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My letter “G” pick for the A to Z reading challenge was a book that’s been on my TBR list for a long time (too long a time) – GEEKERELLA by Ashley Poston.

This is a fun twist on the fairytale. We follow the delightful and spunky Elle, who lost her mother very young and has recently lost her father. She now lives with her wannabe-socialite stepmother, one vapid influencer of a step-sister, and one step-sister who’s afraid to take sides. Elle’s parents were minor celebrities within the fandom of a popular sci-fi TV show back in the day, and Elle was raise in the fandom and still relates heavily to it as a connection to her parents.

When Hollywood decides to reboot the franchise with a new movie starring the shallow, pretentious Hollywood heartthrob Darien Freeman, she sees red and takes to her blog. When a misdirected text has her conversing with a great guy and fellow fan – one who also grew up on con culture, she finds herself falling and oops! Of course, it’s Darien. Elle has to struggle with her own misconceptions, her fury over Hollywood trying to mess up a good thing, her vicious step-sister and abusive step-mother, and her own self-doubts and fears for her future.

She handles it all with unapologetic geekiness, fierce determination, and heartwarming vulnerability. And the book takes all the great tropes of this story – the pumpkin carriage (now a vegan food truck) the dress and slippers (part of her mother’s prize-winning con costume) and the ball (the costume ball at the con) and works them all in seamlessly and with such marvelous description I really want to see that on screen! The story is told from both Elle and Darien’s viewpoints via alternating chapters, and I just plain fell in love with them both.

Is it silly? Yup. Is it a light read? You bet. I’d heard a lot about this book and expected a fun, fluffy YA read with nerd humor and romance and it did not disappoint. This is a fun romp through fandom and con culture, sprinkled with a cast of colorful characters, quirky humor, heart-fluttering new love, and poignant moments that bring all the feels. Four stars.