Reviewed by Jen: Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb.

Product details:
Publisher: Stripes Publishing.
Release date: May 1st 2012.
Paperback, 352 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Jen

If you haven't worked it out yet, girls don't do this. They don't come to the Hovel. They don't like goblins and dragons. They don't paint miniatures. They don't play role playing games or re-enact fictional battles. And they don't talk to Geeks like me especially if they're pretty. And this girl is pretty. What do you do if you're a fourteen-year-old Geek, and a Beautiful Girl has appeared in the midst of your geeky world? And she seems to like you... For Archie, the natural reaction would be to duck and cover ... run for the hills ... buy a new model elf... Anything but risk stepping into the Real World. But even Geeks have to put their heads above the parapet at some point. With his mum barely able to contain her excitement that her son is about to join the human race, and his step-father, Tony the Tosser, offering crass advice, it's time for Archie to embark on a daring Quest to win the Beautiful Girl's heart and shake off his Geekhood for good...

If I had a dollar for every time Andy Robb’s debut novel Geekhood made me laugh out loud I would be set for life!  While I am not usually a fan of romance this charming book had me captivated by the first chapter.  Maybe because I can relate to what it is like to be a geek.

The hero of our adventure, Archie, has pretty much been able to fly under the radar most of his life.  As a geek his shields and “grunt detectors” are usually working on full power in the rare instances he leaves the sanctity of his “lair,” AKA: his bedroom.  Unfortunately, this all changes when Sarah, the most beautiful Goth Girl Archie has ever seen, enters his domain.  Upon meeting at The Hovel, the local gaming shop, Sarah persuades Archie to teach her the intricacies of The Game.  Archie, having fallen madly in love, agrees.  This causes a multitude of problems from feelings of betrayal by his mates to courting the ire of Jason Humphries, the class bully, who also has fallen for the beautiful Sarah.  As Sarah convinces Archie to become one with his inner -self Archie has to decide if he wants to take the risk of actually living a life outside the safe confines of his bedroom.  Although the price of such a life could turn out to be more than Archie can afford. 

One of the first things I noticed about this book was how quickly the pages flew by.  Geekhood is an incredibly fast read.  As the pages delved into Archie’s world of painting miniatures and Role Playing Games I was afraid the book would become tedious, but it never did.  There is just enough detail to bring you into Archie’s world, but not so much that you become bored.  Archie’s attempts to woo Sarah are incredibly endearing and you will find yourself rooting for him throughout the book.  Although he makes some poor decisions and doesn’t always value the people around him these choices are what helps to move the story forward.  As a reader you can only hope that Archie realizes that things are not always quite the way he sees them. 

Another aspect of the book I loved was Archie’s IM (inner monologue).  As Archie works hard at presenting a façade of what he thinks people want to see and hear his IM is telling it like it is and it is hysterical!  The authors wit and snarkiness make this one of the funniest books I have ever read.  

I would love to tell you whether the geek gets the girl in the end, but you are going to have to find that one out for yourself. The romance is more a case of teenage puppy love, which is something we all have experienced. Geekhood doesn’t have the intense love triangle that is so popular in teen fiction and there is no hot character for readers to lust after, but I guarantee that by the time you finish this book you will be a card carrying member of Team Archie.