Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Teen read book review : Geek Girl : Picture Perfect (Book 3) - Holly Smale


Picture Perfect is the third book in the Geek Girl series, following on from Geek Girl and Model Misfit. I haven't read either of the first two episodes, but the book still worked just fine as a stand-alone novel.

Given the name Geek Girl, I was expecting to discover a heroine obsessed with computers and video games, but central character Harriet Manners earns her geeky title from her remarkable ability to spout random facts about anything and everything. 

In this book, Harriet is uprooted to New York when her dad gets a new job. Unfortunately, as she soon discovers, it's New York State, not New York City, and her dreams of living it up in the bright lights and excitement of Manhattan are dashed when she ends up in a sleepy suburb. Luckily, her handsome model boyfriend Nick is also in America so they will be able to catch up with each other when he is in New York for fashion week. That's the general idea anyway, but nothing ever seems to go to plan when Harriet's around, often with delightfully silly and funny results.

Holly also gets caught up in the crazy world of fashion (again - she was a model in at least one of the previous tomes) and this brings in a supporting cast of wonderfully eccentric characters. Imagine Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier rolled into one with a touch of Graham Norton and that's basically Harriet's on-off agent !

It's a fun read that looks at the trials and tribulations of being a teen, wherever you are in the world. If Adrian Mole had been better-looking, more of a globetrotter and a girl, this could have been his story ! Reading as an adult, it raised many a chuckle, even if it isn't always totally realistic - as a light-hearted, escapist teen-read, it's perfect. If you want something light to read by the pool that you can share with your teenage daughter and save space in the suitcase, look no further.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £12.99

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (5 Jun 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007574568
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007574568
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14.4 x 4.2 cm




Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Children's book review : The School for Good & Evil - Soman Chainani

1 comment:

  1. This sounds a a fab book,my teenage cousin would love it

    ReplyDelete