Monday 2 March 2015

Review: Geek Girl by Holly Smale

Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: Feb 28th 2013
Source: Borrowed from local library
Series: 1st novel in a series


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Blurb: Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. 

She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves. 

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did. 

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?



Review: 

I was sort of worried going into this novel that they hype and buzz around it would make my expectations too high and result in me not enjoying this novel as much as everyone else has but thankfully I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would. 

The themes in this book were put across so well by the author. I loved the way the novel made the reader look at family, friendship, betrayal, secrets and trust in a new way and really made you think about family and the importance of family and friends. 

The plot of  the novel was so fun and easy to read. I found that once i had started reading it was hard to stop. Each time I picked up the novel I was sucked into quirky Harriet's life with her problems and mistakes and hilarious antics. I loved reading about the modelling side and about Harriet's "transformation", which I had thought was going to be cliche but was written in a refreshing and wonderful way. 

I loved every character in this novel, even the antagonist because of how well she was written! First off, Harriet Manners is the kind of character I would love to jump out of the page and be my best friend. She was quirky, sarcastic, witty and had facts to last a lifetime. I loved her refreshing narration voice in this story. 



I also loved Harriet's relationships with the other characters in the novel. Harriet's family was such a great and realistic family to read about. Harriet lives with her father and stepmother, Annabel. Harriet's dad was such a big child, so funny and spontaneous while Annabel was a much more responsible and serious person, they balanced each other out and both really loved Harriet. I really loved Annabel,she's such a strong female character but doesn't overpower the book or make the book too serious. 

I also loved Harriet's friends, Nat who is her best friend and Toby who is her "stalker", trust me it's less creepy than you think in the book. I also loved everyone we meet in the modelling world in the novel, from Wilbur the photographer who scouts Harriet, to Yuka Ito the serious fashion designer. Wilbur was hilarious and crazy and Yuka was mysterious and serious, and I loved reading about both! Last nut not least is the love interest model who Harriet befriends when she is first scouted called Nick. Nick is mysterious, good looking, kind and funny. The perfect love interest for this novel. 

I can't recommend this novel enough. If you re a fan of contemporary YA then this is the book for you. Although the main character is a lot younger than I am, Harriet is 14 or 15 in this novel, I still enjoyed it and found myself relating to Harriet's shy and introvert ways as I could remember from my own secondary / high school experiences. Overall a witty, fun, gripping and memorable contemporary novel that will have you laughing out loud! 



Favourite Quote:


“Nobody hopped into a wardrobe to find Narnia; they hopped in, thinking it was just a wardrobe. They didn't climb up the Faraway Tree, knowing it was a Faraway Tree; they thought it was just a really big tree. Harry Potter thought he was a normal boy; Mary Poppins was supposed to be a regular nanny. It's the first and only rule. Magic comes when you're not looking for it.”
― Holly SmaleGeek Girl


Rating: 


Five Stars 

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