Review: Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1) by Holly Smale

Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1) by Holly Smale 
Publication date: Jan. 27, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Category: Young Adult - Contemporary
Source: Received ARC via Edelweiss (Thanks!)
Summary: Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. Like she knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her best friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves. As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next she begins to realize that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did. And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything? (Adapted goodreads.com)

The good
Cute, light, fluffy. These are the words I would use to describe Geek Girl, a book that made me laugh but also surprised me with a sweet message that would be much appreciated by young girls going through that awkward stage in life. Harriet Manners is a geek. She knows it, her best friend Nat knows it and so does the rest of her classmates. But while Harriet is ok with being a geek and Nat accepts her for who she is, her classmates ostracize her and she wishes she understood why. Then she gets spotted by a top modeling agent who wants to recruit her and Harriet needs to decide. Take a chance to reinvent herself even it means her best friend will be mad or let things continue as they are? She decides to go for it.

Harriet was a fun protagonist. Even though she knows who she is and what she’s interested in, that desire to be liked and accepted is a hard feeling to ignore and I could see why she’d jump at a chance to change. And I think it ended being a fun adventure for her. She approaches modeling in her own, unique (read: hilarious!) way. Each of her parents play a big role in supporting her and it’s clear they love her for who she is. She gets to travel for a modeling gig, finds acceptance in unexpected places and meets a cute guy along the way. For such a quick read, Geek Girl managed to churn out a well-rounded story about self-acceptance, family, supportive friends and the importance of being honest while still making readers laugh.

(Super minor) Reservations
I think if the book had been a little longer, it would’ve given us a bit more time with certain characters so they could be fleshed out more.

Do I recommend?
Yes! If you’re in the mood for something that’s funny and quick to read, I’d check this one out.

3 comments

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The next two books are even better, I hope you enjoy them when they're released over there!:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. There were so many crazy, fun characters in this book it was so entertaining haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I seemed too XD I'm hoping more of the characters get fleshed out in the sequel(s) because there are so many I'd love to know more about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thought Geek Girl was really cute too! It reminded me of some lighter contemporary reads that I'd indulged in before, especially because main character Harriet was delightful and easy to relate to. I'm not sure if I'd prioritize continuing on with the series, but I do think this was a really fun, fluffy read.

    ReplyDelete

with love,

Rachel