Geek Girl by Holly Smale
Image credit: doodle.ly
Harriet is seen as a geek. She knows many random facts, has no idea how to talk to a boy and has only one friend, Nat, who is also her best friend. She’s tired of feeling different, until a modeling agency decides that Harriet is perfect for the new campaign of a famous brand and the life of the girl changes completely.
For me, Geek Girl was like a film session in the afternoon. The plot was cliché and the ending was fairly predictable, but the book sends a strong message about acceptance and I was laughing out loud with the comments of the protagonist! Perhaps it’s not the most profound book, but it’s definitely fun and I haven’t found such a funny protagonist for a long time.
Harriet definitely has problems. Her self-esteem is low and she is not a very sociable person. Besides that, she is very clumsy and tends to hide under a table. However, the girl won me over with her soft and inexperienced personality. It was clear that even when she was doing something wrong, Harriet had good intentions and was just a teenager trying to fit in. While she did this, her internal monologues were hilarious. I just hope she can grow up and be safer because her self-deprecating comments left me a little depressed.
The father of the protagonist seemed to be more immature than her. He really reminded me of a teenager as well, but he was also pretty cute. The most interesting character for me was Nat, Harriet’s best friend who was complex, self-assured, and very loyal.
Many characters were clichés, like Alexa, the “mean girl” who tormented the protagonist for no apparent reason. Also, I couldn’t like Nick, the boy for whom Harriet seemed to have a crush on. The author tried to give him a cute character, but for me, Nick just seemed arrogant and too enigmatic.
The book does not have the most original plot in the world, but it made me laugh a lot and it got me hooked. I would recommend it to anyone looking for something light and funny. It is a great contemporary novel for teens, especially because the plot focuses on the journey of protagonist and not on novels, etc.
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