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A review by readingrainbill
NerdCrush by Alisha Emrich
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is cute and while I'm an adult, and not the target audience, I can still appreciate it at a fun story. Nerd Crush does a few things well. First of all Alisha Emrich writes her nerdy characters well. In fact, being a pedantic nerd myself, I found only one thing to criticize. Original characters technically aren't cosplay unless they originate from something like a game where you create your own avatar. That's really it. And it's sad but that's outstanding. So many times when I read about nerds it gets cringy.
Another great thing about this book is that Ramona's parents aren't horrible BUT they get things wrong in a very realistic way. I could even relate with her when her parents didn't get her interests and downplayed them as nothing serious and the mom even gets her character's name wrong even though she's probably been told it hundreds of times. I think this is important, especially in YA and Middle Grade because it can show kids that they're not alone. Their parents may not be awful but words and indifference can still hurt.
This book was very predictable. In fact I guessed the ending by the end of the first quarter of the book. However this isn't an adult contemporary fiction book where I'd dock points for that. This is an easy and enjoyable book that a kid could pick up and read. It's wonderfully inclusive and even dabbles in topics that I'm familiar with but have never experienced. Being a Black nerd cosplaying as a White character as well as not being considered Black enough by your peers because of how you act is nothing I have ever experienced so I can't critique that part of the book, but what I can do is say that I love the inclusion of those topics because they are important and hopefully someone who needs to hear it will read this book.
Nerd Crush is great for a young audience and has a cute story and important lessons but it never gets bogged down by those lessons. If you're an adult and want to read this, go for it. Just be ready to find it predictable. Remember, you're not the target audience. I did get this as an ARC and I'm so glad I did. Otherwise I may have let it pass me by.
Another great thing about this book is that Ramona's parents aren't horrible BUT they get things wrong in a very realistic way. I could even relate with her when her parents didn't get her interests and downplayed them as nothing serious and the mom even gets her character's name wrong even though she's probably been told it hundreds of times. I think this is important, especially in YA and Middle Grade because it can show kids that they're not alone. Their parents may not be awful but words and indifference can still hurt.
This book was very predictable. In fact I guessed the ending by the end of the first quarter of the book. However this isn't an adult contemporary fiction book where I'd dock points for that. This is an easy and enjoyable book that a kid could pick up and read. It's wonderfully inclusive and even dabbles in topics that I'm familiar with but have never experienced. Being a Black nerd cosplaying as a White character as well as not being considered Black enough by your peers because of how you act is nothing I have ever experienced so I can't critique that part of the book, but what I can do is say that I love the inclusion of those topics because they are important and hopefully someone who needs to hear it will read this book.
Nerd Crush is great for a young audience and has a cute story and important lessons but it never gets bogged down by those lessons. If you're an adult and want to read this, go for it. Just be ready to find it predictable. Remember, you're not the target audience. I did get this as an ARC and I'm so glad I did. Otherwise I may have let it pass me by.