The Summer I Became a Nerd

by Leah Rae Miller

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader--perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she's a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn't just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way. Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop's counter uncovers her secret, she's busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie's whisked into Logan's world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become...and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

• ISBN10: 1545174164
• ISBN13: 9781545174166
• Publish Date: 7 May 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 250
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 stars

Maddie has spent years curating her image. Her middle school mistake finally forgotten, she is able to keep her nerd side under wraps, and project the "Maddie" she wants people to see. That is until Logan pulls her into his world, and she begins to wonder why she is hiding the best parts of herself.

• Pro: The number one reason to read this book is because it is just so darn fun and cute. It's a good time from the beginning to end.

• Pro: The author uses the term "nerd", but I believe this book leans more "geek". So much fantastic geekiness for that matter. Comics, action figures, sci-fi, LARPing - it's all in there, and I loved it!

• Pro: Speaking of LARPing, it was fantastic the way it was incorporated into the story. Of all the geeky goodness, they spent the most time doing this activity. It's actually something that fascinates and impresses me, and I throughly enjoyed these outings with Logan and Maddie.

• Pro: I cannot forget to mention the fantastic families in this book. Both Logan and Maddie had great families, and they were featured quite well, especially Logan's. His mom and his little sister added a little something special, when they were on page, and I utterly adored them.

• Pro: The more I read about Logan, the more I treasured him. He was a phenomenal book boyfriend. Sweet, considerate, and obviously really in "like" with Maddie. He ticked just about every box I could think of, and it's no wonder Maddie couldn't resist him. He also had a stupendous ride-or-die friend, Dan, who won my heart.

• Pro: The book is super fluffy, but it also has a beautiful message. I appreciated Maddie embracing her inner nerd, and learning to love all the parts of herself.

Overall: Fun and fluffy and filled with cheesy goodness, that will leave you with a big, sappy grin on your face.

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[Leah]

The Summer I Became A Nerd is one of the greatest books I will ever read. Oh yes, I said it. Sometimes you just pick the perfect book at the right time, and The Summer I Became A Nerd was that book. I put down soooo many before I started this one, but I knew I wanted a cute Young Adult book, because I've been reading more serious books lately, and this one just ticked ALL THE BOXES. All of em. With ease. A cute guy? TICK. Comic books? TICK. An awesome nerd-like MC? TICK TICK TICK. Cool parents? TICK. The cute guys ass-kicking, name-taking best friend who gets his own book this month? TICK.

I cannot state enough how good The Summer I Became A Nerd is. Right from the opening chapter, when Maddie dresses like her favourite comic book character for school and gets roundly laughed out of the place, before transforming herself into someone completely opposite to the younger Maddie. Was I sad she hid her nerd-like tendencies? Sure, but it actually made for some HILARIOUS scenes. From her grappling to get hold of #400 of her favourite comic book, to meeting Logan, dressed up like she's hiding from the mafia, it just provided so much good. And I loved that Logan just went along with it, for the most part, and tried to encourage Maddie to just be Maddie, whatever version that was: be it the cheerleader version or the nerd version. I will never understand why you can't be both, but that's high school for ya.

I loved Maddie, I loved Logan, I loved Dan, I loved the comic books aspect, the LARP-ing (which actually sounds amazing), it was food for this nerdy girls soul. Although I'm more bookworm than nerd, because I'm not actually a big comic reader. I WATCH the comic TV shows - Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, the Marvel movies, I just have NO IDEA where to start in the comic book world. Also, comic book shops are few and far between in the UK which is devastating. So if you're reading this, and you love comics, hit a girl up with where the heck she can start, would you?!?

The Summer I Became A Nerd is one of those great books you'll remember forever. Yes, Maddie makes some mistakes, but the way she puts it right is legit the best thing ever. And the instantaneous feels between Maddie and Logan was everything I wanted and more. It made my heart sing, and I had the biggest smile on my face when I finished reading the book. I like it when a book just makes you happy. This book made me happy. We need more books that make us smile and laugh, especially with so much badness in the real world. Thanks Leah, not only do you have an awesome name, you have mad writing skills.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

The Summer I Became a Nerd could not have come at a better time for me. I won’t bore you with my life’s woes, but this book pulled me out of a serious funk for a few hours. It is the most adorable, or should I say adorkable, book I have ever read. The smile did not leave my face from page one and I could not put it down! I love all things nerdy and Maddie’s story just left me with a serious case of the fuzzies!

Maddie is a cheerleader leading a double life. When she’s not in uniform, she’s curled up with a comic or having Sci-Fi marathons with her dad. She tries really hard to keep her two lives separate, but when some unforeseen circumstance has her entering the local comic shop for the first time, her true self just may have to come out. I could totally relate to having a secret geeky side…well, kind of. Everyone knew I played the Sims (2, 3, AND Medieval), but very few knew exactly how deep my obsession runs. No one knows about Maddie though. She can totally geek out with the best of us, but she insists on keeping it hidden after a traumatizing event in the 6th grade. I loved watching her let her inner geek shine!

LARPing! There is LARPing! You can’t get nerdier than that and I absolutely adored getting to see into this world which I have never witnessed before. It was so much fun and took The Summer I Became a Nerd that extra step into awesomeness. I also appreciated how it played a pretty large role in main romantic conflict. There is really no crazy romance drama, but there is some misunderstandings, of course. It also contains the greatest break up scene ever! It’s super hilarious, and I loved how the author made it funny rather than angsty and dramatic.

I don’t really know how to express the extent my love for The Summer I Became a Nerd. It’s like near perfection! It’s so fun and funny, and cute, and adorable, and I just love it! The overly done high school drama is replaced with LARPing drama! You can’t get any better than that! I recommend this one to everyone! Whether you’re looking for a great summer read, a fun Contemporary, or just can’t decide what to read next, you need to read The Summer I Became a Nerd!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Amber]

Summer's here, which means I am experiencing my annual craving for summer contemporaries. I think the main reason for this is the English weather.



The Summer I Became a Nerd promised to be a light read with a cute romance and a main character who discovers herself and comes to accept it. And that is exactly what this book is. It's nothing amazing, but I think it would do for a quick read if you need a break between bigger stuff.

Full review on Books of Amber

[jnikkir]

Thanks to a mortally embarrassing Halloween dance when she was younger, Maddie has abandoned public displays of nerdiness for all time. Now successfully in "hiding" as a popular cheerleader at her school, Maddie's only goal is to make it through high school without blowing her cover, which can be difficult because she's a die-hard comic book nerd. But she's determined to keep her hidden identity a secret from everyone - at least until she meets Logan at the comic store, who makes her question whether maintaining her secret is really worth losing something she thought she could never have.

It must be said - I went into this book wanting nothing more than adorable nerdy fluff - and I got what I wanted, and then some. The Summer I Became a Nerd is fun and nerdy and super adorable - exactly what I expected and wanted it to be.

Maddie and Logan, the main characters, are both awesome. Maddie might be a little frustrating at times because of the lengths she goes to in order to hide her love of comic books, but if you're willing to laugh those parts off and just go with it, her hidden nerdiness comes across as just entertaining rather than annoying. She has a very believable voice, and she's struggling with something I think everyone can relate to in some degree - accepting herself and wanting to be accepted by others. Logan, the boy from the comic shop, is completely and utterly fantastic. He's charming and funny and totally adorkable. He slowly gets Maddie to open up to him and finally embrace what she's been missing out on by hiding her love of comics for so long.

The relationships were also a breath of fresh air. I obviously loved Maddie and Logan, but also the family dynamics and friendships were all so wonderfully realized. Logan's family has to be my favorite - his mom, his dad, and his young siblings are all so refreshing. They are such a cute family. Maddie's family wasn't featured quite as prominently, but they were great as well. What I really liked was that there wasn't any huge family drama anywhere in the book. The parents supported their kids, and none of them were the "bad guys". I also really liked Logan's best friend Dan. I thought he was just there to be funny at first, but he ended up being a favorite of mine. He stuck up for Logan when he thought he was being wronged, and was also a great friend to Maddie as well.

In conclusion...
Summer is a sweet, light story of love and acceptance - with a healthy dose of nerdiness woven throughout. If you're a nerd in need of a fluffy summer read, definitely pick this one up. ;)
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{ This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved... }

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

The Summer I Became a Nerd was adorable! I'm a huge nerd so this book appealed to me for obvious reasons. It's about a girl struggling between "fitting in" in high school and just being herself in all her nerd glory. It's filled with pure nerdiness (including comic books and live action role-playing) and an adorable, awkward, hesitant, sweet romance!

I've never been a huge LARP (live action role-play) girl myself, but I really enjoyed reading about it in The Summer I Became a Nerd. I do like video games, and LARPing is basically like acting out a video game in real life. Not 100% my thing, but so much fun to read about! It's like Lord of the Rings comes to life!

But my absolute favourite part of this book was the romance. Honestly, it's pure YA sweetness. There are so many cute awkward moments that make the relationship feel real. It's not perfect and it's not always flawless, but it's adorable and it's about two teenagers who like each other but don't really know what they're doing or how to do it.

The one annoying thing about this book was Madelyne. She wasn't always the most likable character. That does make for some great character development though, because she certainly learns her lessons and becomes a better person at the end.. but it doesn't change the fact that she was pretty aggravating for the first part of the book! She's not exaggerating when she says she has a "secret life". At one point she goes on a date with Logan and when she sees her friend there she HIDES. Like full on ducking-behind-counters and ignoring-texts and pretending-she-didn't-see-her-friend. She doesn't want to be seen with Logan because then she has to explain to her friend why she's with a nerd and not with her jock boyfriend. I just didn't like how she cared so much about what other people thought. But in a sense, I guess this was realistic because teenagers are definitely like that. Many girls in high school do think that popularity is the most important thing in the world. It's sad, but I guess it's true.

In any case, the book ended on a really great note and I think that Madelyne pulled through in the end. She really went above and beyond when it came to making up for her mistakes. There is a totally and completely epic showdown at the end that had me screaming and squealing and wanting to go out and join the LARP game! If you have any interest in comic books or video games or other awesome nerdy activities, I definitely recommend The Summer I Became a Nerd! It's cute, it's fun, and it will definitely give you an entertaining afternoon!