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A review by libreroaming
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash
4.0
"The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love" is a much requited love-letter to fandom and geek experiences. Sarvenaz Tash blends her fabricated cult favorite comics and movies seamlessly with recognizable ones that never feels fake or awkward. In fact, I had to check the book to see if a plot important song was actually real because everything seemed to coexist in the world easily. There's the kind of excessive name dropping of interest you have with characters that seems to represent them well without going into the aggravation of Ernest Cline territory.
The plot itself is a pretty simple set up. Graham and Roxy have been friends for over eight years and he has recently begun to feel differently about her. He decides that the backdrop of New York Comic Con is the perfect way to send her a crafted romantic message to confess his feelings. Of course, line jumping cheaters, an impromptu speed dating panel, and intruding cute British nerds complicate things.
My relief that Graham does not exhibit Nice Guy tendencies was palpable. Yes, he gets jealous of his perceived romantic rival but in a natural way, mostly through being frustrated that he's a genuinely sweet guy with perfect hair. Aside from some snide thoughts and snarky nicknames he keeps inside his head, he never behaves in a way more than a sulky teen would at not getting their way. And his thoughts about Roxana never stray into how he deserves her, only the stress and anxious hoping that this might work out.
Sometimes the story could use more fleshing out in regards to secondary characters or backstory instead of referencing some unheard of sci-fi show. The one scene where Graham is with Roxana's family feels like it's doing the heavy emotional lifting to fill out their friendship, which succeeds but I think it wouldn't have hurt the story if they included more of it and her Iranian background with strict parents. The focus on the New York Comic Con antics keeps it sparse and quickly paced, but leaves it with a narrower view. It is not a book I would give to someone who isn't a self-proclaimed geek because a lot of the writing is with the assumed shared joy of comic cons and these kind of gatherings, whereas a book like "Geekarella" might have a more widespread appeal. But "The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love" is a breezy, sweet story with very little angst that plays true to the subject matter. Worthwhile for the nerds in your life.
The plot itself is a pretty simple set up. Graham and Roxy have been friends for over eight years and he has recently begun to feel differently about her. He decides that the backdrop of New York Comic Con is the perfect way to send her a crafted romantic message to confess his feelings. Of course, line jumping cheaters, an impromptu speed dating panel, and intruding cute British nerds complicate things.
My relief that Graham does not exhibit Nice Guy tendencies was palpable. Yes, he gets jealous of his perceived romantic rival but in a natural way, mostly through being frustrated that he's a genuinely sweet guy with perfect hair. Aside from some snide thoughts and snarky nicknames he keeps inside his head, he never behaves in a way more than a sulky teen would at not getting their way. And his thoughts about Roxana never stray into how he deserves her, only the stress and anxious hoping that this might work out.
Sometimes the story could use more fleshing out in regards to secondary characters or backstory instead of referencing some unheard of sci-fi show. The one scene where Graham is with Roxana's family feels like it's doing the heavy emotional lifting to fill out their friendship, which succeeds but I think it wouldn't have hurt the story if they included more of it and her Iranian background with strict parents. The focus on the New York Comic Con antics keeps it sparse and quickly paced, but leaves it with a narrower view. It is not a book I would give to someone who isn't a self-proclaimed geek because a lot of the writing is with the assumed shared joy of comic cons and these kind of gatherings, whereas a book like "Geekarella" might have a more widespread appeal. But "The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love" is a breezy, sweet story with very little angst that plays true to the subject matter. Worthwhile for the nerds in your life.