I was eager to read The Princess and the Fangirl after being so thoroughly charmed by Geekerella. While it didn’t necessarily end up being as lovable or memorable as its predecessor, this young adult contemporary is not without its charms. I enjoyed returning to the world of ExcelsiCon and the fandom nods, seeing a whole host of familiar faces pop up and the shenanigans that ensued after the identity switch Imogen and Jess initiate; all three of these elements made the reading experience fun for me. It was our two narrators that fell short, however, because it took entirely too long for either one to snag my investment in their situations. I was frustrated by Jess and her terrible attitude, and equally irritated by Imogen’s tendency towards denial, and while those things are addressed later in a believable, sensible way, it didn’t make my initial experiences with both of their perspectives any more tolerable. Additionally, and likely partially for this very reason, I just didn’t love their romantic entanglements the way I had loved the main romance in Geekerella. Still, even with my reservations, I flew through The Princess and the Fangirl and would ultimately deem it a fun read, whether you’re familiar with this world or completely new to it.

In true Piston fashion, the book was a delight. A few moments felt forced and the plot dragged in a significant portion of the middle, but overall, I still enjoyed it. It did what it had to do, and it had a good message with agreeable themes thrown in the mix. The first book in this companion-type series still holds up better than this one, but maybe my expectation were too high, or mayb it just didn’t meet them on its own. But, again, it’s still a worthy read if you enjoyed Geekerella or anything Ashley Piston writes.

A sweet, geeky, pop-culture-ific tale of love and fandoms -- and love of fandoms. I really enjoyed this follow-up to Geekerella. The characters are quirky and lovable, and the setting at a con made it extra special.

Ashley Poston's geekified take on the prince and the pauper was initially unappealing. I had a really hard time connecting with the characters - I didn't like Jessica or Imogen. After I got about halfway through the book, it all came together and the story took off.
The second half of the book was terrific. I enjoyed the madcap adventures and crazy plotting that Imogen and Jessica engaged in. I also liked the LGBTQ representation in the book.
While I won't recommend this book to everyone, I will definitely recommend it to a YA, Con loving audience.

Another romp in the Geekerella world, at ExcelsiCon, this time focusing on Jessica Stone, the actress who played Princess Amara, and the fangirl, Imogen who has started a campaign to #SaveAmara. These two have such a cute journey when they end up getting mistaken for each other, and then end up experiencing the Con unlike ever before. Also, you get plenty of references to all things nerdy & geeky, plus your favorites from Geekerella make a few appearances!

Even though Jessica can be a bit prickly to start, I really sympathized with her. I can’t imagine being a young star during this internet age. I mean I get sad when my bookstagram pics don’t get likes, could you imagine if people blamed you for role in a movie?! Whilst posting mean and negative things all day, every day. But yes, once she was at the party with Harper…I just knew Jess was holding back and needed to experience some normality for once.

This book had me smiling through the entire thing. I didn't want to put it down. Absolutely love this series, I am excited for more and I think it would be so cool if Quirk & Ashley wrote a graphic novel that would be the actual Starfield movie!

I clearly both loved Geekerella and The Princess and the Fangirl, and no matter what level of fangirl you are or consider yourself to be, you are sure to enjoy these books!

While this book is a typical ‘everything will turn out right in the end’ type book it is still super fun & addictive. Hands down the best way to describe it is addictive! The Fandom/Con atmosphere of this book makes my book loving heart happy! I love the hints to real fandoms, Harry Potter especially of course!

“Nice to meet you, Gryffindor.”

There are also other fandoms/movies/TV shows/Games/etc. mentioned like Edward Scissor Hands, Mortal Kombat, etc. But Harry Potter the most which I LOVED!

This book is very fast paced and gripping, I read it so damn quickly and loved every second of it. There is a mystery element to this book which I really enjoyed trying to guess. You’ll be glad to know I did not guess correctly at all! So definitely unpredictable, that or I’m just blind haha.

Of course I loved the first book, Geekerella, so I adored seeing characters from Geekerella make an appearance in this book. While I love Darien & Elle from Geekerella, it was really refreshing that this book was a companion and followed new characters instead of the same ones as Geekerella. It was awesome getting to know characters mentioned in Geekerella in this one as well. There is also a book 3 and I can’t wait to see how it is tied into the first 2 books!

This book is in multi POV following Jess & Imogen. My only negative for this book was the POV. I enjoyed our two main characters, they were 2 very different people. However the POVs read very similar, so at times it was a little hard to follow as you would kinda forget who you were reading from as they felt very similar at the beginning. After a while we kinda got into the swing of it and they felt different. But in the beginning they didn’t have a lot of substance, I guess, to make them feel like different people. That’s my only negative for the book.

The Princess and the Fangirl was another wonderful read by Ashley Poston. I love the characters in this series and only wish we could have seen even more of the relationship building between the characters. A story about finding yourself despite others expectations of who you are or who you should become. Hoping for more in this series.

I read Geekerella in 2017 and I really loved it so The Princess and the Fangirl immediately became my most anticipated releases this year. I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to but it was still an enjoyable read.

Imogen Lovelace is a fangirl and her mission is to save the Princess from being killed off from Starfield, her favorite franchise. Jessica Stone is the actress who plays Princess Amara and with all the hate she’s getting from the Starfield fandom, she doesn’t want anything to do with it anymore. Their paths crossed when Imogen has been mistaken for Jessica.

Imogen and Jessica are two very different characters but both courageous and determined. They’re both flawed and relatable. I liked Imogen at first but it changed throughout the novel. I ended up liking Jessica’s character more. One of the things that I enjoyed in this book is the cameos! It made me so happy meeting my favorite characters again from Geekerella. Also, I love the diversity in this book. We have POC characters and Imogen’s family is wonderful. She has two mothers and a brother who has a boyfriend. And can we have more of Harper?

Just like in Geekerella, there are a lot of pop culture and fandom references in this book. The story takes place in a con which was really fun to read. The panels, photo ops, artist alley and more. I haven’t been in a huge one (like ComicCon or even BookCon) but the author made me feel like I’ve been there. I liked that this book is written in Imogen and Jessica’s perspectives. We get to see the passion behind fandoms as well as the toxic side which I thought was very well-written. Also how social media can affect our lives both in a good and very bad ways. One of the lines that got me was “it’s impossible to have a nuanced conversation on Twitter.”. Preach!

The beginning was quite slow and it took me awhile to get into the story and characters. I wasn’t invested with the romance part of this book. It’s adorable but it’s very quick for me. Like I always say, I don’t have problems with insta-love but it depends on how the author executes it. The characters spend time together over the weekend which I thought was too short for me. But yey for sapphic romance.

Overall, The Princess and the Fangirl is a great companion novel. I recommend it if you’ve read Geekerella and if you love modern geeky contemporary retellings. Also, read Geekerella first.

Geekerella was one of those books that I randomly picked up one day and then proceeded to immediately devour. It appealed to my love of fairytale retellings and my fandom heart. So when I heard that Ash Poston was writing a companion novel, I couldn't wait.

The Princess and the Fangirl had a lot of what I loved about Geekerella. Poston also explores the toxic side of fandoms and what effect dealing with that can have on the actors/actresses. I thought including that was brilliant and that she did a great job of handling the topic. Jessica's character arc was my favorite, I loved how she changed throughout the novel. Imogen's was also good, I just didn't connect with her quite the same way I did with Jessica.

Overall, I found it a bit difficult to connect with the plot. The time frame was just too short for me to really start rooting for the romances. Everything takes place within the weekend of the con so the relationships that form between characters didn't have the depth that I like to see (or that was present in Geekerella). Instalove is one of my personal pet peeves in books though so take this with a grain of salt!

The Princess and the Fangirl was still a very fun, very cute read though! It's a different type of love letter to fandoms and cons. It definitely put a smile on my face and I loved the cameos from previous characters. I do think that many readers will connect with this book more than I did. One note - I'd recommend reading Geekerella first or you'll be missing some pretty important backstory.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from Quirk Books and Netgalley! I got an e-arc from Netgalley and the physical from Quirk Books! Thank you guys so so much! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: Once Upon a Con #2

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Genre: YA Retelling/Contemporary Romance

Recommended Age: 13+ (slightly mature romance scenes, slight sexual assault, sexual harassment, some language, and a naked cat)

Publisher: Quirk Books

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year's ExcelsiCon isn't her last, she'll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That's easier said than done when the girls step into each other's shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these "princesses" race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

Review: Holy cow Batman! How can I sum up how much I loved this side story/sequel to Geekerella? I loved it so freaking much. The story was well thought out and I loved how it was a Prince and the Pauper retelling. The writing was incredible, Ashley Poston is a force to be reckoned with, so watch out SJM! The characters were well developed and this book just made my little geek heart happy. I also loved how Poston drove home the injustice of fan-people when it comes any strong female character. It’s hard to be a female in the fandom world and I’ve read more than a dozen comments discussing the actress’ breast size and how she’d be better if she supported this male character and how the exact color of her hair does not match the characters and blah blah blah. But you remake Spiderman 40 times and no one complains (except me. I complain. Shameik Moore as Miles Morales is better than Tobey Maguire any day and don’t even get me started on how much we need a Gwen Stacey movie). I think the sexism among some of the fandoms is really sad. We can have the strong female character and the strong male character and the even stronger non-gender conforming character. We don’t need to have these archaic notions of what men can do compared to women and, in my opinion, if you choose to keep those beliefs then you won’t progress as a person in the future. The future is inclusive and we see success and strength in all, not just some.

If I had to choose a working point of this book I’d have to say that I think it’s great, but I wish that the relationships were expanded a bit more. Poston had enough material to go another 100 pages easily and I would have enjoyed them. As is the book is great, but I just want more of the couples.

Verdict: A definite must read!

I really adored this book. I love the small cameos we got to the previous book in this series. I also really enjoyed Ashley twist on the the prince and pauper myth. I really had a hard time putting this book down. I loved the duel female POV and also how the book featured two very different romances pairings. I really enjoyed how this book tackled different parts of fandom life especially how women as actress are treated in the media. I really flew though this book and found it to such a prefect read. This book was the right book to life my heart and just remind me why I love cons so much!

Summary: Imogen is the ultimate fangirl for anything Starfield. She loves the classic television show and the reboot movie. Imogen is especially passionate about the character Princess Armara who was died tragically at the end of the first movie. Jess Stone is a Hollywood starlet who was on track to win an Oscar by the time she was twenty but is worried the her work as Princess Amara is Starfield may derail her career. The actress and the fangirl’s lives collide when Imogen is confused for Jess during a panel at ExcelsiCon. The two realize that they have found a great opportunity. Imogen wants to change the public’s opinion of the actress to save her beloved Princess Amara while Jessica needs to be free to investigate the recently leaked script to the The Starfield sequel. The two switch places and quickly learn about how the other half lives and discover new things about themselves in this geeky retelling of The Prince and the Pauper.

What’s Good: This book was just fun. Ashley Poston knows how to write a romance that will appeal to anyone who is a true geek in their heart. The book is filled with hilarious pop culture references and adorable romantic moments. Imogen and Jess are great characters that realistically jump off the page with their hopes, dreams, and insecurity. Also, Poston made a fabulously diverse book with writing a Diversity book. The representations in the book open the story up to many readers who may not normally see themselves in this kind of book. Plus, while it was fun to revisit Elle and Darien from Geekerella, it’s nice that you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy The Princess and the Fangirl.

What’s Not As Good: It took me a really long time to warm up to Jess and I found myself wanting to go back to Imogen’s story line.

Bottom Line: The Princess and the Fangirl is a fun novel that takes place in the world of sci-fi fandom. The book is filled with humor and a dash of romance and will be a big hit with fans of Poston’s previous novel or anyone looking for a geeky YA romance.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I will admit, the beginning of this book did not appeal to me. I was going through a reading funk (partial book slump) and I almost DNF'd it. Jessica is a hard character to like in the beginning and the harsh judgments and some of the actions everyone makes can seem aggravating. Give it a bit though, because there are reasons. Jess has been burned by the fandom, by geeks, and she is a female in a spotlight meaning she is a target for trolls and horrible people. When I picked this book up again when my book slump was mostly done, I was able to see more clearly the abuse she puts up with and I could understand her character more. Between Imogen and Jess, I was surprised that Jess became my favorite character.
I also liked her romance more and thought their was more natural build up. I won't go into it more, since I don't want to spoil it ;)

Imogen and her quick judgments though never really stopped. She judges Ethan, but never truly admits that she shouldn't have assumed that because he wore a suit he wouldn't be a geek. I think it is hard to remember that even though Mo and Jess look the same, Mo is 2 years (or maybe just 1?) younger than Jess and because of their circumstances she is also not as mature. When I remember this, it is easier to see that over the course of the book, she did grow. She's got the fandom heart we all know and love, so it is hard not to like her. Her romance though I never fully believed. I felt it beginning, I loved the sniping at each other, but I never felt it truly move over to more. I just needed a little more.

The story about the leaked script starts slow and does seem to drag. This book is much more about the characters and their experiences with the leaked script parts moving the story along once in a while.
Once I was about 40% into the book things started picking up, but I was really hooked at more 60% which may be too late for some readers.

Do I recommend it? If you liked Geekerella, I would recommend it, just so you can get more of the world and that feeling of connection to Starfield ( can we get a TV series of this yet???). If you live for cons, this book might also find a special spot in your heart.

It was very very cute as expected. Totally swoony and loved it. Absolutely worth it. Will strongly recommend.

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

I picked up Geekerella last year on a whim to read because I thought the cover looked cute, but I basically knew nothing about the book. Once I started reading (aka listening to the audiobook) I knew it was love and I ended up grabing a physical copy that same day so I could just finish reading the book that night. Who needs sleep when we can escape into the most fantastic of Fan-worlds? I enjoyed everything about the story, be it the cute Cinderella retelling spin Ashley used, the friendship and banter, but mostly because these are my people. After discovering Firefly (still need more please!), Doctor Who, Harry Potter and Supernatural, why wouldn't you want to have a giant gathering with people who understand? Cons and fandoms speak to me, the new realities and the ability to speak for hours about a completely made up world and speculate fictional character's choices as if you know them personally. Yep, these are my people and Ashley made this into such a realistic experience for me- and it didn't hurt that the romance was adorable. When I leaned fairly recently that there was going to be a second book set in the same world but with a Prince and Pauper retelling twist, I was ecstatic- another chance to geek out? Yes please.

"A stream of people follows Jess from one side of the convention to the other, trickling down into the street like the parade we saw earlier, and I can’t help but smile like mad— because although it isn’t a marching band, this is totally my new favorite trope. A bunch of nerds following a princess in a dress made of galaxies , like a freakin’ Mickey Mouse parade, singing the Starfield theme at the top of their lungs."

I will say though, I struggled with Jess for at least a chunk of the book. I saw her struggle to want to be seen as more, but her hating on fandoms and people who get excited about this world made me want to smack her. But the transition her character took was hands down the best I have experienced in a YA contemporary- maybe ever! She grew and evolved as a character and I loved her, she gave quirky Imogen a run for the money when it came to my love. I think also watching Imogen start to understand what made Jess act certain ways helped me to understand her as well.

There were a lot of things going on in this story, be it a career ending mystery, dealing with a Parent Trap level of switch, self doubt and haters, the intensity of everything happening over a 72 hour time line, the madness of the con- and romances. Both characters had love interests which did not come as too much of a surprise (since the plot easily set it up) but I loved watching them interact and finally admit feelings. I equally cheered on both couples and the HEA (for now) that the story ended with made my heart swell to three times it's normal size with love. Yep, I am a sap and refuse to be sorry about it. It was also nice to Darien and Elle pop up and still be so in love.

As a fangirl who loves her cons and fictional stories and adventures, Ashley did a great job of creating an immersive experience full of quotes and characters from other fandoms. I never thought anything could beat my love of Geekerella, but in complete honesty, The Princess and the Fan Girl was wonderful, just the same amount of perfect as Geekerella but in an entirely different way. The ending was just what I hoped for and I can't wait for my physical copy to show up in the mail so I can hug it close and reread my favorite scenes- repeatedly. I really need there to be a third One Upon a Con series and I will patient wait for that (potentially fictional) day- but a fangirl can hope.

"Look to the Stars!
Aim!
Ignite!"

I absolutely adored this book and made a whole video about it on my BookTube channel (added to links section if this form).

I was a huge fan of Geekerella when it came out so I was highly anticipating this book but sadly I didn't love it as much as the first book.
I think The Princess and the fangirl had the same heart as it had in Geekerella so I adored that but I wasn't in love with our two main characters.
The book takes places over a weekend during the ExcelsiCon and Starfield actress Jessica Stone meets Imogen and a Parent Trap/Freaky Friday event takes place. I just felt like the 2 stories were a little disjointed and I needed more than just the weekend.
I enjoyed the 2 romances but wasn't in love with them. They were both very instalove which is fine by me but there wasn't enough time to have a spark or a deep connection in either of the relationships.
Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend if you've read Geekerella and also if your a fandom lover at heart.
This series is made for fans of fandoms. For people who love a fandom with everything they have and pour their heart and soul into it which I love about this series. It's made me fall in love with Starfield and I will be continuing on with the series even if this one was a little lackluster.
As always,
LOOK TO THE STARS
AIM
IGNITE

I liked this story, although not as much as geekerella. I think YAs will enjoy this look at fandom, but it might be a little too fangeeky for some.

Just as magical as Geekerlla, Poston returns to the same world and same con event. Imogen and Jess are two very different people, one a superfan and one an actress. Starfield is what connects them though for one it is a love and the other a hate. This retelling is such a delight to read because it makes the reader feel like they are at the con and a fan of the Starfield characters and films. I love the realistic characters, quirky and fun experiences and the romance that blooms in unexpected places. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a romantic read with a lot of heart and a focus on self discovery and acceptance. I can't wait to see how Poston continues this fantastic group of retellings! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

One of my favorite summer reads from last year was Geekerella by Ashley Poston. It’s a contemporary retelling of Cinderella told with a fangirl twist. I instantly fell in love with the lead characters, Elle and Darien, and their adorable, geeky love story. (Read more of my gushy review right here -- http://pop-culturalist.com/geekerella/) I was thrilled to learn that Poston was going to take readers back to the world of Geekerella with The Princess and the Fangirl.

The Princess and the Fangirl is a companion novel to Geekerella. It’s a modern, fangirl retelling of the classic The Prince and the Pauper. The Princess in this story will be familiar to Geekerella readers. She is none other than Jessica Stone, the actress playing Princess Amara in the Starfield movie. The Pauper is a new character named Imogen Lovelace. She’s a fangirl determined to bring her favorite character, Princess Amara, back to life for the movie’s sequel. A chance encounter at ExcelsiCon brings Jess and Imogen together, and they are shocked to discover just how much they look alike. The girls decide to switch lives to give Jess the anonymity she needs to find the culprit that is leaking script pages from the movie’s sequel. As Jess and Imogen pretend to be each other, they unexpectedly go on a journey of self-discovery, redefining their identity, and opening themselves up to new romances.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Princess and the Fangirl is centered on the emotional arcs of Jess and Imogen rather than their respective love stories. Each girl’s love interest does play a part in her personal growth, but the love story never overshadows Jess and Imogen’s path to self-acceptance.
• There are a lot of important themes present in this novel that will resonate with readers. Poston discusses the positive and negative sides of fandom culture, sexual harassment, self-worth, self-love, and female empowerment.
• There are no shortages of pop culture references and fandom lingo that will make you laugh out loud.
• I loved the cameos by some of the Geekerella cast!! It was great to get a little update on what they’ve been up to.

LOWLIGHTS

• The story felt a bit rushed to me, but that may be due to it taking place over the course of three days. This is also why I couldn’t really get behind the two ships because it felt a lot like insta-love.

Final thoughts: The Princess and the Fangirl is an enjoyable mix of a charming rom-com and a hilarious tribute to fandoms.

Thank you to Quirk Books for sending us an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book review will be posted on our site on April 6, 2019.