Written by Peta Hardiman
*Screams in fangirl*
Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl with an impossible mission: stop her favourite character, Princess Amara, from her favourite franchise, Starfield, from dying. Unfortunately for her, Jessica Stone, who plays Amara, wants the exact opposite. She wants nothing more than the lay Amara to rest, and move on to bigger and better things. But when a case of mistaken identity brings the two look-alikes together, Jess and Imogen all of a sudden have much bigger issues to worry about.
While they start out as instant enemies when Starfield’s sequel script is suddenly leaked, and Jess is the most likely suspect, she turns to Imogen for help. The girls decide to switch places, and while Jess looks for the script (and deals with the reality of Imogen’s very pretty con booth partner), Imogen gets thrust into the scrutiny of the other side of fan culture. With the help of new and old friends, the two “princesses” race to find the script-leaker, and on the way, they each must redefine what it means to live happily ever after.
Guys. This. Book. Is. Adorable. I loved Geekerella, and that was pretty darn cute, but The Princess and the Fangirl? Holy hell, this was easily the sweetest, funnest, most light-hearted story (whilst also hitting some surprisingly deep notes) that I’ve read in a long while.
This book came along at just the right time for me and I solidly believe that when that happens, it’s an underappreciated miracle. The benefit to reading contemporary has always been that it’s far easier to find something of yourself between the pages of the book as they’re often going through something equivalent to what your going through, at least, certainly more so than when you read a fantasy novel. But books like Princess and the Fangirl hit to an even deeper level, because they speak of something we’re all heavily a part of here: fan culture.
As our friends in the Federation always say – Look to the stars!” “Aim!” echoes everyone on the showroom floor and I join in for the final word: “Ignite!” Cheers rise up across the showroom floor, and I close my eyes and relish it, because there’s nothing quite like the possibility of another ExcelsiCon.
First of all, a note on representation: there is some! Of our main characters, we have Jess, who is in a f/f relationship with a black love interest. Another character is Ethan, who is Japanese-American, and then we have Imogen, who has two mums and a gay brother. But I think what the most amazing part about the kind of on-page representation we get out of Ashley Poston, is that it’s so normal. All the characters are who they are, and ethnicity and sexual orientation is simply a fact and this is something we need more of all literature, not just in YA.
Jess’s character was particularly important to the story because of what she represents. Her character isn’t at all into geek culture, but she is the female main character in a rebooted fantasy/sci-fi series, and she deals with a lot of fallout from that. The book directly references the abuse Jess received on her social media, and how places like Instagram and Twitter foster trolls that drive these women to their wits end. It speaks of women like Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran, and how this exact side of the fandom is what drove them off the internet.
Not just from Jess’s perspective, but Imogen’s (as she’s now in Jess’s shoes) it also speaks of misogyny and the sexual abuse that women are the victims of at Cons, and while these moments weren’t always described in the best way – it seemed as if Poston was almost too worked up while writing them, and so they aren’t as smooth as some of the other parts of the book. However, it’s so beyond important that they are there.
The relationships in this book: familial, friend, and romantic, are all explored amazingly. It’s shocking how much depth and growth Poston can put into what is realistically not a very long book. At no point did either of the romantic relationships seem forced, there was insta-attraction, but no insta-love – thank goodness! And I especially loved the relationship between Imogen and her brother, Milo. There’s a scene involving the two of them that made me feel so much emotion, because it felt very raw, and real, and as someone with siblings… I felt it in my soul. Because that’s what Poston does, she makes you feel things.
But all together, my ultimate favourite part of this book is the loving side of fan culture as it spoke to a part of me that often gets neglected. Poston makes it okay to be weird, and quirky, and obsessed with things other people don’t understand. She understands that fandoms are family, but that sometimes, the people in your real world don’t quite understand it, and so you can feel a little lonely. The overwhelming morale of this story is that it’s okay to be unapologetic about who you really are. A universal truth, but not one widely acknowledged.
We need those stories, too. Stories that tell us that we can be bold and brash and make mistakes and still come out better on the other side.
The plot is fun and fast-moving; it’s set at a con, so it spans four days, and at no time did it drag or feel bogged down. There are also some fun cameos from characters in Geekerella (although you needn’t have read that book to understand this one). It is described as a Prince and the Pauper retelling, so keep in mind that the story is designed to read like a modern fairytale, and that sometimes, fairytales require us to suspend belief and understand the good always triumphs over evil. Perhaps one of the examples to give you hear is that I was rooting for Jess and Harper’s relationship, despite it being based on a lie… but if you can’t root for the love interests in a fairytale… than this probably isn’t the right book for you.
Overall, The Princess and the Fangirl is fun, and charming, and lighthearted. It has great POC and LGBT representation and it is full of references to fan culture, both old and new (there was even a Yu-Gi-Oh reference in there). And really, it made me remember what it was like to be 17 and unsure of who I was, and what my place was in the world. All the freaking stars to this book!
The Princess and the Fangirl is available now from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Will you be reading The Princess and The Fangirl? Have you already? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
