Geekerella was one of my favorites books of 2017, so I was very excited to read this book. I can say I was not disappointed. This book follows Jess, star of the now hit movie Starfield, who is at ExcelsiCon promoting the movie. She is tired of the fans scrutinizing her already and doesn't want anything to do with the movie anymore. During the con she meets Imogen, a fangirl who happens to look just like her. When Imogen goes onto a panel in Jess's place by accident, Jess is furious. Once the script to the movie leaks however, Jess and Imogen team up to switch places as Jess scrambles to find the thief and Imogen gets a taste of fame. This was a cute follow up to Geekerella. It had a lot of the same fun, charm, humor, and clever writing that the first one did. I loved discovering the new characters and the story kept me guessing until the end. I could not put this down. One of my problems with it was the lack of Starfield background. While you don't need to read Geekerella first, I found myself forgetting a lot of the Starfield lore, and this book did not explain it in great detail. My other big problem was all of the pop culture while this is a fandom book, I thought there were some chapters that were so reference heavy, it might date the book in the future. Overall though, I loved the unique and diverse characters and found it a very fun read. I highly recommend this.

Electronic ARC provided by Netgalley.

"The Princess and the Fangirl" is a Prince and the Pauper story set at a sci-fi convention. Actress Jessica Stone took on the role of Princess Amara in a reboot of the beloved sci-fi "Starfield" (a fictional tv show with a fandom that seems to resemble that of Star Trek) thinking it would just be one movie before she moved on with her "real" career. Now she's at a sci-fi convention where some fans are desperate to keep her character alive and others are furious with her for "ruining" their beloved princess. To top it all off, a script for the Starfield sequel is being leaked, and it looks like it might be her fault. Jessica may hate being a part of Starfield, but she's not going to let it ruin her career.

Imogen is a Starfield mega-fan, founder of the #saveAmara movement. When she gets mistaken for Jessica at a panel, she sees it as an opportunity to convince everyone that Amara deserves better, no matter what the writers (or Jessica) think. Despite not exactly being on the same page, the girls decide to switch places for a few days, leading both of them to discover that fandom is more complicated then they thought, and that romance can sneak up on you from the most unlikely places.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's a quick read and there are parts that are obviously a little bit unrealistic (as with a lot of fairytale type retellings), but it's clear that the author knows fandoms and conventions extremely well. The new characters are all adorable and engaging, and fans of Geekerella will enjoy a few cameos from those characters. The book also features both M/F and F/F main romances, as well as a few F/F and M/M side relationships. This is a super fun read for anyone looking for a feel good YA about fandom.

(side note, it seems like the author is basing her convention at least partially on DragonCon in Atlanta, since the description of the hotel layouts and such seemed very familiar.)

First and foremost: thank you, Quirk Books, for sending me this eARC! I got it by saying a secret password at NYCC, and it was completely worth the wait!!

I absolutely adored Geekerella, and while not perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed The Princess and the Fangirl! I loved Jess and Imogen’s voices. They’re flawed, imperfect, and sometimes even unlikeable; they are also the heroines that WE DESERVE. I felt like I was reading the thoughts of two real human beings, despite the unreal circumstances of the whole thing. (I mean, yeah it’s a Prince and the Pauper retelling, so OBVIOUSLY it’s not going to be completely realistic, but the heart of the story is so relatable that it grounds the somewhat unbelievable aspects.

I really hope Ashley Poston keeps writing fairytale retellings with a fandom-y twist because she’s so goddamn good at it. I only wish that this book was longer so it could flesh out some of the relationships more. I wanted just a bit more from the characters. I know! I’m selfish.

Anyway, Ashley captures the heart of fandom once again, with everything I love (and hate) about being a fan and going to cons. Also, the book had so many excellent references to The Adventure Zone: Balance, so all my fellow TAZ fans should DEFINITELY pick up this book!

This was absolutely incredible. It discussed how shitty the (male) fanbase is to women in sci/fi fantasy productions and we had a delightful queer main character and so much casual queerness. Sometimes The Princess and the Pauper retellings are fun, but hard to believe, and this one was fun but it was not at all hard to believe. It was wonderful and I fell in love with these characters and I don't want to say goodbye to Amara and Starfield.

If you enjoyed Ashley Poston's first novel, GEEKERELLA, you'll love her latest foray into fandom, THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL. Although the premise is admittedly ridiculous-- so much so that the novel itself acknowledges it-- if you can suspend your disbelief, THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL is brimming with pop culture references, LGBTQ goodness, relatable OTPs, and squee-worthy moments. Perfect for the Tumblr crowd, Poston's latest novel is something you'll want to binge.