After reading a couple of YA adventures, I decided to try a YA rom-com and picked Geekerella by Ashley Poston. This is a two-nerds-find-true-love story, a modern retelling of Cinderella, and it’s a lot of fun.
Elle is the downtrodden stepdaughter of a nightmare of a stepmother, with two evil stepsisters (one worse than the other.) Stepmom is a wedding planner who spends a great deal of their limited family resources on her own image-making. Step-sisters are wannabe beauty influencers who treat Elle horribly. Elle does all the housework and also works full-time at a vegan foodtruck (painted like a large pumpkin!) Her mother died when she was four and her father a few years later. Her memories are full of the love they shared for a sci-fi TV series called Starfinder. Her father was the original organizer of Starfinder-con. Elle blogs about the series which still has a cult following. And now it’s being rebooted as a movie.
Darien is an 18-year-old soap opera star with a huge teen fan-girl base. He has been chosen as the new Commodore, the star of the reboot. He’s also a member of the original Starfinder cult following and possesses an extensive knowledge of Starfinder trivia. This is a dream role for him, but also a terrifying one. He’s worried he’ll screw up.
Both are lonely teens with trust issues and terrible parents. They “meet” via text when Darien is attempting to get out of his celebrity duties at the next convention and locates the number for the original organizer, Elle’s father – she still has his old phone. Completely anonymous to one another, they bond over Starfinder lore. Maybe, each thinks, they might meet at the convention. But would that be wonderful or ruin everything?
This humorous novel is full of nerdy pop-culture references. The characters are sweet and lovable. It’s fast-paced, silly (in a good way) in parts and poignant in others. A very enjoyable read.
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