{Thoughts On} The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Title: The Summer I Became a Nerd
Author: Leah Rae Miller
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publishing Date: May 7, 2013
Pages: ebook, 326
Source: Publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:

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.

I have to admit that even though this one has been on my radar for a while, I wasn't sure I would love it. My expectations weren't exactly the highest even if the synopsis made it sound like a cute, summer read. I loved this book. It gave me all the feels. It took me back to high school - in both a good and bad way - and reminded me of everything that I loved and hated about that time in my life.

Maddie is a funny, snarky and sweet character that I just couldn't help but root for. Her love of comic books would probably ruin her cheerleader girl reputation and she goes to great lengths to make sure no one finds out about it. When her favorite comic is back ordered she goes to the local comic shop, in disguise, to buy a copy and Logan, a classmate, finds out her secret. 

Through her budding relationship with Logan, she finally is able to be who she is. A cheerleader AND a nerd who loves comics, and sci-fi. I completely fell head over heels for Logan's character. He wasn't the typical broody, hot idiot teenaged boy that is so prevalent in today's YA. He was sure of himself but was still a bit awkward as boys that age are.

Their friendship was a nice change from the usual instalove. I enjoyed how their relationship grows as she becomes more comfortable with who she is and what she enjoys in life. The awkwardness of some of their interactions was so spot on. 

I love that the central theme is to be yourself. One of my favorite scenes in the book is a conversation between Maddie and her father in which he tells her that there are always going to be people who don't like her because of who she votes for or where she lives and what she wears and that is so true. High school can be torment for some but there will always be people who don't like you no matter how old you are.

This book is a prime example of why I love YA books. The Summer I Became a Nerd is a fast, funny and sweet read. I fell in love with the characters and found myself rooting for them the whole way through. The writing was wonderful, as was the all important dialogue, and the cast of characters was both well developed and interesting.  I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this book and would highly recommend it especially to anyone who loves YA but also to anyone who loves a charming read.

Rating: 5/5 for giving me all the feels and for being consistently entertaining.