Secrets of a Fangirl by Erin Dionne

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Secrets of a Fangirl by Erin Dionne
Published by Scholastic on May 28, 2019
Age Group & Genres: Contemporary, Middle Grade
Format: ARC, Physical
Source: Publisher

Sarah Anne loves lacrosse, and the MK Nightshade series that everyone was obsessed over in grade school. The problem is that she's still obsessed, which is way too nerdy for a popular kid like her. So she hides her geekiness with a set of rules meant to keep her geek and jock selves separate.

Except when she's offered a spot in a Nightshade fandom contest, where the winner gets to see the new movie premiere in LA. No one seems to think Sarah Anne can win, since she's up against a pair of guys in high school--but the more she's called a fake fan, the more determined she is to wipe the floor with her competition. As long as none of her friends or anyone at school knows what she's doing.

Can she keep her geek identity a secret, win the contest, and manage to keep her friends even though she's been living a lie? Sarah Anne is going to have to make some choices about what's truly important to her and which rules she's going to break to stay true to herself.

A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.

Hello, my name is Sophia, and I am a fangirl of many forms. A book with the word “fangirl” on it? YES PLEASE. You know you have my attention.

Secrets of a Fangirl is a book about a fangirl.

AKA ME! And you, because you’ve got to be obsessed with something here. Maybe it’s over a book or a show or even a movie.

(Are there secrets? Yes, but not deep, dark secrets.)

Secrets of a Fangirl is about Sarah Anne and her obsession with the MK Nightshade fandom, something she’s been a fan of since she first discovered it. While her best friend Roxy has grown out of the series, Sarah Anne remains a fan secretly. With a set of rules, she keeps her identity under wraps and continues to do so as she wins a place on a panel for a contest. But during the panel, she finds out her competition disregards her completely, and she wants to prove them wrong by winning the next part of the contest.

Sarah Anne’s parents are with her and I am all for it.

I love how Sarah Anne’s parents are with her the entire time. They show their support and they help her navigate the digital world as she makes her way through the contest. It’s something that’s important in a world of media, and I’m happy Dionne includes this in the novel.

Dionne’s latest novel is full of moods.

I opened Secrets of a Fangirl and got swallowed up by the book (maybe it’s the other way around). Dionne creates a protagonist all of us can relate to in some way. Sarah Anne struggles with who she is throughout and who she wants to be: does she embrace her inner nerd or continue stifling it? How can she continue to be who she is while not hiding a vital part of herself?

Secrets of a Fangirl is a fun and quick read from Erin Dionne, with a protagonist that I cheered from the beginning of the novel to the end.

About Erin Dionne

Erin Dionne’s latest book for tweens is Lights, Camera, Disaster (Scholastic 2018). Her other novels are Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies, The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, and Notes from an Accidental Band Geek.

Her novel Moxie and The Art of Rule Breaking: A 14 Day Mystery, is based on the real-life Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist and was a 2014 Edgar Award finalist. The series continues with Ollie and the Science of Treasure Hunting. Her first picture book, Captain’s Log: Snowbound, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler, was released in 2018 and received a starred review from Kirkus.

A graduate of Boston College (BA English & Communications) and Emerson College (MFA), she teaches at Montserrat College of Art and lives outside of Boston with her husband, two children, and a very indignant dog.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram