The Summer I Became a Nerd

The Summer I Became a Nerd is a lot of fun. It does a good job of addressing the social pressure to fit in in High School, and the crippling intensity of caring what other people think to the detriment of your own happiness. After a traumatic experience of being made fun of and ostracized for showing her true nerd self, Maddie vows to hide that side of her at all costs. She is a comic book, role-playing, video game lover on the inside, and a popular, quarterback dating cheerleader on the outside. When she is forced to enter the local comic book shop to buy the newest and last edition of her favorite comic, her world is turned upside down. Logan, her longtime secret crush is behind the counter and her attempt at hiding her identity doesn't fool him (he has been crushing on her for years too). As she begins to get closer to Logan, the lies she tells to hide her secret nerd side start to unravel. Maddie spends all her time trying to make and keep everyone else happy, but doesn't think about her own happiness. Logan makes her realize that there is nothing wrong with being herself. She is surprised to find out that her true friends don't care about her secret identity anyway. This is a cute love story filled with all the High School anxiety of being with who you truly like despite what others think. It really resonated with me and brought back memories of High School. Not a lot of books can do that.  If you are a comic book geek in any way, you will enjoy this book.  I'm not, but I can appreciate that world.  I have lots of friends, even a husband, that venture into that world in some degree.  I liked it mostly for the way it captured the social anxiety that high school can cause.  I remember feeling a lot of what Maddie felt.  It definitely hit a spot for me.  Overall it is a cute book with a good message.  A perfect summer read.  Give it a try.  Happy reading!