Snuggly Oranges

Geek Girl is one of those books that I pick up when I'm in a certain mood. It's a light, fluffy contemporary with a certain escapism appeal. And in that sense, it's so great to read - as long as I don't start qualitatively analyzing it.

This book has a lot going for it. As a raging nerd and geek myself, I definitely connected with Harriet on many points. I think in a way that a lot of people don't understand - and while I don't collect random facts and spew them out all the time, it was definitely enjoyable to read from that point of view. Harriet is just amazingly awkward but in a very relatable and touching way. However, I must say, that toward the end of the book, her personality - the awkward exclamations of facts and the constant self-deprecation - got exhausting.

I desperately wanted her to grow, at least from the self-deprecation stuff. I mean, this girl is picked out of nowhere to be a model, swept into the modeling world, and is an instant sensation. Meanwhile, she will tell you every moment she gets that she is so ugly that it makes no sense why they picked her. I mean, a little self-doubt is understandable, particularly as a teenager. But it felt overdone here. She wouldn't entertain the notion that maybe some people thought she was pretty for a second. And not only did that kind of make me lose respect for her, it also made me believe her. At the end of the book, I was just nodding going, "Yeah, I dunno why they picked you either. I mean, gosh. Ugly."

I did, however, enjoy her budding romance with Nick. I thought they were adorable together, and though I suppose it leaned a little towards instalove, that actually didn't bother me at all. Particular the end was just.. all the adorbs! I loved it! And that will probably have me picking up the sequel anyway.

The rest of the novel was more or less middle-of-the-road stuff. It was a nice pick-me-up, and it had some nice moments, like Harriet's relationship with her stepmother, Annabeth, and her father and Annabeth's relationship. However, there were also some moments that were completely exhausting: like Wilbur, the eccentric agent who picks up Harriet and all his *headdesk*-worthy nicknames. Also, Toby, the geek who openly stalks Harriet kind of freaked me the hell out when I really thought about his behavior. At first glance he was kind of cute-nerdy, but he really stalks Harriet, and she is perfectly okay with it. That's just something I can't really comprehend.

The plot was straightforward and unsurprisingly. Exactly what you would expect from such a contemporary escapism read. I could have done with less best friend drama and stuck up model drama, but I guess if you pick this book up, you're probably someone who doesn't mind that kind of thing.

Summing Up:

What can I say? No big surprises in this book. What you see is what you get. When you have nothing else to read and really just want something light and cute to pick you up, consider Geek Girl. It's pretty fun. But don't expect to be wowed. The romance may be its biggest selling point though, and that definitely has me curious for the sequel, Model Misfit. But it's not really on the priority list.

GIF it to me straight!

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