Geek Magnet

by Kieran Scott

Mean Girls meets High School Musical from the author of I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader!

Everyone loves KJ Miller, especially the geeks. She's pretty, smart, and super nice to everyone, which has made her the geek pied piper of Washington High. If only Cameron, the star of the basketball team, would follow her around and worship her the way her dorky entourage does.

As the stage manager of the spring musical, Grease, KJ has to deal with a few geeks, but she also gets to hang out with Tama, queen of the popular crowd and star of the play. Tama has the solution to all of KJ's problems: get cruel. After all, the nice girl never gets the guy. Can KJ actually pull off a transformation into a mean girl?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, High School, Teen, Chick Lit

308 pages, Hardcover

First published May 29, 2008

About the author

Kieran Scott is the author of domestic suspense and mystery novels including WISH YOU WERE GONE, REGRETS ONLY and PEOPLE WILL TALK. She has also written several young adult novels, both under her own name and for Alloy Entertainment under the pseudonym Kate Brian. These include the New York Times best-selling PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE series, as well as MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS and many others. She grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey, attended Rutgers University, and now lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons and one goofy dog.

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a book I not only enjoy, but also, teaches a really good (and relatable) lesson

Geek Magnet was a funny and cute novel that teens should find relatable to their own life. It is about a girl named KJ who is worshipped by the geeks at her school. Although she appreciates their admiration, she is also embarassed that the school views her as a 'geek magnet'(hence the title). KJ befriends Tama Gold, the 'popular girl' who aids her in getting the geeks to go away. She becomes mean, ignoring her previous friends, all in an effort to impress a guy and rid of her title.

I liked this book so much. I know their are flaws and a review should have some criticism. But I don't really care. This book was just too awesome because ...

5 (of the 1000) Good Things about Geek Magnet

~ It's funny. I laughed at many of the conversations KJ had with the geeks and the book never failed to interest me. I don't believe I was bored for even a second.

~ It's realistic. The ending isn't cliche and neither is the romance or the problems in this book. KJ doesn't automatically become the Queen Bee of the school, she gradually changes. I have noticed that many YA authors have rushed their characters too much and change them so drastically in a mere few pages. Geek Magnet does not do that. I can believe it is a like a real high school because kids are mean but there was no stereotypical scenes in this novel.

~ I loved the main character. Whenever you hate the main character, it makes it hard to enjoy the novel. So I am glad that I liked KJ. She was like any other teenage girl. She wasn't whining about her problems all the time, she actually used her brain. And she's considerate of others feelings (even if she does get brainswashed). You can really see why the geeks like her so much. Her character was nicely developed.

~ I found the plot to be at a good pace and cleared up any confusions I may have had. The writing was good and the details were nice. The author didn't leave you to just imagine what it would be like, she gave us some information. And I have to admit, I loved the story.

~ The author's message. There were so many great things to take from this book. It is about accepting yourself and not letting your peers rule your desision. Being 14-years-old, I have recently experienced peer pressure. It's terrible because you want to do something that your friends and peers don't. And in order to fit in, to feel accepted, you conform. After reading Geek Magnet, I learned much about what conforming to society really does to you and why it is better to be yourself. And the message was not corny and boring. The author incorporated it with humor so it was light yet inspiring.

I did like Geek Magnet. It was funny, light-hearted and very moving. Be yourself because there is only one of you!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com

girl loved by geeks. How can you not love a character that is loved by people who secretly drive her insane?

KJ Miller is a nice girl. She's nice to everyone. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body.

Until she meets Tama Gold. And becomes friends with her. The popular girl. The girl who teaches her how to "stand up" for herself. Or, basically, more or less, teaches her how to be mean!

KJ finally gets the chance to go out with her wildly popular crush and realizes something. But what exactly?

Is Tama really her friend?

And is her crush really her crush?

GEEK MAGNET is definitely the 2008 summer must-read! I adored KJ right from the first page. There are serious issues in this book, but they are portrayed in the most fabulous way. Funny! A book everyone should read this summer!

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost abandoned this book in the first couple chapters (they’re short, so that’s not as long a statement as it might have been). I’m so glad that I didn’t.

The introduction to KJ is more than a little bit rocky. We start with her becoming stage manager for the year’s production of Grease at her High School. More importantly, we see her gaggle of geeks that are involved with the production of the play in different capacities. They’re all various kinds of doggedly anxious to please her, and one is outright creepy. This whole introduction, KJ is frustratingly “nice”—which would be okay if it were actually kind, but it isn’t. She’s that kind of “nice” that is a doormat with no other goal than to avoid even a hint of conflict. This is very uncomfortable.

She’s frustrating, is what I’m saying. And the geeks are varying shades of oblivious edging into creepy. Things smooth out considerably once we meet Tama. Tama is cast as Sandy in the play and is one of the “cool” kids—though not slavishly so as she has her own sense of style. Tama is individualist enough to be in the play, even though that’s not really something the cool kids do. Tama notices that KJ is interested in Cameron (crown prince of the popular crowd) and offers to help her snag his interest—starting with helping her lose her geek posse with lessons in being mean.

The plot more or less writes itself from there—though with the added weight of KJ’s dad being what prior generations would call a “mean drunk” and what anybody would label an out of control alcoholic (however “functioning” he might be vocationally). It isn’t hard to trace the roots of KJ’s non-confrontational attitude to dealing with a father she can’t predict and whose attention is rarely good (even when it’s not angry—which it mostly is).

So yeah, KJ needs to learn to discern real friendship as she figures out how to be firm without sacrificing actual kindness. There’s a particularly powerful apology she makes towards the end that struck exactly the right tone and made the book worth reading all on its own—without being unnaturally eloquent or forced or alien to her character. Add a fantastic HEA, and you have a novel I couldn’t put down, even though it was way past my bedtime.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott, Kieran. 2008. Geek Magnet.

Okay, so I was dizzy with power. Can you blame me? It was the first day of rehearsals for the spring musical, Grease, at Washington High and I, KJ Miller, was the stage manager. The woman in charge. The first junior ever to be granted this most prestigious position.

KJ Miller. How to describe KJ? Well, there's the obvious. She's a geek magnet. She draws some geeky undesirables close to her. Fred. Glenn. Andy. Perhaps because of all the buzzing geeks near her, KJ is not quite as popular as she'd like to be. She's not in the outer rings of the social strata, but she's far from being "in" with the in crowd of beautiful people. With great power comes great responsibility. KJ now has some power at least when it comes to the drama folks. And this new-found power has brought someone new to KJ's life: Tama, Tama Gold. And Tama has something KJ wants more than anything: power and sway over KJ's crush, Cameron. KJ loves Cameron. And Tama, well, Tama sees that as her "in." As the "star" of the show, Tama, wants--no, needs--KJ to be on her side.

Tama easily agrees to setting KJ and Cameron up. Knowing that by 'befriending' KJ, the power to rule the show, rule the production, would be within her reach. After all, boys can be distracting.

The first rule Tama sets for her new best friend is that KJ has to stop being nice to the geeks, to the nobodys. She had to start being mean, being firm, being direct. KJ needed to cut free and clean from those holding her back. Who would want to date her if all her friends were dorks and geeks?

There is one person, however, that KJ still listens to. Robbie. The male lead of the play. Robbie. A guy she sees as being so wonderfully himself. He didn't hang out with the cool people, the beautiful people. But that was his choice. And that choice makes all the difference to KJ. She sees him as anything but a geek. Robbie wants Tama. KJ agrees. This requires much plotting together. This cozy together time that is oh-so-predictable.

If Geek Magnet has a flaw it is that it is ultra-predictable. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure some folks will find it enjoyable and satisfying. To me, as an adult, I found KJ a bit too self-absorbed. KJ wasn't exactly shallow. Far from it in some areas. KJ's life isn't easy. She has an alcoholic father, a mother in denial, and a younger brother that is absent-though-present. (It's weird how many scenes this brother is in, yet he never made an impression.) While KJ's relationship hate-and-angst filled relationship with her father takes up some space, the rest of her family just fades into the backdrop.

The romance. Well. I thought it lacked a bit. I thought Robbie and KJ definitely had some chemistry. But, predictably so, they were almost the last ones to know it. And the resolution, the closing scenes where they're drawn together...well, they technically get the job done, but I was hoping for a bit more fireworks.

Where Geek Magnets might pick up some fans is in the drama department. For readers who have a love for drama, for theatre, for musicals, for Grease in particular...I think this one might work better. It does spend a good majority of time behind-the-scenes pulling together a musical production. Actors. Directors. Props. Costumes. Dress rehearsals.

I think other readers would probably like this one better than I did.

[♥ Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Freaking. Cute.

Honestly, this book was all kinds of predictable, cliche, and over-the-top cheesy. It was the epitome of a "feel good" chick-flick, middle-grade "coming-to-age" kind of book. But it was also so cute and sweet and made my insides swell with nostalgia and fluffy sweetness. But unlike the quickly dissipating sweetness of cotton candy - melting in your mouth at first with its' sugary goodness, then disappearing into nothing, leaving you with a sinking emptiness (and ultimately hunger) - this book left a perfectly pleasant impression at the end of it all. I was more than satisfied.

If I'd read this when I was younger - junior high or even high school, I probably would've appreciated it more. Though I don't think my group of friends were considered "nerds" or "geeks" - I had an incredibly eclectic group of friends (for the most part). I was in ASB and the drama club, but my best friend at the time, was a cheerleader and a pianist; other close friends didn't fit any one mold or stereotype, either. It was so weird. But it worked, somehow.

Sadly, now, I don't keep in touch with many of my HS friends. Not even those who were so close to me; the ones I thought I'd be friends with forever. Even that one best friend who played piano, and was a cheerleader, and knew all my secrets, and who I spent most of my weekends with - teaching each other how to put on makeup, picking out our first bras together, then moving on to buying various push up bras every other weekend, going over "boy" strategies, etc.

We ultimately drifted apart, but reading this book kinda felt like being with my old bestie again.

I didn't know it at the time, but this story reminded me that despite our differences, she really was that One True Friend.

And just like that - this "lighthearted" read turned into so much more than a quick, fluffy YA romance. It was about friendship, finding oneself, dealing with family drama, and so much more.

Also, it was written SO creatively! Every chapter was a SCENE, IN WHICH Something Awesome Happened.

The story:
The MC, KJ Miller, is the run-of-the-mill heroine with the Nice Girl Syndrome. She has all these dorky/geeky friends who embarrass and semi-harass the living daylights out of her. And they are apparently ruining her chances with Hot Jock Cameron.

But we all know how THAT turns out.

It doesn't.

Well, it does, but not really.

One of the popular girls, Tama, sort of takes KJ under her wings, and "helps" her ditch the nerd herd and get with hottie Cameron. But KJ feels guilty about dissing her friends - as nerdy and socially awkward as they are. And then there's Robbie (an old friend who was an could probably be popular if he wanted), who makes her feel comfortable and happy and proud all at once.

That, my friends, as confusing as it may sound - reminded me SO MUCH of my own experiences.

I didn't realize it then, but I do now: high school was awesome. Despite all the drama, uncertainty, and awkwardness, I don't think the friends I made in college or even now, as a grad student - could ever compare to the kinds I had in HS.

There was just a certain innocence about me - them - us. A longing to connect, to fit in, to be liked, and to like, to have fun, and just be young and wild and carefree and boy crazy and stressed about SATs and everything else in between.

This book captured all that and more. I really liked the message of this book. It IS in many ways, your typical "feel good" book. But so what? I loved that the Hero of this book wasn't your typical All American Boy Next Door/ Homecoming King. The true hero wasn't perfect - wasn't the most popular kid ever, and wasn't the nerdiest nerd either; he was just real. So real that I could 100 percent relate.

If all the awkward references to big boobs were edited out, and replaced with more one-on-one dialogue b/w KJ and The Boy Who Shall Not Be Named (as to not give the ending away) - this book would've been P-E-R-F-E-C-T.

But even if it wasn't perfect, I decided to just go for the 5 star rating. Perfection is overrated anyway.

[Sarah Hadd]

This was basically a waste of my time. Oh and to any and all teenagers who decide to read this book? If someone makes you feel uncomfortable about your body, yes you do have every right to tell them off. Tell them to stop, don’t be nice about it, and tell an adult. Please please don’t be like this author and give a girl the impression that she has to apologize to a boy because she was “mean” for telling him to back off when he kept trying to touch her and make her feel uncomfortable. Seriously. That’s what happened.

[Christopher Seifert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. Sad to say I was disappointed. Geek Magnet suffers two major flaws: (1) It's way too long -- which is saying something, considering I could only bring myself to read the first third of it. (2) The author is obsessed with a certain part of the female anatomy. This, I am sure, is absolutely hilarious to a great many teenagers. For the rest of us, it gets really old really fast. With a lot of mediocre books, I feel compelled to slog through to the end just to find out what happens. No such compulsion here.

[Rita L · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Geek Magnet" by Kieran Scott, is a book about a girl who is followed by geeks all her life, and she just wants to get away from it all. In the story, a girl, KJ Miller, has been followed by geeks her whole life. When she meets drama star, Tama Gold, her life changes and she becomes a completely new person. But what KJ doesn't know, is that Tama only befriended her to get the lead role in there school musical, GREASE. Tama and KJ start to spend a lot of time together. Her friends, Robbie and Stephanie, try to talk her out of going to party's with her, and being a jerk to all the geeks. One night when her father gets in a car crash, KJ realizes that Robbie and Stephanie where right about Tama, she realizes that her true friends are the one's that stuck by her through everything. On the night of the performance of GREASE Tama, the main lead, bails of the cast and now KJ has to play the lead. Her friends, Fred, Robbie and Stephanie help her through it all. Will KJ make it through the performance? Will the geeks forgive her?

The two main characters in my book are KJ Miller and Tama Gold. Both of these girls go to West High High School. They befriend each other during Drama practice when Tama finds out who KJ likes. These two girls are fairly different, Tama Gold is a rich, skirt wearing, drama star. While KJ is the stage manager, tomboy, not so rich girl. In my opinion, KJ Miller was most interesting and entertaining to read about because I was able to relate to KJ more then Tama, so I could tell how she was feeling through out the story. Also because KJ wasn't one of the wanna be characters, and at first she doesn't really care about what other people think of her, whats most important to her is what she thinks of her self.

I would recommend this book to girls that like tension and chick-flicks. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes tension because this is the type of book that leaves you wondering whats going to happen next, and makes you want to keep reading and reading. I would also recommend this book to anyone that enjoy chick-flicks because this book is mainly about a girl who tries to find true love, and encounters some obstacles along the way. This book is also about how KJ finally has the guts to ask out the guy shes been dreaming of since the 5th grade, but things don't go the way she plans. She realizes that shes in love with someone else. That is the type of audience I would recommend this romantic, dramatic,"Geek Magnet" book to.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I found appealing in the title of the book was "Geek Magnet". At first, this title caught my eye because the first thought that came to my mind was that the story would be about a girl who had trouble dealing with boys who liked her at school. However, in the story, it talks about a girl named KJ Miller. In the book, her motive is to ear the spot as the stage manager for the high school production of the play, "Grease". There are several other conflict that happens in the book, KJ's father is an alcoholism, she attracts nerds, and she has a crush on this popular jock named Cameron. In the end, she has to deal with teenage problems such as if she really has feelings for Cameron or she just has a crush on him because everyone in the entire school knows who he is. Also, I really liked the part about how KJ struggles with problems with self-image. I feel like teenagers these days can relate to a lot about what is being said about in "Geek Magnet".

[Stephanie Strohm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession: I was a high school drama dork. Not surprising follow-up confession: I loved this book. Kieran Scott perfectly captures the magic that is the high school musical, right down to the scent of the stage, while also deftly addressing some more serious issues. Add in a swoonworthy guy I was crushing on from the moment he appeared and a group of loveable (and some not-so-loveable) geeks, and this book is irresistible (kind of like K.J. to a geek.) Couldn't put it down.

[Anita Benito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dude this book was so addictive I read the last two hundred pages in one sitting

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book for teen girls. It shows that the things you think you want based on appearances may not really be what you want after all. Especially in friendships and relationships. Just because someone is cute or popular doesn't mean they are nice or even compatible with you.

KJ learns this lesson in both ways. First, she thinks that being friends with Tama will bring her popularity and get her away from the geeks who seem to be infatuated with her. Then, she thinks she wants a relationship with Cameron in order to be happy. What she finds, is that what we think we want isn't always what's best for us.

I love the drama setting the story is told in. Each "chapter" is titled like an act in a play. I also enjoyed the setting because my daughter (16) is heavily involved in drama and it was easy for me to relate to the story in this way.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating - 3.5 stars

While I thought KJ was a little shallow at first, she did grow and change as the story progressed. I thought the romance was really well done, and the book was much deeper than I thought it would be, with KJ having to deal with some family drama and such.

Overall and very quick and cute read.

[Anneceleste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Above average romance for adolescences (3,5 stars). I gave it to my 15 year old daughter as a present and started reading it instead.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So...I read two books in a row where the amply endowed protagonist is part of the crew for her high school musical and at the last minute, finds herself thrust into one of the lead roles.

That's not what this book is actually about. It's about KJ, a girl who's navigating an alcoholic father, friend problems, cute-boy problems, and most uniquely, geek problems. The geeks, they love KJ. Hence the title. There's the handsy geek who won't stop talking to KJ's "large tracts of land." There's the super-intellectual health-nut geek who is intellectualizing his crush on KJ and their potential compatibility. And there's the klutzy, generous geek-next-door who's always offering KJ some junk food treat, if he's not crashing or falling and causing disasters.

KJ's school is doing Grease as their musical. The lead roles have mostly gone to the divas of the school, as well as a potentially cool, cute boy. But KJ only has eyes for the hot school jock.

This book is a lot of fun and, despite the scary alcoholic father storyline, pretty fluffy. I just feel like it's mostly been done before. There really aren't any surprises, and I would say only the multiple geeks make this book unique and add a bit of comic relief.

[Books and Literature for Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

KJ Miller is a geek magnet. And to prove it, she's got not one, not two, but three geeks following her every move. Sure they bother her, especially Glenn with his constant rude remarks, but deep inside KJ just can't be mean. Or can she? When KJ unexpectedly befriends high school starlit, Tama Gold, she suddenly finds herself in the "in" crowd; but hanging with the populars comes with a price. Ditch the geeks or never hook the high school football Cameron Richardson. With her homelife and friendships fraying, and the Grease production on the brink of disaster, is KJ really ready to kiss her greekdom friends goodbye?
This charming story about one girl's quest for love, life, and forgiveness is sure to bring out the "geek" in everyone.

***********

There I was scouring the "New Releases" shelf at the library when I bright pink cover caught my eye. [Ooooo shiny!:]
When I pulled it out, to my surprise it was Geek Magnet (and also to my surprise the geeky guy on the cover looked an awfully lot like a certain person I know-spooky).
From the beginning of the book I knew I would rate it 4 BLTs. The characters were funny, KJ's emotions were very relatable-especially her homelife problems-and the the chapters were set up in scenes like a production. Speaking of productions, amidst KJ's problems she was also the stage manager for Grease, which was a great addition to the book. Though the end was fairly predictable, Geek Magnet did manage to keep me on the edge of my seat. KJ kept making wrong turns and creating the perfect mess. I was mad along with her, frustrated with her, happy with her, knew what she was going through-what a great relatable character KJ is, huh?
TINY SPOILER........
I can also that Tama Gold just burns my toast! Boy what a brat, and thankgoodness KJ turned out to be a smart girl after all. The best part about Geek Magnet was forgiveness and that being "popular" is not important.
Okay, now I can truthfully say I Am a Geek. After all, we ARE the smart ones.......

4 STARS: Mild crude humor, family violence, references to teen drinking, and mild language. Approprate for teenagers fourteen and up.

Courtesy of BLT: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took two months to read this book, not because it was boring, but because I always forget to bring it around me. This book is kinda different than other books, despite the fact that it has girl dramas, friendships problems and etc.

Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott can be categorized as a typical teen book, but what it has and other doesn't is the reality of high school. In the book, KJ is a geek magnet and she was never considered 'cool', well because she was a geek magnet. lol. but at one point of the book, KJ actually chose 'cool people' over her true friends. I think that is really realistic because people in real life still do that.

Sometimes you just want to fit in for once and you'll do anything to reach that goal. KJ did the same and she left her friends. I dont think she notice who were the real friends standing next to her no matter what. and that's what we tend to do. We don't seem to realize who are the people that are worth our time and who are the people that don't.

This book told me that we should probably appreciate more in life. Especially in friends. Even though my friend can be a little bit annoying, that's who they are. In the book, KJ had a friend named Stephanie. KJ started to noticed all Stephanie's flaws when they drifted apart, but she forgot all the times they've been through together.

I think this book is a big wake up call. Even though I'm not a geek magnet and etc, the theme of the book really got to me.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story.
About Friendship, Family, and Love.
Very different from what I used to read. Instead of chapters, there are Acts and Scenes.

The synopsis on the back cover of the book made me read it. There's something interesting about it, and don't forget the name: KJ :)

KJ Miller is a very nice and a friendly student. And there are THREE GEEKS following her around wherever she goes.
Enter Tama, the popular girl. She'll help KJ to get rid of the Geeks by being mean so that KJ will be with Richardson, the jock.

I didn't, for a second, like Richardson. I knew he was just hanging out with KJ because of Tama.
Meanwhile, Tama is plain rude. It's obvious that she's just using KJ to get what she wants. KJ is so oblivious -.-

I'm glad she found her real friends in the end.

Robbie is such a sweet guy!
He can sing, play the drums, and handsome. What more can you ask for? He even have a good personality!

I think it's kind of predictable that KJ and Robbie will end up together.
I still had a great time reading it though ;)

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

KJ idolizes this girl who's friends with this guy that KJ is in love with. KJ starts to help out with the school play and that girl that she idolizes is a total diva bitch. so thats why she obeys everything she does. she gives her the lead in the play. and they start being "friends" the boy that shes in love with likes that shes friends with the girl that she idolizes and asks KJ out. she notices that hes a total douche bag. so he dumps him. and in the backround you TOTALLY (sarcasm) don't see coming that she goes out with the friendly emo kid. wow that was so unexpected... not. the book is exactly how i explained. do not read... please

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020
To be honest, KJ starts off a little less likable. She has geeks who follow her around and adore her, but she hates it. And them. Plus, once she starts hanging out with Tama than she starts telling them how terrible they are. The poor guys just get absolutely shamed in front of everyone.

As time goes on, though, KJ starts becoming a better, more mature person. She starts figuring out who her real friends are. She starts appreciating people. And letting them know. She faces some of her major fears. And confronts her mom about her home life (that's gotta take a lot of courage).

A pretty charming novel, all in all.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun, fluffy book about a girl who only seems to attract the nice, decent, slightly geeky guys. She tries to change herself into a more popular version by being a little bit more mean to get a popular jock to be interested in her. She comes to find out she doesn't actually like being mean, and that the geeks are okay. A typical plot for a book that appeals to teenage girls.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a REALLY good book (some people might not agree...) It's about a girl, who's really nice so only geeks like her, but one day the most popular girl in school tells her that she has to be mean if she wants them to stop liking her.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute. Very obvious and predictable, but it was a quick & easy read.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a couple years ago and I remember loving it!

[AuroraIce]

Another bookshelf reread.

This book follow KJ, a girl who loves participating in school musicals as part of the crew, but not part of the cast. She tries to be nice and responsible, and as a result of her interests and kindness, she attracts geeks.

There’s scrawny, creepy Glenn who always has his hands on her, stares at not her eyes whenever he talks to her, and puts her on the spot with his expectant flirting. There’s Fred, who she’s known forever. He lives on the same street as her so their families are close, her mom likes him, and he always brings her gifts. She can’t say no to him because he’s sweet and gives her puppy eyes. Then there’s Andy, her assistant stage manager.. He’s scientific and a health enthusiast. She finds none of them appealing and has always had a crush on Cameron, the popular guy at school.

This year their school is putting on Grease, and popular Tama goes against the status quo each year to participate in the school musical, during which time she befriends KJ. Last year she stopped talking to her after the musical ended, but KJ still jumps at the chance to hang again when Tama get the lead role. Tama realizes she likes Cameron and offers to set them up.

During one uncomfortable encounter with Glenn, lead actor Robbie saves KJ from having to deal with him. Robbie used to be good friends with Cameron and the athletes, but he suddenly stopped and just left the group entirely, joining music things instead. At first she thinks he likes her, and her friend Stephanie says that makes sense because he’s a geek, which KJ isn’t so sure about.

It turns out Robbie actually likes Tama, and he seeks KJ’s help to set them up. She tells him things she learns about Tama’s interests. Tama already has a boyfriend, Leo, who she says is the one good thing in her life. That’s hard to believe since every scene they’re in involves them getting into a screaming match. They clearly aren’t healthy for each other. Tama hates the idea of him going to college because she “would just die” if he went away, so even when he shows interest, she gets mad and tries to talk him out of it. In turn, he disapproves of her going to therapy for her anger issues, so she hides it from him and has KJ drive her. Neither is respectful to each other.

Robbie isn’t wrong when he says Tama deserves better. Both her and Leo would be better off with different people, but Leo isn’t exactly friendly or polite to anyone, so I don’t know if that would work. Tama isn’t either. She’s the kind of friend who makes you feel like they’re doing you a favor when you do them favors. I wanted more depth from her.

Tama did seem much better at first. She notices the way KJ suffers from all the geek attention and that she wants to tell them to stop but can’t get herself to say the words, so she offers to help her. She wants to help KJ gain the confidence to stand up for herself, so she acts as her guide. She takes her to a party so weird people could talk to her, but KJ can’t even tell strangers to leave her alone. Seeing her get too overwhelmed, Tama steps in and chases them off, which shows emotional awareness and consideration, right? It also gives KJ a blueprint on what to say, and when someone treats her similarly to how Glenn does, KJ gets so angry that she finally speaks up.

Later Glenn shows up at the diner where they were hanging out and just sits in her booth without an invite with some of his friends and starts telling not-her-face that he had told his friends all about her, and she gets angry enough to finally tell him off.

She feels good about it, but Stephanie calls her later to scold her. The next day, Glenn confronts her, saying he wasn’t okay with how she disrespected him and he couldn’t be friends with someone like that. It’s a relief to her, but Stephanie doesn’t approve.

I get that it’s better to handle these situations with more consideration and less yelling and humiliation, but Stephanie’s attitude toward the whole thing was not good. The girls’ friendship went up and down throughout the book, and I could understand why KJ was so frustrated with Stephanie and felt like she wasn’t on her side. KJ had complained about this forever, but Stephanie didn’t see the problem. It seemed like any time KJ said something or got visibly frustrated, Stephanie would immediately reprimand her, and it seemed like the reader was supposed to understand Stephanie’s viewpoint, that KJ was in the wrong. But no.

Like when she scolds her for telling off Glenn and KJ points out the way he always treated her and where he stared, Stephanie just says he doesn’t know any better. That’s kinda messed up. It’s very difficult not to know any better. You don’t touch someone without their permission. You don’t stare at people where you shouldn’t stare. You don’t back them into corners and make demands in front of an audience. Everyone else could see she was uncomfortable in those situations, so it’s not like it wasn’t obvious, he just didn’t see it. She shouldn’t have to always verbalize that. Not everyone can.

Why does Stephanie never speak up when guys are putting too much on KJ, especially when she’s clearly getting overwhelmed and upset?

When Tama took her to the party and KJ put up with creepy people because she didn’t want to make them uncomfortable, Tama asked why they should be allowed to make her uncomfortable but she couldn’t do the same to them? Especially if she was only making them uncomfortable for making her uncomfortable. And she was so right. Tama was far more supportive in that regard that Stephanie.

KJ could only tell off Glenn because he was being pushy and she was already upset in that moment. She knew she couldn’t do that to the other two, who were pushy in different ways but not disrespectful. They were nice.

The problem was that Tama was so okay with being mean to everyone. She enjoyed putting people on the spot in public and embarrassing them. She even did that with Leo. But the things the people in this school laugh at are so stupid. No wonder everyone’s so afraid of doing something stupid and getting laughed at. People in this place are monsters. My school would never.

KJ gets to start talking to Cameron. It was all very boring.

She bonds more with Robbie. He’s judgmental of her music taste – which I didn’t like. A person can like any music, you don’t have to like all the same things. Plenty of people like variety, so it’s not like she disliked his music tastes just because he disliked some of hers – but other than that he’s fine. At least he eagerly takes her CD shopping, except it takes only a few minutes because he’d decided exactly what he wanted her to get before they got there.

The rest of the musical cast is getting frustrated because Tama gets her way a lot since she has KJ wrapped around her finger. Stephanie says Tama is brainwashing her. Andy keeps asking KJ survey questions which are clearly to find out her interests. He also tries to influence what she eats because health.

KJ’s dad is an alcoholic. The family is always uneasy waiting for him to get home, how late, if he’ll be drunk, if he’ll be a happy drunk or a yelling one. She kinda hates him for it, and is annoyed with her mom for putting up with it. Anytime she tries to speak up, her mom hushes her, even when she’s boiling with rage. Her mom acts like KJ’s the crazy one for being upset.

She starts to like Robbie as she helps him learn about Tama’s interests, but she focuses herself on Cameron instead.

The cast and crew are supposed to go to a party at Fred’s, but Tama decides to ditch and drag KJ along with Cameron, but they go to hang out at the bar that KJ’s dad frequents. She hates alcohol because of him and finds it unappealing that they’re drinking, but she finds any way to twist things around to make Cameron appealing again. Leo and Tama fight so the girls leave, but then they run into KJ’s dad, who tries to scold her, but she get angry and storms off.

They go to Fred’s party. Most people skipped. Stephanie had told him KJ was sick, but KJ admits the truth and Fred questions why she would skip out on him. She’s clearly already upset, but when she shows a little annoyance about others scolding her, Stephanie reprimands her, so KJ breaks down and flips out on everyone, especially the geeks that like her, telling them she doesn’t feel that way about them and to leave her alone. Then she runs out. Tama is proud, but Stephanie doesn’t talk to her for a few days.

Stephanie and Tama clearly don’t like each other, but there’s no clear origin for it.

KJ goes home to see her dad yelling at her crying little brother about dropping a glass, so she freaks out on him too, pointing out it’s not a secret that he’s drunk. He says she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, she reminds him they ran into each other at the bar. She expects to get grounded and for everyone to hate her, but Robbie comforts her later.

Tama fights with Leo about college and says she could date anyone, so she goes to Robbie’s house and asks him out. Impressed and jealous, KJ asks Cameron out. They both have their dates on the same night. Before they leave, Tama tells KJ she’s just going with Robbie to make Leo jealous, so KJ feels guilty for setting this up because he truly likes her. She’s also disturbed that Tama could play with someone’s feelings without a care.

Both pairs end up at the diner afterwards. Leo shows up and tries to pick a fight with Robbie because that’s what Tama wants, except Tama had told KJ that Robbie was so sweet and she didn’t know a guy could be that respectful and good and caring, and she’s truly interested in him now like KJ hoped, but she also wants to change him. Robbie is clearly annoyed already, realizing Tama isn’t that interested and that this was a ruse, so he tells Leo and Tama he’s not interested in her, scolds Tama for doing this, then leaves.

KJ’s date ends with a kiss. She hates it. She’s upset and finds Robbie and apologizes for knowing his date was a scam. He understands and walks her home, only to find that her dad’s car is crashed into a telephone pole. She’s really worried, but learns he’s only unconscious because he was drunk and has minor injuries and never woke up even when he crashed. She is disgusted and wants her mom to do something because even major moments never teach her dad, but her mom thinks she’s being unreasonable.

Robbie, Stephanie, and Fred stay with her until her mom comes back from the hospital, so she apologizes to Fred and thanks him, and makes up with Stephanie. There were things where Stephanie was the better friend, and where Tama was better, and things where each girl was the worse friend.

She doesn’t answer Cameron’s calls but talks to him at school. It’s a small town, so everyone knows about the wreck. She called Tama a lot but got no response, and Tama clearly doesn’t care afterwards since everything turned out fine, and she was busy with Leo.

KJ has to visit her dad at the hospital and be nice. He tells her things will change. He’s said that before. She doesn’t believe him.

KJ apologizes to Fred again, gives him a gift realizing he’s always given her stuff but she’s never done the same, and says she realized he’s one of her closest friends and she doesn’t want that to change. She also apologizes to Andy, who reveals he was working on a compatibility chart and already figured out they weren’t a good match no matter how much he wanted it, but she’s learned Stephanie has a crush on him, and they’re both scientific, so she wants to answer his questions as Stephanie to test that compatibility.

She also apologizes to Glenn. He smugly accepts, then she tells him he owes her an apology too and calmly explains how he makes her feel and that his treatment isn’t okay, and if he decides to talk to her again and wants to be friends, he has to give her a little respect. She acknowledges he doesn’t want to hear this as he looks sick, and once she’s done he just puts on loud headphones and turns away.

She goes on a date with Cameron at the arcade but doesn’t play games, just watches him. A kid jeers at him and challenges him to compete, where winner gets the others’ tickets. The kid is a jerk, but after Cameron starts winning and jeers back, the kid looks upset and KJ is appalled. Cameron wins and gets the tickets, she says that wasn’t fair and gives them back, then the kid leaves quickly before he can take them back, and Cameron says he’ll allow it if she buys him a soda.

This is where I disagree with KJ. Maybe Cameron wasn’t behaving the best, but not everyone has to be perfectly, dotingly mature. Maybe people who has a younger sibling with the age difference KJ and her brother have, and if you’re also kind of a caretaker toward them, that mindset comes more naturally, but people without that aren’t all going to be that way. Some might, but it’s not a given by any means. The kid was a jerk. He walked over, starting insulting, told Cameron he sucked, but when Cameron did it back, he was in the wrong?

He wasn’t right, but he wasn’t appalling. Being older and bigger doesn’t guarantee he’s more skilled, to counter the argument KJ makes. She said she would have let the kid win, but again, he was a jerk. Don’t reward that. Don’t make it okay to go up to strangers at any age and start insulting them and expect to be treated well. Regardless of his intentions, Cameron would’ve taught the kid a lesson on respect and behavior better than KJ would. Ultimately, beating him and not taking his tickets was probably the best course of action, so he still got some humility, but come on. This annoyed me

Cameron’s always glad that her and Tama were friends. He knows they’ve been fighting and wants them to make up, and KJ realizes it’s because she’s acceptable only as long as she’s friends with Tama because Tama makes her acceptable. She realizes he’s as shallow as Robbie warned, and that he’s a geek in his own way but it’s hidden behind other things. So she throws her drink on him.

I forgot why her and Tama were fighting.. Now that things ended badly between Tama and Robbie, Tama is unprofessional during dress rehearsal. KJ finally pleases the cast by standing up to Tama. Tama storms off and refuses to return to the play. They don’t have any understudies. One girl had played the lead in a different Grease performance, so she knows the lines, but that means KJ, also knowing all the lines and blocking, needs to fill in for her role.

They try and fail to get Tama back. Going on stage is KJ’s biggest fear, but her friends manage to soothe her and get her on. She doesn’t do well, crashes down mid-song, but Glenn, in charge of lighting, points it at another actress, who takes over the song. After act 1, Tama visits backstage and KJ scolds her for doing this to them.

Tama tries to argue back, saying they’re not even friends, but KJ points out all the things Tama told her and no one else, how they’ve helped each other, and says she’s the only real friend Tama has because her popular friends wouldn’t have her back, but if she ditches them for the performance, she’ll lose KJ. Tama begrudgingly gives in and everyone returns to the stage in their proper roles.

They all celebrate afterwards, Glenn gives KJ flowers and some respect, she thanks him for saving her with the lights, her and Robbie get together. The night before opening night, her mom had told their dad he had to get help with his drinking or leave since he had relapsed, so he stormed out. KJ’s brother was mad about it, but he gets over it. KJ never has hope that her dad will change, but she realizes she should have confronted her mom, the reasonable one, long ago rather than her dad, despite her mom always being condescending about it and acting like KJ was wrong. KJ finally has hope now.

KJ gets into her head a lot and her self-esteem can plummet easily. She can make up her own thoughts on what others are thinking and start freaking out about that. At one point Tama put on lip gloss that swells lips, so KJ asked to use it, but Tama tells her she already had full lips. It wasn’t even a backhanded compliment. There was nothing negative in what she said, but KJ overthought it and started spiraling into thoughts about how giant and balloony her lips were.

She goes into these silent panics about what other people must be thinking until they say something that reassures her. She’s always so certain people will think she’s a freak and want to get away from her if they know about her dad, which is stupid and I wondered how she could think so feebly. Then again, that school is trash and everyone’s ridiculous, so maybe she’s not wrong. But it’s not like she would treat someone badly in their own similar situations, like with Tama’s therapy (aside from the fight where she blurted it out to throw it in her face), so she should have used that logic to realize others wouldn’t be jerks either.

I can understand why she wouldn’t think that way though. I thought it was very fitting. I couldn’t relate to everything she did, but I could understand it. Like, I did see good qualities in Cameron and wanted them to be accurate just like she did, but I didn’t find him interesting to read about, and I didn’t agree with her obsession, yet I can understand it because I know those feelings, just for much more interesting people than Cameron.

I think the first time I read this book, I was rooting for one of the geeks, but Robbie made sense this time. It wasn’t a mindblowing love story. That wasn’t even the entire point of the book, because there was plenty of other stuff going on. Robbie was there for her and really considerate, so that was good. I’m also there for and really considerate of my pets, so I’m good too.

[Ilsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

TW: Alcoholism

So I’ve been meaning to reread this for so long. This book holds a lot of special memories for me since my best friend and I read it in middle school and we would make references to it all the time. I really wanted to revisit it and I’m so glad I did.

Since I read this before, I kinda knew all the characters. I did get to know them but I was mostly focused on KJ although I did like Stephanie. The geeks were pretty dorky and there was only one that I didn’t like (yes I am talking to you, Glenn) who was just pretty creepy most of the time except around the end. I also loved the musical part of it just because I’m dorky. There was also the side characters that were in the musical that kinda reminded me of Sharpay from High School Musical. (Her name is Ashley by the way). I just love that the whole conflict started and ended with the musical. I thought that was really cool. I won’t say who she ended up with because that’s a spoiler but I really like the chemistry between KJ and the love interest. I like the topics that were displayed with KJ’s family although I wish I got to see them more. It makes sense why she want there most of the time.

There are some issues with this book that I want to address. For one thing, there is slut shaming and “you’re not like other girls” trope there. Yes it’s annoying and problematic but keep in mind this book is ten years old. But it is something to keep notice of. It is not throughout the entire book just in certain parts so it shouldn’t take away from your enjoyment. Also there is talk of a character going to therapy. The character didn’t say it was bad by any means but KJ kinda treats it as a bad thing and uses it against that person. She does realize it’s wrong to do it and tries to fix her ways but it keeps coming up again. I just wish it wasn’t even included the second time. Once was enough. No one needs some more stigma against therapy. I also wish that Tama got a little more redemption in the end. I feel like she was developed but her character arc was incomplete because we were just focusing on KJ and the geeks.

So even though there are issues, I still had a fun time reading it. The chapters were short and the writing was easy to get into. It was just a lighthearted read that I would definitely revisit again! Recommend who just want a quick pick me up!

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott, Kieran Geek Magnet, 308 p. G.P. Putnam’s (Penguin), 2008.

KJ is pretty, smart and organized and the stage manager of her high school’s spring musical. You’d think she had great control over everything in her life. Unfortunately, instead of gorgeousness surrounding her, instead the boys in her life are all geeks – a friendly geek, a needy geek and a creepy geek. When the star of the play starts paying attention to her, the crush of KJ’s life notices her too, sending her school life into a tail spin. And her dad’s drinking has reached a point where her family is tearing apart. KJ needs to take back control of her life, but what she needs to fix it may not be what she thinks.

KJ’s life is complicated whacky and has some great themes and advice – regrettably, it is marred by a heavy dose of “OMG” (can there be a more trite exclamation – how overused can it be in current YA lit) and more than four dozen other assorted swears. On the bright side, there is no “f”. You’d better decide how much tolerance you have for swearing.

HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy Mitchell – Library-Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008...

[Merve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merhaba arkadaşlar, dün alıp bitirdiğim bir kitapla geldim.

İlk elime aldığımda Epsilon'un çerezlik kitaplarından biri olarak tahmin ettiğim, okurken de eğlendiğim bir kitapla geldim.

Konusu:
KJ, okulun Grease müzikalinde sahne görevlisi olarak görev almaya başlamıştır. KJ'nin etrafında 3 ezik vardır, Glenn, Andy ve Fred. Hepsi de KJ'yi rahatsız ederken ki kendisi de bir eziktir Kj'nin, oyunun başrolü Danny olacak olan Robbie, KJ'yi bu eziklerden arındırır.

Hee bir de Cameron vardır, basketbol takımı yıldızı. KJ'nin çaresizce aşık olduğu kişi.
He bir de Tama vardır o da Sandy'yi oynayacak kişi ve Kj'ye iyilik yapıp onu Cameron'a ayarlayacak kişi.

Bu arada Robbie'de Tama'dan hoşlanır ve Kj'den ayarlaması için iyilik ister.

Gerek arkadaşlıklar gerek aşklar 😊

Yorumum :
Evet biliyorum çook karışık gibi geldi konu size ama değil. Böyle akıcı, çerezlik bir kitap. Hani nereye bağlanacağını bilirsiniz ve yine de okursunuz o türde.
Aynı gün başlayıp aynı gün bitirdim.
Vakit öldürmelik bir kitap arıyorsanız okuyun derim 😊
Puanım: 3/5

[McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I felt that it had good characters and good relationships between the characters. I also felt that this book was very relatable because the main character was basically me in a nut-shell minus a few aspects. I would recommend this book to anyone who is starting high school and is going to be getting into the problems that relationships can cause. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely re-read it again in the future.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected this book to be soooo good! I finished it in a day!

I can relate very well to KJ's personality and her family problems so that landed a soft spot in my heart..

This book is not only beautifully written, it's also packed with relatable lessons (atleast for someone like me).