Geek Charming

Wow!!! And HOLY WOW!!!! *standing ovation* I don't even know where to being. At first, I didn't pay attention to the chapter titles *which I should have but I just wanted to dive RIGHT IN!* and understood the story is told by the two main characters: Dylan and Josh. I love how Robin wrote the book this way and I wish more authors did! Overall, I saw a little bit of myself in this book (as within Cindy Ella) and also got an inside look into the "popular world." It shows that we're ALL human and we ALL have our issues to deal with; popular or not. It's about whether or not we take the time to think outside of the box and try to put ourselves "in the other person's shoes" and walk "that mile" in them. Trust me...in some shape, way, or form...young or wiser...you will identify with this book and flashback to your high school days *"good" or "bad"*. GREAT JOB ROBIN!!! I can't wait for the next one!!!! :) When will that be exactly??

Meet Dylan. She's everything that you could ever want to be: Pretty, popular and rich. She finally gets a coveted bag that everyone wants. Everything is great, until she has a conversation with her two best friends, Lola and Hannah, about the awful Amy Loubalu, when her coveted bag flies off her arm and into the water fountain at the mall. What's a girl to do but try to find someone else to jump in and rescue it for her. That's where Josh comes in. Josh goes to the same school as Dylan and even knows her, but Dylan has never given him a second glance. So, when Josh gets Dylan's bag back, he decides it's a great time to get her to help him with his college entrance project. You see, Josh is a flat out film geek and not ashamed of it. For his project, he wants to follow Dylan around and document the workings of the "in crowd". But when Dylan's life starts unraveling, Josh starts to see that she's not really a heartless snob, but really a person, who feels just like everyone else. When her boyfriend drops her, she's not only alone, but starts to see the inner workings begin to work against her. Will Josh be able to help Dylan and show her that there's more to life that designer bags and cute surfer boyfriends? I have to say that I'm a huge fan of Robin Palmer since I read Cindy Ella. This book is along the feel good lines of Cindy Ella, but different enough to make it's own impact. I loved the character of Dylan, even as self absorbed and clueless that she is. She's your sterotypical popular high school girl, but she's somehow still loveable. Josh, to me, is alot cooler than Dylan and even himself, gives him credit for. He's a enjoyable character that kept me interested in the story. Robin Palmer has a fresh voice in YA and I'm loving it. Hopefully, we'll have something new from her to look forward to soon! If you're in a bookstore and in need of a book, this or Cindy Ella would be a great choice! Reposted http://writersblockreviews.blogspot.com

Robin is such a good writer, the story is delicious, much like her last one, whre you just can't put it down. So clearly at home with the characters, this book is charming, funny, poignant and when is the movie coming out! I love Robin's writing and how she pulls in the reader, young and older... she certainly appealed to the YA in me... glad I found these books. But I need another one!

Robin Palmer has done it again, with a delightful, compulsively readable YA book that even adults will love. Dylan is a spoiled, popular girl, more concerned with shoes and clothes and handbags than, well, anything. Josh is a film geek who worships at the altar of Woody Allen. They meet when Dylan's bag falls into the fountain at the mall her dad owns (horrors!). Josh rescues it, in exchange for her agreeing to star in his documentary about popularity at Castle Heights High School (which was also the setting for Palmer's first novel Cindy Ella). From there, the two opposites slowly, begrudgingly, get to know each other, peeking under the surface of their outward appearances, meeting each other's families, including Dylan's distant dad and Josh's hippie mom. There's tension between them, but we don't totally know if it's romantic tension or not. Dylan has a boyfriend but he's not really boyfriend material, to put it mildly - Palmer has a lot of fun, actually, with Asher's inability to spell and constant distancing of himself from Dylan. I don't want to totally give away the ending, but I'll say that while it's a happy one, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. There's plenty of drama and Dylan, a girl we readers love to hate for her being so spoiled, becomes someone we want to be happy. The ending ties up a little too neatly, but maybe that's just my sour grapes because I could've easily read another 300 pages of Palmer's witty tale. I can't wait to see what she cooks up next. Lovers of fairy tales, teen angst, film, and YA will be eager to tear through Geek Charming.

Geek Charming is geek-tastic! Again, I bought this for my daughter and got caught up reading it as well (I actually read it before I gave it to her) The characters were nicely developed and the story kept me turning the pages. I recommend this book for anyone who likes to read and is young at heart. Oh please Ms. Palmer, if you are reading this, please come out with more books a lot faster than every year!!