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!

This book was soo cute and fluffy! It's like Cinderella but adding fangirl elements, which as a fangirl myself I loved and related to.
I really liked the friendship between the main character and her co-worker, and the development of the characters throughout the story.
There are also some LGBTQ+ elements inside the story, which I thought was really cool!
I totally recommend it to fans or book lovers.

I loved this book. As a fangirl, as someone who has felt out of place before, as someone who loves fairytales and fairytale retellings, I can't think of anything to make this book better. I had trouble putting it down, and I never wanted it to end.

Elle has a lot on her plate. An evil stepfamily, a food truck job, annoying classmates, and worst of all, her favorite TV show is being rebooted, with a pretty boy actor as the lead. What's a girl to do? Blog about it, of course.

The heroine was infinitely relateable. The hero was sweet and a little nerdy. The supporting characters were all colorful and fun. I loved all of the modern elements in the traditional Cinderella story. But the best part of this book was the sense of community and love of fandom that it portrayed. I want to go back and read it again and again.

Elle is a girl on the edge of her senior year, spending her summer working at a vegan food truck and trying to survive her stepmother Catherine and her twin stepsisters, Chloe and Calliope. Life has been pretty grim for Elle since her father died, but there's one bright spot in the future: Starfield, the science-fiction TV show that her parents once loved, is getting a big-screen reboot. There's just one problem--the Prince is being plated by Darien Freeman, a brainless teen-drama heartthrob who doesn't deserve to wear the Starfield crest.

She isn't afraid to say so on her blog, either, and she'd be just as happy to tell him to his face. In fact, she may just get her chance. Darien is judging a cosplay contest at ExcelsiCon, the fan convention that Elle's dad started years ago. The prize is two tickets to Los Angeles for the Starfield premiere. Elle is going to win that contest, tell Darien he stinks, and then fly out to L.A. to escape her stepmother for good. If she can learn how to sew a costume, and if she can find a way to get to the convention in time.

Geekerella is not a novel of immense surprises: You know the bones of the story from the title. Its characters are what makes the story unique and engaging. The point of view switches between Elle and Darien (who is not as brainless as she might think), giving readers a close-up view of Prince Not-Quite-So-Charming. Even one of Elle's stepsisters has a few surprises in store, to say nothing of her green-haired, punk rock fairy godmother. The author slips in just enough geeky references and inside knowledge to let you know that she knows what she's doing, without intruding on the story, and the ending is sweetly satisfying, leaving the reader confident that Elle and Darien will have their happily ever after.

I went into this book honestly not expecting very much at all.
In fact, I was pretty sure that I was going to hate it if I'm being honest.

Retellings of fairytales can often fall kind of flat.
And I don't tend to enjoy romance as a genre.

But I was actually very pleasantly surprised!

This geeky, modern-day, reimagined telling of Cinderella was actually pretty fraking good!

Sure, it has its fair share of silly, over the top, eye-rolling moments.
But it more than makes up for those with its cosy charm, cute diverse characters and heapings upon heapings of awesome nerdy references!

The story alternates between Ella and Darien, each telling their side of the story. And I think it's this choice of telling which keeps the pace of the story interesting.
Though I was always much more interested in Darien's side of the story.
Elle came across rather judgemental and superior in my opinion, at least at the start of the story - she does become more likeable as the tale unfolds.

This is actually a romance which I enjoyed following!
And that a HUGE deal for me.
I am shook.

Go read it and rejoice, fellow geeky bookworms!

I do not think I have enough time to write how much I loved this book. Being a part of a Fandom and finding people who enjoy those world's is always amazing. A book including a classic Cinderella tale mixed with Fandom is even better.

This book made me laugh, cry, stay up way to late, and even pre-order just to have my own copy. If you are a fan of Cinderella, Fandom, and well written humor do not miss this one!

I really enjoy re-tellings and re-imaginings, but, unfortunately, though this one was very cleverly done, it's not a book I can recommend as a Christian educator. Some of the language and plot points make it unsuitable for my classroom.

This book was amazing. It made my nerd heart soar.

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!

This adorable mash-up of Cinderella and fandoms grabs hold of you from the beginning. You can't help geek out but root for Elle and Darien.

This book was pretty much what I expected: a re-telling of Cinderella, laden with adorableness. Elle has been dealt a hard hand in life, her mom died when she was young, and her father died in a car accident years later. She lives with her step-mother and twin step-sisters in the house her parents bought years ago. Her parents had a romance built upon their love of the science fiction television show, Starfield. Her father, the ultimate Starfield fan, started the ExcelsiCon and it still exists today. Her mother would make elaborate Cosplay costumes that looked like they could be straight from the television show. Elle holds onto her memories of her parents through Starfield, of watching the episodes with her dad, and writes about it on her blog, Rebelgunner. Naturally, the highlight of her year is the announcement of Starfield, the movie reboot. Or, it is until they announce who will play Federation Prince Carmindor. The cute, muscled, no brains in his head, Darien Freeman.

Darien Freeman has muscles, and he is cute, but he also has some brains it’s just not good for his image if people see this side of him. His next big role is the reboot of Starfield, and he is going to play Prince Carmindor. As life long fan, (he can quote entire episodes) he knows the rabid fan base will either love him or hate him. They don’t know that he is also a fan, and he keeps it that way. Unbeknownst to him, his agent father has booked him for this years ExcelsiCon, doing panels and judging a CosPlay Ball. He has bad memories of the last con he went to and tries to get out of it. He finds a single phone number and tries his luck.

When Elle’s dad’s old cell phone pings with a random text about Darien Freeman and ExcelsiCon, she decides to respond. She has no idea who is texting but any conversation that deals with her dad’s dream, she’s in. As the two begin a texting relationship, Elle makes secret plans to attend this year's Con, and she has an unlikely helper in Sage, her co-worker at the Magic Pumpkin ( a vegan food truck specializing in foods with pumpkin and it’s shaped like one too!). Sage was one of the highlights of this story and plays the part of the fairy godmother, with a twist, perfectly. The evil step-mother was just that. Mean, mean, mean. In the end, the plot is predictable but that’ what you get with a re-telling. You kind of already know what is going to happen. Fun and quick read!

Let's be honest, even in reading the blurb it was incredibly obvious how this book was going to turn out, but that didn't mean that I didn't love every single minute of this lovely Cinderella retelling.

Geekerella is so lovely that I had a giant smile on my face most of the time whilst reading it. As a self professed nerd and someone who has dabled in cosplay too I found the attention to detail in this book great, one really stand out moment was when Elle was reading about the Wonderflex which showed real authenticity from the author (although in my opinion Worbla is a lot easier to get hold of!).

This really is a very modern day retelling of Cinderella, from the mobile phones to the giant pumpkin carriage, which in this case is the food truck where Elle works. Even the fairy godmother is covered with Sage helping Elle craft her cosplay. I also love the diversity in this book too which helps give it the modern feel such as Sage's bisexuality and Darien's race.

I don't think Geekerella is reinventing the wheel in any way but it is a very sweet charming read that I would definitely recommend to my friends who are looking for a heartwarming read.

A modern day retelling of Cinderella mixed in with a Comic Con style event is the center of this novel.

Elle's life is ruled by her stepmum, Catherine whom is a wedding planner and thinks highly of herself. She blames poor Elle for her father's not buying them a bigger house, earning and leaving them with more, more, more and poor Elle has to put up with it.
Although, she has her escapism in the forms of Sci-Fi she adores to indulge in to escape her life.

We also experience the flip side of things, life in the form of the actor new to her favourite show, Darien and the life he leads and how he unexpectedly meets Elle.

I don't want to spoil it but I loved how the two met up and Elle recreating her outfit for her how she did and all the work it took and learning from YouTube was very real!

I really loved all the modern references in the book to running blogs, using social media etc as obviously the classic tale of Cinderella would have no idea of any technology let alone the concept of it!

This book was kindly sent to me for review by the publishers and its a great geeky read to enjoy!

Wowsers. This book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so so much. I am in love. This book was funny, believable and so relateable. True to the title it was full if fandom references (and as you know I LOVE books full of random references) and I loved that those references made me feel close to the main character, Elle.

This book is everything it’s hyped up to be and I cannot recommend it to every fangirl out there more. I can’t wait to get it in physical form. As a convention attendee/volunteer I loved the subtle nods about things many would have missed.

Obviously, true to name this is a geeky, modern day take on the Cinderella story. Normally that might have put me off, but in this case it works so perfectly. This is one of my top reads of this year so far!

4 out of 5 stars.