Geek Girl by Holly Smale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I only went and devoured the book in a couple of sittings. Goodreads will give you the low down on the plot.

As a self confessed geek I think there would have been something wrong had I not liked a book with this title but I was a little anxious when I started. What if I didn’t, would that mean I wasn’t a geek? But I am, I’ve spent ages getting to the stage that I’m proud of this fact and for a book to take it all away!! BUt thankfully that didn’t happen.

Why I loved this book

It starts with a dictionary definition of geek.

The main character (Harriet Manners) has the OED by her bedside (I have a huge dictionary and thesaurus that I once bought myself with some birthday money – it is downstairs – too big for the bedside table).

It literally made me laugh out loud on a few occasions and giggle quietly to myself on many others.

It reminded me a little of The Princess Diaries which I also loved.

The chapters are short and punchy which makes it easy to keep reading just one more until the whole book has gone (if pesky work hadn’t got in the way I’m sure it would have only taken me one sitting to read).

The first person POV talking to the reader really worked in this case.

There’s a nod to the fact that this is a story at the start of chapter 2.

Wilbur in the wheelchair!

Toby and putting the pieces of “the puzzle” back together.

Lion Boy (Come on! he’s nice – we don’t all like the treat em mean, keep em keen type).

That Harriet’s interesting personal style makes me have the idea that someone somewhere might have thought my cycling shorts over black tights period of “fashion” was darling.

It made me cry twice (in my edition on pages 295 and 312 if you like detail – as Harriet does). If you’ve read my recent 2012 review (the first bullet point) post that gives you a clue why. To say that I empathised with Harriet a bit might be an understatement.

That Harriet isn’t perfect but we still like her because underneath it she is a jolly good sort.

The message – that it’s ok to be yourself.

There’s more to come!! But that’s enough from me so you can enjoy it for yourself.

Holly Smale, I bow down to you (this book was up in a five-way auction before HarperCollins obviously beat the others into submission).

And just so that you know I have never hidden under a table – never ;o)
I did however punch myself in the nose while turning a page of this book though!