Book Review - Geek Girl

Title: Geek Girl
Author: Holly Smale
Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks
Release Date: 28 Feb 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0007489442

Synopsis
Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.
She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.
As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did.
And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

My Review
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I actually got invited to a launch party for this book by the publishers, I really wanted to go, I hadn't heard much about the book beforehand but just from reading the blurb I knew it would be a book I would love. After all I am a self-confessed Geek - so perfect for me. Unfortunately I couldn't attend which I was really disappointed about - but now I've finished reading it I'm even more disappointed - that would have been such an awesome afternoon. This book rocks!
Meet Harriet, she's just discovered she's a Geek - she even looked it up in the dictionary to confirm it! No one at school seems to like her, so when she's offered the chance to be  a model she thinks it could be just the thing she's been looking for, to make a change for good and maybe make other people see her in a different light.
I liked Harriet's honest and fun narration, she's very up front and says what she is thinking, often times it's random facts but I enjoyed her little interludes. I liked how Holly Smale conveyed Harriet's awkwardness and self-awarness. It really made the character come to life. 
I literally laughed out loud whilst reading this book, mostly conversations between her dad and step-mum and even Wilbur the model agent. They were so random and funny, my mum even asked me what I was laughing at!
I love books that can make me laugh, it's hard to get the balance right but this one does it perfectly. 
I really could relate with Harriet and she's very likeable if not slightly annoying at times - but that's her charm. 
Alexa is the school bully and we've all known someone like her in our lives (if you didn't, you probably were her!) The one who has to be the Queen bee, bringing everyone else down, Smale wrote her perfectly, I could picture every sneer, hair flip and put down. 
This book is so much more than a simple high-school coming of age story.
I absolutely loved it and read it in just a couple of hours, hours filled with laughter. 
The writing flows so well, the dialogue feels natural and just everything about this book made me smile. It has definitely moved it's way up my favourites list and I hope there will be a lot more from Holly Smale. 

My Rating