My Week in Book Review: Geekerella

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

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.

Spoiler-free . . .

Yes, the title of this book is kind of funny. And I’ll just tell you upfront: there are a few typos. And the descriptions can be a little hyperbolic, and on occasion, one main character is whiny.

Have I sold you yet? ;)

But actually, this is my second time reading this book because despite its faults, I really like it. What draws me in is the theming of this book—it’s just so on pointe. Elle and Darian think in geeky metaphors, have exclamations like “Holy throttle, Batman,” and talk in Starfield references. Their pet names for each other? Starfield terms ah’blen and ah’blena, of course. Over the course of the book, we learn about the story of Starfield as Elle shows it to her friend and as Darian films the reboot. There’s a screenplay of the last episode at the end of the book, and even knowing the gist of it from the novel, actually reading it still gives me chills.

Congratulations, Ashley Poston. I don’t just like your book; I would watch your tv show.

So Starfield is the main reason I like this book, but I will also say that the interactions between Elle and Darien are really cute. Without spoiling anything, the short version is they begin texting without knowing who each other is, and what follows is the teenaged mashup of You’ve Got Mail and Cinderella. Elle and Darien’s texts are so cute and also so dorky, and I love it. First they’re just joking, then they’re there for each other, and then they realize they care about each other . . . And do they meet? Of course! But in You’ve Got Mail fashion, there’s some hate to get past before they can see each other for who they really are: geek-tastic soul mates.

Also, there’s a pumpkin. And a glass slipper. And a fairy godmother, and a ball, and getting home by midnight. So we’re hitting all those good tropes.

And one final thing I’ll mention is even though most of Elle’s characterizations of her stepmother make her feel pretty one-dimensional, there is a scene where her stepmother’s humanness comes through in a surprising way and you get a glimpse of why she feels the way she does and where her hatred for Elle comes from. That’s especially refreshing since usually the stepmother is portrayed as screeching everything and wearing “lipstick the color of men’s heartblood.”

That’s all, folks! Go forth and read!