Geek Girl (Geek Girl, #1)

by Holly Smale

[Leah]

As soon as I heard about Geek Girl by Holly Smale I wanted to read it. I think there’s a massive lack in books about geeks, and I think it’s wrong because geeks will one day rule the world – just look at the evidence, The Big Bang Theory is the most AWESOME show on TV, and it’s about 4 geeks; Holly’s series Geek Girl is about a geek, and I will quite happily admit to being a geek. I’m the biggest book geek around, and you will always find me with my nose in a book and I spend my days off engrossing myself in fictional worlds, because they are far superior to the real world sometimes. I’ll be honest, I knew before I even read the book that I would love it, and I did. So, so much.

What I liked about Geek Girl above everything else, was its message. There is nothing wrong at all in this day and age if you are a geek. In fact, it’s probably easier being a geek in 2013 than it was in 2003, or the 90s. But, the sad fact of the matter is, people like Harriet are still bullied because they’re clever – I was bullied, before I moved to Tenerife (and even after, for that matter), I was bullied by the people in my class because I was clever, they dubbed me ‘swot’ and it’s sort of sad, really. I hated it, just like Harriet does, but I liked that despite the fact she saw modelling as her way of showing the people around her she was more than just a geek, I liked that it didn’t change her core character. I adored the message that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a geek and if that’s who you are, that’s who you are and be proud of it. Anyone who tells you any differently is being a bully and they’re the ones in the wrong.

So, yes, now that I’ve got my noble rant out of the way, because it does still bug me that there are people who pick on other people because of how they act, let’s move on! I loved Geek Girl for more than its message, though (though I think every single person who ever feels down about themselves should read this book, it’ll totally pick you up and make you feel proud of who you are. Really, I swear down.), I adored the plot (Smale herself was a geek-turned-model-turned-writer) and I loved seeing how Harriet was thrust into the modelling world, and Smale wrote about it beautifully and with such good knowledge (she says, though I have no idea, actually whether it was with good knowledge because I know diddly squat about modelling hehe). The characters were amazing, Harriet is the sort of girl you can – and will – root for, and I loved her little quirks; from spouting out random facts, to hiding under tables, to collapsing tables with hats on, she was charming and unforgettable.

To be fair, all the Geek Girl characters were unforgettable. I thought Harriet’s dad was hilarious, so often in novels you see parents not wanting their child to do this, that or the other but Harriet’s dad was totally up for it all, and I loved (and cringed) at him trying to be hip. Nick! Oh, I have such the massivest crush on Nick! So bad I don’t even know if massivest is a word. I wanted to see him on every page, and I can’t wait for the sequel to see more of him. Sigh. He was so cool. I loved Annabell, Harriet’s step-mother, she’s a bit over-bearing, but it sort of works. I love the way she lawyers everyone around her. Geek Girl just made my day. I adored it from start to finish and even had a few cheeky laughs as I was reading, too. I can’t wait to read Model Misfit, and get back with all the Geek Girl characters – even Toby, Harriet’s stalker (I SO think you’ve made it when you’ve got a stalker…). This is a series that has massive potential for laughs, warmth, lots and lots of books (hopefully) and Smale is a wonderful storyteller. Just read it, it’s amazing.