Review: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Welcome to my stop on the The Summer I Became a Nerd blog tour, hosted by Entangled Teen!  Thanks for stopping by!

Title: The Summer I Became a Nerd
Author: Leah Rae Miller
Published: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Souce: Received from publisher for review
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

My inner nerd was bursting at the thought of reading this book when I first laid eyes on it.  I may have been similar to Maddie in the sense that I spent a lot of time in high school just trying to fit in.  I wasn't a cheerleader or dating the most popular guy in school as she was, but I just didn't do anything that would put me on the radar.  High school can be tough... and Maddie knew this well.  But how long could she realistically hide the fact that she absolutely adored comics, thought playing games in costume was fun, and secretly had a crush on a nerd?

The Summer I Became a Nerd was the epitome of a fun story.  Miller's humor showed brightly through her writing style.  It was such a joy to read.  One of my favorite scenes was the dress up game part.  Without giving anything away, I'll just say the costumes, personalities and demeanor of the characters was hilarious!  There was also a romance-a-brewin' that was totally frowned upon for SO many reasons, starting with the fact that Maddie already had a boyfriend, and ending with the fact that her liking a dork would essentially be social suicide for Maddie.  She definitely had choices to make... and it didn't come easy to her.

Anyone with that hidden dorky side (realistically, that's most of us I think... :P) would really enjoy this story.  If you ever wished your cheerleading uniform had a cape (seriously, how cool would that be?!) or wanted to kiss the dorkiest kid in school in the back room of a comic book store, you should definitely give this book a chance.

Mother, wife, and YA author living on a windy hill in Natchitoches, Louisiana. I love fuzzy socks, comic books, cherry coke, and brand new office supplies. THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD coming Summer 2013 from Entangled Teen. Stay cool! Contact me at leahraewrites(at)gmail(dot)com

For questions about ARCs, blog tours, interviews, etc. please contact my publicist, Heather Riccio heatherriccio (at) entangledpublishing (dot) com

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