Bounced between foster homes since the age of seven, Jessica knows better than to set down roots. Most of the kids at her new Michigan high school think she\u2019s a witch anyway (because, you know, goth). The only one who gives her the time of day is geeky Oscar, who wants to recruit her fashion skills for his amateur cosplay group. But Jess is fine showing off her looks to her Insta fans\u2014until a woman claiming to be her biological mother barges into her DMs.<\/p>\n
Jess was claimed by the state when her biomom\u2019s mental illness made her unstable. While their relationship is far from traditional, blood ties are hard to break. There\u2019s only one problem: Jess can\u2019t reunite with her mom in New York City without a bunch of paperwork and she worries her social worker will never approve the trip. That\u2019s when she remembers Oscar\u2019s cosplay group, which is aiming for that big convention in New York . . .<\/p>\n
So, Jess joins Oscar\u2019s team\u2014with every intention of using them to get to her mom. But her plan gets complicated when she discovers that, actually, cosplay is pretty great, and so is having friends. And Oscar, who Jess thought was just a shy nerd, can be as gallant and charming as the heroes he pretends to be. As the big convention draws near, Jess will have to decide whether or not chasing a dream of \u201cfamily\u201d is worth risking the family she\u2019s built for herself.<\/p>\n
“Zrull, whose author bio indicates she was herself a foster kid, delves with remarkable grit and heart into many sensitive issues, including mental health and body positivity… These geeks will warm even the coldest, darkest hearts.” \u2014Kirkus Reviews<\/em>, starred review<\/p>\n “Zrull\u2019s debut vulnerably and empathetically celebrates geekdom and connection featuring a goth queen teen who uses her image as a shield against the world.” \u2014Publishers Weekly<\/em>, starred review<\/p>\n “Zrull\u2019s debut is a beautiful blend of all things cosplay and mental health awareness, with a fiercely independent yet vulnerable heroine whose journey to closure, family, and love is heartbreaking but endearing.” \u2014Booklist<\/em><\/p>\n “The comic con setting gives way to pop culture references and cosplay options that are simply fun. The romance, the LARPing, the costumes\u2014it\u2019s a geek\u2019s definition of fun.” \u2014Seattle Book Review<\/em><\/p>\n About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Lindsay S. Zrull<\/strong> is a former foster teen. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master\u2019s degree in Library and Information Science and earned a second Master\u2019s degree in Creative Writing from Harvard Extension. She currently works as Curator of Astronomical Photographs for the Center for Astrophysics<\/p>\n Publication date: Jul 19, 2022, trade paperback, condition NEW, a signed bookplate by the author will be sent with each book!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bounced between foster homes since the age of seven, Jessica knows better than to set down roots. Most of the kids at her new Michigan high school think she\u2019s a witch anyway (because, you know, goth). The only one who gives her the time of day is geeky Oscar, who wants to recruit her fashion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15489,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[128,129,124],"product_tag":[554,555],"class_list":["post-15488","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-signed-editions","product_cat-staff-favorites","product_cat-young-adult","product_tag-lindsay-s-zrull","product_tag-ya-fiction","first","outofstock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/15488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=15488"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=15488"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=15488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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