The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Sometimes the best heroes are the ones in your head—but that doesn’t make them any less real.

Ashley Poston

When I first read the first book, Geekerella, I fell in love with the story. It came out a in April of 2017, but I didn’t get a chance to read it until August of 2017. In June of 2017 my father passed away suddenly and I spent the following month doing what I could to keep his legacy alive. So, when I picked up Geekerella, I sobbed my way through it. I had no memory of ever connecting to a story that much. After that I tucked it into my shelf, not knowing until 2 weeks ago that it was turning into a series. Imagine my delight and happiness when seeing that the book that had gotten me through the darkest time in my life, was just a launchpad for more nerd love.

And that’s exactly what The Princess and the Fangirl truly is. More nerd love. Not just love between nerds, but love FOR nerds. The book is a love letter to those of us who live and breathe stories set in the Stars (Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, BattleSTAR Galactica, etc). The book is littered with so many amazing pop culture references (although I do admit that could be a detractor for some people) it was like fuel for my TMORD* heart.

We follow two characters, Jessica Stone (whom we met in Geekerella) and Imogene Lovelace. The two girls are from different worlds, but look nearly identical. Identical enough that through a chain of events, Imogene goes from accidentally being mistaken for Jessica, to actually intentionally impersonating her for the duration of ExcelsiCon. There is a steep learning curve for both girls, as they realize the other didn’t have it as easily as first it appeared. I loved following both storylines, and I love how Ashley weaves LGBTQ+ relationships into her stories. They feel so natural and I ship all of them so much.

I didn’t love this one quite as much as I loved Geekerella, but I think the latter just will always have a special place in my heart because of my own life experiences at the time. If you are a fan of modern retellings and any type of nerd culture, this series is for you. But I recommend starting with the first one. While this one can be read as a standalone, there are callbacks to the first one that wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

Also – special note. Clearly Ashley has been or WELL researched cons that take place in Atlanta (like Dragon Con), because multiple times the carpet is described as memorable, and if you’ve been to Dragon Con you KNOW what she’s talking about.

*TMORD – imaginary language(?) my sister and I created and identify with: TV-Movie Over Reference Disorder.

Book Particulars

• Page Count: 320
• Publisher: Quirk Books
• Edition Read: Hardcover
• Release Date: April 2, 2019
• Dates Read: October 14 – 20

Book Synopsis

The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year’s ExcelsiCon isn’t her last, she’ll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That’s easier said than done when the girls step into each other’s shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these “princesses” race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.