Review: Going Off Script by Jen Wilde

Hey all, Dani here.

It was a long day of wedding research and planning. We might have picked a venue and I think I have my officiant, photographer, and invitation designer figured out. And my man of honor might be taking complete charge of the music details. We have over a year until the wedding, but it’s nice to have made this much progress already. However, I am also tuckered out from all of it.

I think by now pretty much everyone knows that I’m a sucker for a good geeky romance story…or really any geeky story in general. I’m a female who collects books, movies, and TV series–so I definitely have quite a few fandoms I’m in–and I also play a lot of tabletop games (board games, card games, dice games, D&D, Pathfinder) and some video games. So finding characters who have similar interests in those things, especially when those interests are more than just a throwaway comment or two, definitely gets me interested and invested in a story.

This is why I have come to enjoy Jen Wilde’s books. Her characters are generally geeks in their own ways. The fact that they are also all over the Pride rainbow makes them even more fantastic. So, let’s jump into the review of her newest release before I end up reviewing it all in the intro of this post.

Summary

A TV writer’s room intern must join forces with her crush to keep her boss from ruining a lesbian character in this diverse contemporary YA romance from the author of Queens of Geek.

Seventeen-year-old Bex is thrilled when she gets an internship on her favorite tv show, Silver Falls. Unfortunately, the internship isn’t quite what she expected… instead of sitting in a crowded writer’s room volleying ideas back and forth, Production Interns are stuck picking up the coffee.

Determined to prove her worth as a writer, Bex drafts her own script and shares it with the head writer―who promptly reworks it and passes it off as his own! Bex is understandably furious, yet…maybe this is just how the industry works? But when they rewrite her proudly lesbian character as straight, that’s the last straw! It’s time for Bex and her crush to fight back.

Jen Wilde’s newest novel is both a fun, diverse love story and a very relevant, modern take on the portrayal of LGBT characters in media.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

I absolutely love how Jen Wilde’s books tie in with one another. We see characters from both Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders show up and play cameo and secondary roles in the story. It’s cool to get these little updates in their lives while also focusing on a new couple and brand new characters.

Personally I love the range of characters in these books as well: gay, lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, etc. Jen Wilde has a way of showcasing so many characters naturally and I think it is fantastic.

The other great part is that these characters are geeks. They enthusiastically participate in fandoms and will fight to support the shows, movies, bands, etc. that they love. That element is what continues to draw me in to these tales, though the characters are also a big draw.

I am starting to see more shows with average sized or average looking people who are unapologetic geeks, and yes please. Keep giving me fandom based and geeky stories. They make me so happy.

So keep writing, Jen Wilde, and I’ll keep wildly fangirling over your stories and your characters. Thank you for representing so many of us in so many different ways.

Where to Buy

You can pick up your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore.