Geek Girl by Cindy C. BennettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Netgalley and then direct from the publisher
Genre: YA Contemporary
Description from Goodreads: Jen's life of partying and sneaking out has grown stale. So on a whim, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a goody-two-shoes geek, into a "bad boy." As she hangs out with Trevor, however, she finds it's actually kinda fun being a geek. But when Trevor finds out about the bet, Jen must fight for the things she's discovered matter most: friendship, family, and, above all, love.
My thoughts: I vacillated between four and five stars and thought that the way the book made me feel at the end was definitely worth the five stars.
A misguided bet with unforeseen consequences turns out to be the best mistake ever made for Jen. On a whim she bets her two punkish friends that she could turn a good boy bad. Her mistake is underestimating the power that is in staying true to yourself and having fun being yourself rather than portraying a persona that is not who you really are.
My heart ached for Jen as her story unfolds. Cindy shows us a young woman who aches from years of physical and emotional abuse. She becomes a person who shows the world that she doesn't care. She parties and dresses in ways that show rebellion and not the insecure person that she is.
She learns from Trevor and his geeky friends what true fun and friendship is. I love that Trevor accepts her unconditionally. He is a remarkable young man. He is polite and kind to everyone he meets. His love helps her become the person that she wants to be.
There is drama and heartache. It isn't resolved overnight for the characters. They have to face the emotional impact of their decisions. This seems real to me. This is contemporary YA fiction that gives a great message. Great job Cindy! You have made a novel that is worth reading and sharing. A positive message that is told in a great way.
Many thanks to Cedar Fort for their patience with me. I originally downloaded this on my kindle from Netgalley. Then my kindle died and my copy was gone with it. When I emailed Cedar Fort, they were gracious enough to send me a PDF copy to review for this blog tour.
About Cindy: (from Goodreads) Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City, growing up in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs. She also has two sons. She volunteers her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be beautiful, fascinating creatures. When she’s not writing, reading or answering emails she can often times be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home (yes, I ride a Harley and no, you'd never know it to look at me!).
Here are some links if you would like to find out more about the publisher or Cindy Bennett.
Author Blog http://
Author Facebook http://www.
Author Twitter https://
Author Goodreads http://www.
Publisher Blog http://www.
Publisher Facebook https://www.facebook.
Publisher Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/
Publisher GoodReads http://www.
I copied the tour calendar from Cedar Fort's page. If you would like to go to the blogs participating. Here they are.
Lisa - Thank you so much for this fantastic review! I love how you saw to the heart of who Trevor and Jen were, what I was trying to convey. Some people have criticized (not harshly, but a little) Jen's insecurity, but to me it seemed obvious that someone like her would struggle with that. I think teen girls in the best of circumstances struggle with that! Heck, adult girls struggle with insecurity at times.
ReplyDeleteThanks for allowing Geek Girl to make a stop on your blog for the tour. :o)
Loved geek girl too!!! Guess you could say I'm a Cindy Stalker. She writes with a great heart!! Can't wait for her next book "Immortal Mine" to be released!
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