The Princess and the Fangirl

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.