Author: Jen Wilde
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: PanMacmillan
Goodreads
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.Review by Nara
Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Reese 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.
Queens of Geek is a fantastic #OzYA contemporary about three Aussie characters who go to a convention in the US. They are each mainly there for different reasons (although they are travelling together), but all three are there because it's something they've always wanted to do.
The main characters (and most of the secondary characters) are so relateable in their geekiness. As would be expected of characters who are so keen that they go overseas to attend a pop culture convention, Charlie, Taylor and Jamie are endlessly enthusiastic about books, movies and the internet. As someone who loves reading, watching movies, watching TV, reading manga, watching anime, gaming and watching Youtube (the only notch on the nerd belt which I haven't ticked off is reading comics- currently only reading the one), I definitely appreciated seeing characters who were similar in nerd level haha.
Seriously, A+++ rating for diversity. Even when looking within our two narrators, there is diversity in terms of race, health and sexuality. Charlie is Chinese and bisexual and Taylor is autistic and has social anxiety. I don't think I could even name the last book I've read that has an autistic character that isn't just the main character's younger brother and somehow used as a plot device to portray how the love interest is not a dick.
The story itself is extremely fluffy, but what could you expect from a novel with a cover and description like that anyway? I like a fluffy contemporary every now and again, and Queens of Geek nicely ticks all the boxes that I like in my contemporaries. Shippable romance, adorable story and characters overcoming personal challenges.
While relatively short, Jen Wilde manages to pack a lot into Queens of Geek. I would definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a diverse, well written contemporary.
Really liked it
RatingsOverall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 2/5
