The Princess and the Fangirl

 Tell me a story… about happily ever after

The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon a Con #2) by Ashley Poston 

Publishing date: April 2, 2019

Date read: July 24, 2021

This book is the sequel to Geekerella, so a (non-spoiler) backstory is needed. In Geekerella, the reboot movie version of a popular sci-fi series - Starfield - is being cast, and blogger Elle Wittimer is horrified to see that soap opera star Darien Freeman has been cast as the star. But when a costume contest is announced, where the winner will get tickets to the premiere, Elle is still determined to compete. Darien might just be a pretty boy to some, but he's been a Starfield fan for his whole life. Can he prove himself to the fanbase? A Cinderella retelling.

In The Princess and the Fangirl, Darien's costar in the Starfield movie - Jessica Stone - takes center stage. At the first sci fi convention since her movie premiered, Jessica is tired of the intense fandom attached to the movie and, specifically, her character. All she wanted was to use this role as a stepping stone to more "important" films, but she's terrified that the movie is doing well enough for a sequel and that she'll be locked into a contract. At the convention she meets Imogen Lovelace, who bares a shocking resemblance to Jessica, and all she wants is for her favorite Starfield character - Jessica Stone's character - to have a run in the movies that is worthy. When a script for the sequel leaks, and all signs are pointing to Jessica, the girls hatch a plan to switch places so that Imogen can deal with the fans while Jessica hunts down the leak. A The Prince and the Pauper retelling.

Okay, I know that was long. But thanks for bearing with me. 

This book was just a fun break from other serious books I was reading, and I flew through it. I loved Imogen, and enjoyed her chapters more than Jessica's because of that, although both characters did things that made me want to scream at them. But overall the plot was fun and I enjoyed spending time with the characters. These books are romances set in the world of sci fi conventions, which I find to be such a fun environment. (I can't wait to get back to the Cons again.) The plot was fairly predictable (except for the script-leaking aspect - I didn't guess that point), but you don't really read a romance retelling for the original plot. It's a fairy tale - things are going to go wrong, but in the end, everyone will live happily ever after. 

It was a fun and a fast read and I liked it. It wasn't as good as Geekerella, in my opinion, but definitely enjoyable. I loved the Con setting, complete with insider references to real movies/series/podcasts. I will be reading the third novel soon as well, and will be posting a review when I finish. 

It is not imperative to have read Geekerella before reading this book, but if you have any plans to read the full set, I recommend going in order, since plot points of Geekerella will be spoiled in this one. 

This book is not for everyone, and I know that readers who aren't into science fiction and/or ComicCons are not going to enjoy these books as much as fans will. But if you like a cute romance, and enjoy the sci fi convention world, these are certainly a good choice. You won't be disappointed. 

Rating: 4/5 stars