Well that was utterly delightful. Geekerella is charming and sweet. Cinderella retellings are a dime a dozen, but Geekerella takes on Cindy with a refreshing and unique twist that really works and stands out from the pack with panache. 
 I adore the characters: sweet Elle, who is just hanging in there and trying to survive living with her overbearing stepmom and bratty stepsisters. Earnest Darien, who has been given the opportunity of a lifetime but doesn't quite know who he is. For both, the list of who they can trust is quite small or even nonexistent until a handful of secondary characters enter their orbit and stick there. 
 The fandom aspect of Geekella is absolutely brilliantly written. You might even say the force is strong with this one. Not only does Ashley sprinkly pop culture and fandom references (everything from Firefly to Princess Bride to three separate Batmans to Star Trek and back) throughout the narrative in a way that feels true (most "geeks" do know multiple fandoms, even if they have a favorite so it has always fruatrated me when these books ignore Fandom as a whole and focus wholly on one), but the fictional fandom--Starfield--Ashley created for Geekerella absolutely hooked me. The passion Elle and Darien and other characters use to describe their beloved series was contagious, and I became fully invested in it. I love how special it was to both Elle and Darien and forged the bond between Elle's parents, Elle and her father, Darien and his father, and, of course, Elle and Darien. I really appreciate that kind of parallelism. And Starfield! MAN! Not only would I love a Geekerella movie, I want a Starfield movie or show! It's strong enough that it could stand on its own, and that is absolutely due to the strength of Ashley's writing. I want to see the show that started it all, I want to see Darien's movie, I want to attend ExcelsiCon, I want to do it all. 
 This book is adorable and wholly precious. There's a great primary romance, but there's a secondary f/f romance I loved just as much! Geekerella's acknowledgements are a love letter to fandom and every fan that celebrates it, and I think Geekerella itself honors them. This book is perfect, and I'm so glad it made its way to my hands right at the end of the year so 2016 coupd close on a fan-tastic note, reading wise. Highly recommend!