Synopsis: The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.
Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year's ExcelsiCon isn't her last, she'll consider her career derailed.
When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That's easier said than done when the girls step into each other's shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these "princesses" race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.
Review: The Princess and the Fangirl is a follow-up companion to Geekerella. If you don't like insta-love/lust, then you won't like this book because it takes place over the span of a weekend. That didn't bother me so much as Imogen's constant internal judgement of herself. She keeps thinking that she isn't pretty enough for anyone, but she's pretty enough to swap places with a beautiful actress? It didn't feel like "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." It just felt frustrating that Imogen was so blind. And I feel this way as someone who isn't conventionally attractive. I just wanted to strangle Imogen. Pretty people are certainly able to feel unattractive, but that is vastly different to someone who is genuinely not what society considers attractive.
Character issues aside, this is another cute romance built around a convention. Because we have a retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, we get to see Jess and Imogen's perspectives throughout the weekend. I'll be honest, I felt more invested in Jess' relationship building than Imogen's. My biggest problem with The Princess and the Fangirl is that I wanted more from it. Jess had the chance to really see what Amara means as a character to her fans, but this doesn't get much focus. And Imogen had the chance to see what pressure Jess is constantly under, and how damaging Starfield could be to her career, but she is still focused on her Save Amara campaign.
Another okay romance, but I wanted a bit more meat in the story.
3 howls
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