I got this book for free using netgalley but I promise all opinions are my very own! Queens of Geek
ISBN: 9781250111395

by Jen Wilde
Published by Feiwel & Friends on March 14th 2017
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Loners & Outcasts, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Social Themes, Mental Illness
Pages: 288
Source: netgalley
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Three friends, two love stories, one convention: this fun, feminist love letter to geek culture is all about fandom, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself.
"Full of irreverent humor and in-jokes, it’s geeky and funny, with a heavy dose of self-discovery. . . . . Seeing girls and women uplifting, protecting, and loving each other is extremely powerful especially in the context of fandom." —Teen Vogue
"This is the geeky, queer book of our dreams." —SeventeenCharlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.
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 her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, is an empowering novel for anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family.
Praise for Queens of Geek:
"Seeing girls and women uplifting, protecting, and loving each other is extremely powerful especially in the context of fandom. The book deals head on with issues of mental health, body shaming, sexuality, and internet celebrity, handling them with a delicate and skillful touch." —Teen Vogue
"This is the geeky, queer book of our dreams. . . . This fluffy, nerdy book is perfect for cosplayers and convention-lovers." —Seventeen"Jen Wilde's book about two best friends—one a bisexual young woman of color, the other a young [autistic] woman . . . dealing with anxiety—will be a favorite of anyone who is a fan of geek culture. . . . This fun book about fierce friendships gives voice to a group of diverse female characters who are so defined by so much more than just their mental health and sexuality." —Bustle
“Queens of Geek is an emotional, lively story full of characters that leap off the page and slip their hands into yours, inviting you into a world where the geeks and nerds are royalty and fandom is court. Richly realized and defiantly affirming, Queens of Geek reminds us that adventures and romances aren't limited to archetypes but are, in fact, for all of us.” —Katherine Locke, author of Second Position, moderator of #GayYABookClub
"The characters’ diversity provides natural opportunities to explore a number of contemporary teen issues, including race, sexual orientation, feminism, and body image. Some of the most compelling chapters are told from the point of view of Taylor, who fears change, hates crowds, and is on the autism spectrum. . . . Part of Macmillan’s crowdsourced imprint, this celebration of geek culture and fandom promotes diversity and being true to oneself." —School Library Journal
"Queens of Geek is full of book and movie references and is a fun look at the fandom convention phenomena. Taylor's anxiety and experience with Asperger's are treated with sensitivity. . . . Queens of Geek is a fun, quick read that will appeal to romance readers and self-proclaimed geeks." —VOYA
Praise from the Swoon Reads community:
"[Queens of Geek] was an incredibly compelling read, just because it contained a storyline I ABSORBED, and characters so diverse they were a pleasure to read! . . . Mix that with the romance, self-discovery of self-worth, and all the geeky references, this made for a perfect read! I honestly couldn't put it down, reading late into the night to see what happened next! " —Zoie K, reader on SwoonReads.com
"I love how interesting the story was and how the author addressed the characters' diversity without glossing over it or making it all about that. . . . It reminded me a little of Fangirl." —Lizzie, reader on SwoonReads.com

When I first saw this on NetGalley I had no idea that it was gonna be such a huge hit in book blogging circles. All I saw was geek in the title and I was all like

fandoms and other nerdy things.

A girl with anxiety HEY THATS ME!!

And I was so overjoyed when I got approved for it. Then I forgot about it until I saw it popping up on alllll the book blogs and I looked on my kindle and I was all like I HAVE IT yay! So I started reading and this book..was…so..good. I read it all in one sitting.

Those of you who know me know that I suffer from anxiety. It can be debilitating at times and it is so infuriating when an author trivializes that actual disorder.  I have read a book where they make it seem if I just set my mind to it then I can overcome the attacks and that is just not true. Trust me no one WANTSan anxiety disorder. It is annoying and it can keep you from being truly happy

it is like you WANT to do things, like in the book she wanted to enter the fan contest to meet the author of her favorite book but her anxiety was so high that the very thought of it freaked her out. I can so relate to that, I mean sometimes I can’t even get up the gumption to leave my apartment. Like her, I also have to prepare for stuff. Like if a friend calls me up wanting to go out THAT VERY MINUTE well it ain’t happening.  Have to have at least 24 hours to mentally prepare me.

I loved all of the geeky stuff in it too. I am a big geek. Although my fandoms seem less cool than the people in the book. Like I am obsessed with Zombies. Anything Zombie and I want it. I even have the Zombie Couch to 5K thingie on my phone so I can pretend to be running for an actual reason than to mindless go nowhere on the treadmill. I could so relate to the comic thingie too I have only recently gotten into the whole Comic Scene but I love it. I used to even play games but I had to quit that or I would never get out of the apartment. Hours and hours I used to spend in the land of World of Warcraft.

I loved the diversity in this book. It is hard to find the book this well was written that has believable diversity in it. These were not just walking diagnoses but rather people that happened to HAVE anxiety and be on the autistic spectrum. They had a bi person in the book and it was so refreshing not to have the person be all like what is wrong with me but rather view it as a natural and normal part of who she was. I loved that.

This is going onto one of my top ten reads this year for sure. In fact, so far this is my favorite read this year. I hope the author writes more soon!