Queens of Geek

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT. It was a fun, quick read, but it involved three BFFs, one of which is autistic with social anxiety, and her friends know this and are incredibly supportive. The second girl is openly bisexual. The third friend, the boy, is Hispanic. The three of them take an epic trip to a big Comicon in LA; the bisexual girl (Charlie) co-starred in a zombie movie, and is a popular Youtuber, so when she's invited to the Con she drags her two BFFs with her. Once there, she meets an idol of hers, another Youtuber, and discovers that her idol has a crush on her! So while dealing with her douchebag ex (her co-star from the movie), the other Youtuber asks Charlie out, and the two girls start a romance.

Meanwhile, the autistic girl (Taylor) and the Hispanic boy (Jamie) have loved each other for ages but been too afraid to admit how they feel. Largely left on their own, because Charlie's manager couldn't get them VIP passes, they explore the Con, geeking out over things and meeting another autistic woman, a comic book artist who gives Taylor some amazing advice about being afraid but doing things anyway.

I really really loved this book. I loved seeing autistic characters treated by their peers as just regular people with quirks, like everyone has. Taylor's friends support her when her brain freaks out, and make allowances for her needs, but don't treat her like she's disabled or fragile. I loved seeing how tight the bonds of friendship were between the three teens, and how excited for each other they were, even when good things happening meant less time to spend with each other.

This was just a really lovely, feel-good book with lots of minority representation, by an autistic author who knows what she's talking about. This is one more book off my Autism Reading List, and my pick for a book about friendship from the Litsy Booked 2018 Challenge.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

Fluffy and fun, but not particularly well written, often with repetitive and didactic dialogue (though with a good message - self-positivity, but I don't need EVERY inner monologue/dialogue to be a speech). Characters were diverse in so many great ways (bisexual, on the autism spectrum, etc.) and it was the first book I've read that took place entirely at a con. Wilde got a book out of a winning fanfic entry on Wattpad, so it reads like good fanfic, but there's certainly a place and a teen audience for this.

It is 3 am and I just finished this book. I. Freaking. Loved. It. It was so good, dealing with so much things at once that a lot of people experience every single day. I don't have any kind of anxiety, but I feel like i know more about it now. Like I have experienced it myself while reading this book.

Also, this books is about a Con and I never have been to one, I want to go so badly now.

I really loved the characters, obviously not everyone (FY, Reese) and the development they went trough. I shipped them so so so hard and omg I just loved it.

Also, this book f*cks up my schedule that I had for bookstagram because I need to include it. Probably as best book of 2017. Just saying. Go read it!

Dear swap buddy, I hope you don't mind that I secretly read your book, even though I bought it myself. I kept it clean and tidy because that's how I like my books too. Enjoy it! (I know she isn't going to read it ;))