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kdap94's review against another edition
4.0
So much fun! Loved this retelling! A clean read that was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to.
lara_bookish_turtle's review against another edition
5.0
This was the best contemporary, cutest romance, and most adorable thing I read in 2017. It was absolutely perfect! The geekiness and cuteness and just everything! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
The fangirling was so relatable. Elle was so relatable. It was brilliant!
And the fandom references! They were everywhere and they were perfect! Doctor Who and Star Wars were my faves, but all of them were brilliant. Maybe I'll reread this later after joining more fandoms and pick up on even more of them. I honestly am so keen to reread!
Darien was perfect. Nerdy, caring, funny... Everything one could ever look for in a fictional character!
There's really nothing else for me to add. This book was adorable, and that's basically all I have to say.
The fangirling was so relatable. Elle was so relatable. It was brilliant!
And the fandom references! They were everywhere and they were perfect! Doctor Who and Star Wars were my faves, but all of them were brilliant. Maybe I'll reread this later after joining more fandoms and pick up on even more of them. I honestly am so keen to reread!
Darien was perfect. Nerdy, caring, funny... Everything one could ever look for in a fictional character!
There's really nothing else for me to add. This book was adorable, and that's basically all I have to say.
siobhancollierauthor's review against another edition
4.0
This was cute. A nice, well paced story that went full scale on the Cinderella story and tried to mix it with fandom. There were some issues, like typos that shouldn’t have slipped through, a weird character twist with Calliope and questionable legalities surrounding house possession but the main characters - Elle, Darien, Gail, Sage - were fun and I rooted for them so it wasn’t enough for me to pan it. Plus some great LGBT representation and a nod to my favourite OTP (Destiel) and yeah, it was worth the 4 stars for a fun summer read.
mckayladd's review against another edition
4.0
So fun to read this reimagined fairy tale! So many cute but not overly obvious connections to the original. She works in a vegan food truck called the magic pumpkin!
sharonsm_28's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating: 4.45
This was an enjoyable read. This is my first Audible audiobook. I was not expecting this book to be that great, but I was wrong. The plot was really cute, and I loved how Ashley Poston made this retelling of Cinderella unique and special. The characters were reletable and cute. I really enjoyed this read. Great start to a new series. I can’t wait to read the other books. Overall, a great read.
This was an enjoyable read. This is my first Audible audiobook. I was not expecting this book to be that great, but I was wrong. The plot was really cute, and I loved how Ashley Poston made this retelling of Cinderella unique and special. The characters were reletable and cute. I really enjoyed this read. Great start to a new series. I can’t wait to read the other books. Overall, a great read.
ca_mila's review against another edition
5.0
This book was surprisingly good! I wasn't expecting this book to make me feel as much as I did whilst reading it. I naively assumed that this book would be lighthearted - perhaps to the point of lacking substance - a bit of fun, but without much impact. Man, was I wrong. Of all the books that I would guess would make me start crying, it wasn't Geekerella, but the characters and the story are so easy to delve into and get attached to.
Geekerella is, as you can probably tell by the title, a Cinderella retelling. I don't mean this in the way that you often hear YA fantasies call themselves fantasy retellings whilst changing the story altogether, I mean it is literally a Cinderella retelling. Right down to a pumpkin carriage - albeit, a pumpkin food truck. Since her father's death, Elle has been living a miserable life with her stepmother Catherine and her step-twin-sisters Cal and Chloe. All that she has left to hold onto is Starfield, the sci-fi television show that her father introduced her to as a child. She knows everything that there is to know about it, and runs her own little blog dedicated to it. When she sees a cosplay contest at this year's ExcelsiCon, she knows that the prize money is exactly what she needs to get out from under her stepmother's thumb and make her own way in the world. All she needs is to find a costume. Meanwhile, Darien Freeman, teen superstar actor, has been cast in the lead role, and is struggling with fan expectations. He has always loved Starfield, but being a nerd doesn't quite fit with his image, and Starfield's hard core fanbase are ripping into him, so judging this years' cosplay competition is the last thing that he wants to do. Both Elle and Darien struggle in their respective worlds, only finding solace in the text messages that they swap with a mysterious stranger, as obsessed with Starfield as they are.
The characters in this novel had depth and detail, they were interesting and had their own struggles and storylines even apart from the romantic one. Elle's friendship with Sage, her relationships with her sisters and step-mother, were all important. So was Darien's struggle with his job and relationships. Apart from this, Starfield itself was also incredibly well-developed, which, for a novel which explores fandom so much, was vital to the characters feeling real. Although Starfield is a made-up television show, I found it easy to relate to how much the characters love the stories and the characters, their passion for it, and how much they care about the remake. I also liked how Starfield was the background against which the characters' personal struggles play out against, because it meant that we understood their motivations and feelings. For Elle, Starfield is at the heart of all her memories of her parents, which explains not only why she cares so much about the remake but also why she is so desperate to win the cosplay competition - to make her parents proud. For Darien, his internal struggles with confidence are made clear in his playing the lead role in Starfield. He doesn't believe that he is good enough to play his favourite character, and he finds it difficult to be surrounded by actors who don't care about the show in the same way that he does. The characters, the story, and the show Starfield itself, were equally important in making Geekerella as good as it was, because they all bounced off each other to create a really moving and fun story.
I also loved how much this novel is inspired by Cinderella. Of course, there was still so much original content to this book, but it was fun to spot the comparisons. For example, instead of a pumpkin becoming a carriage, the pumpkin themed vegan food truck that Elle works at it her carriage, and her fairy godmother is her colleague Sage, who helps her to make her costume and encourages her to keep fighting for what she believes in. It was also nice to see more development to the characters, like in Darien and Elle's own storylines, and also in the minor characters. Catherine, the evil stepmother, and the sisters Cal and Chloe were nuanced characters, and I especially looked forward to the scenes with Catherine where she showed a bit more of her human side, and the redemption arc for Cal. All of the references to the fairytale were interesting to find and made reading Geekerella even more fun to read.
Overall, Geekerella was a really enjoyable book and I sincerely regret leaving it unread for so long. The story is sweet and simple, with nuanced and interesting characters, and told in a fun way. Definitely give this book a chance, even if it doesn't seem like it's quite your type. You might find, like me, that you judged it too early.
Geekerella is, as you can probably tell by the title, a Cinderella retelling. I don't mean this in the way that you often hear YA fantasies call themselves fantasy retellings whilst changing the story altogether, I mean it is literally a Cinderella retelling. Right down to a pumpkin carriage - albeit, a pumpkin food truck. Since her father's death, Elle has been living a miserable life with her stepmother Catherine and her step-twin-sisters Cal and Chloe. All that she has left to hold onto is Starfield, the sci-fi television show that her father introduced her to as a child. She knows everything that there is to know about it, and runs her own little blog dedicated to it. When she sees a cosplay contest at this year's ExcelsiCon, she knows that the prize money is exactly what she needs to get out from under her stepmother's thumb and make her own way in the world. All she needs is to find a costume. Meanwhile, Darien Freeman, teen superstar actor, has been cast in the lead role, and is struggling with fan expectations. He has always loved Starfield, but being a nerd doesn't quite fit with his image, and Starfield's hard core fanbase are ripping into him, so judging this years' cosplay competition is the last thing that he wants to do. Both Elle and Darien struggle in their respective worlds, only finding solace in the text messages that they swap with a mysterious stranger, as obsessed with Starfield as they are.
The characters in this novel had depth and detail, they were interesting and had their own struggles and storylines even apart from the romantic one. Elle's friendship with Sage, her relationships with her sisters and step-mother, were all important. So was Darien's struggle with his job and relationships. Apart from this, Starfield itself was also incredibly well-developed, which, for a novel which explores fandom so much, was vital to the characters feeling real. Although Starfield is a made-up television show, I found it easy to relate to how much the characters love the stories and the characters, their passion for it, and how much they care about the remake. I also liked how Starfield was the background against which the characters' personal struggles play out against, because it meant that we understood their motivations and feelings. For Elle, Starfield is at the heart of all her memories of her parents, which explains not only why she cares so much about the remake but also why she is so desperate to win the cosplay competition - to make her parents proud. For Darien, his internal struggles with confidence are made clear in his playing the lead role in Starfield. He doesn't believe that he is good enough to play his favourite character, and he finds it difficult to be surrounded by actors who don't care about the show in the same way that he does. The characters, the story, and the show Starfield itself, were equally important in making Geekerella as good as it was, because they all bounced off each other to create a really moving and fun story.
I also loved how much this novel is inspired by Cinderella. Of course, there was still so much original content to this book, but it was fun to spot the comparisons. For example, instead of a pumpkin becoming a carriage, the pumpkin themed vegan food truck that Elle works at it her carriage, and her fairy godmother is her colleague Sage, who helps her to make her costume and encourages her to keep fighting for what she believes in. It was also nice to see more development to the characters, like in Darien and Elle's own storylines, and also in the minor characters. Catherine, the evil stepmother, and the sisters Cal and Chloe were nuanced characters, and I especially looked forward to the scenes with Catherine where she showed a bit more of her human side, and the redemption arc for Cal. All of the references to the fairytale were interesting to find and made reading Geekerella even more fun to read.
Overall, Geekerella was a really enjoyable book and I sincerely regret leaving it unread for so long. The story is sweet and simple, with nuanced and interesting characters, and told in a fun way. Definitely give this book a chance, even if it doesn't seem like it's quite your type. You might find, like me, that you judged it too early.
meripm's review against another edition
3.0
This book is really cute at so many different levels. However, I have mixed feelings about it.
I enjoyed both POVs. It's always nice to know the love story from different perspectives. However, I felt this love story took over the rest. The main characters have family issues and other problems, but they are not treated right: the author does not explain them throughoutly. We know from the beginning that both Elle's parents are dead, however, we never get to know what happened to Elle's mother. Darien's got a complicated relationship with his dad-manager, however, he is portrayed like the 'bad guy', giving him a plain personality that serves the purpose of the story but does not make him a rounded character.
I found it a very entertaining book. However, that alone does not make a fine book and the flaws in the plot were really noticeable, so I can't give it more than 3 stars.
I enjoyed both POVs. It's always nice to know the love story from different perspectives. However, I felt this love story took over the rest. The main characters have family issues and other problems, but they are not treated right: the author does not explain them throughoutly. We know from the beginning that both Elle's parents are dead, however, we never get to know what happened to Elle's mother. Darien's got a complicated relationship with his dad-manager, however, he is portrayed like the 'bad guy', giving him a plain personality that serves the purpose of the story but does not make him a rounded character.
I found it a very entertaining book. However, that alone does not make a fine book and the flaws in the plot were really noticeable, so I can't give it more than 3 stars.
witchtash's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably the most believable Cinderella story I've read in a while. I absolutely adored the hints dropped throughout the book about the connections between Darien and Elle.
rebeccaisabelle's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I like the overall cinderella theme of the book. It was really cute. The better between the main characters is also cute. I didn't like how the 'evil stepsisters' - especially Chloe treated Elle. same for Brian - the way he treated Darien , but that's expected in Cinderella adaptations so it's okay. I thought Elle was gonna buy her house afterward. No mention was made at the end of the book. I thought we would have seen a bigger confrontation at the end btwn Darien and his father. I thought the father would have shown up or something but he didn't. I'm glad Gail got promoted. Well deserved indeed. There was character development throughout the book but I felt that most of the conversations between the main characters were on their phone/ online. I would have wanted there to be more physical interactions between them, even if they didn't know the others' secret as yet. The phone texts I believe took up more than ½ of the book. Instead the texting part could've lasted around ½ the book and their physical interactions could have started right after. They could come across each other more than once. Let their lives intertwine a bit more - the parts when didn't know the either was their phone crush. Kind of like Miraculous Lady Bug and Cat Noir in a way. Both protagonists could feel that their phone crush would never reciprocate what they were individually feeling and slightly give up on pursuing a relationship- conflicted. Then in person, they are seeing each other, not knowing it's their phone crush,start off hating each other then finally liking the other through a series of events (standing up for another, etc.), then they could feel even more conflicted because they feel they are being unfaithful to the phone crush...only to find out they were them all this time. I feel like I would get slightly upset reading that kind of book but it would've been more interesting for sure. I would have also wanted to see more of their interactions after they got together .
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment