Review: Geek Actually Episodes 1.1 & 1.2
Geek Actually is an adult weekly serial that features a diverse cast of ladies all involved in some really geeky culture! Episode 1 is free (as well as a character guide) and each episode comes with both the audio & ebook, that sync progress! Gotta love that technology! So I highly recommend downloading the Serial Box app to your phone to get your geek on! New episodes release each Wednesday (next up is episode 3 – I can’t wait!) so you can catch up really quick! Be sure to check back as I will be reviewing each episode every week!
Geek Actually by Cathy Yardley, Melissa Blue, Cecilia Tan, and Rachel Stuhler
Cateogry: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: June 7th, 2017; Serial Box
Purchase: Serial Box
Meet your new best girlfriends. Michelle is a hard-nosed Science Fiction editor who is used to things going her way; Taneesha is a talented video game programmer who is used to being the odd (wo)man out. Aditi is a fantasy writer on the verge of her big break; Christina is a rebel on the sidelines of Hollywood. And Elli is a fan – of anything and everything that keeps are from “proper adulting.” Together they are Rebel Scum (at least in their shared group chat), and best friends through thick and thin. They might live far apart but through the power of the internet and a shared love of all things geek, they are ready to face the world side by side.
Review:
[book rating=4.5/5]I have listened to the first two episodes of Geek Actually, and honestly it was everything that I didn’t know I was missing in my reading life. I barely read adult these days and if I do they tend to be sports romances. But clearly the geeky romantic in me has found her match!
WTF introduces the reader to the 5 internet friends who mostly met though online gaming. We start off with Michelle, who is an editor in the world of sci-fi/fantasy publishing, and is feeling the heat from her boss. Michelle’s long-time friend Aditi, who wrote a popular book, but is struggling to get a handle on writing the series now that she has deadlines. Michelle turns to the slack channel (REBEL SCUM!) which the ladies use to stay in touch, to reach out to Aditi in the least threatening way possible. Even though they aren’t near each other, thanks to the internet they stay in touch. Seriously, what would I do with my life if I didn’t find a group of my people online?! I mean who can’t relate to that! These ladies stayed friends even though it seems most don’t have much time for gaming anymore.
Taneesha’s gaming startup has been bought out by a bigger company, and she is trying to find her place in that world as a female POC programmer. Christina is a Hollywood production assistant who is a little bit of a party girl and queer, and a complete foil to her sister, Michelle, who is too married to her job. Sweet millennial Elli, is just skating by from job to job, to the dismay of her parents, to get enough money to be the epic cosplayer at different Cons and let her geek shine. Aditi is struggling to write under deadline and it is straining her longtime friendship with Michelle, and would rather scroll tinder than write.
The ending of WTF, literally had me going, WTF? Without giving anything away, I was very much perplexed at Aditi’s behavior and I kind of hate that trope, but then big twist…all is right in the world, but I NEED to know more! However, ep 2, The Invisible Woman, did not give me the specific answers I wanted. Ep. 2, focused more on the two characters we barely learned about in ep. 1. We learn more about Elli and her focus on Pokemon Go! as well as her cosplay creativity. We also get to know a lot more about Christina and her day job on-set of a TV show, that has a lot of blood in it, as well as her extracurricular activities off set.
My only hiccup is that I could really feel the writing changes between episodes 1 and 2, but it was nothing to sideline me from continuing this weekly serial. But this is all overlooked with the amazing friendships, different situations each lady is dealing with, as well as all the pop & geek culture references.
The first two episodes are a glimpse into these ladies lives and how hard it is to be taken seriously as woman in the overly misogynist geek culture. These ladies are taking no shit and I am loving every damn minute! The tagline is ‘Friendship. Feminism. Fandom.’ and I am here for this! I can’t wait for the next episode!
WTF (Geek Actually #1.1) by Cathy Yardley
This is the 1st episode in the first season of Geek Actually, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode was written by Cathy Yardley.
Michelle and Aditi have been friends for ages, but with Michelle as Aditi’s editor for her debut fantasy novel, their relationship is under a bit of strain. Aditi needs to blow off some steam—a hot Tinder date does the trick (and then some). Meanwhile, Taneesha and Elli are both having some job trouble.
The Invisible Woman (Geek Actually #1.2) by Rachel Stuhler
This is the 2nd episode in the first season of Geek Actually, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode was written by Rachel Stuhler.
When Christina meets her new charge on set, Vivi, she’s pleasantly surprised at the definite spark between them. Taneesha’s attempt to speak up at her new job backfires in a big way. Michelle ventures out to a party, but is she really ready to move past Ted?
