Geek Girl: Model Misfit

Such a fun character, great life lessons and an entertaining ride towards a HEAFN. The factoids were fabulous and I love Japan like she does. I'm not normally into bully plots or miscommunication tropes, but it's done so well and I loved everything about this book. I read it super quick because I wanted to keep reading. Can't wait for the next one!

“Model Misfit” by Holly Smale was everything I wanted and more. I love how fun and fluffy the “Geek Girl” series is. When I want something fun and light that will make me laugh, this is the series that I want to read. I was laughing so hard during parts of this book. I really couldn’t have asked for more as far as the story line went. Harriet. I love how Harriet is still herself through this whole process. She is still a geek. She is learning that she has a love hate relationship with her modeling adventures. Harriet is someone that I just want to protect from others. I feel so bad every time Harriet gets duped. Harriet is trying to get over heartbreak and so she gets a modeling offer to go to Japan and she wants to go but someone has to go with her. Her step-grandmother ends up going with Harriet. This is during a time that Harriet thinks her family is wanting to get rid of her because there is a new baby on the way. Harriet’s grandmother basically lets Harriet run around in the wild. Of course with Harriet being herself, she ends up getting herself into all kinds of trouble. One thing I love about Harriet’s character is the fact that she believes in the good of everyone. Even if that means that she gets hurt. I feel like in today’s society this isn’t something that is well known anymore. If you do find that one person that is trusting, they get made fun of or taken advantage of. I love how sweet and endearing Harriet is. I hope to see her develop more in the future and on top of that I want to see her grow in her modeling career. I am looking forward to diving into the next installation of “Geek Girl.”

My teen loved it! Talked about every chapter she read

My 11 year old daughter loves this series. Happy to be able to buy the books on Amazon, as they are not available at local stores.

The second book in the Geek Girl series follows Harriet Manners, accidental model, to Japan for a modeling adventure over the summer. While the book seems to pick up where we left off from the first book, it's actually months later. This book has new obstacles for Harriet, including a growing family, boy trouble, and rocky friendships. This addition to the series shows how Harriet is able to grow as a person...and a model. I enjoyed this book well enough. Parts of it were easy to guess, but overall was a fun "beach" read for teens and fans of YA books. The characters are well thought-out, and though Harriet is whiny during most of this book, the character is still one you root for. The favorite will always be Wilbur "with a -bur not an -iam" and his ridiculous names for Harriet. Keep him coming, he's just fabulous!

Energetic, cheerful and charmingly funny, the Geek Girl series fits in perfectly as a prelude to Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicolson and Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones. Georgia Nicolson seems like a "real" teenager and Bridget Jones is a more adult version of such a teen character, and both can be achingly funny and touching. But, for bigger than life antics and zesty good humor I'm happy to turn to Harriet Manners. The Geek Girl books read like a stoked middle grader's idea of what a great, fun teenaged life could be, and that's a very nice recommendation. "Geek Girl" was supposed to be the first book in a trilogy, but it was so wildly successful in the U.K. and so loaded up with awards, that the trilogy has now been expanded to a planned six volume series, (of which four have been published in the U.K.). This book is the second in the series. It offers the same appealing Harriet, but we also see a good bit of the supporting players, which is fine because there is a broad range of characters on offer, most of whom have charms of their own. First off, it's nice to have parents who aren't idiots or louts. Harriet has a good relationship with her Dad and step-Mom, and they get some of the best, and certainly most knowing, lines. Harriet's best friend Nat is everything you could want in a best friend, and lights up her scenes. Guys aren't quite so successful, and sometimes feel just like place holders for real characters, but that's O.K. because the point is to focus on Harriet and her travails. I like the fact that we aren't heavily into Orange County mean girls or pretty Manhattan rich bitch liars. There's some of that, but it isn't the main focus and it is doesn't overwhelm this otherwise light and frothy concoction. There is drama and angst, but it so well modulated and Harriet is such a winning heroine that there is never any real threat to the characters' well being. And I mean that in a good way because I read this, most others read this, and scores of dozens of loads of youngsters will read this precisely because of the promise that the clouds will clear and the sun will come out by the end. "Light" and "frothy" doesn't mean "dumb", or even "superficial". G.K. Chesterton once noted that, "It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity." I thought of that while reading this book. It takes real craft and restraint and touch to write books like those that make up the Geek Girl series. It takes tremendous skill to get the readers to completely invest themselves in Harriet and to completely buy in to the preposterous action, but Ms. Smale has accomplished this task with apparent ease. That's rather remarkable. And maybe that's why I liked this book so much. It is always fun to read something and to enjoy it and be entertained by it as written, while also and simultaneously admiring the skill behind its creation. And isn't that a great place to end up by the end of a book? Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

I give this 5 stars because it was funny and cute. The humor was relatable and true with lots of tween/teen girls. I loved that the romance wasn't too into it. It was perfect. I agree that Harriet hadn't changed much but I was fine with that. I didn't think she needed to. This book was probably my favorite of the series. Some could disagree saying there was a lot of unessasary confusion but that's what made the plot move along. So five stars, Holly Smale did a great job with this series and I can't wait to read the fourth one!