Review: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Author: Leah Rae Miller

Publisher: Entangled Teen
Page Count:  267 pages, Paperback
Date Published: May 7th 2013
Find it on Goodreads: The Summer I Became a Nerd
Source: Purchased

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

The Summer I Became a Nerd was a super cute summer-y read that I enjoyed quite a bit, however it was also pretty predictable, yet I kind of expected that. I love reading books with a ton of pop-culture references and I especially love books that have super 'nerd-y' characters, as that is a word I proudly associate myself with. It's just fun to read about people who have similar interests as you! Maddie made me kind of sad, honestly, in that she couldn't be proud of her nerd-self and I just wanted to jostle her and be like "dude! Nerdiness is something to be proud of! It's way more fun than being a vapid, uninteresting zombie!" But I also kind of get it... It's hard to really be yourself when all of your interests might be something that others look down upon. I have to try and keep my fangirling about shows and books to a minimum around my friends usually, because a lot of them just don't get it and are definitely not interested when I start talking about Star Trek or the latest Supernatural episode. So while I was sad for Maddie that she had to hide who she truly was, I also got it. Being a 'nerd' is amazing and something I'm so proud of, but it's also sometimes difficult to be yourself in front of your friends who aren't interested in all of that or find it weird.

I was super jealous of Logan's and Maddie's super awesome nerdy adventures. I desperately want to LARP one day, but I haven't been able to find a group where I live and I don't really know many people who would be interested in doing it on our own. And seriously, working in a comic book shop surrounded by them all day? Awwwesome. Logan was super cute as well and I loved his gig at the radio station. All around, this was a pretty enjoyable novel, yet I wouldn't say I LOVED it enough to reread it. It was very predictable and there wasn't much depth to it, which I think there could have been room for, as Maddie discovered herself and who she wanted to be. But it was a fun book and a good beach read that I'd recommend it you're looking for something light!

Happy reading!

~Kristy