Geekerella: A Fangirl Fairy Tale

By Ashley Poston

Cinderella goes to the con in this charming young adult romance that puts a fandom twist on the classic fairy tale—from a New York Times bestselling author!

“With geekily adorable characters, a show that’s part Star Trek and part Firefly, a cosplay contest, and a food truck fairy godmother, this is a love letter to fandom.” —Booklist

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.
 
Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781594749506

Ashley Poston

Ashley Poston is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip. A native of South Carolina, she lives in a small gray house with too many books. You can find her on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan fiction.

Reviews for Geekerella

[mhanover10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story! it's such a fun twist on the Cinderella story. I enjoyed Elle with her hopes and dreams and fandom of a sci-fi TV show. I enjoyed Sage who doesn't really give a crap and helps Elle like a fairy godmother and I liked Darien who you kind of wonder if some child stars or any celebrities have issues like he does. I thought this was a lot of fun to read and if I had read it on the weekend I probably would have read it in a day. It's a very fast read but entertaining. Not a deep book but who cares, I like being entertained. I will say talking to a stranger over text messaging is a little creepy and you don't know who is on the other side. It could be a sex offender.

I got this as an advanced copy through NetGalley.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am definitely going against the trend but I did not like like this book despite it being a modern retelling of "Cinderella". The writing was stilted and it felt awkward to read - there was no flow. The romance, which developed via text messages, was superficial and I didn't connect with either Elle or Darien. They were one dimensional and I couldn't understand what they saw in each other. There was also no explanation for why the 'bad' people in the story acted the way they did. Surely valid reasons needed to be given? The only character I found halfway interesting was Sage with her pumpkin food truck.I was really hoping to enjoy this book as I usually enjoy fairytale retellings, but "Geekerella" wasn't for me.

[anaelleg-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4 stars and a half

Even though I knew how it would end from the start (I mean, it is a modern Cinderella story, after all), I really enjoyed reading this book and its many twists. I grew attached to the characters, and particularly liked Sage as the adaptation of a fairy Godmother.

I had some trouble in getting into it at the beginning, but got caught into this book, probably thanks to the dual point of view, which is one of the things I love the most in a book. It’s a very light read, and really pleasurable one as well, so I would definitely recommend this book if you like cheesy teenage romance!

[howifeelaboutbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't like scifi or the related conventions, and I'm not a fan of fairy tale retellings, therefore you'd think Geekerella is not the book for me. But it drew me in with the quirky cover, and when I started the first page, I was hooked. You kind of forget it's a Cinderella story because the plot is so interesting, and the characters are great. You're rooting for Elle from the beginning, hating her evil stepmother and stepsisters, and you also get sucked into the story of Starfield and the fandom surrounding the show. I totally loved this book and already want to re-read it! It's going to be a hit.

[sandeen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This YA was wonderful! I first heard about it after watching a Booktuber (the book side of YouTube) who hauled it earlier this month.A new re-telling of Cinderella, this story follows Elle, a giant fan of a certain TV series, and Dare, the actor playing the Prince in said series. After a wrong number, the two grow close over text messages, not knowing who the other is. Elle lives with her stepmother and twin stepsisters in their slightly rundown house. Cue stepmother that doesn’t really care about her and stepsisters who appear to make her life horrible all the time. Elle doesn’t have the best life, but at least she has her fandom. And I loved this book, though it only gets 4 stars because it could have had a bit more complicated story. But Elle and Dare were fun to see grow into their own, and the Con was great to imagine.The problem that I had was how two-dimensional the characters, outside of Dare and Elle, were. The other characters don’t change with only her one stepsister showing that she is more than a twin, which was hinted at from the beginning. Still worth the read and happy to have read it.

[plancultivatecreate · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun summer read!

[swibells · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As you probably already guessed, the story is at a girl who is a Geek + Cinderella. But it's not just that.

The reason why I absolutely loved Geekerella was because it was so realistic.

The way Elle loves the Starfield fandom so much? That was totally relatable because being a reader, I know exactly how she feels!

Geekerella is every BookWorm's, every Bibliophile's, every Geek's dream novel. It is US.

And it's so effing sweet. There's a lot of heartache, but there are beautiful moments too.

The characters, most prominently Elle, Darien and Sage are each in their own way, perfect. And together, they created one of the best retellings I've ever read.

And with this absolutely awesome book, and this review, I hereby conclude with the last review of the year 2017.

And for 2018, as Carmindor says, "Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite!"

[ladykat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun summer read!

[watersgendry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most adorable reads this year! I loved the nods to the original Cinderella, but come on....who doesn't love fandom references thrown into their favorite fairy tale? Frank the dog definitely stole the show, but the main cast and supporting characters all felt very genuine. During a time when I needed a feel-good escape from reality for a bit, Geekerella was there waiting. Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite!

[tiffy_reads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved loved loved this geeky fairytale reselling!

[kerilynned · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't impressed with this one. It's pretty much the exact same book as Cinder and Ella by Kelly Oram but no where near as amazing. Daniella was an ok main character. It took awhile but by the end of the book I was really rooting for her. She had some good development throughout the book too. Darien on the other hand was incredibly annoying! I think if the author had made him a little older with more of a spine then this book could have been really great!

[areneehunt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Geekerella, written by Ashley Poston, is one of those books I Hate-Don't Hate. My views are conflicted by what happened on both sides of the characters:. Elle and Darien. Everything up, until the ExcelsiCon is good; annoying but good. The story is running off of a Cinderella-type background.Where it goes nuts and irks me is with one of the twin sisters. What happened there, and how Elle did nothing but ball into a bundle of tears frustrated me to no end. Yet, so a stranger, who could easily have gone off on her, she stands tall and goes off like a sista? Nope. I didn't feel any of that. It was lame. Then for Darien to have to deal with the things he'd endured- while his PA was busy on her phone, dating a gaf? And security- Forget It! It just didn't ride well with me.The ending was cute and held to the fairytale quite nicely. Though I thought a few things should have been done differently, it was still a cute read. Notice I keep using the word "Cute"? Yeah, it's sorta a young-fish tale. Other than a few slips in language, it sorta sits in-between Middle and Young Adult. I enjoyed the read and I had to remind myself, it is called a A Fangirl Fairy Tale for a reason. The story is awesome and because I'm a fangirl myself, of various titles, subjects and genre, I found it exciting. The story itself, I don't know. It's good, don't get me wrong; I just don't know how to feel about it. Maybe you'll read it, or have read it and share your thoughts. Geekerella, A Fangirl Fairy Tale- check it out as I move on to the next read.Cheers!GeekerellaAshley PostonQuirk Books, April 2017320 pagesTeen & Young Adult/Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Literature

[bucketofrhymes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Here's the thing I find tricky about fandom books: it's hard to get involved in fictional fandoms. It doesn't matter how closely the fandoms mirror each other, it doesn't matter how rich the author makes the fandom culture in their book... some made-up universe that I've never heard of before is not going to affect me the way Middle Earth or the Whoniverse does. It's always going to fall short of what it could be in my mind.

But you know what? Geekerella is the absolute best depiction of a fictional fandom I have ever come across. I don't know if it's something about Starfield itself or the seamless way that other [genuine] fandoms are worked in, but this book does a fantastic job of being steeped in fictional worlds. It's a phenomenal depiction of fandom culture -- hypocrisy, people being judgmental of others' level of devotion, warts and all. It brings back all of the delight and frustration of discovering something like BSG for the first time.

As a fairy tale retelling, Geekerella is fantastic, somehow managing to take a familiar story and make it decidedly not predictable. The pumpkin chariot was possibly my favourite part -- but, let's face it, it was all a delight.

But do you know what my favourite part was? Sage, the pumpkin truck girl who is a total LotR nerd and has a wicked sense of humour. I want to be friends with her and vent about the Hobbit. Heck, if she ever gets her own book, I will move heaven and earth to get my hands on a copy.

So, if you love sci fi or fantasy in a fandom kind of way, and if you're big on fairy tale retellings, this is a must-read.

[cherylprazak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a free advanced readers copy of Geekerella in exchange for an honest review. Geekerella is a book about the daughter of a famous actor in a series called Starfield. Since her father's death she has been living in a house with her stepmom and two stepsisters. The book definitely follows the story line of Cinderella, but it also has its own differences that makes the book interesting. I loved this book so much because of how real it felt, I loved the romance between Elle and Darien. I thought it was very creative to see a different side of the story through Darien's eyes. The way the author described fangirling felt very real and was easy to relate to the main characters. I also loved Gail's character and how she was technically the fairy godmother and how she helped Elle get through the story. I also enjoyed the change the author made to the story with the stepsisters. Darien was my favorite character and I loved how his character developed nicely throughout the novel. Overall I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who loves to fangirl!

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fairy tale/fangirl mashup was so much fun. Yes, it's kind of transparent in its' use of the fairytale, Cinderella--but Elle is an engaging lead, so that it's ok. She is a rabid fan of the short lived sci-fi show Starfield, even authoring a well followed blog about it. However, she hasn't been back to ExcelsiCon (a convention founded by her father), since his death. When news of a Starfield reboot releases, Elle is one of several fans who have doubts about how well pretty boy/reality show actor Darien can pull off the lead role of Carmindor in a big budget movie. The evil stepsisters are twins, the evil stepmother is looking to sell the family home and Elle works in a pumpkin food truck--honestly, it was a lot of fun to see all the part of the story come together.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Elle is not excited when she sees who's been cast to play the male lead in the movie reboot of her favorite sci-fi show. She does see the possibilities, though, when a cosplay contest is announced. The prize money would be enough to get her away from her stepmother and stepsisters once she finishes her senior year. Meanwhile, Darien is secretly thrilled to be playing Carmindor, but his manager (who also happens to be his father) insists that, for the sake of Darien's image, he should play it cool. His father also insists on him appearing at the convention where the cosplay competition will take place, but due to some personal history, Darien doesn't do conventions. When he tries to contact the organizers, though, he ends up with a wrong number -- Elle's number. Neither knows who the other is. Can a romance develop in spite of secrets and differences?This plot is very similar to Jennifer Smith's This Is What Happy Looks Like, with plenty of geeky details thrown in and a Cinderella-esque framework to hold it all together. Fluffy fun -- if you think it sounds interesting, you should give it a try.

[emily_anne-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

*Received for free from Quirk Books*

Yay! Today Geekerella was released into the world! I've already ordered a copy for my cousin for her birthday. I know she'll love it!

Geekerella was an absolutely genius book. Ashley Poston perfectly mashed together the classic Cinderella story with modern day media and fandoms. Once I started, I could not stop reading...

Every character was colorful and vibrant. Elle was a charismatic character you couldn't help but like. You feel bad about her crazy step-mother and sisters. (Although one ends up being not horrible after all.) And I loved her obsession (passed on from her parents) for Starfield. Darien, our other character, was also a fun perspective to read from. He's a movie star trying to take his new Starfield role seriously... but serious fans - like Elle - doubt his ability to play the beloved prince on screen. However, one surprising character that stole the show for me was Sage, Elle's co-worker at a vegan food trunk. She's the quirky godmother figure.... but she's also sweet, funny, and gets her own romance (lgbt!).

The romance was really cute, even though most of it happened via text. Their conversations made me laugh numerous times. Also, Elle has no idea it's Darien she's been texting. When they finally meet at ExcelsiCon it's so worth it! I loved the cos-playing and fan fun there. Also Elle's costume and the dance.

The ending was perfect and I had a ball reading about Elle and Darien's adventure. I can't recommend this sparkling contemporary more, especially for fangirls, fanboys, and anyone who knows what its like to love a franchise.

5/5 stars

[taleofnight · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun story, and I flew through it! I'm a fan of Cinderella retellings, mostly because I love when the Cinderella character overcomes all her hardships. Geekerella is exactly that and did not disappoint. I loved the 'geek' twist to it all with the Starfield fandom, cosplay, and tumblr posts. All in all, I'm really just happy that Franco, the dog, get's a happy ending as well.

[nframke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charming? No. Adorable? Not quite. A-DORK-ABLE. This is the only word to perfectly describe Ashley Poston’s Geekerella. Set in a Cinderella-esque environment with a modern comic-con twist, readers will fall in love with Danielle and Darien. Although worlds apart, these two “star”-crossed lovers unite under one sky and a shared love of Starfield, a television series that’s developed a fandom that rivals the Trekkies. Through Danielle’s and Darien’s individual journeys of self-discovery, the novel’s theme, no one is ever truly alone, jumps off the pages in delightful and heartwarming scenes of love and friendship.

Poston does an incredible job of seamlessly weaving fairytale background and sci-fi cult followings with the realistic setting and characters of the novel. Her written language and dialogue are real and contemporary, and the book is absolutely bursting with sci-fi fandom references and allusions. While it’s not necessary to be a geek to enjoy all this novel has to offer, the endless connections to current fandoms are sure to leave a smile on the face of anyone who considers themselves a fangirl or fanboy. Geekerella is nothing short of the ultimate hopeless romantic nerd heaven, and for all the fans and those who are yet to be - the second star to the right, straight on ‘til morning, doesn’t seem quite as impossible to reach. So remember, “Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.”

[rempala · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, very good book, Read it in one setting.

[jonez-6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5

A cute story. A nice love letter to fandoms wrapped in a adept Cinderella fairytale retelling. The books editing was a bit shaky in spots, but overall this was entertaining enough to hit above the three star mark for me.

[emeliz21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quirk Books, living up to its name, has published a contemporary young adult novel with more quirkiness than fanfiction in its contemporary, nerddom-filled retelling of Cinderella. While some may feel that contemporary takes on fairy tales are becoming tired, Geekerella might cause even the deepest cynic to take back those words. Though a heartfelt portrayal of an emotionally-complex orphan trying to further her parents’ legacy, the Cinderella aspect lives more in the background of this novel, with it serving more as a love letter to all the nerds, geeks, and fangirl/boys out there. From the frequent inclusion of quotes from protagonist Elle’s favorite tv show, the fictional and Star Trek/Wars-esque Starfield, to the true-to-life convention setting and descriptions of cosplay, Poston has successfully made fandom accessible and written a great novel in appreciation, even reverence, of it. Fandom serves as an escape for the dual perspectives of Elle and Darien in the same way that it does for so many of us.

The accessibility of fandom is one of the best parts of Geekerella, as the nature of the fandom does not matter here as much as the existence of fandom itself: that feeling you still get when you read or watch what you love for the millionth time, the deep, immediate connections you make with virtual strangers, the worry and speculation when the world decides to adapt your favorite art into a new medium, and just the general community of it all. The culmination of the story to the Starfield convention really brought all of that together. If you are someone, like me, who has a nerdgasm when you see evidence that a stranger passing by loves what you love, whether it is a t-shirt with the words may the force be with you or I solemnly swear I am up to no good or a reference to an obscure band you love, you are sure to have those feelings when reading Geekerella.

Another fantastic element is the budding friendship between Elle and her coworker, Sage, in realistic girl bonding at its finest. Too often young adult novels feature insta-love/friendship, but their friendship grows realistically from little interaction to best friendship with scenes that show them getting to know each other better while still furthering the plot along. The development of their friendship along with Sage’s character development throughout the novel serves as one of the best parts.

Oftentimes, the trouble with fairy tale retellings is that we automatically know where the story is going to end up. However, what makes it fun is the anticipation of it, the not knowing how the story will get to its inevitable conclusion, and that anticipation is what made me finish this novel in just one sitting, regardless of the somewhat caricature-styling of some of the fairy tale elements, such as the stepmother and stepsisters. The caricature of one of the stepsisters, though, somewhat turns on its head by the end, in just one of the many quirky twists of the novel, which slightly redeems that for me.

Lastly, the diversity, in Starfield, in the romantic interest being a person of color, and in the utter normality of the lesbian representation, solidified this book for me as one of my favorites of 2017. Ultimately, the reverences of geekdom, nerddom, and fandom in this adorkable, nerdy contemporary will bring me back to it again.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very fun Cinderella retelling set against the backdrop of sci-fi fandom.

[kevn57-163679 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My god how can people be mean to orphans? Ever since first hearing my Dad read me the fairy tale, I've always wanted the answer to that question. It keeps happening in fiction, Dickens revisits it in Oliver, Rowling in Harry Potter.

These characters immediately have the readers empathy, I'm glad that Elle deserves that empathy and that the story is as good as the original. I'd really give the book 3 1/2 stars just bumped it to four for the 2nd half of the book. I'd have liked the first third to be shortened the second third to be lengthened and the last third left just the way it is.

Best character has to be "Sage" the lesbian food truck driving manic, with best trope changing character Calliope

If I could change anything about the book I'd
have more geekery and less romance but that's just me

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a cute retelling of Cinderella for young adults that also includes elements of “You’ve Got Mail,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and Cinder.It’s set in current day Charleston, South Carolina, where Danielle (“Elle”) Wittimer, 17, is part of “Starfield” fandom. (Starfield is a fictional Startrek-like series that, in this story, has been on the air in re-runs for forty years.). Elle writes a blog about Starfield, and she is extremely critical when Darien Freeman, 18, gets the movie role of Carmindor, the Federation Prince. She assumes he is just a shallow, spoiled movie star, and therefore an insult to fans who love the stories and characters so much. In alternate chapters we hear from Darien, who actually is more like Elle than she thinks - he too watched the show religiously and it also filled a gap in his life. His mother had no interest in him, and his father, Mark, seems to care for Darien only as a commodity.As for Elle, she is our Cinderella. When she is not being tormented by her evil stepmother and her twin daughters, Chloe and Calliope, she has to do chores and cleaning. She also has to have a job, in spite of all the money her stepmother was left when Elle’s father died. She works on a food truck called - wait for it - The Magic Pumpkin. Her boss is a girl around her age named Sage, who becomes her fairy godmother.To promote the movie of Starfield, Darien is signed up to appear at the annual convention for Starfield fans - ExcelsiCon (coincidentally started by Elle’s late father). In addition, ExcelsiCon will host a fan competition for cosplay and a masquerade ball. (Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game.) The big prize is two tickets to the premiere of the Starfield movie and some cash.Elle would love to win the cash so she could go out on her own when she turns 18 and get away from the stepmonster.Before the ball, Elle and Darien inadvertently “meet” through texts, in a “You’ve Got Mail” kind of situation, and fall for each other. But neither knows the identity of the other; they refer to each other as Carmindor and Princess Amara.At the ball, it all comes together as you would expect, except that Elle has to leave by midnight to get in before her curfew, and Darien doesn’t even know her name.If you know the story of Cinderella, you won’t be surprised at the ending. But it is still entertaining, and a clever retelling.Evaluation: Fans of comic cons and cosplay will especially love this adorable retelling for young adults.

[mrsdruffel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anyone who loves fairy tales with a sci-fi twist will love GEEKERELLA. Following the fairy tale plotline of Cinderella, author Ashley Poston writes a story about a geek girl, Elle Wittimer, who lives with her stepmother and stepsisters. Elle’s stepsisters sabotage her Starfield cosplay costume for the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball. On the other hand, teen actor Darien Freeman loves cons, well at least before he was famous. Now he is viewed as just another dumb heartthrob. Starfield fans are furious he is playing the next Federation Prince Carmindor from Starfield and Darien is not looking forward to confronting them at ExcelsiCon. When Elle and Darien’s paths cross, some expected and unexpected events occur.GEEKERELLA was fun, fun, fun to read, especially since I am a known sci-fi geek myself. Author, Ashley Poston, does a marvelous job crafting both main characters, Elle and Darien, making them believable and likable. If you want a fun, sci-fi teen romance ride, GEEKERELLA will take you there!

[jessicadelellis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so good! I didn’t have high expectations going in but I loved it. It was full of geeky fandom references. It covered a wide range of geekiness from cosplays to cons to fan fiction to fangirls themselves. I also really liked the dual point of view because when it comes to YA romance I always want to know what the guy is thinking. The retelling aspect of this was also spot on. The author translated the Cinderella story to nerd culture perfectly.Lastly, the supporting characters were amazing as well. Sage is pretty damn cool and a great friend. Overall, this is a great book for fangirls (and fanboys).

[herenya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Elle discovers her late parents’ cosplay costumes in a box in the attic, she hatches a plan to enter a cosplay competition and use the prize to escape her step-family.This contemporary Cinderella retelling about two teenage fans of a SF series “Starfield” is a romance-through-messages story. Elle uses her father’s old phone, so sometimes she gets messages from people about ExcelsiCon, the convention her father founded. One message sparks a conversation. Elle, assuming her anonymous friend is just a professional Carmindor cosplayer, doesn’t realise he’s actually an actor cast in the upcoming Starfield movie. And Darien, enjoying texting a fellow fan, doesn‘t realise that she’s the blogger who has been so scathing about his casting.As expected, this is fun and fandom-y, and it makes the coincidences and Cinderella moments feel believable. (It also left me with a better sense of what “Starfield” is like than Bookish and the Beast did, probably because Bookish and the Beast reasonably assumed that most people wouldn’t start the series with the third book…)

[readingbeader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My favorite fairy fairy tale as a child (and still) is Cinderella. To be able to read one with aspects of nerdiness, fandom, mistaken identity, all following the Disney movie version format was too much to resist.

[annawaffles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was really freaking cute. Fluffy, predictable, and also really nerdy. I enjoyed this immensely. More importantly, I think teenage me would have loved it, too.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley to read in exchange for an honest review.