A Dream Within A Dream: The Summer I Became a Nerd Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

The Summer I Became a Nerd
Author: Leah Rae Miller
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Buy Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Description:

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

The Summer I Became a Nerd is a fun and lighthearted book about a popular teenage girl named Maddie, who has hidden the fact that she is a comic book loving nerd for the past few years. After the last issue of her favorite comic gets backordered, Maddie ventures into The Phoenix - the only comic book shop in her small town. There she runs into Logan - a super cute, yet nerdy, guy from her school - the one that Maddie has been secretly crushing on for quite some time. Maddie and Logan start up a friendship that has Maddie questioning her reasons for hiding who she really is, the loyalty of her friends, and her real feelings for Logan. Naturally, things have to go pretty wrong for Maddie before they can finally become right and she can be happy being herself.

This was a really light and fun read that I finished in a few hours. I normally don't like YA contemporary fiction, but I'm glad I gave this one a shot. Maddie is a great main character. She's smart, popular, loyal to her friends and family, and true geek girl. She feels she has to hide her true self from the people at school for fear of being made fun of and rejected, so she's never really happy and only pretends to be the person they see. I immediately liked Maddie and easily identified with her early in the story. By the end, I was definitely rooting for her. Logan is the resident nerdy hot guy and I loved his character. I think the relationship between Maddie and him was a bit cheesy at times, but that made me love it even more. It felt like the perfect story of nerdy boy and popular girl falling in love, all while teaching said girl to be her true self and not care what others think. The story has a really positive message for readers at the same time, so it's a double win for everyone. The plot wasn't super original, but the author made it fun and light, so it was a fast read that I really enjoyed. Fans of the genre will definitely not want to miss out on this book - perfect for the summer!