By Holly Smale, published by Harper Collins.

Goodreads Synopsis: “My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.”

Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.

What Harriet doesn’t know is where she’s going to fit in once the new baby arrives.

With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother’s ‘chaperoning’. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes.

Because, this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like.

Can geek girl find her place on the other side of the world or is Harriet lost for good?

My Review: (This first paragraph MAY be viewed as a SPOILER. Tread carefully, if you haven’t yet read this sequel). About a year ago, I read and fell in love with Geek Girl. After seeing in the back of my copy that there was to be a sequel, I was literally crying with joy that I’d get to read about Harriet again! And Nick! And them as a couple! Yay! So, when this came in the post, I dived in, thinking Harriet And Nick Were Happy Together And Everything Was Going To Be Fine. And then, Holly Smale, you SMASHED my dreams and everything fell apart and I may have shed a tear. Holly! Why! However, it did make an epic plot twist- which made for a very beautiful ending!
Spoiler-ish paragraph over 🙂

Speaking of the plot for this novel: flawless. I loved it so much! It was just as great a Geek Girl’s… Maybe… Better. Harriet, upset about being cast aside as the baby’s on the way, takes up a modelling shoot in Japan so she can get away for the summer. I think the change of setting made for a very different read! I also loved the setting because I’m a manga/anime nerd, so a little obsessed with Japan :). As well as the plot twist with Nick, there were lots of surprises in store- most, were hilarious.

Harriet! I love you so much. Please come to the real world someday and be my friend? We can geek out over facts and watch some documentaries together. And we can do physics!!
Harriet’s so much like me, and that’s a main reason I love the story so much. I have a Toby friend, and a best friend whose dream is to be a model, and I’m a geek, and she’s described to look like me (YES, Harriet! High fives for the Strawberry Blondes Who Are NOT Gingers Contrary To Popular Belief). A lot of other people have said similar things, too! Holly’s invented an unforgettable character who we’re all like in one way or another. All of the other characters are unique and brilliant. Most of them (Bar Alexa and a couple of others.) I just wanted to hug because they make me smile so much!

Whilst I was reading this, even though their stories are quite different, I couldn’t help but feel that Holly Smale’s writing is in the same vein as Louise Rennison’s; another huge UK teen comedy author. Holly’s books are similar because they’re laugh-out-loud-embarrass-yourself-on-public-transport-because-you-snorted-with-laughter type books, (yes. That happened okay.) and are really feel-good reads.

Overall, Geek Girl: Model Misfit loved up to my expectations- and more. The plot was brilliant, pretty much unpredictable, and the setting for the story was perfect. I didn’t think it was possible to love Harriet more than I did in the first book… Well, I was wrong! Go read the Geek Girl books, whoever you are. If you’re a geek, hugely or slightly, you’ll love this because you’ll relate all too much to it. If you’re a fashion lover, read it, and you’ll love it for Harriet’s funny teen career. If you’re neither, I can guarantee you’ll still love this. Geek Girl is one of the best contemporary series I’ve ever read, definitely!

My Rating:

I received a copy of Geek Girl: Model Misfit from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.