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

The Summer I Became A Nerd
Author:  Leah Rae Miller
Publisher:  Entangled Teen, 267 pages
Publication Date:  May 7, 2013

From Goodreads:
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.

Review:
I loved this book.  Cute cute cute (I would say adorkable, but...).  Read this book if you just want to put a smile on your face.  

Maddie had a bad experience in the sixth grade (she dressed up as her favorite super-hero and was laughed at by pretty much the entire school) so ever since then she has hidden her inner nerd and instead has become the stereotypical popular blonde cheerleader who is dating the quarterback.  She pretends with everyone, even her best friend.  But one day a new comic book issue she has been waiting for doesn't come in the mail and she just can't take it and decides to go into the comic book store (a place she has dreamed of going into but never could).  She disguises herself and talks to Logan, whose parents own the comic book store and who she actually has sort of been crushing on.  Logan is cute, but nerdy, and he just doesn't care.  He is friends with who he wants to be friends with, and does what he wants to do.  And the rest of the summer is about Maddie struggling with who she really is and what truly makes her happy (and who) versus who she thinks she has to be in order to be popular.

I really liked Maddie, even though she is pretty shallow and oblivious to everyone around her.  For example, she and Logan are at a restaurant and she doesn't recognize the waitress, who goes to their school and has been in classes with Maddie.  And she lies and makes some pretty dumb decisions and is so obsessed with her image it's annoying.  But it's also pretty realistic.  I remember being in high school and how girls (me included) would pretend to be dumb because it's just what you did.  But I did want to smack her sometimes.  

Logan...what a fantastic guy.  There's nothing brooding or mysterious about him.  He is so thoughtful and sweet and I was just hoping Maddie wouldn't break his heart.  Just such a sweet romance!

And Logan's mom is great, by the way.

Great book for summer.  Fun, easy, light. 

Posted by:  Pam