Thursday 12 June 2014

Review: Picture Perfect (Geek Girl, #3) by Holly Smale

Spoiler warning! This book is the 3rd book in the Geek Girl series and this review may contain spoilers from previous books. If you haven't read previous books, then you can read my review of book 1 Geek Girl here and book 2 Model Misfit here instead.





 Geek Girl: Picture Perfect by Holly Smale

Author: Holly Smale Website|Twitter
Published: 5 June 2014 (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Format: Hardback
Pages:
Buy the book: Amazon|Hive|Waterstone's
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Bought

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
"My name is Harriet Manners, and I'll always be a geek."

It's the hilarious third book in the No.1 bestselling, award winning GEEK GIRL series!

Harriet Manners knows more facts that most. She knows that New York is the most populous city in the United States. She knows that its official motto is "Ever Upward". She knows that 28% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon.

But she knows nothing about modelling in the Big Apple, and how her family will cope with life stateside. Or how to "become a brand", as the models in New York put it. And, even more importantly, what to do when the big romantic gestures aren't coming from your boyfriend...

Does geek girl go too far this time?

The laugh out loud follow-up to award winning GEEK GIRL and MODEL MISFIT will have you in stitches.


My Review:
I absolutely adored the first two Geek Girl books and jumped at the opportunity to buy a gorgeous shiny copy of the third book in hardcover! I was in need of a reading pick-me-up, having been in a bit of a slump lately, and knowing how much I laughed through the previous books, I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

Picture Perfect sees Harriet faced with the opportunity of a lifetime when her family heads stateside to New York. Only Harriet being Harriet, nothing quite goes to plan for her. She's got a new baby sister, a long distance boyfriend and now she's leaving her friends behind. That's a lot to deal with!

For anyone who, like me, loved Geek Girl and Model Misfit, you won't be disappointed. Picture Perfect had me giggling from the beginning and within the first few sentences I was so delighted to be reunited with Harriet. She is just as hilarious as ever, and the opening few pages where she discusses her new role as a girlfriend were fantastic. I think she perfectly encapsulates young love and all the hopes and dreams you have at that age. For a lot of the book we see her inner thoughts about her relationship which I think will be relatable to anybody who has ever liked anyone as a teenager. Scribbling in your diary, dreaming up how conversations will turn out, reliving those prescious moments from over the summer - it was all just spot on.

Seeing Harriet facing the start of sixth form and exam results also brought back a lot of memories! The nerves and anticipation, and not just about the grades themselves, but about how your life will change. I loved seeing how Harriet and Nat tried to plan their friendship, overcoming the barriers of being at different schools come September, and giggled over the effort Harriet is putting into her new school bag and wardrobe for a non-uniform sixth former - giggled because I know it all so well from my own experiences! I was right there with her.

Being the third book in the series, there's a great mix of new and returning characters. I loved seeing the old faces and jet-setting off to a new place gave Harriet the chance to meet some new ones. It kept the story feeling fresh and exciting. Like with Model Misfit (which had scenes that took place in Tokyo), I thought the escapism of the New York scenes made it even more exciting to read. I can see this being a perfect summer holiday read!

Holly Smale has the ability to have me absolutely hooked to the pages and grin like a mad woman. I adore her writing, the humour and her ability to create these characters you wish would come to life so you could hang out with them. The book captures the ups and downs of teenage life so brillianty, dealing with the family dramas and school bullies in a way that makes you really root for the main character, in this case our wonderful Harriet.
 
I can't wait to read more of Harriet's adventures. I demolished this book in one evening and I know I will re-read this series whenever I need that mood boost! These books never fail to disappoint.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: The next Geek Girl book is scheduled for 2015
Books like this: Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb, Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

1 comment:

  1. I'm not familiar with the series but it looks like my kind of read. Great review and thanks for sharing! :)
    Jazmen@ThisGirlReadsAlotBlog

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...