Review:Romancing the Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Title: Romancing the Nerd

Author:  Leah Rae Miller
Publisher: Entangled Teen 

Publishing Date: April 15 2016

Pages: 352
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Series: Companion Novel to The Summer I Became A Nerd.
Source: ARC

 

Dan Garrett has become exactly what he hates—popular. Until recently, he was just another live-action role-playing (LARP) geek on the lowest run of the social ladder. Cue a massive growth spurt and an uncanny skill at taking three-point shots in basketball and voila…Mr. Popular. It’s definitely weird.

And the biggest drawback? Going from high school zero to basketball hero cost Dan the secret girl-of-his-dorky dreams.

A tuba-playing nerd with an eclectic fashion sense, Zelda Potts’s “Coolness” stat is about minus forty-two. Dan turning his back on her and the rest of nerd-dom was brutal enough, but when he humiliates her at school, Zelda decides it’s time for a little revenge—dork style. Nevermind that she used to have a crush on him. Nevermind that her plan could backfire big time.

It’s time to roll the dice…and hope like freakin’ hell she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.

I totally enjoyed The Summer I Became and Nerd, and was so excited to see another one was coming out. I am sure most of us readers and bloggers of books are nerds. I am a super nerd and the the first book really hit home for me. So I just grabbed at the idea to read another one. It was so good. I loved it. I enjoyed it just as much maybe more than the first one. It for sure did not disappoint.

Dan is a nerd that has turned popular. All by accident and he doesn't know for sure if he fully enjoys it. The one thing he does know is that the girl of his dreams is not popular but a nerd form his former circle. The problem lies with in is that she hates his guts. For reasons he is not quite sure of but she doesn't want to give him the time of day. 

Zelda is the girl of Dan's dreams but since he left her behind and she feels dumped since he became popular she does nothing but gives him grief. Well she has a plan to really mess with him good. The problem that lies within... she never expected to fall for him. Now she has no idea what to do. She fears his hatred of her and realizes all this time she has been wrong about Dan. Now she has to fix it all to get the boy of her dreams. 

I just adored this book. It was just as cute as the first one. A super easy and fun read. Perfect for the summer read list. Just pop it in your beach bag and enjoy it by the pool or beach. This book was cute and fun but also filled with self discovery, acceptance, and forgiveness. I love the mixture of light and fluffy with a bit of depth.  I am not usually much on contemporary romances but this author just knows how to get me. 

Zelda is a pretty cool character. In some ways I loved her. She was independent, not afraid to be herself, outspoken, and takes matters into her own hands. But... yes there is a but.... But.... she is also a bit superficial. She is a once chance kind of girl when she gets hurt and she judges hard. So I loved her but I didn't. She was real and flawed and in the end she won me over. 

Dan is just the best. I adored him with every bit of my heart and soul. He was in the popular crowd by accident. He went for nerd who larped to basketball star.. all because of a growth spurt and natural talent. He doesn't mind being popular but doesn't really enjoy it either. He has mixed feelings about it. The hardest thing for him has been Zelda. She was his best friend and he has been in love with her for a while.But .... she is super nerd and he tried to incorporate her into his new life at school but it never worked. Not to mention is bugger of a dad made him drop all things not basketball. So he couldn't hang out with her any more. 

The romance is cute. Dan already knew what he wanted but Zelda didn't and she had to have a lesson in her own heart matters. It was sweet and slow and how it came about was just fun and real. It was perfect in my book. 

The family matters worked in this book too. Zelda had a wonderful home unit and was taken care of and loved. Dan had it a bit harder because his dad was so hard on him. This book addressed both sides and even though Dan's dad was a bit of a jerk, it was handled well and worked out in the end. 

The nerd talk was just so super delicious for me. Not sure if that is the word to use but I am a big time nerd and geek and don't hid it . I love to role play, I love to dress up. I have never larped but would love to try. I love graphic novels, superheroes, and all stuff in between. So this really hit home for me. I so loved it. 

So this book had it all for me. Romance, family drama, friendship, nerd talk, fun, and just all out goodness. 

Just my kind of book. Perfect summer, easy, breezy romance read. 

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