The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: Publisher
Goodreads Stars: 3
Rating: Enjoyable

Buy the Book: Amazon UK

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever. - Goodreads

Summer's here, which means I am experiencing my annual craving for summer contemporaries. I think the main reason for this is the English weather.

The Summer I Became a Nerd promised to be a light read with a cute romance and a main character who discovers herself and comes to accept it. And that is exactly what this book is. It's nothing amazing, but I think it would do for a quick read if you need a break between bigger stuff.

I really connected to Maddie, the main character, because she spent a lot of time hiding who she really was. I went through a phase like this where I struggled keeping two different parts of myself separate, and it wasn't great. Now I'm older I don't really care what people think, but it was nice to read about a character who was keeping such a huge part of her life a secret.

Maddie was an awful friend, though. I would have liked to have seen a stronger relationship (and more scenes) between her and her best friend, Terra. I really enjoy platonic relationships between friends, and it was quite saddening that Terra and Maddie's relationship wasn't focused on more, especially since Maddie had been hiding her nerdy personality from Terra for years.

While I found the love story cute, I didn't feel much chemistry between Maddie and Logan. I wasn't comparing them to Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls, I promise. I just didn't feel a connection. And then there was the fact that Logan was rather moody, and not in a hot-broody kind of way. I get annoyed when female characters storm off when someone annoys them or when things don't go their way, and I found it just as ridiculous when Logan did it. I was rolling my eyes at him.

The LARPing addition was really clever, because it meant there could be a huge battle/showdown at the end. What other contemporary book can say that? Also it made me really interested in LARPing, especially since Supernatural had an episode that featured it. I'd be a brilliant elven queen.

I wish I could say that I'm a comic book geek, but those things are so damn expensive. So I didn't understand most of the references. If Maddie had read the Beano then I would have got it, but nope. No Dennis the Menace in sight.

Overall TSIBAN was fun, light, and fast paced. A good contemporary to get you into the mood for a summer full of similar reads!