The Princess and the Fangirl – Ashley Poston

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: April 2nd, 2019
Publisher: Quirk Books
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, LGBTQIA+. Retelling, Fandom, Celebrity

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REVIEW:

This is a contemporary, fandom-centered retelling of The Prince and the Pauper and it is almost as adorable as a puppy sniffing old books. It’s also exactly what I needed—the equivalent of comfort food—since I’m supposed to be in Romania right now but there was a problem with my ticket so I have to wait longer to see my grandparents. I felt really discouraged when I heard the news, but luckily I had a few books I was excited to read that helped improve my mood.

I Was Born For This – Alice Oseman

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Published: May 3rd, 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fandom, LGBT, Coming of Age, Contemporary, Music, Celebrity, Friendship, Diversity

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BLURB:

For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare. Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

Ship It – Britta Lundin

Ship It by Britta Lundin

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Distributor
First Published: May 1st, 2018
Publisher: Freeform
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Fandom, Fanfiction, Shipping

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BLURB:

Claire is a sixteen-year-old fangirl obsessed with the show Demon Heart. Forest is an actor on Demon Heart who dreams of bigger roles. When the two meet at a local Comic-Con panel, it’s a dream come true for Claire. Until the Q&A, that is, when Forest laughs off Claire’s assertion that his character is gay. Claire is devastated. After all, every last word of her super-popular fanfic revolves around the romance between Forest’s character and his male frenemy. She can’t believe her hero turned out to be a closed-minded jerk. Forest is mostly confused that anyone would think his character is gay. Because he’s not. Definitely not. Unfortunately for Demon Heart, when the video of the disastrous Q&A goes viral, the producers have a PR nightmare on their hands. In order to help bolster their image within the LGBTQ+ community-as well as with their fans-they hire Claire to join the cast for the rest of their publicity tour. What ensues is a series of colourful Comic-Con clashes between the fans and the show that lead Forest to question his assumptions about sexuality and help Claire come out of her shell. But how far will Claire go to make her ship canon? To what lengths will Forest go to stop her and protect his career? And will Claire ever get the guts to make a move on Tess, the very cute, extremely cool fanartist she keeps running into?

Eliza and Her Monsters – Francesca Zappia

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: May 30th, 2017
Publisher: HarperCollins
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Mental Illness, Contemporary Romance, Fandom

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BLURB:

Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea, a wildly popular webcomic, but when a new boy at school tempts her to live a life offline, everything she’s worked for begins to crumble.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, smart, and friendless. Online, Eliza is LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of a popular webcomic called Monstrous Sea. With millions of followers and fans throughout the world, Eliza’s persona is popular. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves her digital community. Then Wallace Warland transfers to her school, and Eliza begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart. With pages from Eliza’s webcomic, as well as screenshots from Eliza’s online forums, this uniquely formatted book will appeal to fans of Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.

Review: Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: February 25th 2016
Publisher: Macmillians Kids UK
Point of View: 3rd Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fandom, Short Story

BLURB:

If you broke Elena’s heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she’s expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does. What she’s not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels. Kindred Spirits is an engaging short story by Rainbow Rowell, author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On, and is part of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day.