Review: The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love

By Sarvenaz Tash

Published: June 14, 2016

Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy...

Archie and Veronica...

Althena and Noth...

...Graham and Roxy?

Graham met his best friend, Roxana, when he moved into her neighborhood eight years ago, and she asked him which Hogwarts house he'd be sorted into. Graham has been in love with her ever since.

But now they're sixteen, still neighbors, still best friends. And Graham and Roxy share more than ever--moving on from their Harry Potter obsession to a serious love of comic books.

When Graham learns that the creator of their favorite comic, The Chronicles of Althena, is making a rare appearance at this year's New York Comic Con, he knows he must score tickets. And the event inspires Graham to come up with the perfect plan to tell Roxy how he really feels about her. He's got three days to woo his best friend at the coolest, kookiest con full of superheroes and supervillains. But no one at a comic book convention is who they appear to be...even Roxy. And Graham is starting to realize fictional love stories are way less complicated than real-life ones. 

My review:

Graham has decided that he will tell his best friend Roxy that he loves her at New York Comic Con. What better place to declare his feelings since they both have a shared love of comics? They even created their own comic together. When Roxy finds out that the reclusive Robert Zinc, creater of The Chronicles of Althena, is going to speak at a panel, Graham knows he has to get Roxy tickets somehow. It is going to be a Comic Con to remember. Unfortunately things don't go quite according to plan but Graham doesn't give up hope that he will win Roxy's heart.

Graham reminded me of Ducky from Pretty in Pink (the movie is referenced in the book) if Ducky was an artistic nerd. Actually I liked Graham more than Ducky who came across as whiny in comparison. Graham is a total sweetheart. He reminded me of Barry Allen from The Flash (CW TV show version) who is also in love with his best friend, Iris. I really felt for Graham. I think it would be very awkward and nerve wracking to develop feelings for your best friend and be unsure if your best friend felt the same way.  I didn't like Roxy as much as Graham though I did like her and their friendship. I thought the flashback memories between them were sweet. I think the author did a great job of exploring the changing nature of friendships. 

I thought the secondary characters were fun, especially Amelia and Felicia. I really liked how all the characters were true to themselves and awesome in their own nerdy way. Something else I liked was that Graham's dad was a big Star Wars geek and I loved the scene where they talked about going to Comic Con together sometime. So nice to see parents and families portrayed in a positive way in teen fiction!

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love was a joy to read. It is a sweet and funny story about friendship, love and fandom. There are plenty of references to comics and pop culture from Doctor Who to Star Wars, the Harry Potter series and The Princess Bride. I loved the setting and getting to experience New York Comic Con vicariously. I appreciated the little details that made the experience feel authentic, even the use of the fictional comic The Chronicles of Althena. That part reminded me of reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Other similar books include The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson and Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern. 

If you've dreamed of going to a Comic Con someday or if you are a fan of  Pretty in Pink or any of the books mentioned, you should consider adding The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love to your summer reading list. It is one of my favorite teen contemporary novels of the year so far.

Note: I received an ARC for review purposes courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss