Geekerella is a modern day retelling of Cinderella that features the fandom of fictional TV show Starfield. The author does a great job of incorporating the fairytale we know so well into the story, and it is fun that the culture of comic conventions takes center stage in the book. Unfortunately, Geekerella was just an okay read for me, and it did not live up the the hype it received from so many other book bloggers and reviewers.

First things first, I was very excited to pick up a book that featured a vegan food truck – The Magic Pumpkin. Unfortunately, I have no idea why the author decided to include a vegan truck in the story. Not only is the only vegan character in the novel a side character's mother, but the protagonist Ella and her sidekick Sage both make fun of veganism and "don't get it at all" because they "are too much of a bacon fan," (p. 83). While this is obviously not a core part of the story, it is disappointing that Geekerella included a vegan food truck for no other reason besides, seemingly, mocking vegans.

Moreover, Geekerella is replete with typographical errors that should have easily been caught during the editing process. Unfortunately, it felt as if this book was rushed for publication, as most of the errors take place during the final section of the story. These errors affected my reading experience, and thus I considered them when rating the book.

As for the story itself, I did find both Ella and Darien to be likable enough characters. However, the entire plot makes me very uncomfortable. I cannot get over the fact that Ella and Darien meet via text message, and fall in love not knowing much at all about the other person. While it is addressed in the book that Darien could be an older man, or a bald one at that, Ella still wants to meet him at ExcelsiCon. I think this sends a dangerous message to teenagers reading this book. Yes, this is fiction, but it's really not okay to agree to meet up with strangers to whom you've never spoken to outside of text messaging, especially when you are underage. Plus, it felt a little silly to me that they become so in love so quickly.

In the end, Geekerella is a run-of-the-mill YA contemporary for me. I think the concept is cute, and I do think the retelling aspect of the story is done very well. I'm not sure that I will continue with the series, but I do know that this book will be a bit forgettable for me. I would only recommend it if the plot summary sounds especially interesting.

I was really excited about reading this book for 3 reasons:
1. Cinderella is one of my favorites fairy tales.
2. I love re-tellings
3. I am a geek and I was cosplayer.
So, even tho we all now how the cinderella story develope, I actually loved very much this ride. I liked the introduction of this fairy tale to the modern world and over all, to the fandom world.
I am a former cosplayer and I almost cried with every moment were the real spirit of cosplaying is shown, even now I am thinking about doing one just to recall all the good emotions that doing cosplay gave me.
I loved the figure of the father, he was awesome and I even missed him along with Elle everytime that she did.
Other thing that I loved is that I saw a little bit more influence from the "Ever after" movie, than the original Cinderella plot, and well, I LOVE that movie because Danielle is fierce, stubborn, smart and passionate,, so 10 points to Gryffindor for that!

This book is a total YES for all people out there that are part of a fandom, the geeks, the ones that choose to believe in magic, parallel worlds, spaceships and that needs to know that you will never be alone because a fandom is a family.

I received a free copy for an honest review from netgalley. As a name geekerella suggest the story is a retread of the Cinderella story we all know and grew up with. Living with a stepmother who makes her work around the house and disrespect her and her father's memory Elle escapes into her fandom. Her favorite show which she watch with her father was cancelled too soon and now they are doing a reboot. While this wasn't a book that I wanted to read in a single sitting I did like it. What really set us up with apart from All the Other Cinderella retreads we have had both literary and on film was the inclusion of the fandom. As a fan girl I appreciated that there was a real connection to what a fandom is.

Geekerella was such an amazing surprise. I loved it beyond all expectations. Even though it doesn’t seem to be really original, the story is, and the author totally nailed the love story between Elle and Darien! You sure will love the characters and enjoy this reading by thinking of the fangirl or fanboy you are.

[FRENCH]
J’avais beaucoup entendu parler de Geekerella sur la blogo anglophone, et l’univers geek me tentait énormément. Ce n’est que lorsque je l’ai eu en ma possession que j’ai appris qu’il s’agit d’une réécriture de conte, de Cendrillon ! Bon, le titre aurait dû me mettre sur la voie. Mais je vous le signale, des fois que vous ne l’ayez pas remarqué non plus, sait-on jamais !

Il m’a fallu quelques pages (mais quand je dis « quelques pages », ça doit être entre 5 et 10 pages) pour me mettre dans l’histoire. Mais une fois que j’y ai été plongée, c’en était fini de moi et de ma vie sociale. Je ne pouvais rien faire d’autre que lire ce roman à chaque minute libre de mon temps (et dans des situations pas du tout pratiques pour lire, avouons-le).

Je trouve déjà très intéressant le principe de l’histoire car il nous permet de suivre le point de vue de Danielle alias Elle, une jeune fan comme n’importe lequel d’entre nous, mais également celui de Darien, une star montante. C’est cette dernière partie qui m’intéresse, car elle permet de découvrir un autre univers en quelque sorte, et c’est toujours intéressant — sous réserve que cela soit bien écrit !

On peut croire en lisant le résumé que Geekerella va être bourré de clichés, mais pas du tout. L’autrice n’est pas passée par les chemins faciles et heureusement, auquel cas l’histoire n’aurait aucune saveur. La rencontre annoncée par le résumé induit en erreur justement, mais ne vous y fiez pas. Il y a bien plus que ce meet-and-greet à une convention derrière leur histoire, et je trouve dommage que le résumé limite le roman à ça.

Concernant les personnages, ils sont si authentiques qu’on ne peut que les apprécier. Elle est une fan de Starfield comme nous pouvons l’être pour notre saga préférée, et Darien est un autre geek qui s’est simplement retrouvé propulsé dans la célébrité : cela le rend tout de suite plus accessible, pas comme le serait une star qui peut paraître hors d’atteinte.
Mais il n’est pas question que d’Elle et Darien dans Geekerella. Vous apprendrez à aimer les personnages secondaires autant que les principaux.

Parlons maintenant du fait que ce soit une réécriture de Cendrillon. Ce que j’aime, pour les réécritures de conte, c’est qu’il soit à peine perceptible derrière l’intrigue (comme c’est le cas pour les Chroniques Lunaires par exemple). Ici, ça l’est plus ou moins, parfois un peu trop d’ailleurs, mais ce n’est qu’un petit point négatif qui passe inaperçu face à tous les autres — positifs.

Je m’attendais honnêtement à une lecture légère, sympathique, et c’est ce que j’ai eu mais pas seulement. Je me suis retrouvée à rire, à stresser, et même à pleurer — ce qui ne m’était pas arrivé depuis bien longtemps.

Quant à l’intrigue, comme je vous le disais plus haut il n’y a pas de clichés, ce qui est très important. Le fil conducteur de l’histoire est dans l’ensemble plutôt prévisible mais des intrigues secondaires se greffent et permettent d’égayer l’intrigue principale. Cette dernière n’est pas pour autant ennuyeuse, non, elle fait partie de ces histoires qui vous prennent aux tripes et auxquelles vous vous accrochez jusqu’au bout car vous vivez avec les personnages.

EN CONCLUSION, Geekerella a été un énorme coup de cœur totalement inattendu ! J’ai vibré avec les personnages, et j’ai été touchée par leur histoire qui pourrait au premier abord paraître clichée et banale, ce qu’elle n’est pas du tout !
Je vous conseille mille fois de vous plonger dans cette lecture qui saura très certainement charmer votre cœur de fan.

Loved it! Amazing writing and great character development. I absolutely adored this book and I would recommend it to everyone who wants an entertaining but well written read!

Geekerella was such a cute contemporary retelling of Cinderella. It has all the classic elements: evil stepmother, an evil stepsister and her not-so-evil twin sister, glass slippers, ball, and Prince Charming. Cinderella retellings are a little played out at this point, but it's still something I enjoy.

What makes Geekerella stand out is that it is essentially a love letter to fandom culture. Not only are we getting the cute love story, we get all the best things about fandom life. In this book, there's fanfiction, cosplay, conventions, and of course, the best thing about fandom culture: meeting people who share that same passion as you. So I think if you are a fan of fairy tale retellings AND part of a fandom, you will enjoy this book.

Summary
Elle or Danielle, is a avid blogger, fanfiction writer, and absolute geek for the Starfield TV series (a bit like Star Trek). Her father was also a huge fan and created a huge convention, ExcelsiCon, which is devoted to Starfield. After her father dies, Elle is even more attached to Starfield because of the memories she's shared with her dad surrounding the series.

Then we have the Prince. Darien is a soap opera star who was cast to play Prince Carmindor in the new Starfield movie, and it's his dream role since he is a big fan of the show. However, Starfield fans are not happy; Elle, in particular, writes scathing blog posts about Darien. Darien tries to pull out of a meet & greet that's happening at ExcelsiCon due to personal reasons. He calls the number on the ExcelsiCon website that just happens to be Elle's father's phone number, which Elle is using now. And of course, we then we get a text-conversation-turned-friendship-turned-relationship situation happening. Both Elle and Darien are very lonely. Elle is isolated from her family and Darien is pushed around by his management company. So it makes sense that their shared love of Starfield keeps them coming back to each other.

Elle decides to go to the ExcelsiCon and enter the cosplay contest. Darien decides to do the convention. Events unfold. I won't spoil anything but if you know the Cinderella story, I'm sure you can guess that it's a happy ending with Cinderella ending up with her Prince Charming.

Characters
I will say this was a very fast read. Elle was a great character and I love how she finally shows a bit of backbone as the story progresses. Her co-worker and friend Sage is perhaps my favorite character. She's bold, funny, and confident. Darien was an okay character. I liked him, and we do get to see a lot of his side in the story too. However, I felt like Darien's character always revolved around Elle in some way. Either he was thinking about her or texting her. Elle had deeper interactions with the side characters separate from Darien. As far as Elle's family, I hated her stepmother. We get glimpses of why she treats Elle like dirt, but it does not justify her mistreatment of Elle. Ugh! Don't get me started on the evil stepsister. What a conniving, hateful person. But I guess you had to have them since it is a Cinderella story.

Similarities with Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram
Overall, I enjoyed. If I'm being honest, my 4-star rating is probably a little generous but to no fault of the author. I read a very, VERY, similar ebook to Geekerella last year called Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram. Both female protagonists were bloggers, both male characters are actors playing the role of a beloved character. Their relationship also starts off anonymous and over the Internet. They both meet at a convention where the female protagonist cosplays. The endings are almost identical too. Geekerella sticks a bit more to the Cinderella story. Ella's family isn't as hateful in Cinder & Ella. If I hadn't read Cinder & Ella already, I would have enjoyed Geekerella a lot more. Unfortunately, I was able to guess a lot of what was going to happen because these stories were so similar.

Love Letter to Fandom Culture
If I had to choose, I did enjoy Geekerella more because of the fandom aspect. The author's note at the end of the book was so good. It made me think about my life being part of different fandoms. I wish I could have been more proud of being a "crazy" fan of Harry Potter and went to more events and made Potterhead friends in high school and college. My group of friends knew I loved Harry Potter but they weren't big fans. They never shamed me, but for some reason, I was too shy and too embarrassed to seek out others at my school who seemed to share my love. Fast forward many years, and I'm so happy to have found my niche of friends in the book community. For the first time, I feel like I can share my love for all these fandoms I'm part of with others. And they don't just accept, but they understand and gush along with me.

Excerpt from the Author's Note:
"Never give up on your dreams, and never let anyone tell you that what you love is inconsequential or useless or a waste of time. Because if you love it? If that OTP or children's card game or abridged series or YA book or animated series makes you happy? That is never a waste of time. Because in the end we're all just a bunch of weirdos standing in front of other weirdos, asking for their username. So, as Carmindor always says: Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite."

While Geekerella released last year, I never got around to reading it. I was reminded of it again when I saw it up for review, so naturally I requested it and I'm so glad I did! This book is the right amount of dorky and cute.

I usually dislike dual points of view, but I thought it was handled fairly well here. Sometimes the two characters did read the same, but overall, we really get to see two such different personalities and how they interact. Elle is cute and quirky, and while I got some second-hand embarrassment from her situations sometimes, I still loved her. Darien's character was also thought out, although I would have liked more thought to him as a person of color.

They really only talked about Darien being brown when they were like, at least the character he's playing wasn't whitewashed. Other than that? It was never brought up rip or maybe that's just me being picky.

If you want a fun, fandom-y read, you should definitely pick up Geekerella! It's got heart, and love, and just the right amount of cringeyness. And who doesn't want those things?

I loved this one--fun little story that was a light read for the weekend. The story was a neat one, and I would definitely read more by this author.

Are you a fangirl or fanboy? If so, what's your fandom?
I'm a total Buffy fangirl! SMJ is my idol. In hs, I dressed like her. I dyed my hair blonde like her. She was my first motivation to be strong yet feminine. I definitely have more Buffy merch than any other kind. I own all seven seasons on dvd and can quote every episode word-for-word with my eyes closed. I watched all the seasons of Angel just to see the in-between Buffy episodes. (And we STILL don't know what happened when they met up after Buffy came back to life! Joss Whedon, you are cruel.) I read the comic books. Slayer is my most anticipated read of 2019. I even wrote a Buffy blog, complete with fan fiction stories, back in hs and college.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston definitely appealed to my fangirl side! It was quirky and fun, with an mc I could totally relate to and a live story so nerdy and cute it made me melt. My fave line from the book was when Elle described how Starfield made her feel: "I know it's all fake. But those characters...they were my friends when everyone in the real world passed around rumors behind my back, called me weird, shoved me into lockers, and baited me into thinking I was beautiful only to push me away just before we kissed. They never abandoned me. They were loyal, honorable, caring, and smart." It's exactly how I feel about Buffy, and I think it's so cool that another author gets that! Plus, this book is a contemporary Cinderella retelling, which made it even more awesome! 5 stars!

I loved Geekerella, its sweet, its pleasant, and pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin. A modern day fairy tale, it takes everything you know and love about Cinderella, and repackages it into the world of nerd. This book will appeal to everyone who follows a fandom, those who consider themselves a geek, or pretty much everyone who loves a contemporary YA romance.

The book switches perspective between the two protagonists, our very own Cinder, otherwise known as Elle, and Prince Charming, or Darien. Both were pleasant characters, who were easy to relate too, and you instantly find yourself cheering for them both to fix all of their problems. The antagonists are suitably wicked, with a special mention to the Wicked Stepmother. You cant help but hate her, which is exactly what you want from a Cinderella retake.

The setting was great fun, from a giant drive-able pumpkin, to a massive ball at a comic convention, the clever retakes on the olde tale were fantastic. I found the writing style very simple and easy to follow, which is exactly what you want in a contemporary, and the switch between perspectives also added a nice dimension to the story.

All in all this was a great read, perhaps there was just one last little flourish of extra fairy godmother sparkle that was missing, that would have allowed it to become a 5 star read. But to be fair, when you are taking a story that everyone knows, its a uphill struggle to find that unique wow factor. Geekerella was fun and a lovely little journey into the fictional world of Starfield, I would definitely recommend this one as a wonderful, summery read.

A fun, modern twist on an old fairy tale. Great characters, fun plot and setting details. I enjoyed it so much, I bought it for my friend's birthday present.

*I was given a copy of the eARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!*

This was a very fun read. It was super sweet and cute, and tickled my nerd-girl heart.

This was a *sort of* Cinderella retelling (complete with shallow, self-absorbed step-people), only with nerds and geeks and awkwardness, and the prince is really an actor named Darien who is involved in the reboot of a cult tv show that Elle (the heroine) is a total fangirl of.

One of the things I really liked was the integration of modern technology into the story. I mean, Elle and Darien spend a lot of their "getting to know you" time over text message. It was a completely modern narrative that was very diverse and open-eyed about the reality of today's culture.

I also liked getting to see two different sides of <i>Starfield</i> fandom - one from Elle, and one from Darien. The perspective shift was interesting, and made their characters unique. Also, PSA here: please stop CRAZY Fanning! No one wants to see a Slytherin in her house robes begging some random actor to sign her chest. Have some dignity.

;)

Anyhoo, I'd recommend this one to anyone who considers then a part of ANY fandom.

If you’re looking for a cute, no-true-substance contemporary read about geeky people being oddly persecuted (despite us living in a geek-accepted day and age), then this book is the one for you. I don’t want to come off as too harsh while reviewing this book, because it had its fun moments, but it was just all around too cliché.

So the story is based off of Cinderella. Danielle is playing the leading lady. Darien Freeman, the actor playing Carmindor in Danielle’s favorite franchise, is the prince. And, of course, there are the evil stepmother and stepsister(s). Why can’t any book make a realistic, three-dimensional stepmom? Without one, Danielle’s entire storyline just felt like a pity party. Danielle also made some strange decisions that had me doubting her realistic-ness as well. (I mean, who takes a dog to a premiere?! Paris Hilton? Really?) There were other more important strange decisions, but the dog one forced me to knock the book down a half star. It was just odd….

Before I get too much into the less impressive qualities of the book, I’ll share the good stuff. Darien, while also whiny, had a very interesting storyline. I found myself enjoying his chapters much more often than Danielle’s. He was an actor on a popular movie set versus Danielle’s cliché situation. So yes, his chapters were better.

The geeky setting of the story was also very cute, but there were too many corny “We’re all in this together” moments. Conventions are not High School Musical. Oh, but the Starfield universe does sound super cool! The author should write books about those characters! (I know she wrote a new sci-fi YA book. I’ll be reading it at some point.)

All in all, maybe this book just wasn’t for me or I read it at the wrong time in my life to truly enjoy it. I was hoping for a Cinderella Fangirl, but I just got a more contemporary Cinderella a la Hillary Duff’s A Cinderella Story. If that’s your thing, check this one out. If not, just reread Fangirl.

2.5/5 stars

*Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Geekerella was everything I wanted and more. It was cute, funny, adorable and so amazingly nerdy. Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much and I'm really glad to have read it!

This modern day retelling of Cinderella was so relevant and relatable I just couldn't get enough of it! I loved the characters and how down to earth they seemed. The nerd in me was loving all the movie and book references, and the fact that the main character, Elle, absolutely adores a sci-fi based show makes her so amazing in my eyes. Even though this book came out last year, this brand new paperback cover is so wonderfully suited to the story. Had I seen this in a book store I would have bought it on cover alone, it is so stunning. Geekerella is a wonderful YA romance that is a fantastic and easy read, one that will leave you with a smile on your face. I really wish someone had told me to read this sooner! I don't think the book gets as much credit as it deserves.

I would highly recommend this book for YA contemporary romance lovers!

Danielle "Elle" Wittimer's world revolves around Starfield, her favorite television show of all time. She is not just a fan, she is a superfan who knows every single miniscule detail about Carmindor and his crew. Online, Elle is an opinionated blogger with a cult following. In real life, she is a nobody, and is constantly bullied by her twin stepsisters and her snobbish stepmother. Elle cannot wait for the day when she can leave her old life behind and begin anew. For now, she works in a vegan food truck, The Magic Pumpkin, and bides her time. When a film reboot of Starfield is announced, along with a cosplay contest at ExcelsiCon Elle is ecstatic. Just one problem, how is she going to convince her Starfield-hating stepmother to let her go?
Before beginning Geekerella, I knew that I wouldn't exactly be surprised by this story. The story of Cinderella has been retold so many times, it is a little difficult to be surprised. Geekerella is a charming retelling of a geeky girl whose goal isn't to find her prince charming, but to find a cosplay contest. I was a little disappointed how the "villains" (stepmother and stepdaughters) weren't exactly realistic. They were sort of clownish in their villainy. The stepmother (or stepmonster, as Elle calls her), is vain, vindictive and downright mean for no particular reason except that she dislikes Starfield with a passion. She constantly threatens Elle to force her to work at the country club where Elle is bullied by her stepsisters and their gang of followers.
The element I really enjoyed about Geekerella is the alternating perspectives between Elle and Darrien (Mr. Prince Charming - Carmindor). In many Cinderella retellings, the prince is just a rich person who judges only by appearances, and falls in love way too quickly. I really liked Darrien as a character. He is a mix between heartthrob and fanboy, a rare combination.
I would recommend Geekerella to those who enjoy Cinderella retellings, in particular, the film Ever After.

This may be my favorite Cinderella retelling so far. It's quite fun. Elle is a geek girl living with her definitely non-geek step mother and step sisters. She used to be able to nerd out with her dad over their favorite TV show -- Starfield. Her Dad even started the con ExcelsiCon.

But when Starfield is turned into a movie with the handsome but problematic Darien Freeman as the lead, Elle is anything but happy, and she takes to her blog to rant about it. Meanwhile, Darien struggles with his controlling father, and being a nerd but being forced to act like a bro to keep up his persona.

What I loved about this is that the two develop a relationship over time, and it's not a love at first sight thing. I also love the con and cosplay aspect, being a geek girl myself. I needed this book as a teenager. Sage, Elle's friend and coworker, is amazing. I wish Elle had been more active as a protagonist, but then, I recognize her anxiety.

Overall, highly recommend for geek girls, ya readers, and fairytale fans.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quirk Books for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

An incredibly adorable fairy tale retelling. It was Cinderella, if Cinderella was attending a cosplay ball and was a giant nerd. It was the adorable contemporary romance that I had no idea I needed, and I sincerely hope that I see more from Poston in the future.

This was probably one of the few books that also portrayed fandom life in a realistic way. I found her depictions of cons and cosplay incredibly realistic. The romance had the perfect touch of angst and fluff to keep me hooked. It was absolutely perfect.

Geekerella- You Shall Go The Ball!

I’m sorry, cheesy title, but I had to go there 😉 As you probably know I have a weakness for fairy tales and, above all fairy tales, I have an unhealthy habit of reading and watching *every single* Cinderella related story I can get my hands on. It’s one of those things I can’t really explain, but I’m addicted to the tale. So when I saw this book which had not only one of my favourite stories, but also involved fangirling over a space drama, which hello is very me, I just had to have it.

One of the best things about it was the world building for the in-book show Starfield that the heroine loves. I read somewhere that the author actually wrote out a plot for all the episodes and you can totally tell. The slogans are fun and realistic, the details were out of this world, and loads of it reminded me of cult classics like Firefly (incidentally one of my favourite shows). There was a spanner in the works in how it reminded me of some other shows I’m not hugely fond of, so I have to admit there was a bit of a disconnect for me there. That said, I never felt left behind by the story and I adored the virtual trail of glass slippers that led back to the classic fairy tale. All the subtle connections between the two stories were stitched together in an exquisite gown that most certainly ignited the stars.

The fandom within the story also worked well. I appreciated how the book explored the theme of finding your place in make believe, whilst tackling the issue of gatekeepers (the “you’re not a real fan” brigade) and having to deal with very real issues at the same time. It made a lot of sense that the main character, Elle, would disconnect from reality like this and acknowledged her loneliness through this topic in a way that gave the narrative plenty of heart.

I did get very emotional reading this (yes, it made me cry 😉 ) and experienced a pretty much all the *feels*. I went from chuckling to squealing to laughing at the speed of light. In terms of plot, it did take some time to reach the midpoint unfortunately, but eventually we had lift off! There weren’t really any surprises in terms of narrative, we all know the story by now, yet ultimately it took off into the stratosphere.

I won’t say that it was the most intergalactic romance I’ve ever come across, however, I did feel a spark there. Sometimes (Cinder)Elle(a) was a bit mean to her prince, but I could live with that. Plus, the side romance of Cal and Sage was so cute!! I really liked what was done with Cal’s stepsister character and that it wasn’t all textbook fairy tales.

That said, if you’re worried the mean step-relation role won’t be filled, oh boy no fear there! I always love to loathe certain characters and the stepmother is no exception. She most definitely lived up to her reputation here- though she was much more 21st century in terms of cruelty. I did get the sense that the author was trying to bring forth more modern ideas, giving Elle a bit more autonomy outside her home life, which made a certain kind of sense- sometimes it’s hardest to confront the biggest problems.

All in all, there was lots to like about this unique Cinderella adaptation!

Rating: 4/5 bananas

This book was adorable. A lovely, nerdy twist on a classic fairytale. For any geeks out there it is a fun read for sure!

I can see why Geekerella was so beloved upon release in 2017 - it is a charming remake of the fairy tale with an appropriate modern flavor. Relatable (if not very realistic) main leads make you want to root for them through the whole book despite the frustrations and adversity they encounter. Giving the "prince' a POV helps humanize him and makes him even more interesting. The 'geek' aspect of both main characters having sci fi fandoms gives the book its true charm.

Story: Elle's father was a sci fi nut - his favorite show being Starfield. He started a con to celebrate it in previous years and even met his wife, Elle's mother, through cosplaying the characters. But after losing his wife, remarriage, and then eventual sudden death, that life was lost to Elle. Her stepmother always resented Starfield and how it took her husband away from her. And Elle has had to give up those warm memories of her parents in order to concetrate on helping her stepmother and two stepsisters climb the social ladder. Darien, meanwhile, has worked his way up through the showbiz ladder thanks to the efforts of his ambitious father. He's been betrayed by those he thought friends and spends his life on the road. All Darien wants to do is go to Starfield cons and relax. But then he gets the chance of a lifetime - to play the lead in the Starfield reboot. This new series will change both Elle's and Darien's life as both find opportunities to change the situations in which they've found themselves.

Author Poston makes some smart choices in re-imagining the fairy tale: from ensuring that the step-relatives aren't one-dimensional to also giving 'prince' Darien a whole backstory. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of a fairy tale like Cinderella is that we never got to know much about the prince and he remained an overidealized hero we could mold anyone into at whim. But by far for me, the best choice Poston made was to not make Darien caucasian (nor have the main character of Starfield be Caucasian and instead to have Indian heritage). These modernization touches help round out the story a bit more and give it more depth.

Some fairytales are used more as inspiration than source; in this case, it is very much a retelling rather than loosely taking aspects of the story. From the lost slipper, pumpkin coach (food truck), prince (the lead of Starfield is a prince), to a fairy godmother who ends up being a very unique best friend driving the pumpkin truck. It's all there and all very clever. Even the two dresses (one that the character originally finds and is destroyed to one that is newly created) are there. I had to appreciate the amount of thought that went into recreating the Cinderella story.

Both characters of Darien and Elle are surprisingly likable. Sure, they are in no way realistic; especially Darien is so perfect that I didn't want him described as so physically handsome. Rather, I wish he had played a part other than a "Baywatch" type soap opera role that required "abs that are insured." The part about being a geek is that what defines you isn't how you look so much as what you love. That was missing here when you create a main character that handsome.

I had a few nitpicks but in all, this was a charming story and a very enjoyable read. It's also a cut above many YA romances in that it is clear a lot of inventiveness and love went into it creation. Yes, our main character is a Mary Sue - but such a fun one that you quickly forget that potential detraction and just enjoy the story. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.