A review by lienl
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
4.0
I don’t think I need to explain the slight sense of dread I feel as a fangirl when I find out about a book centred around fandom and fanculture. We’ve all been there at least once, getting our hopes up for a “documentary” or a book about our culture, our little home away from home, our thing, only to have those hopes cruelly and coldly exterminated as only a dalek can. Suffice to say, I was a bit wary about reading Geekerella.
Still I picked it up as soon as I found myself in the mood to read a fun contemporary. And boy, I was not disappointed. This book certainly met my highest expectations. Of course, it has its flaws. The fact that it’s a Cinderella retelling not only gives you a slightly over the top Stepmonster, but also makes it predictable, cliché and cheesy. Though I’ve always been a firm believer of clichés being clichés for a reason, and this book really has the best kind of cheese.
The plot may not be new, but there’s also plenty of reasons that make this story a story worth telling. The characters are fun, diverse, strong in their own ways, and with every turn of the page you can see them grow. They interact with fun quick-witted dialogue in a fast-paced story, which all makes it hard to put the book down at all.
But the one thing I loved the most was also what I dreaded the most going in. The representation of fandom and fanculture. Geekerella manages to both celebrate fandom and still critique its flaws. And it’s done in another way than “it can be great, but all the girls who squeal and scream when they see their favorite actor are wrong and don’t belong”. It’s an inclusive celebration of fanculture that made my heart sing with a sense of community that I usually only find in my fandoms.
If you enjoy a cheesy little romcom with characters who love geeking out just as much as you do, I think it’s about time you pick up this book.
Still I picked it up as soon as I found myself in the mood to read a fun contemporary. And boy, I was not disappointed. This book certainly met my highest expectations. Of course, it has its flaws. The fact that it’s a Cinderella retelling not only gives you a slightly over the top Stepmonster, but also makes it predictable, cliché and cheesy. Though I’ve always been a firm believer of clichés being clichés for a reason, and this book really has the best kind of cheese.
The plot may not be new, but there’s also plenty of reasons that make this story a story worth telling. The characters are fun, diverse, strong in their own ways, and with every turn of the page you can see them grow. They interact with fun quick-witted dialogue in a fast-paced story, which all makes it hard to put the book down at all.
But the one thing I loved the most was also what I dreaded the most going in. The representation of fandom and fanculture. Geekerella manages to both celebrate fandom and still critique its flaws. And it’s done in another way than “it can be great, but all the girls who squeal and scream when they see their favorite actor are wrong and don’t belong”. It’s an inclusive celebration of fanculture that made my heart sing with a sense of community that I usually only find in my fandoms.
If you enjoy a cheesy little romcom with characters who love geeking out just as much as you do, I think it’s about time you pick up this book.