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Dylan Schoenfield, cô gái xinh đẹp, giàu có và nổi tiếng nhất trường trung học Castle Heights, nhưng đồng thời cũng là cô nàng phù phiếm, kiêu ngạo, ích kỷ và đỏng đảnh đến mức gần như chẳng ai chịu nổi,
… gặp chàng ếch
Josh Rosen, con mọt phim dường như chẳng có gì nổi bật trên mọi phương diện, chưa kể sức khỏe còn có vấn đề và cả đời chưa từng có lấy một người bạn gái.
Định mệnh đã nối kết họ với nhau bằng một bản hợp đồng “đôi bên cùng có lợi”. Nhưng, lẽ nào phải nhờ đến cây đũa thần trừng phạt thì nàng công chúa mới nhận ra bản chất của mình? Và phải chăng chỉ nụ hôn của tình yêu đích thực mới có thể biến chàng mọt phim bình thường thành hoàng tử quyến rũ?
Dylan Schoenfield, cô gái xinh đẹp, giàu có và nổi tiếng nhất trường trung học Castle Heights, nhưng đồng thời cũng là cô nàng phù phiếm, kiêu ngạo, ích kỷ và đỏng đảnh đến mức gần như chẳng ai chịu nổi,
… gặp chàng ếch
Josh Rosen, con mọt phim dường như chẳng có gì nổi bật trên mọi phương diện, chưa kể sức khỏe còn có vấn đề và cả đời chưa từng có lấy một người bạn gái.
Định mệnh đã nối kết họ với nhau bằng một bản hợp đồng “đôi bên cùng có lợi”. Nhưng, lẽ nào phải nhờ đến cây đũa thần trừng phạt thì nàng công chúa mới nhận ra bản chất của mình? Và phải chăng chỉ nụ hôn của tình yêu đích thực mới có thể biến chàng mọt phim bình thường thành hoàng tử quyến rũ?
403 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2009
81 people are currently reading
3000 people want to read
About the author
Robin Palmer
30 books299 followersRobin Palmer grew up in Massachusetts and New Jersey, and after graduating from Boston University, moved to Hollywood. Starting as an assistant in the television literary department of the William Morris Agency, she quickly moved up the ranks and spent the next decade as a literary agent, producer, and television network executive at Lifetime Television, where she developed over one hundred scripts and oversaw the production of many of the network's original movies.
In 2001, she remembered that she had originally intended to spend her life either as a writer or a toll booth collector (so she could indulge her penchant for spending her days alone reading), but as there are no toll roads in southern California, she decided to give the writing thing a try. Since then, she's written everything from "To Do" lists to screenplays to essays to love letters and, of course, novels.
She currently resides in New York City.
In 2001, she remembered that she had originally intended to spend her life either as a writer or a toll booth collector (so she could indulge her penchant for spending her days alone reading), but as there are no toll roads in southern California, she decided to give the writing thing a try. Since then, she's written everything from "To Do" lists to screenplays to essays to love letters and, of course, novels.
She currently resides in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 422 reviews
July 29, 2021
Dylan ist das beliebteste Mädchen der Schule. Außerdem lebt sie in Beverly Hills und hat einen schwerreichen Vater. Sie ist verwöhnt, egoistisch und oberflächlich. Durch einen Zufall lernt sie den 17-jährigen Josh kennen, der einen Dokumentarfilm über Dylan und ihre Freundinnen drehen möchte…
* Meine Meinung *
Anfangs ging mir die Hauptdarstellerin Dylan eigentlich nur auf die Nerven. Die Darstellung ihrer Figur kam mir viel zu übertrieben vor. Können Teenager wirklich so sein? Geht es an amerikanischen Schulen tatsächlich so zu? Ob das wirklich so ist, oder ob es nur in Filmen und Büchern so ist – auf jeden Fall ist dieser Roman sehr unterhaltsam!
Es ist interessant zu verfolgen, wie sich die beiden Hauptcharaktere im Laufe der Geschichte verändern. Besonders gut hat mir dabei gefallen, dass die Geschichte mal aus Sicht von Dylan und dann wieder aus der Sicht von Josh erzählt wird. So kann der Leser sich in beide Figuren besser hineindenken und deren Beweggründe besser verstehen.
Und sehr überrascht hat mich letztendlich auch die Handlung an sich. Ich habe die ganze Zeit damit gerechnet, dass aus Dylan und Josh irgendwann ein Paar wird und wurde dann am Ende noch mal überrascht. Das mag ich an Büchern, wenn sie mich überraschen können!
Insgesamt kann ich sagen, dass es ein sehr schönes Buch ist, das sich aber speziell an Mädchen wendet. Für Jungs ist das Buch wohl eher weniger geeignet.
* Meine Meinung *
Anfangs ging mir die Hauptdarstellerin Dylan eigentlich nur auf die Nerven. Die Darstellung ihrer Figur kam mir viel zu übertrieben vor. Können Teenager wirklich so sein? Geht es an amerikanischen Schulen tatsächlich so zu? Ob das wirklich so ist, oder ob es nur in Filmen und Büchern so ist – auf jeden Fall ist dieser Roman sehr unterhaltsam!
Es ist interessant zu verfolgen, wie sich die beiden Hauptcharaktere im Laufe der Geschichte verändern. Besonders gut hat mir dabei gefallen, dass die Geschichte mal aus Sicht von Dylan und dann wieder aus der Sicht von Josh erzählt wird. So kann der Leser sich in beide Figuren besser hineindenken und deren Beweggründe besser verstehen.
Und sehr überrascht hat mich letztendlich auch die Handlung an sich. Ich habe die ganze Zeit damit gerechnet, dass aus Dylan und Josh irgendwann ein Paar wird und wurde dann am Ende noch mal überrascht. Das mag ich an Büchern, wenn sie mich überraschen können!
Insgesamt kann ich sagen, dass es ein sehr schönes Buch ist, das sich aber speziell an Mädchen wendet. Für Jungs ist das Buch wohl eher weniger geeignet.
October 11, 2009
This book has a delightfully sparkly cover, which left me hoping that it would contain a delightfully sparkly read. It starts out with some small promise: the POV of Dylan, spoiled Beverly Hills brat and Queen Bee of her high school’s popular crowd, is energetic and amusingly shallow—sort of like Clueless’ Cher, if without the wit of Amy Heckerling/Jane Austen backing her up. Unfortunately, Dylan’s POV alternates with that of the titular geek, Josh, and I found his narration far less authentic. First of all, Josh is a film nerd, not a geek as the title promises, but I was willing to adjust my expectations. However, Josh’s nerdiness seems confined to dressing badly and referring to movie directors (none of whom produced any work before about 1970; kids these days!) by their first names—i.e., “I drove past a diner where Quentin sometimes eats.” That’s not geeky or charming; it’s just obnoxious.
Josh, while thus very far from this admitted geek-lover’s ideal man, is still a reasonably likeable character—technically much more likeable than Dylan—and the book actually does a nice job showing, through a plot stolen from the aforementioned Clueless, Can’t Buy Me Love, and about a billion John Hughes movies, how Josh and Dylan begin to trust each other and gradually become friends. So for the most part, Geek Charming maintains the level of derivative, harmless, and mildly diverting fluff.
However, there were several things about this novel that drove me INSANE. For one thing, Palmer kept getting easily researched facts wrong, which really did not help her in the places where the novel was already tilting toward inauthenticity. Like, for example, when Josh takes Dylan to one of my favorite L.A. landmarks, The Apple Pan, a cute—and for L.A. standards, old—restaurant on Pico Boulevard. I was all, “Oh, cool—The Apple Pan!”…until it’s mentioned that Dylan and Josh are squirming around in their booth, trying to ignore another couple committing major PDA in a neighboring booth. As anyone who has spent two seconds in The Apple Pan can tell you, IT DOESN’T HAVE ANY BOOTHS. Part of its charm is that there’s just one long, three-sided counter, with standing room along the wall for the endless wait for a seat (not part of its charm). Palmer supposedly lived in L.A., but even if she never actually made it to the home of the insanely yummy hickory burger and the best damn tuna sandwich around (really!), she couldn’t look it up on the internet? Also, I’m pretty sure that at least 9 out of 10 Star Wars fans would agree that Chewbacca’s nickname is spelled “Chewie”—“chewy” is what you want your granola bars to be.
(I was going to add to this list Josh’s claim that Woody Allen originally wanted Annie Hall to be called Anhedonia. I’d always been under the impression that he’d wanted the title to be Anne Hedonia, which would have been, you know, a joke. But I can’t confirm this, so I’ll just have to be satisfied that my idea is funnier.)
Palmer makes a bold choice by not going with the expected ending, but even there she really doesn’t follow through—I could understand making the point that Josh and Dylan don’t need to get together and that they’re better off if they’re just friends if part of the idea was, as it momentarily seemed to be, that Dylan doesn’t need to define herself through her boyfriend or even have one at all. So why have her hook-up with some random guy who’s introduced on the second-to-last page? Gosh, thank goodness Dylan didn’t have to suffer through being INDEPENDENT.
Josh, while thus very far from this admitted geek-lover’s ideal man, is still a reasonably likeable character—technically much more likeable than Dylan—and the book actually does a nice job showing, through a plot stolen from the aforementioned Clueless, Can’t Buy Me Love, and about a billion John Hughes movies, how Josh and Dylan begin to trust each other and gradually become friends. So for the most part, Geek Charming maintains the level of derivative, harmless, and mildly diverting fluff.
However, there were several things about this novel that drove me INSANE. For one thing, Palmer kept getting easily researched facts wrong, which really did not help her in the places where the novel was already tilting toward inauthenticity. Like, for example, when Josh takes Dylan to one of my favorite L.A. landmarks, The Apple Pan, a cute—and for L.A. standards, old—restaurant on Pico Boulevard. I was all, “Oh, cool—The Apple Pan!”…until it’s mentioned that Dylan and Josh are squirming around in their booth, trying to ignore another couple committing major PDA in a neighboring booth. As anyone who has spent two seconds in The Apple Pan can tell you, IT DOESN’T HAVE ANY BOOTHS. Part of its charm is that there’s just one long, three-sided counter, with standing room along the wall for the endless wait for a seat (not part of its charm). Palmer supposedly lived in L.A., but even if she never actually made it to the home of the insanely yummy hickory burger and the best damn tuna sandwich around (really!), she couldn’t look it up on the internet? Also, I’m pretty sure that at least 9 out of 10 Star Wars fans would agree that Chewbacca’s nickname is spelled “Chewie”—“chewy” is what you want your granola bars to be.
(I was going to add to this list Josh’s claim that Woody Allen originally wanted Annie Hall to be called Anhedonia. I’d always been under the impression that he’d wanted the title to be Anne Hedonia, which would have been, you know, a joke. But I can’t confirm this, so I’ll just have to be satisfied that my idea is funnier.)
Palmer makes a bold choice by not going with the expected ending, but even there she really doesn’t follow through—I could understand making the point that Josh and Dylan don’t need to get together and that they’re better off if they’re just friends if part of the idea was, as it momentarily seemed to be, that Dylan doesn’t need to define herself through her boyfriend or even have one at all. So why have her hook-up with some random guy who’s introduced on the second-to-last page? Gosh, thank goodness Dylan didn’t have to suffer through being INDEPENDENT.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2019
This was a charming and funny book, and was clearly inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairytale, The Frog Prince.
Dylan Schoenfield is THE most popular girl at Castle Heights. She is pretty, skinny, rich, and entirely spoiled and self involved. When she accidentally drops her Serge Sanchez bag—her limited edition, on-the-waiting-list-for-a-year, only girl in her school to have it—bag, in the fountain, she bullies a nearby geeky guy to get it for her. He says he will—IF he can film a documentary about her for his application to USC film school. She agrees because she has no intention of following through with it. So she's NOT happy to find him at her home, hanging out with her dad, having explained the whole story to him. And her dad forces her to keep her word.
What makes this book good, is the writing and the characters. While it's definitely a teenage or YA adult type of “chick lit”, the characters are funny and complex. Robin Palmer captures the speech, the thought patterns, the actions, PERFECTLY for both the populars and the geeks—and proves that they aren't so different.
There are some nice plot twists, and rather an unexpected ending. I loved the ending, by the way. I was figuring it would have the stereotyped ending, which would have been a letdown in this case. Instead Palmer went with what the characters would really do—and it totally worked.
I love fairy-tale retellings, and I'm definitely going to read more of Palmer's books!
Dylan Schoenfield is THE most popular girl at Castle Heights. She is pretty, skinny, rich, and entirely spoiled and self involved. When she accidentally drops her Serge Sanchez bag—her limited edition, on-the-waiting-list-for-a-year, only girl in her school to have it—bag, in the fountain, she bullies a nearby geeky guy to get it for her. He says he will—IF he can film a documentary about her for his application to USC film school. She agrees because she has no intention of following through with it. So she's NOT happy to find him at her home, hanging out with her dad, having explained the whole story to him. And her dad forces her to keep her word.
What makes this book good, is the writing and the characters. While it's definitely a teenage or YA adult type of “chick lit”, the characters are funny and complex. Robin Palmer captures the speech, the thought patterns, the actions, PERFECTLY for both the populars and the geeks—and proves that they aren't so different.
There are some nice plot twists, and rather an unexpected ending. I loved the ending, by the way. I was figuring it would have the stereotyped ending, which would have been a letdown in this case. Instead Palmer went with what the characters would really do—and it totally worked.
I love fairy-tale retellings, and I'm definitely going to read more of Palmer's books!
September 17, 2011
This book was awesome! Such a fun read and I could not stop reading it until I was finished, unless I had to stop for whatever reason.
Geek Charming is a cute entertaining read about Dylan, a stuck up popular girl who owes this "geek" Josh a favor (there's of course more to this). He wants to be a film maker and in order to get into USC he needs to have a film. That's where Dylan and her two best best friends come in. Josh and Dylan end up having to spend more and more time together in order to get this film done. They both have their reasons for being involved in the making of this film but in the end, who knows what will happen. :D
This book is not predictable, so don't go thinking that you know what will end up happening in the end, because you're probably going to be wrong, surprised and happy about it especially since there is such a great message behind it.
I'll admit that I had a problem with the fact that the popular girl was so stereotypical, but I overall I can let that slide because it definitely did not get in the way of me enjoying the book or liking Dylan.
The narration in this book alternates between Dylan and Josh's POV so the reader really gets in the mind of both of the protagonist. I gotta say I loved knowing what each of the characters were thinking about certain situations. I also loved the funny things each characters said. I found myself laughing out loud at certain lines, so of course I had to share some of them (read below for more).
I do not understand why it is that Robin Palmer's books do not have more fans. I love her writing. This book was a really great, entertaining, YA book. I highly recommend it. Next I'm checking out her other book when I get the chance (read way below for more about this).
Isn't that cover beautiful! I especially love those shoes. :D
Quentin Tarantino is mentioned in the book and I LOVE that! He's awesome. I can't wait for his next movie to come out it looks awesome it's called Inglourious Basterds (that's how it's spelled). Sweet!! If you haven't seen any of Tarantino's awesomeness you should at least check out Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, and the episodes he guest starred in on Alias. :D
Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:
"I wondered if she really was that rude, or if she had some sort of medical condition where the filter between her brain and her mouth had been broken since birth."
"'Are you sure?' i asked. I had to give him credit - having once had a teddy bear that exploded in the washing machine when I was four, I knew how traumatic seeing an animal's intestines could be."
"If I've learned anything in my seventeen years, it's that life isn't easy all the time. Parents get divorced, guinea pigs explode under your watch, and you can't get up the guts to talk to a girl you have a crush on"
"Who needed caffeine when you were energized by love?" cuuute line
"'Joshie, please, like sneaker commercial used to say - 'Just go for it'"
"You mean 'Just do it'?"
hehe they're talking about the Nike commercial :D
YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE:
-a fast paced and entertaining read
-lots of humor
-geeks
-reading about spoiled stuck up girls and geeks speaking in their POV
-narration similar to the one in Flipped by Weldelin Van Draanen.
-narration like the one in When It Happens by Susane Colasanti. Read my review here.
-Single White Female (movie) I haven't seen this one but it's mentioned in the book and I'm interested
-24 (it's mentioned here. I LOVE that show Jack Bauer is oh man awesome!)
-Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee This book was similar to it in the way that there's a guy filming and trying to get into the same film school, USC. Look at my review of that book here.
-movie geekness galore
-Woody Allen
-Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (one of my favorite plays EVER)
-She's All That (movie)
-Le Femme Nikita (if you don't know what movie this is and want to find out more, don't even think about it unless you're over 17)
-Pretty Woman (movie)
Geek Charming is a cute entertaining read about Dylan, a stuck up popular girl who owes this "geek" Josh a favor (there's of course more to this). He wants to be a film maker and in order to get into USC he needs to have a film. That's where Dylan and her two best best friends come in. Josh and Dylan end up having to spend more and more time together in order to get this film done. They both have their reasons for being involved in the making of this film but in the end, who knows what will happen. :D
This book is not predictable, so don't go thinking that you know what will end up happening in the end, because you're probably going to be wrong, surprised and happy about it especially since there is such a great message behind it.
I'll admit that I had a problem with the fact that the popular girl was so stereotypical, but I overall I can let that slide because it definitely did not get in the way of me enjoying the book or liking Dylan.
The narration in this book alternates between Dylan and Josh's POV so the reader really gets in the mind of both of the protagonist. I gotta say I loved knowing what each of the characters were thinking about certain situations. I also loved the funny things each characters said. I found myself laughing out loud at certain lines, so of course I had to share some of them (read below for more).
I do not understand why it is that Robin Palmer's books do not have more fans. I love her writing. This book was a really great, entertaining, YA book. I highly recommend it. Next I'm checking out her other book when I get the chance (read way below for more about this).
Isn't that cover beautiful! I especially love those shoes. :D
Quentin Tarantino is mentioned in the book and I LOVE that! He's awesome. I can't wait for his next movie to come out it looks awesome it's called Inglourious Basterds (that's how it's spelled). Sweet!! If you haven't seen any of Tarantino's awesomeness you should at least check out Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, and the episodes he guest starred in on Alias. :D
Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:
"I wondered if she really was that rude, or if she had some sort of medical condition where the filter between her brain and her mouth had been broken since birth."
"'Are you sure?' i asked. I had to give him credit - having once had a teddy bear that exploded in the washing machine when I was four, I knew how traumatic seeing an animal's intestines could be."
"If I've learned anything in my seventeen years, it's that life isn't easy all the time. Parents get divorced, guinea pigs explode under your watch, and you can't get up the guts to talk to a girl you have a crush on"
"Who needed caffeine when you were energized by love?" cuuute line
"'Joshie, please, like sneaker commercial used to say - 'Just go for it'"
"You mean 'Just do it'?"
hehe they're talking about the Nike commercial :D
YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE:
-a fast paced and entertaining read
-lots of humor
-geeks
-reading about spoiled stuck up girls and geeks speaking in their POV
-narration similar to the one in Flipped by Weldelin Van Draanen.
-narration like the one in When It Happens by Susane Colasanti. Read my review here.
-Single White Female (movie) I haven't seen this one but it's mentioned in the book and I'm interested
-24 (it's mentioned here. I LOVE that show Jack Bauer is oh man awesome!)
-Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee This book was similar to it in the way that there's a guy filming and trying to get into the same film school, USC. Look at my review of that book here.
-movie geekness galore
-Woody Allen
-Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (one of my favorite plays EVER)
-She's All That (movie)
-Le Femme Nikita (if you don't know what movie this is and want to find out more, don't even think about it unless you're over 17)
-Pretty Woman (movie)
April 5, 2024
I have seen the movie before I read the book and that might be why I was slightly disappointed in the book. Because the movie ending was very different from the book one and I preferred it as cliché as it might have been. I like clichés. They generally work.
I liked the writing, the pace and the switching POV. I really enjoyed the friendship between Dylan and Josh. But overall the story seemed to gear up towards something and then just fizzled out. It was a little bit like a Woody Allen movie. It started in the middle and went nowhere leaving you wondering if someone ripped the last ten pages out of your book.
I liked the writing, the pace and the switching POV. I really enjoyed the friendship between Dylan and Josh. But overall the story seemed to gear up towards something and then just fizzled out. It was a little bit like a Woody Allen movie. It started in the middle and went nowhere leaving you wondering if someone ripped the last ten pages out of your book.
August 31, 2011
I tried to get into this book. Really, I did. The story idea was adorable, so I was really excited to start.
And then the characters showed up, and I had to stop. Because oh man, were these characters annoying. Dylan was the most whiny, obnoxious spoiled brat I've ever read, and perhaps she would have toned down a bit had I kept reading, but I couldn't get beyond her cloud of self-obsession to enjoy it.
And Josh was just dumb. He felt like a bunch of nerd cliches rolled up into one person with no actual personality. Puffing your inhaler all the time? That doesn't even work. If you need that much Ventolin in your system, you should probably be in the hospital. I couldn't care about these characters, or wish them to get together, because they were both obnoxious shadows I would much rather stuff in a box and not deal with.
Yes, I'll probably watch the Disney channel movie, because like I said, the story idea was cute. But the book? Definitely not so much.
And then the characters showed up, and I had to stop. Because oh man, were these characters annoying. Dylan was the most whiny, obnoxious spoiled brat I've ever read, and perhaps she would have toned down a bit had I kept reading, but I couldn't get beyond her cloud of self-obsession to enjoy it.
And Josh was just dumb. He felt like a bunch of nerd cliches rolled up into one person with no actual personality. Puffing your inhaler all the time? That doesn't even work. If you need that much Ventolin in your system, you should probably be in the hospital. I couldn't care about these characters, or wish them to get together, because they were both obnoxious shadows I would much rather stuff in a box and not deal with.
Yes, I'll probably watch the Disney channel movie, because like I said, the story idea was cute. But the book? Definitely not so much.
January 19, 2023
*dnf*
I've decided that if I see a (film or tv) production of a book then read it (or vice versa) and the filmed version is decidedly better, I'm not going to waste my time with the book. I remember being so disappointed by this book in middle school because the Disney Channel Original Movie version was significantly better. This was the first book to teach me that the book isn't always better.
Don't waste your time with the constant whining and inhaler abuse, just go watch the DCOM because it is *chefs kiss*
{~* Want to follow me? https://linktr.ee/shelbyyyyyyrrrr *~}
I've decided that if I see a (film or tv) production of a book then read it (or vice versa) and the filmed version is decidedly better, I'm not going to waste my time with the book. I remember being so disappointed by this book in middle school because the Disney Channel Original Movie version was significantly better. This was the first book to teach me that the book isn't always better.
Don't waste your time with the constant whining and inhaler abuse, just go watch the DCOM because it is *chefs kiss*
{~* Want to follow me? https://linktr.ee/shelbyyyyyyrrrr *~}
December 29, 2009
Geek Charming by Robin Palmer is about a girl named Dylan who is at the top of the popularity chain. Dylan makes Regina George look like Eleanor Roosevelt. Anyways Dylan makes a promise to let Josh, one of her geeky classmates, make a documentary about her and the other popular people.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
January 7, 2024
proof that the book isn’t always better
February 3, 2025
2025
2020
Dylan is definitely a slightly annoying main character. I do like how Josh's eyes show her to be exactly who she is though (instead of just the annoying, popular girl that everyone else perceives her to be). She is a mildly complex teenage girl. Primarily she worries about looks and fashion and popularity a little bit too much, but she does somewhat try to make herself into a better person (once Josh's influence starts rubbing off).
Josh is a fantastic geeky teenage boy. He gets excited about nerdy things and could involve you in a conversation about movies (primarily their history and behind the scenes action) for hours on end. He also has a wonderful loyalty streak (I was especially impressed when he realized that filming Dylan while she was drunk was probably unfair to her). I liked watching him and Dylan becoming best friends and both of them becoming better people because of it.
I was a little surprised by the ending (but I definitely liked the way he and Dylan were - as apposed to the cliche ending that I was expecting).
2020
Dylan is definitely a slightly annoying main character. I do like how Josh's eyes show her to be exactly who she is though (instead of just the annoying, popular girl that everyone else perceives her to be). She is a mildly complex teenage girl. Primarily she worries about looks and fashion and popularity a little bit too much, but she does somewhat try to make herself into a better person (once Josh's influence starts rubbing off).
Josh is a fantastic geeky teenage boy. He gets excited about nerdy things and could involve you in a conversation about movies (primarily their history and behind the scenes action) for hours on end. He also has a wonderful loyalty streak (I was especially impressed when he realized that filming Dylan while she was drunk was probably unfair to her). I liked watching him and Dylan becoming best friends and both of them becoming better people because of it.
I was a little surprised by the ending (but I definitely liked the way he and Dylan were - as apposed to the cliche ending that I was expecting).
June 18, 2020
i’ve had this book probably since 2011 when borders closed down and i got it during their closing sale but here i am finally reading it almost a decade later in typical cassy fashion.
josh was such an insufferable film snob, it got so old and tired like how dare a teen girl with 0 interest in film not know every director ever. also him idolizing woody allen throughout the entire book made me queasy.
the ending also makes me mad lol. i would say just watch the disney channel movie instead but matt prokop is an abuser so uhh just avoid everything geek charming altogether.
josh was such an insufferable film snob, it got so old and tired like how dare a teen girl with 0 interest in film not know every director ever. also him idolizing woody allen throughout the entire book made me queasy.
the ending also makes me mad lol. i would say just watch the disney channel movie instead but matt prokop is an abuser so uhh just avoid everything geek charming altogether.
April 29, 2018
this has got to be the only time i’ll ever say this. the movie was better than the book.
**spoilers** the disney movie of geek charming was SO much better. i had super high expectations for this book because the movie was actually amazing. but then josh and dylan end up with the wrong people. in my opinion, the movie was a lot better than the book, sorry.
**spoilers** the disney movie of geek charming was SO much better. i had super high expectations for this book because the movie was actually amazing. but then josh and dylan end up with the wrong people. in my opinion, the movie was a lot better than the book, sorry.
February 1, 2017
Fun to read.
Wanna be a film geek to after reading this book.
Wanna be a film geek to after reading this book.
January 12, 2021
To be honest, I don't know if this book deserves four stars because of the amount of cheese in it, but I liked it so four stars it gets.
Disney Channel is horrendously bad at adapting books into DCOMs. The worst case of this I've ever seen was turning Boys Are Dogs into Zapped (they even changed the main character's name!). Geek Charming is kinda similar to the source book, but there was still a hefty amount of information changed. However, I'm reviewing the book, not the movie. I just wanted to put my two cents in.
The language of the book definitely dates it to 2009 (the copyright year). Some things the characters say or the way they think is very late 2000s high school stereotypes. However, I don't think that makes the book bad. It makes me feel like I'm reading a DCOM. I liked how Josh and Dylan were foils of each other, and Dylan's character arc was subtle which I liked. Some of the way the author portrayed teens was kinda cringe, but given the copyright year, title, cover, and premise of the book, I think it worked. Also, it took me forever to realize that this is a loose retelling of "The Frog Prince."
That ending shook me though.
So as shocked as I was, that ending was refreshing.
If you like characters with depth who "break the mold" of predictable characters and shallowness, don't read this book. You'll literally hate it and then you'll rant and give it a bad review. However, if you don't mind reading something a little more fun and frivolous every once in a while, give this book a spin. See if you like it.
And not to start book drama, but the top review for this book literally just bashes it because it's different than the movie version???? Even though the book came first??? Why is that the top review? That seems like a problem to me...
Disney Channel is horrendously bad at adapting books into DCOMs. The worst case of this I've ever seen was turning Boys Are Dogs into Zapped (they even changed the main character's name!). Geek Charming is kinda similar to the source book, but there was still a hefty amount of information changed. However, I'm reviewing the book, not the movie. I just wanted to put my two cents in.
The language of the book definitely dates it to 2009 (the copyright year). Some things the characters say or the way they think is very late 2000s high school stereotypes. However, I don't think that makes the book bad. It makes me feel like I'm reading a DCOM. I liked how Josh and Dylan were foils of each other, and Dylan's character arc was subtle which I liked. Some of the way the author portrayed teens was kinda cringe, but given the copyright year, title, cover, and premise of the book, I think it worked. Also, it took me forever to realize that this is a loose retelling of "The Frog Prince."
That ending shook me though.
So as shocked as I was, that ending was refreshing.
If you like characters with depth who "break the mold" of predictable characters and shallowness, don't read this book. You'll literally hate it and then you'll rant and give it a bad review. However, if you don't mind reading something a little more fun and frivolous every once in a while, give this book a spin. See if you like it.
And not to start book drama, but the top review for this book literally just bashes it because it's different than the movie version???? Even though the book came first??? Why is that the top review? That seems like a problem to me...
Read
October 1, 2018Geek Charming is about this girl named Dylan Shonefield. She's obsessed with her popular reputation and she can't lose it. She was at the mall and her purse fell into the fountain. She was with her friends, but they couldn't get it out none of them wanted to get wet. Then this guy named Josh she doesn't know was walking by and she asked him for help. The only way he'd help her is if she let him make a documentary of her life. He wanted to do it on high school popularity. They started to hangout all the time and she gave him a makeover so he wouldn't look so much like a "geek." She started being herself around him and he got to see the real Dylan. Her boyfriend got mad and they broke up and she was fighting to get prom queen. The documentary got showed at a school event and Dylan so upset she quit talking to Josh. She then realized that Josh’s video helped her to get more votes.
I think the book was very good and worth reading. I would read the book again. It was so interesting. There was not one point when I wanted to quit reading. It kept me attached and to want to keep reading. My favorite part was when Dylan and Josh started dating at the end and it was all because Josh made a documentary of Dylan. It was very well written.
I think the book was very good and worth reading. I would read the book again. It was so interesting. There was not one point when I wanted to quit reading. It kept me attached and to want to keep reading. My favorite part was when Dylan and Josh started dating at the end and it was all because Josh made a documentary of Dylan. It was very well written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2017
DO NOT READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!!
I hated it! It was an alright book, right? Yeah. Ya know, nothing bad, not terrible, pretty good. I just needed a happy ending with Dylan and Josh all cutesy and happily ever after. Ya know, that's all I needed. That's all I asked for!! ALL I WANTED!!!! BUT NO!!! No!!! Stupid, freaking Roger comes and ruins life for everyone!! Dylan and Roger?!?!??? Like it doesn't even sound right!! What's their ship name, Doger??? NO!!! Okay I need Dosh!!! Okay!?! Yeah I needed Amy Loubalu to go to like Kansas or take a long walk off a short bridge and I needed Roger to not exist and I needed Dylan and Josh to come to their senses and fall in love but nope!!!! So yes, I give this book a horrible rating! It had potential but it was all wasted on the sorry excuse for a happy ending!!!! Thank you for your time.
I hated it! It was an alright book, right? Yeah. Ya know, nothing bad, not terrible, pretty good. I just needed a happy ending with Dylan and Josh all cutesy and happily ever after. Ya know, that's all I needed. That's all I asked for!! ALL I WANTED!!!! BUT NO!!! No!!! Stupid, freaking Roger comes and ruins life for everyone!! Dylan and Roger?!?!??? Like it doesn't even sound right!! What's their ship name, Doger??? NO!!! Okay I need Dosh!!! Okay!?! Yeah I needed Amy Loubalu to go to like Kansas or take a long walk off a short bridge and I needed Roger to not exist and I needed Dylan and Josh to come to their senses and fall in love but nope!!!! So yes, I give this book a horrible rating! It had potential but it was all wasted on the sorry excuse for a happy ending!!!! Thank you for your time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5
A fluffy, fun read.
A fluffy, fun read.
Read
May 14, 2022I read this a long time ago
April 23, 2022
I’ve been waiting to read this book for eight years now. The movie premiered when I was in college and when I decided to check out Robin Palmer’s other books, this one had a lengthy waiting list. I finally got the chance to read it and...well. It certainly exists.
I like that this book is easy to read. Palmer has always been good about making her books accessible. That’s what I loved about Cindy Ella, which is probably my favorite of her four Castle Heights books. Cindy was a relatable teenager who could be a little shallow but she was still a fun character. Dylan is stereotypically privileged and annoying, but I expected as much. I also expected Josh to be the level-headed boy to balance her out.
Oh, how naive I was.
Josh was unbearable, even more so than Dylan. I hate comparing this to the movie because they’re different stories, but the Josh in the movie was typical awkward film dork. Book!Josh was some kind of movie snob who looked down on people for not knowing who Woody Allen is. (And can I just say how ironic it is that he idolizes Woody Allen? Josh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but over here in 2019, Woody Allen is kind of the worst. Sexual allegations and all that.) I had more fun with Dylan’s chapters, which is more than I ever thought I’d say about her.
My reason for not finishing is, not surprisingly, the ending. I’ve seen the movie twice now and while it’s cliche, it makes sense to have Josh and Dylan end up together. I skimmed ahead to the ending of the book and was disappointed. I like that Palmer took the risk of subverting the ending and having Josh and Dylan remain friends and end up with other people, but the way the story was going just didn’t support this outcome. As a reader, my appreciation for uniqueness comes second to my emotions in situations like this, and emotionally I wanted to see Josh and Dylan end up together. They’ve both changed as individuals and it makes the most sense. The movie is no masterpiece, but at least it had the sense to recognize that emotional need from its audience.
This was not worth the eight years of waiting. I might revisit Cindy Ella, just because I have fond memories of reading that one. If you’re a fan of the movie, you may like this book, but judging on the reviews I’ve seen, there’s a good chance you won’t like it. I’d suggest trying any of Robin Palmer’s other Castle Heights books; Wicked Jealous does the love interest subversion much better than Geek Charming, actually.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but go watch the movie. It’s much better.
I like that this book is easy to read. Palmer has always been good about making her books accessible. That’s what I loved about Cindy Ella, which is probably my favorite of her four Castle Heights books. Cindy was a relatable teenager who could be a little shallow but she was still a fun character. Dylan is stereotypically privileged and annoying, but I expected as much. I also expected Josh to be the level-headed boy to balance her out.
Oh, how naive I was.
Josh was unbearable, even more so than Dylan. I hate comparing this to the movie because they’re different stories, but the Josh in the movie was typical awkward film dork. Book!Josh was some kind of movie snob who looked down on people for not knowing who Woody Allen is. (And can I just say how ironic it is that he idolizes Woody Allen? Josh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but over here in 2019, Woody Allen is kind of the worst. Sexual allegations and all that.) I had more fun with Dylan’s chapters, which is more than I ever thought I’d say about her.
My reason for not finishing is, not surprisingly, the ending. I’ve seen the movie twice now and while it’s cliche, it makes sense to have Josh and Dylan end up together. I skimmed ahead to the ending of the book and was disappointed. I like that Palmer took the risk of subverting the ending and having Josh and Dylan remain friends and end up with other people, but the way the story was going just didn’t support this outcome. As a reader, my appreciation for uniqueness comes second to my emotions in situations like this, and emotionally I wanted to see Josh and Dylan end up together. They’ve both changed as individuals and it makes the most sense. The movie is no masterpiece, but at least it had the sense to recognize that emotional need from its audience.
This was not worth the eight years of waiting. I might revisit Cindy Ella, just because I have fond memories of reading that one. If you’re a fan of the movie, you may like this book, but judging on the reviews I’ve seen, there’s a good chance you won’t like it. I’d suggest trying any of Robin Palmer’s other Castle Heights books; Wicked Jealous does the love interest subversion much better than Geek Charming, actually.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but go watch the movie. It’s much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2012
http://www.sybillinebooks.tumblr.com/
So, I've been reading fairy tale re-tellings this past week and I've recently finished Geek Charming by Robin Palmer. It is a modern day re-telling of The Frog Prince and is the basis of the Disney Movie with the same title. Anyway, I am officially a fan of Robin Palmer. The story is told in alternating POV's from the two main characters, Dylan and Josh.
Okay, I do have to admit something. Dylan kinda' pissed me off in some chapters. She was just too self-centered for her own good and I just wanted to smack her because of some of her ridiculous beliefs in life. Honestly, that girl lived in a world of her own. Anyway, I still feel like she did a lot of growing up in the end and she actually redeemed herself in my opinion.
Then, there's our frog who happens to be called Josh. He's a geek and a social outcast while Dylan is at the top of it all. Anyway, Dylan happens to owe him a favor because he risked his life (He has a very weak immune system and is therefore prone to ALL kinds of diseases.) just to save her bag. But instead of thanking him Dylan just ends up backing out from a deal they made prior to the bag saving. Anyway, I love Josh. He's actually more knowledgeable with life and Dylan just seemed kinda' stupid compared to him. I really loved his character and I think he makes all the geeks out there seem really cute. I'm glad that he got his happy ending after all.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this quite a lot. Even if Dylan managed to piss me off every now and then. I love the way the story ended. I wasn't really expecting the book to end that way but I loved it. Surprise is good at this point. I love the fact that somehow Dylan grew up in more ways than one. The novel made me laugh a lot and I honestly can't wait to get my hands on the movie version. I think this deserves a 4/5 stars though.
So, I've been reading fairy tale re-tellings this past week and I've recently finished Geek Charming by Robin Palmer. It is a modern day re-telling of The Frog Prince and is the basis of the Disney Movie with the same title. Anyway, I am officially a fan of Robin Palmer. The story is told in alternating POV's from the two main characters, Dylan and Josh.
Okay, I do have to admit something. Dylan kinda' pissed me off in some chapters. She was just too self-centered for her own good and I just wanted to smack her because of some of her ridiculous beliefs in life. Honestly, that girl lived in a world of her own. Anyway, I still feel like she did a lot of growing up in the end and she actually redeemed herself in my opinion.
Then, there's our frog who happens to be called Josh. He's a geek and a social outcast while Dylan is at the top of it all. Anyway, Dylan happens to owe him a favor because he risked his life (He has a very weak immune system and is therefore prone to ALL kinds of diseases.) just to save her bag. But instead of thanking him Dylan just ends up backing out from a deal they made prior to the bag saving. Anyway, I love Josh. He's actually more knowledgeable with life and Dylan just seemed kinda' stupid compared to him. I really loved his character and I think he makes all the geeks out there seem really cute. I'm glad that he got his happy ending after all.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this quite a lot. Even if Dylan managed to piss me off every now and then. I love the way the story ended. I wasn't really expecting the book to end that way but I loved it. Surprise is good at this point. I love the fact that somehow Dylan grew up in more ways than one. The novel made me laugh a lot and I honestly can't wait to get my hands on the movie version. I think this deserves a 4/5 stars though.
January 18, 2014
No no no no no. This is not how it was supposed to end. Keeping it spoiler-free, I can say that this is a book alternating POVs between the two main characters, the popular Dylan, and the geek Josh. At first you want to kind of struggle Dylan because she's so impossibly annoying, and shake Josh by the shoulders because he's so impossibly neurotic. But then as the book progresses...
The writing isn't so bad, other than for all the above mentioned details and for having made both characters unlikable throughout the first third of the book. But the ending is so catastrophically disappointing that I can't give it more than one star.
The writing isn't so bad, other than for all the above mentioned details and for having made both characters unlikable throughout the first third of the book. But the ending is so catastrophically disappointing that I can't give it more than one star.
April 16, 2012
I just didn't connect with this book and ended up abandoning it. At least part of it was that I didn't like Dylan. She's self-absorbed and kind of stupid and dotes on a boyfriend who is an obvious jerk. Her interests are fashion and how she looks in/with/around fashionable things. Seriously, this isn't something to build a character on. Also: as a fan of Clueless, if you're going to reference the movie, you might take a hint or two from it and make your leading lady be about more than herself and her things.
Even as adorkable as Josh is, he wasn't enough to overcome the psychic weight of dealing with Dylan. Plus, parts of his character didn't hold up to close inspection. I mean, it's a little hard to believe that a devoted film geek is going to be that into Neil Diamond. Yeah, I have a soft spot of my own for some of his songs, but I have a hard time believing that a teen of today, however dorky he may be, would a) have exposure to his work, b) have an affinity for his songs and c) stick a Neil Diamond bumper sticker on his car.
The book wasn't awful, mind. If I didn't have a pile of good books waiting for me, I might have stuck it out longer. As it stood, I'd just as soon move on to something else.
Even as adorkable as Josh is, he wasn't enough to overcome the psychic weight of dealing with Dylan. Plus, parts of his character didn't hold up to close inspection. I mean, it's a little hard to believe that a devoted film geek is going to be that into Neil Diamond. Yeah, I have a soft spot of my own for some of his songs, but I have a hard time believing that a teen of today, however dorky he may be, would a) have exposure to his work, b) have an affinity for his songs and c) stick a Neil Diamond bumper sticker on his car.
The book wasn't awful, mind. If I didn't have a pile of good books waiting for me, I might have stuck it out longer. As it stood, I'd just as soon move on to something else.
January 10, 2015
I thought I wouldn’t like this book, just because I hated the cover. I picked it up off the shelf because I absolutely love fairytale re-tellings. And…this book really ended up being enjoyable, far beyond my expectations.
It is such a humorous story right away when it starts, mostly poking fun at extreme girlie, popular girls (unless it wasn’t, and I was just taking it that way). And I, as a huge nerd/geek lover, immediately loved Josh, the “frog,” who saves from a fountain the expensive handbag belonging to popular “princess,” Dylan. As the story goes on, you watch as the super girlie L.A. girl goes from being practically allergic to non-popular kids, to having fun with Josh, a film geek of all things. The ending was pretty good, though I really think that some certain people should’ve ended up together, and they didn’t.
So, though I was slightly disappointed with the ending, it was fabulous in all of the other respects besides relationship dealings. Definitely a cool book, though I’d thought it wouldn’t be! And…it yet again reminded me of the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
It is such a humorous story right away when it starts, mostly poking fun at extreme girlie, popular girls (unless it wasn’t, and I was just taking it that way). And I, as a huge nerd/geek lover, immediately loved Josh, the “frog,” who saves from a fountain the expensive handbag belonging to popular “princess,” Dylan. As the story goes on, you watch as the super girlie L.A. girl goes from being practically allergic to non-popular kids, to having fun with Josh, a film geek of all things. The ending was pretty good, though I really think that some certain people should’ve ended up together, and they didn’t.
So, though I was slightly disappointed with the ending, it was fabulous in all of the other respects besides relationship dealings. Definitely a cool book, though I’d thought it wouldn’t be! And…it yet again reminded me of the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
January 5, 2010
I liked the book overall, thought it was cute and stuff but I think the guy was too obsessed with films (like: we got it from the first time) and the ending was disappointing.
I mean, yeah, it's nice to have something out of the usual but not in this case. Because a different ending would've been the perfect icing on the cake and that's that.
But the ending felt rash and unplanned for. Like the author just felt like changing the ending when she discovered the story was too cliche.
I felt like she was laughing at my face at the end: "Hahaha you didn't see that coming, did you? I can make stuff unpredictable too, y'know"
I mean, yeah, it's nice to have something out of the usual but not in this case. Because a different ending would've been the perfect icing on the cake and that's that.
But the ending felt rash and unplanned for. Like the author just felt like changing the ending when she discovered the story was too cliche.
I felt like she was laughing at my face at the end: "Hahaha you didn't see that coming, did you? I can make stuff unpredictable too, y'know"
August 9, 2011
well... i just started this book and im at the part where Dylan dropped her purse in the fountain at the mall so she is almost nearly about to have a heart attack over this $1,000 purse so she is asking every one for help but they are all looking at her like she is crazy.......But she later then sees a boy who is willing to help but makes a deal with her that cleary states if he helps her she has to let him video tape her and her friend for a class project but doing all of this commotion she is not thinking before answering so will she keep her word.??????
August 9, 2013
I like to read fairy tale retellings and see the twist that gets put on them, This was a cute retelling of The Frog Prince. Dylan is one of the popular girls and Josh is a film geek. Josh wants to make a documentary about popularity at the high school they attend. The story is told in alternating povs. I liked that the more time they spent together that they each started to see each other in a different light, Dylan not being as stuck up as she appears and Josh not being the geek that Dylan assumed he was. Fun, sweet story.
October 27, 2012
It was such a cute book! I honestly read it because I read Robin Palmer's book Cindy Ella, not because of the Disney movie. But, I was sort of disappointed how Disney made it so...Corny. But, hey, that's Disney.
March 23, 2015
This was a pretty good book. It was a cute and short read. I read it within a few days. This was a predictable book but I still enjoyed it. I could see myself reading more from this author. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a light and fluffy read.
March 28, 2016
Well, a great book, even if I thought it was not understandable at first, and less interesting than movie. It turned out to be another plot to my favorite teenage movie, totally different story. Glad to read it.
July 22, 2011
this book iz soo good if you have not read it read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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