Geekerella Review: A Geeky and Adorable Fairytale Retelling

April 19, 2017 by Jenna | 4 stars, Books, Reviews

Geekerella Review: A Geeky and Adorable Fairytale RetellingGeekerella by Ashley Poston
Published by Quirk Books on April 4th 2017
Source: Publisher
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble
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Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.

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. 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 the 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.

Geekerella is an extremely fun, light-hearted and geeky retelling of Cinderella and I highly, highly enjoyed it. It’s the perfect book if you’re looking for a contemporary romance that can be read in one sitting. The characters are quirky and lots of fun and I really enjoyed the relationship dynamics between the characters.

The story follows Danielle, or Elle, who now lives with her stepmother and twin stepsisters after the passing of her father a few years ago. She’s obsessed with the Starfield series that she used to watch with her father and the novel begins with the announcement of a new adaptation of Starfield. However, as a long-time and true fan of the series, she is not happy at all with the casting of Darien Freeman as the lead character of Federation Prince Carmindor. Unbeknownst to her, she begins a texting relationship with Darien Freeman himself, and begins to fall for her mystery Carmindor. Throw in a cosplay contest at ExcelsiCon, and you’ve got a super fun and exciting read.

I found the story to be really enjoyable to read. It was fast-paced and fun and I found myself breezing through it in just one short sitting. It was quite a close retelling to the original Cinderella story but I didn’t really mind that it was slightly predictable because the contemporary and geeky setting made it a lot of fun to read. I also liked that I didn’t really have to work too hard on finding links to the original fairytale because it was so closely based on it. It was just a really quick and uplifting read. I really liked the geekiness of the book and I loved the Starfield world. Being a bit of a geek myself, it was a really relatable story and I could completely understand the frenzy that surrounded the news of the adaptation. I liked every aspect of it, especially the convention and the cosplay competition.

What I liked most about the novel was the romance and the relationships between the characters. I thought Elle and Darien were perfect together and the fact that they were both massive fans of Starfield, and that that was what drew them together in the first place, was fantastic. I thought they complemented each other really well and the scenes they had together were some of my favourites. I also really enjoyed Elle’s relationship with her coworker, Sage. I loved the friendship that developed between them and how much enjoyment Elle got out of introducing Sage to Starfield. It’s such a relatable moment for any fangirl or fanboy.

Elle was a fantastic protagonist in my opinion. I really loved reading from her perspective and how much she wanted a new life for herself, away from the pressures that her stepmother and stepsister put on her. I found her really easy to connect with and loved how much pride she took in her history. I also really loved Darien’s character and that we also got to read from his perspective. It made him a lot more relatable and I appreciated how much of a geek he actually was. I was also a big fan of the diversity that was in the book. Darien was Indian (or at least part-Indian) and I appreciated that the character of Carmindor himself was also intended to be a person of colour in the Starfield series. There was also an f/f relationship in the book that came out of nowhere but was really exciting to see.

All in all, I thought Geekerella was a lot of fun to read and was exactly what I needed. It was fast-paced and the romance made me swoon, and there’s not much more that I could have asked for.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Thanks to Quirk Books for providing a review copy of the book. Geekerella is now available at retailers for $US 18.99.

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Jenna is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves to indulge in great books and great food. She is a doctor (of philosophy) and can usually be found fangirling about something, devouring delicious food, or taking a nap. You can find her on Twitter @readwithjenna and on Instagram @readingwithjenna.

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33 responses to “Geekerella Review: A Geeky and Adorable Fairytale Retelling

  1. Rene

    My little princes is fond of reading fairy tales and books related to doll houses, so I often visit albertareaderschoice.ca to know about the best books that can appeal her.

  2. Olivia-Savannah

    I have read SO many reviews for this novel, and seen it everywhere across booktube and bookstagram and the like. It sounds like such a fun read, and I am so hooked because I am such a softie when it comes to retellings. I love them all. So I can't wait until I can get my hands on a copy.

    • I hope you've managed to snag a copy for yourself! I think the hype is very well deserved. It was just such a cute retelling and it's so easy to just breeze through it.

    • I have yet to read Queens of Geek but I have heard nothing but AMAZING things about it! There's just too little time to read T_T

    • Thanks Brittany! It was such a wonderful read and I'm so happy that it didn't let me down. Too many contemporaries that I've been highly anticipating have let me down so far.

  3. Cyn @ Bookmunchies

    Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed this one so much! It really calls out to my geeky heart and I would have been sad if it was adorable and fluffy. Definitely must read it soon! Lovely review, Jenna!

    • Omg it was so great! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it was just so charming and entertaining that I just absolutely flew through it. Hope you get a chance to read it soon (and hope you're enjoying Y'allWest!!!)

  4. I’ve put this book on my tbr-list a while ago, but your review made me want to start it right now. I just need such light-hearted, uplifting and fun story at this moment. The romance between Elle and Darien sounds so lovely. Wonderful review, Jenna!

    • Thanks Ksenia! This book is perfect for when you just need something light and fun (especially when you're in a slump). It's super fast paced and the characters and the story are really entertaining! Hope you get a chance to check it out and that you enjoy it!

  5. I AM SO EXCITED TO READ THIS! It seems like the cutest read and I love Cinderella retellings so this one seems right up my alley! Thanks for this awesome review Jenna!

  6. Michelle

    I can't wait to get stuck into this, I've only read a few pages. I'm pleased to hear that you liked the Starfield world, I read another book that had a fake popular culture story going on in the background but it wasn't fleshed out enough to add anything. Great review 🙂

    • I was surprised by how well fleshed out the Starfield world was! I wasn't really expecting much from it so I was pretty happy with how much detail there was. Having said that, I'm not really a Star Wars or Star Trek fan so I don't know how closely Starfield resembles those…

  7. Kelly

    This sounds like such an amazing read! I've heard a lot of good things about it so far. I love retellings and when you couple one with a bit of geekiness, I'm super excited to read it. Such an awesome review, and so glad you liked it!

    • Thanks Kelly! I absolutely love retellings as well, especially contemporary retellings, and this one was really great. It was just so much fun and I flew through the book because it was so entertaining. Hope you get the chance to check this one out!

  8. Soudha Parsan

    This book sounds so cute and awesome ^^ The premise really reminds me of a Disney Channel Original movie for some reason. Maybe it’s because it’s reminding me of the movie where the main character falls in love with her favorite singer or something. Can’t remember the name of the movie lol. But I really need to get my hands on this book now ^^

    My latest post: Giveaway: An ACOTAR Candle (International)

    • Ooooh I can totally see this as a movie! It would be such a perfect movie actually because of the super fun and geeky convention scenes!

  9. Joy // Joyousreads

    I totally enjoyed this one, too. Though the bullying she got from her stepsister andstep mom grated on my nerves. Grrr.

    • Yeah I agree. I thought the bullying was maybe a bit too much and too close to the 'traditional Cinderella' fairytale. I would've liked a bit more depth to the characters rather than just meanness. We were getting there with the stepmother's story but it never really reached the heights I wanted it to on that front.

    • It was soooo much fun! I flew through the book because it was so entertaining and geeky. Hope you get the chance to pick it up!

  10. bookishwonders

    Awesome review! I loved Cinderella growing up so I need to read this! Nothing like a fun quirky fairytale to read for the summer. This book sounds like so much fun to read. I'm glad you enjoyed it 😀

    Amber @ Escape Life in the Pages

    • This book is definitely perfect for summer! It's super geeky and has a lot of summer convention vibes, and of course it's perfect for all Cinderella lovers out there! Hope you enjoy it!

  11. Lovely review, Jenna! I adore geeky characters/fandoms/elements in contemporary books, because I relate so much to them. 😀 Elle and Darien sound like a great couple to read about as well. Thanks for taking this one!

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