a cute book with lots of great "people watching" scenes in the cosplay arena.

This book could benefit from some further editing, but overall was understandable and easy to read.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Audrey and Kyle meet by chance at a con and find an attraction between themselves, but circumstances try to pull them apart. This is a sweet romance about two very likable but star-crossed lovers. I love the attention that went into the setting and creating believable and authentic characters.

As someone who doesn't cosplay but loves watching people do it, this was a great fun piece of writing. I enjoyed the book and felt like I gained something from reading it. A very positive experience!

Cosplayed by Laura Maisano was a delightful glimpse into the world of Cosplay ... a vast and popular world indeed for not only teens, but many adults as well. The prose was quick and believable and I enjoyed the teen romance as well as the underlying themes of growing up, facing reality, standing up for yourself and your friends. I would recommend this book to the young people that frequent the Teen Room at our local Library.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

This was a fun book, and I readily identified with scenes. The heart of the book is lovely and charming! That said, I think it needed some editing.

De achterflap:

Ik vind cosplayen er altijd echt super tof uitzien dus toen ik las dat dit boek over cosplayen ging wilde ik het meteen lezen. Daarbij leek het me heerlijk om te lezen over een meisje dat juist zekerder werd van haar cosplay. Ik ben een sucker voor een romance en zeker als hij nerdy is dus dat maakte me nog nieuwsgieriger.

Mijn mening:

Laat ik beginnen met de positieve punten van dit boek want die zijn er echt genoeg! Ten eerste vond ik de beschrijving van de cons echt geweldig! Ik hou van cons, het rondlopen tussen mensen die in meerdere of mindere mate je interesse delen, maar vooral omringt zijn door mensen die elkaar niet beoordelen omdat ze nerdy dingen leuk vinden.

Ook het hele verhaal rondom het cosplayen vond ik echt heel erg tof. Je ziet echt dingen terug die ik op cons ook zie, zoals de wedstrijden waar je ook echt een act moet hebben. Ook hier in Nederland kenen we cosplay groepen rondom fandoms, voor bij bijvoorbeeld Star Wars en Jurassic park. Dat dit ook terugkomt in het boek vond ik erg tof!

Dan de personages, laten we beginnen met Audrey, want met haar begint het boek ook. Al in het begin van het verhaal leer je dat ze last heeft van anxiety, je zag dit ook terug in de rest van het verhaal, maar van mij had dat nog iets meer gemogen. Bepaalde keuzes die ze maakt snapte ik totaal niet, maar ja zodra ik me dan verplaatste in het feit dat ze inderdaad nog heel jong is snap je het weer wat beter. Ik vond het leuk om haar te zien groeien in het cosplayen en haar enthousiasme hiervoor zorgde er ergens ook wel voor dat ik dit zelf ook wel zou willen doen. Ik vond dat haar personage een mooie groei maakte in het boek.

Dan Kyle, ik heb het idee wat we iets minder van zijn persoonlijkheid te zien hebben gekregen, het focuste zich meer op de ruzies tussen hem en zijn vader. Dat vind ik op zich wel echt heel jammer want ik had graag ook wat meer gezien van Kyle zelf. Voor mijn gevoel kwamen sommige van zijn beslissingen echt een beetje uit de lucht vallen en wist ik niet zo goed wat zijn beweegredenen waren.

Mijn grootste minpunt van dit boek vind ik eigenlijk dat het te dun was, ik denk dat de personages meer uitgediept hadden kunnen worden op het moment dat het boek wat dikker was. Waardoor je wat meer inzicht zou hebben in de redenen waarom personages doen wat ze doen.

Mijn conclusie:

Als je net als ik van cons, cosplay en random geeky stuff houdt dan is dit je boek. Het is heerlijk luchtig en weet je eigenlijk een uitstekend boek om te lezen terwijl je in de rij staat op een con als je niet sociaal wil doen!

3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Despite her love of comics, anime, comicons and everything else related, Audrey never imagined herself actually dressing up and playing a character. When her friend Dan needs her to fill in for his skit she enjoys it a lot more than she ever could of expected. For her next comicon Audrey decides to dress up as the popular character Sailor Moon. When two elite cosplayers make fun of her costume it sends Audrey into a teary panic attack. Then a boy, Kyle, comes to her rescue and basically makes it all better. Audrey soon finds out that Kyle has problems at home with his father. Add this to her not getting paid for her job because Uncle Rick is in danger of losing the business and the house and things quickly become intense. With everything so uncertain Audrey feels she must find a way to help Uncle Rick and Kyle while being broke and grounded herself.

I thought Audrey and Kyle were cute in a teenage first love sort of way. However, their relationship seemed to escalate at an extremely fast rate. After seeing each other twice, they were so determined to keep seeing each other that one or both (I'm not telling 😉) resorted to lying and stealing. It honestly seemed a bit over dramatic reminding me of Romeo and Juliet (not in a good way).

The story wasn't bad though, as I was definitely entertained throughout its entirety. I enjoyed the overall story that was told. Besides the super fast-paced love, I found the characters easy to like. The only thing that was confusing to me was Audrey was supposed to be shy and had a lot of panic attacks, which in the book I believe she only had one. If the book was supposed to show her change it did so very quickly and without much attention, as she does things that don't really fit with being shy.

The ending was wrapped up quickly. It all seemed to wrap up a little too nicely as it went from a horrible situation to a pretty good one. While I did like the book, I think it would be better suited for someone else, possibly someone younger or more into the gushy romance. A hopeless romantic teenager would probably love this book. Also, fans of geeky books, romance or non, would enjoy this.

As a cosplayer I love love loved everything about this book! I could relate to the mc so much. I definitely am going to get this in print when it comes out!

I loved this story! A great plot about being yourself even if it scares you! And finding friends who do it with you and support you all the way. A lovely little geeky love story!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love cosplaying/cosplayers/comic-cons.. so i had some high hopes for the book. It fell sort of flat for me though.

A nice, light read with no need for gripping suspense, so a good choice for just a relaxing read on a vacation or a breezy porch. Characters are charming, and you get that intensity of youth that fills the book with a buzz of energy. The author showed plenty of research of and appreciation for cosplay artistry, and I would have loves a bit more woven through the narrative. That's where the layering of art and sensory elevates the storyline with the guy rescue and his dad. The author has thought to use the best of what cosplay is in this story, which makes it worthy. Thank you, NetGalley for the review copy!

Enjoyable read, fast paced and fun, likeable characters but just seemed to be missing something I couldn’t put my finger on, enjoyable read though

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The story of Kyle and Audrey, who meet at a convention. Both are trying to keep their families happy whilst also having their own life.
Told from both their points of view, a fast paced read.