Queens of Geek

*4.5

Hmm. I have a lot of mixed feelings towards this book.

First the good - or, maybe that's the ‘super' - : Taylor. I love her. She doesn't change a whole lot - it is, after all, only three days that this book covers (it is three days, right?) so I don't expect her to. But she's settled into herself a little more. She has a great support system, a great Jamie and is an amazing character. I love her character arc.

Now for the not so great: Charlie. I like Charlie as a character, but am, very simply, not happy with her character arc. I had too many problems with the relationship between her and Alyssa. First of all, it moved way too fast. It's only three days. They literally do not know each other before that. (It would have worked better for me if either they had talked online before the con or the romance had slowed the hell down.) Also, Charlie's still all twisted up over Reese. Yes, Alyssa is a much better choice - but, really, Charlie would have been better served to not get into another relationship when she was still so obviously not ready. Then there's the fact that, in the nicest way possible, Alyssa pushes for something Charlie isn't ready for. Basically, it's an ultimatum. A very sweet one, but it's basically: if you can't give me this, we can't be together. I don't mind this - and don't think it's something bad, because it's not: it's something Alyssa needs to take care of herself. That's fine, her asking for that - but basically Charlie's whole character arc is wrapped up around the girl. Charlie changes for Alyssa. Is she in a better place? Yeah, sure seems that way, but the whole reason she changed is Alyssa. This did not work for me.

Now, other subjects.

There is not plot. Character arcs cannot carry a story for me. Romance can, but it has to be the focus. It's not here. (At least, I don't think it's supposed to be, regardless of Charlie's preoccupation with it.) This is a slice of life at a convention. Meh.

I like the girls relationship. I like that girls build each other up in this book. I like the message being sent with it. I just would have liked this book to be more than the message.

For friends Taylor, Charlie and Jamie LA's SupaCon has been the dream. Full of comic books, cosplaying, video games and more, they're about to begin an epic quest into geekdom.

Jen Wilde has created a cast of characters that will hit home for many people. Taylor is a girl with high social anxiety. Part of this comes from being on the Autism spectrum. She doesn't feel as if she fits in with the world, and as much as she wants to enjoy SupaCon, it also terrifies her. But she is determined to meet the author of the Queen Firestone books. A series that helped her through growing up with social anxiety. Cosplaying as the queen herself, Taylor enters SupaCon hoping to turn her life around and find the courage she wants to be able to go to college in LA and live out her dreams of being a writer.

Charlie is a YouTuber and actress from the movie The Rising. Invited to SupaCon by the studio, she's doing her best to immerse herself into the geekiness of SupaCon and overcome her bad break up with co-star Reese. But popularity comes with a price and she is struggling to accept her personal life being the talk of the internet. Especially when Reese shows up to participate in The Rising panels and refuses to leave her alone in front of the cameras and adoring fans.

I don't do love stories. It's what I tell everyone when they suggest books to me, but Queens of Geek slipped past my filter because of the promise of intense geek out moments. Let me tell you, I was not let down. Pop culture and geeky references are in nearly every chapter of this book, and so well embedded that they just go with the flow of the story. I loved it!

And this book is about so much more than love. It's about overcoming personal challenges. Each character has their own set of insecurities that they have to fight through in order to enjoy the convention and eventually find the love they deserve. But rest assured it isn't sappy, or overdramatic. This is a fun and humorous read that will take you through what it's like to be at a convention, and all the emotions that roll with it.

3 stars This book is cute and super geeky :) I love the strong friendship between the 3 main characters. The plot is interesting (i was invested in the story) and I love the messages the author is trying to communicate, but I think it could have been executed a little better? Less awkwardly? Some of the dialogues were a bit clunky/cringy. LGBTQ+ rep: bisexual MC. Other rep: MC with Asperger's (and anxiety)

I just finished reading the book last night and now that I slept on it I will attempt to write a short review about it.

The book is... well, it‘s fine. It does many things right and I appreciate it because of that but at the end of the day I wasn‘t really impressed either.

What I liked:

- the diversity; this book has a very diverse cast and none of it feels forced or like the author is trying to get “cookie points” for including poc or queer characters. I like that kind of “casual diversity” where it is still important but also comes across as natural

- the way that sexuality and mental health are being handled; I saw myself in the two main characters and some of their issues were very relatable for me personally

- the ode to pop culture and fandoms that this book is, essentially; even though it wasn't necessarily similar to my own fandom experiences, I still think that many fans will be able to identify with this aspect of the book

- the feminist tones; without spoiling anything, there is a lot of that in the book, the girls can handle their sht and they help each other out, sexist bullsht that other characters say gets called out immediately, etc.


Now, let‘s quickly get through the things that bothered me:

All in all, this book didn‘t manage to grab my attention for very long, I read the first 15 chapters and then reached the point of “Okay, can something happen or can I just be done with the book already.”

Don‘t get me wrong, there is plot, I think. It is first and foremost about romance, I guess. The problem is that both relationships weren‘t as interesting to me. One was already very established and had lots of pining, which gets tiring after a while and the other felt very rushed to me, so basically the exact opposite. Aside from that we have... I don‘t know, Coming of Age subplot maybe? And of course the whole convention stuff that‘s going on, which is very repetitive and still only described very vaguely sometimes? Characters say they want to do something and in the next scene it had already happened. The very constricted setting of only one weekend at SupaCon seems a bit unfortunate, looking back on it.

Also, the book kind of reads like a fanfiction, which isn‘t bad in itself of course, but I have read stories with a similar plot, that were properly paced and felt more dynamic and interesting, so I couldn‘t help but compare the book with those, subconsciously.

To sum it up, I would still recommend the book, because it is an easy, comfortable read and I think many of the topics that are mentioned in the book can be important for a variety of people. If I had read this book when I was maybe 14 I probably would have been all over it, just because it would have maybe helped me realize some things and helped me deal with them, which is already very important and its the reason why this book ended up with 3 stars from me.

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT. It was a fun, quick read, but it involved three BFFs, one of which is autistic with social anxiety, and her friends know this and are incredibly supportive. The second girl is openly bisexual. The third friend, the boy, is Hispanic. The three of them take an epic trip to a big Comicon in LA; the bisexual girl (Charlie) co-starred in a zombie movie, and is a popular Youtuber, so when she's invited to the Con she drags her two BFFs with her. Once there, she meets an idol of hers, another Youtuber, and discovers that her idol has a crush on her! So while dealing with her douchebag ex (her co-star from the movie), the other Youtuber asks Charlie out, and the two girls start a romance.

Meanwhile, the autistic girl (Taylor) and the Hispanic boy (Jamie) have loved each other for ages but been too afraid to admit how they feel. Largely left on their own, because Charlie's manager couldn't get them VIP passes, they explore the Con, geeking out over things and meeting another autistic woman, a comic book artist who gives Taylor some amazing advice about being afraid but doing things anyway.

I really really loved this book. I loved seeing autistic characters treated by their peers as just regular people with quirks, like everyone has. Taylor's friends support her when her brain freaks out, and make allowances for her needs, but don't treat her like she's disabled or fragile. I loved seeing how tight the bonds of friendship were between the three teens, and how excited for each other they were, even when good things happening meant less time to spend with each other.

This was just a really lovely, feel-good book with lots of minority representation, by an autistic author who knows what she's talking about. This is one more book off my Autism Reading List, and my pick for a book about friendship from the Litsy Booked 2018 Challenge.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

This is such a fabulous book. I swear the whole time I was reading it I wanted to go to a con again. I also feel the need to go to a bigger con... and read the Queen Firestone series, but we all know that can't happen sigh

While this book is about three characters at a big convention, there are only two different points of view, Charlie and Taylor. I loved both these girls. Charlie is outgoing an spunky, ready for anything, but has a bad breakup to get over while also needing to work through being a rising star. Taylor has anxiety and has a few other issues, so her growth doesn't come from “getting over them”, but learning to live with them through management and how to do what she wants. I think Taylor's character is written beautifully as well, showing that anxiety and panic attacks are something you overcome and never deal with again, but are a challenge every time which you need skills to overcome, every time. I honestly thought the characters, even the side characters, were written really well and believable– seriously could have been real people... even Reese. As much as I want to believe no one that much of an ass lives, we all know I'd be lying to myself.

The story is character-driven, completely. So, don't go into this one expecting a murder, fame to those less famous, or action. This is a coming of age story at its finest. And while the HEA is almost unbelievable, there are so many down turns for the characters throughout the book that the ending feels just right. Not everything is solved either, which also makes it feel like real life.

Absolutely enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to recommend it to some people :)

It is 3 am and I just finished this book. I. Freaking. Loved. It. It was so good, dealing with so much things at once that a lot of people experience every single day. I don't have any kind of anxiety, but I feel like i know more about it now. Like I have experienced it myself while reading this book.

Also, this books is about a Con and I never have been to one, I want to go so badly now.

I really loved the characters, obviously not everyone (FY, Reese) and the development they went trough. I shipped them so so so hard and omg I just loved it.

Also, this book f*cks up my schedule that I had for bookstagram because I need to include it. Probably as best book of 2017. Just saying. Go read it!

Dear swap buddy, I hope you don't mind that I secretly read your book, even though I bought it myself. I kept it clean and tidy because that's how I like my books too. Enjoy it! (I know she isn't going to read it ;))

amazing and relatable fandom mentions? check
chinese australian bisexual protagonist? check
autism spectrum fangirl protagonist? check

i just love love love this book and the relationships within it whether that be friendships, romantic, fandom or heroes/celebrities. a really really fun read

Fluffy and fun, but not particularly well written, often with repetitive and didactic dialogue (though with a good message - self-positivity, but I don't need EVERY inner monologue/dialogue to be a speech). Characters were diverse in so many great ways (bisexual, on the autism spectrum, etc.) and it was the first book I've read that took place entirely at a con. Wilde got a book out of a winning fanfic entry on Wattpad, so it reads like good fanfic, but there's certainly a place and a teen audience for this.

*3.5 stars