Chaotic Good

Whitney Gardner

2018 • 256 pages

Ratings6

Average rating4.2

Cameron's cosplay--dressing like a fictional character--is finally starting to earn her attention--attention she hopes to use to get into the CalTech costume department for college. But when she wins a major competition, she inadvertently sets off a firestorm of angry comments from male fans.

When Cameron's family moves the summer before her senior year, she hopes to complete her costume portfolio in peace and quiet away from the abuse. Unfortunately, the only comic shop in town--her main destination for character reference--is staffed by a dudebro owner who challenges every woman who comes into the shop.

At her twin brother's suggestion, Cameron borrows a set of his clothes and uses her costuming expertise to waltz into the shop as Boy Cameron, where she's shocked at how easily she's accepted into the nerd inner sanctum. Soon, Cameron finds herself drafted into a D&D campaign alongside the jerky shop-owner Brody, friendly (almost flirtatiously so) clerk Wyatt, handsome Lincoln, and her bro Cooper, dragged along for good measure.

But as her "secret identity" gets more and more entrenched, Cameron's portfolio falls by the wayside--and her feelings for Lincoln threaten to make a complicated situation even more precarious.

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Got halfway, kinda disappointed since i liked whitney Gardner's last book so much. Does cover some interesting issues like incels and gatekeeping for girls...but really really really pushes IM A GIRL at you. The character for me is so hard to connect to

Just meh read for me

December 4, 2019

Sionna

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely LOVED this book. I love this trend of geeky/nerdy books that are being published. While I personally don't cosplay or sew, I have to say that this book made me want to buy a sewing machine. I want to make all the things! Also, I need to look up D&D info.

I went into this thinking it would be more of a fluffy book, and it is, but I didn't except the internet troll portions to be so...accurate. The scenes where Cameron checks her blog or e-mail, the comments are actually written out for the reader and they can be so difficult to read. We all know what is going to be written, at this point in time we all know what trolls are like, but it is still so shocking that people can be so cruel. Anyhow, these portions are a bit dark and I felt so, so bad for Cameron, but I think the scenes were written well and the fun moments help balance the book, so it isn't too sad to read.

As for the characters, I loved them. Like I said, the trolls were done well, Brody seems like “a real geek”, you know “a nice guy”, so I disliked him, but he felt so real. All the characters did to me. Cameron in her donut dresses is a bright light, her brother makes me laugh and I love their relationship, while Lincoln and Why are funny and add good dynamics. Why and Cameron's brother are gay, by the way. Which adds an additional conflict when Why likes boy-Cameron. More conflict in poor Cameron's life. I will say, the lack of female interaction in the book peeved me, but I understood it: her friends are busy or don't want to talk to her because of what happened before she moved and she doesn't have any new friends in her new town. There are some female interactions and since almost none of them revolve around boys, I was pretty happy with them :)

This isn't a book about someone who has everything figured out. Not everything is handed to them. This book feels real to me in that aspect, so between that and the funny moments, I really did love reading this book.

I have already recommended this book! I enjoyed reading it and I think anyone who likes going to cons, cosplaying, or who has a geeky heart will enjoy this or at least relate to it.