Geekerella: A Fangirl Fairy Tale by Ashley Poston
Published by: Quirk Books
Pub Date: April 4, 2017
Pages: 320
Format: e-arc | Source: NetGalley
Genres: young adult, contemporary, retelling
Rating: 
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 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. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?
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.
Credit to FP Distillery for this picture, it captures the book so well!
I read two YA contemporary books last year that also dealt with fandom (specifically of the sci-fi variety) and cons- while they were cute, something was missing for me so I was originally wary of Geekerella until reviews from friends started coming in. The moment I started reading, I could tell Geekerella was everything I wanted it to be and more.
Right off the bat, it reminded me irresistibly of A Cinderella Story, one of my favorite teen movies. I think it was the combination of the contemporary setting, the texting, and Elle’s image-obsessed stepmother. I loved all the touches that marked it as a Cinderella retelling- the “Magic Pumpkin” food truck, the “Prince”, the “costume ball”. It was so clever and fun! Ashley Poston hit every beat I was hoping for. I’m all for subversive and different retellings, but sometimes a feel-good, classic, recognizable retelling is what I want 🙂
Of course I loved all of the references to fandom and general nerdery! I’ve been part of various fandoms my whole life and it’s easy to put yourself in Elle’s (and Darien’s) shoes. I also loved that she was a blogger! I used to spend hours on Mugglenet back in the day. The other thing I really enjoyed was the dual POV story. That doesn’t always work but I loved that there was more to Darien than his surface image, and their accidental texting turned friendship was pretty wonderful!
All of the secondary characters add something to the story and Poston does her best to reflect the real world within those characters. Elle’s coworker was a total surprise to me, I didn’t expect to like her so much!Having gone to Wizard World Con last year, it was also easy and fun to picture the convention setting. This book might not be perfect the closer you look, but it made me really happy and sometimes that’s what counts. The acknowledgment almost made me cry! As a fan of so many things, they were really touching and you could tell how much of herself Poston poured into the story.
Long story short: this was everything my Cinderella-loving, geeky fandom heart wanted.
Credit to Asma Faizal for this fantastic Geekerella aesthetic!
Have you read Geekerella yet? Are you a fan of retellings in general? Let me know!
The Bookish Beagle 
I was wary of this one too and got pushed to pick it up because of all the great reviews from friends. I’m glad you liked it, Morgan. I love what you have to say about the Cinderella elements to the book. I loved how she incorporated them too but still managed to make the book her own. I’m just really pleased so many people are enjoying this one because it deserves all the love!
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Oh thanks! Yeah, that’s the best, when the story feels unique but you can still spot all the right retelling parts. I’m glad so many people are liking it too!
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Oh man I loved this one so much! I think the biggest thing most of us get concerned with is how accurately fandom is portrayed? Sometimes authors force it too much and you can tell they don’t really KNOW what it’s like at a convention or being super into a fandom. This one felt SO real and the romance killed it. I preordered this book for my sisters birthday 🙂
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Yes, that’s exactly it!! It didn’t feel forced, it felt real and omg the romance was the cutest! Yayyy I hope she loves it too!
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I am so pumped to read this! I have been seeing this all over blogs and bookstagrams and its so annoying because I haven’t had the chance to pick up a copy for myself yet so I’ve been waiting to go to the bookstore for that! But in general, I am very excited for this because I adore fairytale retellings, especially ones with a geeky twist because I very much relate haha! Great review and glad to hear you enjoyed! ❤
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Omg it’s the prettiest book, I need to get a copy! Fairytale retellings are my favorite, I think you’ll love this then! It was a great mix of geeky elements. Thank you 🙂
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This sounds so good!! I didn’t know it was a complete retelling. I thought it was just a fun title!! I love that it stays true to the story– I think some retellings are way too loose and it’s like you can’t even really see the original story in it anymore. This is the first review I’ve read for this book even though I’ve seen it around a lot. Glad you liked it!
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I agree, I’m all for loose interpretations but sometimes I love a straight up retelling like this! It was great, I hope you like it if you read it! 🙂
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I also ignored this until friend reviews convinced me I needed to pay attention! Bless twitter and flaily readerfriends because like you, I super loved this one. The secondary characters got into my heart as much as Elle and Darien — unexpected but AWESOME.
I’ve read my fair share of Cinderella retellings but I think this might be my favorite one yet — for all the reasons you talk through in your review. I hope the author does more nerdy retellings in the future!
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I’m so glad!! That’s one of my favorite features of twitter and just making friends who know your taste so well or whose taste you know you agree with. I think it might be my favorite too, besides Ella Enchanted 🙂 Omg same!! I’m already excited for her next book- Anastasia in SPACE. AHHHHHH.
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