The Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston
Geekerella by Ashley Poston. I read this book back in 2016 when I was a teen librarian and was sent a copy to review. I loved it then and, since it’s been so long (and my memory sucks a bit) I wanted to re-read it before reading the others in the series for the first time. I didn’t remember much of the story so it was like reading it for the first time, and really pulled me in emotionally more than I remembered before. I love these characters and am excited to read the other books and see what else happens to them!
My original Geekerella review: I don't like scifi or the related conventions, and I'm not a fan of fairy tale retellings, therefore you'd think Geekerella is not the book for me. But it drew me in with the quirky cover, and when I started the first page, I was hooked. You kind of forget it's a Cinderella story because the plot is so interesting, and the characters are great. You're rooting for Elle from the beginning, hating her evil stepmother and stepsisters, and you also get sucked into the story of Starfield and the fandom surrounding the show. I totally loved this book and already want to re-read it! It's going to be a hit.
The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston. I wasn’t sure how I’d like a story centered on Jessica Stone after how she came across in Geekerella, but Poston did a great job making her more likeable. I liked that the story centered around the con again so we could “see” some characters from last time, but overall, I didn’t love this one as much. I think I had trouble with the identity swap, mostly in relation to Harper, Imogen’s online friend who met Jess instead of Imogen. If Harper was falling for Jess… wouldn’t some of that be because she thought she had a solid friendship with Imogen? And if Jess and Imogen look so much alike, would she also be in love with Imogen? I know Jess and Harper connected that weekend, too, but it just stuck out in my mind that the whole situation was pretty weird, and as petty as it may be, that kind of tainted my thoughts on the book.
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston. Maybe reading this series back to back was too much for me, because I was pretty burned out on cons and Starfield by this point. Thankfully, the book isn't set at a convention, and Starfield is kind of minor despite the main character loving the show/books/movies and the love interest being an actor in the films. But there was much less Starfield overall. There were a few mentions of the previous characters and some appearances, so it was nice to see what they were up to, but overall, this one felt a bit phoned in for me. I initially thought it was just me reading them too close together, but I think Poston and the editors might have been feeling the same way, because there were so consistency issues that stuck out to me. One in particular was at the end of the book when Vance is worried about tabloids getting their text messages and call histories because he told her "so much--too much." Yet a few chapters before, Rosie told him that she lost her phone, and he said "Huh, so that's why you never asked for my number." So... how did they text and talk and share so much?
Overall, this was a fun series to read. I liked how one of the secondary characters in the first book became a main character in the second, and the same thing happened for the third. However, it got a bit tiring that each of the celebrities had these huge blocks about trusting someone even though they were falling in love so quickly. They always felt at risk of being exposed or taken advantage of, and while I get that's a real risk, it was tiresome after the second book.
There were also some other overused ideas (which I've noticed in Poston's other books, too), like unique birthmarks (often on the neck), scars (on the face or mouth area), and giving "finger-guns" (to express... quirkiness?). So while Poston books are fun escapes and quick reads, I think it's time to take a break and venture back to some other authors.
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