Yhe Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon a Con, #2) by Ashley Poston

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Geekerella and this 2nd book in this series is just as good! Jess is Princess Amara of the Starfield series but she only sees the harsh side to her fame while Imogene is a start struck fangirl who wants to make sure the Princess is brought back from the dead in the final episode. At the annual ExcelsiCon, look-a-likes Imogen and Jess clash, decide to change places and the fun, suspense, drama begins! I loved the old friendships ((Ethan and Jess (who is really Imogen)) and the new friendships (Harper and Imogen (who is really Jess) as well as the cloak and dagger mystery to prove who is leaking the new script at the con. Poston really knows how to "retell" stories and the surprises were delightful! I loved all the costumes, Imogen's moms and brothers, the world of nerd culture, the good and bad of fandom.

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Eliza And Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh boy did I love this book, it was gripping, Eliza is the author/creator of wildly famous fanfic, The Monstrous Sea but very few people know because that is what Eliza wants. Because Eliza is very quiet, very insecure, has no friends except her online world (she does not read comments!!!) but all that begins to change with new student, Wallace who does not speak, writes everything slowly, perfectly on paper and is a wild fan of Monstrous Sea. As he is being bullied (Wallace is huge, tall, football player-ish) by 2 nasty guys about Monstrous Sea; surprise of surprises---Eliza jumps in and defends Wallace!!! And so begins the unlikely friendship of Wallace and Eliza. They both have baggage but they share a love of The Monstrous Sea (of which Eliza never tells him she is the creator...) and as Eliza lets him in (he is funny Rainmaker in the forums- she is MirkerLurker) and her world grows bigger - but at what price??? I loved Zappia's characters, The Monstrous Sea world of fanfiction, Eliza's online friends and the new fanfiction friends Wallace introduces her to, Eliza begins to hope. I was crushed by Wallace's heartfelt email to Eliza and wished wished wished Eliza could have responded differently to him, but her reading it everyday and telling Wallace, "It doesn't change anything between us." was typical for geek Eliza. Read this book and fall into Eliza and Wallace's world and you will love their shared interests, friendship, and kinship.

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Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I listened to this book as part of the 2017 HUB Reading Challenge for awesome audiobooks. Barrett Wilbert Weed did a spectacular job of narrating all the girls voices, the guys in the band and all of the British accents were perfect. But that is all I can say- performance great but I HATED the story! The main character, Lydia is an unreliable narrator - she kept saying she was going to the police about band boy, Rupert P being tied up in the chair in their room - but she never does and her reasoning was just so awful- meant to be funny but just weak excuses to me. All of her friends were not really her friends and as they get deeper and deeper into the Rupert P mishap, things just keep getting more and more ridiculous. So I was not a fan of these fan girls, not a fan of the story but I did like the narrator's performance.

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Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Geekerella by Ashley Poston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for the ARC, Geekerella by Ashley Poston. This modern-day Cinderella fairy tale uses fandom, cosplay, nerdy fans, blogging, and a fast food truck shaped like a Magic Pumpkin to deliver an awesome remake of a beloved tale. Elle delivers as a plucky girl who misses her dead father desperately and suffers under the mean, petty aspirations of her step-mother. When Elle gets a call from someone anonymous (Darien, the lead in the movie) about contacting her Father’s business, ExcelsiCon; what begins are nightly texts between two teens who share their lives, hopes, and dreams all the while geeking out about the movie, Starfield. The characters are adeptly depicted; my favorite being Sage, brash lesbian with green hair, killer sewing machine, and in many ways, Elle’s fairy godmother. This book will be a hit with teens who enjoy fractured fairy tales!

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