Zoe has one guilty pleasure that she hides from her upright, uptight boyfriend Simon: she's a big fan of a sci-fi show called Bleeders. When she learns that the first episode of Season 2 will be shown early at DragonCon, she finds a way to get from Boston to Atlanta without anyone -- especially Simon -- knowing. It's just for one night, and she really doesn't want to listen to a lecture from Simon about how she could be doing something useful with her time. At the con, she meets up with a small group of Bleeders fans, all of whom are concerned at the low turnout for the midnight screening. Is there anything that they can do to help boost the show's popularity, ensuring that it doesn't get canceled before its time? Zoe agrees to join them in cosplay at the upcoming New York Comic Con -- which means more lies and evasions. As Zoe gets deeper into the world of fandom (and duplicity), she's convinced that she can keep the two parts of her life separate. After all, she's a terrific planner and organizer. But if she makes one misstep, her castle of lies could come crashing down around her head...

I found this a fun light read, though it was pretty obvious from the start that the lies were going to catch up to Zoe (though, I have to admit, they did so in a dramatic and funny way that I wouldn't have guessed). What I enjoyed most, however, were the relationships that developed between Zoe and her friends in the fandom. These felt genuine to me, and the descriptions of the various cons were spot on. Geeky readers of YA literature are the obvious audience for this book. ( )

This is a fun story about a teen (Zoe) who attends a comic-con while her parents are away and her boyfriend is busy. It captures the crazy, fun schemes teens can come up with that drive adults to the edge of despair. It aptly illustrates why we envy their youthful, free-spirited experimentation while pulling back on the reins, desperate to save them from the serious consequences that could result. ( )

Took a bit for me to get into, mostly because I struggle with fictional fandoms of fictional fiction. I was able to get there quickly enough with Fangirl and Eliza & Her Monsters, but I didn’t buy Zoe’s love of Bleeders right away — maybe partly because the focus wasn’t on Zoe creating anything within the fandom, just gushing about characters I didn’t already care about? Once Zoe’s new friends became real people, though, I was all in. And of course the question about “how can you be a Good Person who makes the world better while also staying true to yourself?” is very much a live one for me. ( )

There aren't that many writers whose books I will pre-order without even knowing anything about them. I really vibe with Nancy Werlin. The way she writes truly speaks to me. My favorite kind of story is one that presents itself as a light-entertainment potboiler (in this case a YA novel) but also throws in being profound, just because why not, that's how life is. This book is that kind of story and it is also about that phenomenon--the main character becomes a foaming fangirl of a science fiction TV show, against her will, because of the meaning the show brings to her life. It was a treat to have a non-binary secondary character, who is maybe also aro/graysexual. Actually, there was more than one non-binary character. I loved the group of nerdy friends, and there was just the right amount of their conversations to remain interesting. The characters talk about how an absent/offscreen figure can also be a character in a story and whether that figure should finally appear. There is an offscreen character in this story, the main character's well-intentioned but stifling boyfriend, and I was interested to see if we would ever actually meet him or not. I finished the book fully satisfied, yet wishing it wouldn't end.

Here's the part where I review the acknowledgements page: Nancy Werlin thanked a long list of people, everyone except her agent. I thought I knew her agent was Ginger Knowlton, who was my dream agent when I still thought I could get an agent. (I don't even remember why; I know I saw her on some panels.) So I did some light digging and it turns out that now Werlin is her own agent! If anyone ever looks down their nose at me for not having an agent, I will deliver the devastating retort that notable author Nancy Werlin doesn't have one either, and the rude person will beg my forgiveness. ( )

This was a fun read.

I didn't really find myself caring for all the drama that Zoe goes through with Simon, and all of her lying to him about going to comicons so I didn't really feel bad for her toward the end of the book.

I did however enjoy the friendship amongst the group of Bleeders fans. I didn't care for the type of show they were having their fandom over, (sci-fi and viruses etc, just aren't my thing.) But, I enjoyed the easiness of how they supported each other and helped each other through their problems. If only making friends were that easy in real life.

One interesting element was the specific identifcation of the character's use of personal pronouns. I think this is the first book I've read where the characters specifically identify their preferred pronouns, so that's a refreshing change.

It was also interesting to see Sebastian's character integrate well with the rest of the group, given that he is on the autism spectrum. I appreciated the representation factor, and liked that it was tastefully integrated, not a sticking point.

This was a light, easy read. I think anyone who has a bit of nerd in them would enjoy it.

*Please note, I won a copy of this book in a Librarything Giveaway* ( )