Review: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Queens of Geek

by Jen Wilde

March 14, 2017
288 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.

Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Jason Ryan. When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

While Charlie dodges questions about her personal life, Taylor starts asking questions about her own.

Taylor likes to blend 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 Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about the Queen Firestone SupaFan Contest, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Review

Queens of Geek is a powerful story with very relatable characters. They were real in an honest and flawed way. If I had to use one word to describe the book it would be Empowering.

Taylor has sever anxiety attacks and all throughout the book we see her struggle to cope with it. Meeting someone similar to herself gave her courage to go out and experience the big world. I relate a lot to Taylor. A lot of her thoughts and reactions reflect my own. Though I may not have as serious a condition as she does, I understand a lot of what goes through her mind.

Charlie is an up and coming star with pink hair- how cool is that! She has always been open about her bisexuality but her fear of being under public scrutiny threatens her blossoming relationship with Alyssa, another superstar. She deals and turns her past hurt into future possibilities. I also loved seeing her strong family values. I couldn't agree more.

Queens of Geek is also a very down-to-earth book. The abundance of movie/game references were so fun. The Super Mario comparison was my favourite. Perfection. The shippy romances were diverse and swoonworthy. Most of all I adored the strong friendship between the three characters. No matter their own problems they remain loyal and true to each other.

There are so many encouraging words in Queens of Geek. A lot of it resonated with me. I've never highlighted so many quotes in a book so I just want to share some here.

"It's very hard for people to understand, and all too easy for them to judge."

"I would choose being different over being part of the boring crowd any day"

"Life's just too damn short, you know?"

"Messes aren't so bad, so long as you have people to share them with."

"If you judge me based on the way I'm shaped, then you miss out on how awesome I am."

"It's not my job to convince others of who I am. My only job is to be who I am."

I get all the feels from these lines! The world needs more books like Queens of Geek. Seriously.

*I received a manuscript of this book from the author for a sensitivity read and for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the manuscript copy I received.