Are you prepared to dive into the weird intricacies of nerd society? What about internet fame and internet trolls? What about some Dungeons and Dragons?
...are you prepared for a portrayal for how nerdy women are treated?
An amazon summary, "Cameron's cosplay creations are finally starting to earn her attention--attention she hopes to use to get into the CalArts costume design department for college. But after she wins a major competition, she inadvertently sets off a firestorm of angry comments from male fans online.
When Cameron's family moves the summer before her senior year, she hopes to complete her costume portfolio in peace and quiet away from the abuse.
Unfortunately, the only comic shop in town--her main destination for character reference--is staffed by a dudebro owner who challenges every woman who comes into the shop.
At her twin brother's suggestion, Cameron borrows a set of his clothes and uses her costuming expertise to waltz into the shop as Boy Cameron, where she's shocked at how easily she's accepted into the nerd inner sanctum. Soon, Cameron finds herself drafted into a D&D campaign alongside the jerky shop-owner Brody, friendly (almost flirtatiously so) clerk Wyatt, handsome Lincoln, and her brother Cooper, dragged along for good measure.
But as her "secret identity" gets more and more entrenched, Cameron's portfolio falls by the wayside--and her feelings for Lincoln threaten to make a complicated situation even more precarious in this geek girl anthem from You're Welcome, Universe author Whitney Gardner, complete with fully illustrated comic pages inked by Gardner herself." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
Cam loves to create cosplay. She does her research by finding different comic books and creating them at home. She has a blog that she posts about her cosplays to, and her friends (including her) won a cosplay contest while dressed up as a group from Final Fantasy. ...Cam doesn't know much about the game of Final Fantasy but loves the looks. ...cue the nerd rage online.
Meanwhile, in the meat space of her life, her family has just moved into smaller town with one comic book shop. Cam doesn't drive, so she can get to a few places on foot; including the craft store. Cam is on a quest to get accepted into the CalArts costume design department for college. She goes to visit the local comic bookstore for inspiration...but is shuffled over to the "Girls Section" of comic books. She meets one of the skeezier nerds who doesn't really think that girls can also be into comic books. Fed up, Cam leaves. Later on, she gets her first client. She needs some comic books to make sure she gets the character right....so she has to go back to the comic book store. She has a moment of inspiration of sorts and dresses up like a boy. Her twin brother (did I mention she has a twin? He's super fun) loans her some clothes, and surprisingly, none of the guys in the comic book store catch on that she's a woman. They actually invite her to play Dungeons and Dragons with them.
Thus begins Cam's adventures into moonlighting as a man to pursue her passions. Sounds a lot like Mulan, right? ...too much?
That's enough summary.
I ended up REALLY liking this story because I've met all the different nerdier guys this story had in it. I also loved the portrayal of being able to love the same media/story/thing but for different reasons/aspects. There were some aspects of it that felt VERY authentic to teenage life (hello, drama? Yes, party of EVERYONE).
Oddly enough, I think my favorite characters of the story were the parents. They were very loving, understanding, and encouraged their children to pursue their passions. The parents also encouraged both of their children, which was fun because both kids are passionate in different arts.
There was also a couple tense moments where I kept expecting the other shoe to drop so to speak and have a scene get WAY more crazy intense, but it fizzled into more drama rather than something violent. It ultimately felt more realistic that way too.
The only minor hiccup I have with this book was the Marvel characters, where is the love for the DC characters and all of their wondrous costumes? Ehhh? ;)
Happy reading!
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