I am so thrilled to be a part of the hype for this book. April 2nd cannot come quick enough. I cannot wait to see the whole layout for the finished copy. Geekerella was such a gorgeous book. When I read Geekerella last year, I didn't expect to get a sequel -- of sorts. The Princess and the Fangirl is actually a companion that follows Jess (Dar's co-star who plays Amara) and another new character, Imogen.
TP&TF is a modern gender-bent retelling of The Prince and the Pauper. I've never actually read The Prince and the Pauper, but I am very familiar with the Barbie classic: The Princess and the Pauper. Call me a dork all you want, but the earlier Barbie movies were 8-year-old Olivia's favorite. I loved those movies. They were cliche, they weren't the best plot-wise, the music wasn't as fantastic as the kiddos of the time thought, and they weren't animated that fantastically either. HOWEVER, I really do appreciate the emphasis on powerful and capable women throughout the movies.
In this book, there are so many amazing characters. Ashley Poston has such a talent for writing about characters -main and side characters, alike -- that are so well written and complex. I love it when the side characters have their own personalities and lives outside of the POV of the main characters. It adds such a fantastic depth to the overall story. I would have loved to get to know more about Imogen's moms. They were so nerdy and caring. I loved their relationship and their relationship with their kids. They seemed to be so different, but so perfect for each other. I love them.
I also absolutely adore Imogen's brother and his boyfriend. I loved getting little glimpses of their relationship. I hope that the next companion (if we get one) is about them. I definitely need that in my life. They were too freaking cute!
Let's talk about Ethan. I love him. He's definitely a Hufflepuff and I love his quirks and grumpy attitude. I'm sure that people aren't going to like him, but he reminds me too much of my boyfriend at times to actually dislike his attitude. I love his dedication to his best friend (Jess) and I love what he does when he gets stressed and worried. (I will let you find that out yourself. Please read this book.)
Speaking of Jess, let's talk about her too. She's so complex and I really enjoyed her as a character. She and Imogen are technically the main characters of this book, but I really felt like Jess was the #1 focus. She goes through so much growth over four days and I just love her growth as a character. Her behavior, at first really bugged me, but as the book continued I finally understood what all she went through as the reboot Amara. I love how Ashley Poston highlighted the positive and negative aspects of fandom culture. There are definitely wonderful and perfect moments about being in a fandom, but there are toxic behavior and toxic behaviors that come with it. This was the perfect love letter to fandom culture.
This book was exactly what I needed during my long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. I cannot wait to read what Ashley Poston has next. I definitely need to pick up Heart of Iron soon! She is quickly becoming a new favorite author. I need to read HOI before the sequel, Soul of Stars comes out in July. Ashley is such a badass writer! Wow!
If you love fluffy romance novels with hate to love romance, slow burn romance, wonderful sibling dynamics, fandom references, healthy growth and badassery, sweet diverse couples, and laugh out loud/squeal out loud/scream out loud moments, definitely pick up this book! Pre-order it! It comes out April 2nd! You need this book in your life!
This is definitely a favorite of the year!
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From the Publisher
Q&A with author Ashley Poston
What were the challenges of returning to the world you built in Geekerella?
Keeping the canon and the lore straight! I also stayed very mindful of the kind of story I was telling. I didn’t want to rehash what I had already written in Geekerella, so finding new voices to explore the Starfield fandom was both tough and exhilarating. I’m really happy with the two whip-smart gals I ended up with.
How much of Starfield did you develop when writing?
I thought about Starfield a LOT. I grew up watching a lot of sci fi, so I wanted to incorporate everything I loved about those fandoms and communities. There have been readers who’ve asked if Starfield is real, and that’s really the best compliment anyone could ever give me!
How does fandom and pop culture inspire your writing?
I was raised in fandom. So, I like to pay homage to my favorite tropes by shouting about them, and writing about them, and enjoying them. Life’s too short, and the list of fanfics I’ve bookmarked is way too long.
Praise for THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL
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This book was so great! Super nerdy and heartwarming! Loved all the characters and it's also really pretty with the dust jacket off. Definitely recommend if you liked the first book.
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Top reviews from other countries
Beatriz
There's a bit of Ammara in all of us
Reviewed in Brazil on February 5, 2021
Casey Carlisle
Look to the stars! Aim! Ignite!
Reviewed in Australia on October 19, 2020
Casey Carlisle
Reviewed in Australia on October 19, 2020
Told in alternating perspectives between protagonists Imogen and Jess. Jess is an actress and star from the hit film ‘Starfield’ in which her character, Princess Amara sacrifices herself in the end. She is glad to be done with the franchise as she views it as a pop culture phenomenon and not serious acting to include in her portfolio, but no denying the movie has increased her exposure and opened doors to many new opportunities. The Convention is the last bit of publicity Jess is contracted to do before moving on to other possibilities. That is, if the twitter campaign #SaveAmara does not catch on and force the producers of the hit film to tie her down with a long-term contract… and a franchise she is coming to loathe.
Imogen is a massive fan of ‘Starfield’ and dead ringer for the actress playing the role of Princess Amara. She is also behind the #SaveAmara campaign as she sees the character as a phenomenal role model for young women everywhere. Her two mums have been running a booth at the Conventions forever and their lives are drenched in everything pop culture.
So what follows is a parent trap-esque storyline (al-la The Prince and the Pauper) and hi-jinx of a conspiracy to expose a confidential script of the sequel to ‘Starfield,’ which if revealed could get Jess fired and eliminate any chance of her working in Hollywood ever again. Not to mention meeting Imogen’s friend who she is inexplicably attracted to – but one problem: she’s met her under the pretence of pretending to be Jess while she tries to track down the person leaking snapshots her script online. Meanwhile Imogen is all too happy to ply the role of Jess in hopes she can help grow the following to her #SaveAmara directive.
‘The Princess and the Fangirl’ is tropey and campy, but in the best way. I laughed out loud and even managed to shed a couple of tears in some more touching scenes. ‘The Princess and the Fangirl’ was an easy read I managed to speed through in a couple of sittings. Ashely Poston really manages to grasp the turmoils and anxiety of teen crushes, headstrong tantrums at parental figures, and rules trying to keep them in a box and on schedule. Be prepared for cookies galore of pop culture references. This is soaked in Con culture. It was delightful and nostalgic as well as entertaining.
At first, upon reading ‘Geekerella’ I was – okay, this is cute. But now I’m really starting to fall in love with Ashley Poston’s writing and the characters she creates. The pace strikes at a lighting speed, I really did not want to put the novel down. There is also wholesome innocence that shines through which is endearing. I think the issue with re-tellings is that it eliminates much of the possibility of creating surprise – we know how the story is going to end. While the mystery of the person behind leaking the ‘Starfield’ sequel script added some much needed mystery, I did not feel like ‘The Princess and the Fangirl’ was all that original. But that is the fault of the genre and nothing to do with the writing. Ashely Poston has written some interesting characters and their ‘voice’ was easily distinguishable between chapters – even though the chapter headings let you know which protagonist we were following.
I know I am not the target demographic for this novel, and as such, felt like there could have been more complexity, and the characters more dynamic – though to be fair, a book written like that would have ruined the aesthetic and charm of the story. It’s just my personal preference in stories I find engaging. ‘The Princess and the Fangirl’ is a fantastic follow-up to ‘Geekerella’ and I’ve already ordered sequel ‘Bookish and the Beast.’ Ashley Poston has slowly woven her way into my heart and made me a fan!
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Neen Cohen
Quirky - would love a solely Queer love story
Reviewed in Australia on February 22, 2021
