Book Review: Queens of Geek

 

Well, this book was fun! 

I don't know if I've talked about it before, but I actually really like fluff. 

Of course I love deep, gritty, hard-hitting stories, but I also really love stories that are a little more lighthearted and just downright fun. And Queens of Geek definitely delivered that.

Before we get on with this review, here's the summary:

Charlie likes to stand out. She's a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show her fans that she's over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie's long-time crush on her isn't as one sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to fit in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there's one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie-no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink playing by the rules.

My Thoughts: As I mentioned before, THIS IS THE FLUFFY FUN CONTEMPORARY OF MY DREAMS. Seriously, how is it real? There's representation and cute romances and it's set at a freaking convention where talk about fandoms and there are constant pop-culture references. There were definitely some things I didn't love, though, which I will get to eventually.

What I Liked:

Probably my favorite thing about this book was how much it embraced geekiness. Both of the main characters are huge geeks, and there are so many just amazing things related to that in the book.

For example,

-Taylor cosplays at SupaCon, and enters a fan contest

-A date that Charlie goes on is at an arcade.

-The constant pop-culture [especially movie] references. I think I actually squealed at some of them, like, ''I know this! I know this!'' I've heard some people say that the characters referenced things more than was realistic, but, um, I actually do reference things that much [guess I'm just an unrealistic character, guys].

-Also, it's slightly touched upon just how much fandoms can mean to people, and I loved that.

-The representation was also done really well. Charlie is bisexual and Chinese-Australian, and Taylor is plus-sized and autistic and has anxiety. I am none of these things, but it seemed very well done to me, and a lot of people on Goodreads have said that the representation was good and avoided harmful stereotypes. 

Oh, and, also, Jamie is Hispanic, and Alyssa is black and into girls [I don't think she ever uses a label, so I don't want to accidentally use the wrong word]. 

Well, I don't know if everybody does, but I certainly do.

-Sexism, biphobia and bi-erasure and such are brought up a lot, which I thought was really well-done.

-Also, Charlie was in a very toxic relationship and her breakup with Reese [said toxic guy who cheated on her, and is also pretty sexist and homophobic, so you can definitely hate him] was very public, and I felt that was very well-written, and I could almost feel Charlie's frustration with the situation. 

-Taylor's story also felt really well-written. I could also almost feel a lot of her struggles, especially with her hating change. 

-Also, the romances were super cute. Charlie and Alyssa are super cute together, and so are Taylor and Jamie.

-This is a really small detail, but, as a person who loves dying her hair unnatural colors, I love that Charlie had pink hair. 

-Again, have I mentioned how cute and happy this book was? Because it is both cute and happy, and really felt like a celebration of weirdness, and I am all for that.

What I Disliked:

-Some of the romance felt kind of insta-love-y. I mean, the story does take place over just a few days, so it's understandable, but I didn't really like that.

-Some of the conflict also felt really easily resolved, which was a bit annoying.

-The dialogue also felt a little unrealistic at times.

So, obviously, this book won't be a perfect fit for everyone, but, despite its flaws, I really enjoyed it. 
If you're looking for a fun book with diversity, and geeky references galore than you'll probably love Queens of Geek.

So, let's chat.

Have you read Queens of Geek? Do you want to? Pop-culture references in stories: yay or nay?