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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.75
"My dad said that the impossible is only impossible if you don’t even try. So I want to try."
After enjoying her most recent adult fiction, I decided to dive into Ashley Poston's backlist for more books to read. While it's true that I don't read all that many YA books anymore, there was just something about this Cinderella retelling with a geek vibe that I couldn't resist. And I can't deny that I ended up having a lot of fun reading Geekerella! The retelling itself is really well done; the references to the fairytale were incorporated in a way that felt natural. My favorite part is the whole geek vibe though, with the fandom and ExelsiCon. This was so much fun to read about, and I could especially appreciate the connection both main characters have to the event. Geekerella uses a dual POV structure, switching between Danielle (Elle) and Darien. I did much prefer Darien over Elle, as it took me a little while to warm up to her and she could be quite stubborn. I liked her friend Sage a lot more, although I can't deny that I was rooting for both Elle and Darien with everything they had to go through. The text messages between them were a nice touch! The writing style itself was engaging, and it was really easy to keep turning those pages. The way everything was wrapped up in the end was also very satisfying... All in all a more than solid YA retelling, and I will be continuing the series in the future.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual harassment
nat_alley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Lesbophobia
bzliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The only positive I can point to is the love shown to fandom. It’s the only good thing in Elle’s life and was a way she connected to her dad and explored the world socially. If you ever had a tumblr phase, this aspect will resonate with you.
Unfortunately, everything else is jam packed with all the emotional abuse Elle endures, seriously oversimplified aspects of the entertainment industry (Darien’s big budget sci-fi action movie is filmed in 23 days and is completely edited and premiered within the year… there’s no universe where this could happen), and some minor drama about gatekeepy geek boys and bad dad manager behavior.
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
rafacolog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Physical abuse and Toxic friendship
cait's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishwithsarah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Emotional abuse and Grief
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Author: Ashley Poston
Series: Once Upon a Con, #1
Genre: YA Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: April 4, 2017
T H R E E • W O R D S
Simple • Familiar • Modern
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Elle grew up watching Starfield with her late father, it's still the connection she shares with him. When she comes across a contest for the new Starfield movie, she knows she has to enter and win, unless her step-sisters get in the way. Darien, who plays the new Carmindor (something he has always wanted), has been written off as just another heart throb. An anonymous set of texts will change things for both main characters. Geekerella is a modern day retelling of the classic fairytale, Cinderella.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The whole reason I picked up this book was to fit the "fairytale retelling" prompt for a TBR challenge I was participating. Fairytales are not typically my cup of tea, so I chose this one since it seemed like a quick, easy read - and it was. Told in alternating perspectives, there isn't a whole lot of surprise, in fact, the plot is quite predictable (especially if you know the story of Cinderella), with typical YA romance vibes. Of course, I wasn't a fan of the insta-love aspect, but there were other things I really liked. Firstly, the fangirl, sci-fi and cos-play additions were a lot of fun, and the showcase of female friendship was well drawn out. Overall, the plot is quite obvious and a little cheesy; it is still a light and fun read.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• die hard Cinderella fans
• self-proclaimed geeks
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Maybe everything does die, but maybe, somehow everything that dies someday comes back"
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Grief