The princess and the fangirl by Ashley Poston
Quirk Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781683691105.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Romance. If you are not a fan of Comicons,
you might struggle at first with this latest Geekerella title by
Ashley Poston. Set at the 25th annual EcelsiCon in Atlanta, the
jargon and language is disorientating at first but is soon
internalized - certainly a lot quicker than grasping an entirely new
world, typical of your average high fantasy novel.
Alternating both main characters' perspectives helps unpack the
strange world of the EcelsiCon Convention through the eyes of newbie
Jess and Imogen, the veteran. Based on the storyline of The
Prince and the Pauper, celebrity Jessica Stone switches places
with her fangirl doppelganger (Imogen) in order to find freedom from
the commitment and from relentless social media trolls, who erode
her self-worth.
Imogen ironically wants to save Jessica, AKA Princess Amara, from
being written out of the film franchise. A case of mistaken identity
brings the disillusioned actress and the naive but genuine fan, into
conflict. Jessica wants nothing to do with saving her character and
blames the role of Amara for stunting her acting career. When
someone leaks the script of the next sequel on social media, Imogen
agrees to switch places, to help identify the person before Jessica
gets the blame.
As in the original fairytale, the grass only seems greener on the
other side. Numerous complications alter the perceptions each has of
the other's life. On the bright side, being someone they are not,
has an unexpected effect on their social lives. Both girls fall
deeply in love, with a boy and a girl who help them see that they
are not imposters as they fear - but amazing and talented and
capable of making a real difference to the world. Now that's a
message worth internalizing.
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Deborah Robins