Geekerella by Ashley Poston (ARC Review)

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Release Date: April 4, 2017 (this date cannot come soon enough so I can have this amazing book in my hands)

*I was provided an e-ARC copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much for the publisher, Quirk Books!*

If you’ve been following my blog, you might remember my mention in the Daughter of the Pirate King‘s review, that I somehow managed to gain two new favorite books in a manner of days – something that super shows my book pickiness and total book hipster side. Yes, I’m ashamed of myself. Daughter of the Pirate King was the first, and if you’re guessing this book is the second, then you would be correct. Surprise! Maybe? No? Well, okay then. I tried.

Once Upon a Time…

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.

ALSO, the trailer is live for this adorable book, so let’s check it out?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReIysb0Knzc

To tell you the truth, I totally thought that there was no way this book could live up to my ridiculously high expectations. I mean, they were as high as Carmindor was in space. Not only was it full of a bunch of nerdy goodness, it was a fairytale retelling. That’s right – a contemporary, fluffy retelling of Cinderella. This could have gone so wrong (re: me and another con book where I was -_- face the entire time), but instead it went soooooooooo right.

Cue: massive fangirling time.

First off, the fairytale retelling aspects were on point. We have the pumpkin carriage, the evil stepmonster and sisters, the ball gown (and accompanying missing shoe), the ball, and so much more. Every aspect she did was done just a little bit differently, but she made them so wonderfully geeky and epic that it reinvented the Cinderella story. Of Poston’s changes, my favorite was definitely the change of the pumpkin carriage to the pumpkin vegan food truck. It was so random, but it worked amazingly.

The characters were amazing as well. I loved Elle, Darien, and Sage. Like most contemporaries, you kind of live for the characters, and this book was no expectation. Can we also talk about the epic amount of diversity that these three brought to this novel? YA contemporaries have been doing a bit better in the diversity aspect, and Sage and Darien totally added wonderfully to it.

Cinderella isn’t too sure about eating some of her ride, but she would definitely give a princess wave to the food truck.

I each of these three, rooted for them all, and just couldn’t get enough of them. Sage was, yes, the sassy sidekick and godmother, but Poston never treated her as the trope she was supposed to fulfill. Instead, Sage was fleshed out, given her own subplot, and made some of the scenes into the epicness they were. She was literally the perfect godmother, and I would loveeeee to read her own book if she would to ever have one.

Elle and Darien were the perfect main characters as well. Their ship was so many heart eyes. I just kept wanting to smish them together. The angst was literally too much for me sometimes with their ship – yet I loved every second of it. They were each their own person, though, and the romance didn’t matter sometimes (I KNOW – GASP, GASP, ME, SAYING THAT THE ROMANCE DOESN’T MATTER – THAT JUST SHOWS YOU HOW GOOD IT IS) because they each had their own complex storyline that was empowering and intriguing. Elle’s storyline literally brought tears to my eyes at one point…and I literally can’t tell you the last time a book made me tear up. Wait…I think it was Crooked Kingdom, and that was like…six months ago. And before that? It had to be years. XD

ANYWAY, just like a good fairytale, this book has a lot of amazing messages and morals. I think it actually even has a lottttt more than the original fairytale. This book is about empowering yourself and staying true to yourself – even when you have a stepmonster dragging you down. And I loved how it did more than just your average fluffy contemporary.

There was so much to love in this book – the ship was swoony, the characters were realistic and loveable, the unique retelling aspects were off the charts, and the nerdiness was so real and amazing. This book is now about equal for my favorite contemporary ever, and while TLC is still my favorite retelling, this book is the only retelling to even make a dent in my retelling love for it. I seriously could keep my fangirling mess going on forever, but I kind of want you to go buy this book instead of listening to me talk more. If you’re looking for some adorable feels, an epic retelling, some geeky goodness, or just an overall good book, this is the book for you.

5 crowns, and the epic Princess train is back!  We’ve got Cinderella because it is her retelling, Aurora for being an instant classic, Mulan for this story kicking some major butt, and Rapunzel for the feels – THERE WAS SO MANY.

Also, Poston just announced that she has another book, Heart of Iron, coming in 2018 and it’s pitched as Anastasia meets Firefly. ANASTASIA. MY HEART CANNOT HANDLE THIS. I think Poston is trying to kill me with geeky princesses.

Check it out:

• Goodreads
• Barnes and Noble
• Amazon
• The Book Depository

What do you think? Do you have a favorite retelling? What do you think about contemporary retellings – have any recommendations for me? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Also, Inej is still fighting in Book Madness. Want a chance to win epic ARCs and maybe say hello to her? Check it out here, and you can also check out my original post here!