The Princess & the Fangirl

Series: Once Upon A Con, #2
# of Pages: 320
Publication: April 2nd, 2019
Source: Library Copy
Genre: YA Contemporary
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The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston. Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year's ExcelsiCon isn't her last, she'll consider her career derailed. When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That's easier said than done when the girls step into each other's shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these "princesses" race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

This was a cute addition to the series (it's more of a companion novel than a direct sequel to the first book). It focuses on a set of different characters with pop-ups from characters that were a part of the first book. I was surprised about the direction of the book especially in the big reveal. I thought that one character had more motive than others to leak the script. Quite frankly, I believe that Poston attempted to create a surprise reveal that both made sense and didn't make sense at the same time. While the writing was simplistic and easy to enjoy, I wanted a lot more in terms of character development. 

Please be advised that the next part of this review contains spoilers

In reference to comment about the big reveal, I honestly thought that Jasper had more a motive to have the script than the director. The first time that readers meet him he tells Imogen that he has something big to reveal to her and then he sort of says the same thing when he meets Imogen as Jess. The "big thing" that he had to reveal to Imogen never came full circle which makes me believe that Poston may have either a) wanted him to appear to be capable of stealing the script b) he was originally intended to steal the script. I think that if she would have had Imogen and Jess think it was him and then it was revealed that it was actually the director the story would have been more believable. It was also never rectified or explained why the director leaked the script. What was his motive? And how did he know that Jess threw the script in the trash can? It bothered me that none of these questions were actively answered at the end of the book. However, I see that there is a book 3 in this series so we may possibly get some answers then. 

As a stated above, I really enjoyed the characters and seeing the connections to the last book. I loved that there was a great representation among the characters whether in physical appearance or sexuality. Poston also touched greatly on the importance of recognizing societal roles that are imposed on women and how detrimental they can be to careers as well as mental health and self-esteem. Jess struggled a lot with how people judged her on her physical appearance and I know that it affected how she viewed herself and what she thought she was capable of in terms of the future development of her career as an actress. I would have liked to see Poston explore the sexual assault that occurred during the book. It was quickly glazed over and only partially addressed at the end of the book. I think that if an author wants to add such a complex and important narrative to a book then it should be thoroughly explored. 

Overall, I thought it was pretty good and I will be picking up the next book.