowledgment (but I always read them) is this case however I really liked them. The below quote is from the acknowledgment I completely agree with it, it's great and it wonderfully captures the spirit of the book.

"Never give up on your dreams, and never let anyone tell you that what you love is inconsequential or useless or a waste of time. Because if you love it? If that OTP or children’s card game or abridged series or YA book or animated series makes you happy? That is never a waste of time."

This perfectly captures nerd culture and was a pleasure to read, there's so, so many references, including ones to Firefly, Star Trek, and The Princess Bride. Starfield is the fictional fandom the story centers around and the author did such a great job creating it, I became extremely invested in how the movie was going to turn out. I fell in love with a TV show that doesn't even exist that says a lot about how good the writing is. As a retelling it manages to stand out from the dozen of other Cinderella retellings, it stayed true to the original tale but I didn't find Elle to not be that Cinderella like. Elle was a good character but she was inconsistent towards the end and not the best Cinderella.

I liked the other protagonist, Darein but Elle's friend Sage was my favorite character. All the relationships are well developed, the romance is cute and the characters all likable except the evil stepmother of course. The nerdy aspects are amazing and that's pretty much the whole plot, the book felt like a teen movie, like really good classic Disney channel movie. I would love to see a movie adaptation and a actual Starfield TV show.

"Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite."

First Impressions

This book was so much fun! I got the ARC from The Regulator and immediately knew that I had to read it. I dug in to it one afternoon and finished it that evening. It sounded exactly like the kind of book I love, and I was right!

Characters

I loved the main character Elle. She was a fun character to be in the head of. She could be a little dense at times, but I was able to forgive her for that. I also loved Elle's friend who also worked on The Magic Pumpkin. She was seriously awesome, and I would love to be her friend as well.

I also really liked Darien. He was less relatable than Elle, given that he's famous and all. Darien was definitely on the gullible side. He believed whatever he was told, which gets him in a bit of trouble.

Both main characters are definitely nerds, though both can be hesitant to show it. For me, being nerdy is just a part of being me, so it can be hard to relate to that, but I can understand their restraint.

World Building

The book could have taken place anywhere on the coast. I think it took place in Charleston though. That's kinda fun, since I've actually been there for YALLFest. But besides the occasional Charleston reference, the setting was pretty basic. That's kind of cool in that you can imagine it takes place near you, but it takes away a sense of place.

Elle lives for her favorite show, Starfield. Whenever she misses her parents, especially her father, she goes back to the Prospero and her crew for solace. And she really needs that solace. Her stepmonster is always making her do every chore in the house and her stepmonster's oldest daughter does everything she can to make Elle's life miserable outside the home. Word that Starfield is going from the small screen to the big screen has Elle ecstatic until she finds out who gets cast as the Commander.

Darien Freeman relies on Starfield to get him through the tough times filming the show that shot him to teen stardom. When's he's cast as the Commander of the Prospero, he knows that he has big shoes to fill, but he also knows that he's probably the best person to cast, simply because he knows the show so well. Unfortunately, there's a blogger out there who seems to be out to get him and hate everything he does. And now he's being told that he has to shake hands and sign autographs at the one con he's sworn to avoid.

When Elle meets Darien, she doesn't even know it. A few innocent texts begin a relationship that neither can believe is real, but both want to keep forever.

However, there are forces determined to block them, like an old-friend-turned-enemy, a stepmonster and her monstrous child, an interfering father, a blog, and the real world.

Final thoughts: Another cotton candy book. Nothing serious here except for serious geeking out over fan references. The geek is strong with this author. This being an ARC, there were a number of errors that I'm sure will be fixed in the final galleys, but I was confused by a few issues. For one, the house was left to Elle who is nearly of age, but her stepmonster is able to sell it?? I'm not sure that's actually legal. Also, there's a point where Darien doesn't finish filming until early morning, but he has an early call the next day; that's actually against SAG rules. There is a time gap required after night shoots. Those notes aside, this is just a fun Cinderella retelling with a few choppy moments that bring it down a little. A final note about how the "villains" turn out would be interesting.

Rating: 3/5

ARC courtesy of NetGalley

This YA was wonderful! I first heard about it after watching a Booktuber (the book side of YouTube) who hauled it earlier this month.

A new re-telling of Cinderella, this story follows Elle, a giant fan of a certain TV series, and Dare, the actor playing the Prince in said series. After a wrong number, the two grow close over text messages, not knowing who the other is. Elle lives with her stepmother and twin stepsisters in their slightly rundown house. Cue stepmother that doesn't really care about her and stepsisters who appear to make her life horrible all the time. Elle doesn't have the best life, but at least she has her fandom.

And I loved this book, though it only gets 4 stars because it could have had a bit more complicated story. But Elle and Dare were fun to see grow into their own, and the Con was great to imagine.

The problem that I had was how two-dimensional the characters, outside of Dare and Elle, were. The other characters don't change with only her one stepsister showing that she is more than a twin, which was hinted at from the beginning. Still worth the read and happy to have read it.

"Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite."

This is an adorable Cinderella retelling, that simply delighted me. I swear, I loved every second of it.

Our heroine, Elle, is a total Starfield fangirl. She grew up immersed in the world, but she is not fully enjoying the latest reboot without her father by her side. In an effort to escape her miserable circumstances, she hatches a plan to attend the ExcelsiCon in order to win the cosplay contest and the trip to the LA premiere of the new Starfield movie.

Things I loved:
-Tons of geek culture! I loved the way Poston illustrated the fandom, and really enjoyed all the Starfield bits.
-Elle is an awesome heroine. She was constantly taking a lot of knocks, but she kept getting back up. She didn't have a huge support system, but she did have Sage.
-Speaking of Sage, she was fantastic! What a great analog to the fairy godmother (at least, that's how I saw her). She was an empowered young woman, who just worried about being herself. She was also snarky, hilarious, and a steadfast friend.
-I thought this was a fun retelling. I greatly enjoyed mapping the original to Poston's version. It was an amusing and entertaining translation, that brought me miles of smiles.
-Darian's and Elle's text message romance made my heart pitter patter. I don't know why I love this plot device so much, but I like it in every book I read. Maybe it's the honesty that the anonymity allows each character to express. Whatever the reason, I adored the back and forth between Darian and Elle.

This story sort of had everything I needed: a heroine I could love, a hero who could make me swoon and giggle, villains I could hate, supporting characters who were robust and contributed in huge ways to the story, and an adorable romance.

I am definitely not the target audience for this book. The cover screams YA teenange/tweenage ‘chick lit’ (I can’t say I’m a fan of that term, but it kind of just jumped out at me from the cover image, sorry!). And so, I started out reading it thinking it seemed like a book I already had an audience in mind for. It seemed like a book I could hope to read and then be able to recommend to certain children. In short, I in no way expected to like this book myself anywhere near as much as I actually did. It felt slightly odd in fact, just how much I enjoyed this.

Essentially, I wasn’t far off the mark in expecting it to be a book that would suit certain children I have taught. There are certain types of children that could find it to be very relatable. The book is also current, quirky and geeky in all the right ways. The surprise in this book for me was how much I enjoyed it myself!

‘Geekerella’ centres around two different narrators, both of whom are outsiders, and both of whom relate mainly with the characters of a fictional sci-fi show named ‘Starfield’. In a nice sort of circular way, this is a book that will quite likely speak to its audience in the same way their fictional show speaks to the characters within it. It’s nice to read a book for younger people which makes it clear it is OK to be geeky or different (I could have done with that kind of book myself as a teenager!).

The narrative is pretty clear from the off. Don’t expect massive shock twists. You know Cinderella, you probably know there’s already a lot of similar stories that follow this formula, so you already know what to expect. Where ‘Geekerella’ differs and ensures it stands out enough is in its use of fandoms and cultural references that never fail to raise a smile to the reader. As I expected, I will be recommending this to some of the children I have taught, but I might be recommending it to a slightly larger audience than I had initially expected.

From the first pages, I was hooked on this. I can't even pinpoint why - the writing flowed well, Elle was a strong protagonist, but perhaps it was the fact we got to see the other side of the story with Darien (hello, cutie) which made this more dynamic.

I DEFINITELY shipped them. Hard.

Of the two books centered around Fandom I've read so far this year, this one felt the most authentic. I'm REALLY big on dialogue (maybe haven't mentioned before - ahem) and this never seemed forced to me. The dual POV was a delight, both voices coming across as strong, and all other characters surrounding them were just as strong too.

Sage, the green haired wonder on the front cover, is an absolutely wonderful character. I want her to be my friend. Gail is annoying despite being symapthetic, but then I think she's sort of meant to be because we saw her from Darien's POV.

I think a major plus is this was that I imagined everything so vividly. I could see everything of Starfield - the show they're so in love with - as well, looking at the Fandom, and it wasn't forced. In some books about Fandom they drop names as though they're saying "Look! I know about this one! Paranatural, right?" but in this one Poston really seemed to know fandom. Like, I've been to cons, and they're the weirdest, most AMAZING places, and everyone is supportive of each other. Yeah you get the occasional dick, and we did in this one too, but I dunno. I felt like I was there.

Were some of the villains cartoony? Yeah, maybe, but I think that just added to the charm. I physically hated Elle's stepmother. I know teenage me wouldn't have done a damn thing, but I wanted to slap the woman. It's very rare a book can make me cry, lately, hardened book armadillo that I am, but this one managed.

I felt Elle's pain, and I loved Darien's character, and I want Starfield to be a show ok?!

I loved this. It had fandom at its heart as well as fun and well rounded characters. I really felt for Elle and all she was going through.

My review is on my blog. https://abellafairytale.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/arc-review/

This book was super cute. I liked Darien and Elle, but Sage was my favorite character with her awesome attitude! It did have elements of the book Cinder & Ella, but it was still really good. Geekerella was nerdy and fun, and I kind of want a food truck on wheels now!