😬.

This might be my favorite episode yet! I'm so not ready for it to be over.

I know some readers will be conflicted with where the Diego "Not All Men" storyline went but for me it represented something different. My husband and I had many intense discussions similar to Taneesha and Diego and I questioned who I even married for a bit. But after attending the Women's March and reading more about the movement and issues online, I'm quite proud of where he landed. Sometimes they really just don't know or understand. So I'm hopeful for them and it helps to see what people can learn.

I'm soooooo glad to see Aditi break up with ****. I really think this is going to change her life and possibly save her.

I missed Elli this week. :( What am I going to do with my Wednesdays when the squad is on break?

Today I'm here to co-review episode 1.10 along with Kelly from BookCrushin. We've been listening to the serial together and agreed to co-review every 5 episodes. Let's be real...We spend Wednesdays talking about Geek Actually so this is just an excuse to share it with you all ;).

Do you think Diego can redeem himself? Can he be reformed? Is he willing to learn from his gamergate stance?


K: As much as I wanted these two to succeed as a couple, I am thankful that Taneesha discovered this aspect about Diego, before things were taken to the next level. I want to hope that he could learn from her, if he truly cared, but I am so affected by current events in our world right now and I just want Taneesha to walk away.

CJ: I want to believe people can learn. Hopefully he went home and googled some of the stuff Taneesha was telling him. But if he can’t, better they learned that now. It’s tough when you’re in a serious relationship and you find out the person’s ideologies are not what you thought they were.

Elli's response to tragedy was impressive. How do you think she will fare after the initial shock wears off?


K: I was not expecting Elli to react the way she did, she just collected herself, and got right to work. I was impressed. I think I would have curled up in a ball and cried for days. She was deeply connected and learned so much and I think that has helped Elli really grow as a character and I hope she keeps kicking ass.

CJ: Well, Elli handled that a lot better than I did. I had to back up and listen several times. That plot point came out of left field and I don’t think I’ve recovered yet. Anyways, I hope she never changes. She should live on as she did, which is what *spoiler* would have wanted. But first, burn those letters and fight the assholes who think it’s cool to send them.

How do you think Aditi & Michelle will handle this new obstacle in their publishing relationship?

K: Completely fueled by fire, and I don't think the relationship is going to last. I have a sinking feeling that this sequel will never happen and Aditi will breach her contract. I can't say if their relationship will survive that either. I am not sure if it will blacklist Aditi. I can only hope her book is a breakout success so the publisher will do what they can to keep her happy.

CJ: I feel like Aditi and Michelle’s relationship has been the canon waiting to explode behind the scenes. There have been subtle hints along the way but with all the other things going on, their potential eruption has been secondary. They have to figure out how to put their friendship and business in separate buckets - no easy feat.

Christina is definitely experiencing 'being thrown in the deep end' scenario with her new position; do you think she'll learn to swim?

K: Possibly Christina will actually end up loving this job, but I feel like Vivi will not like the working all the time Christina. I also hope that maybe her fast lane life might slow down a little as she learns her responsibilities and understands her importance to the show.

CJ: I feel like most creative jobs are this way. Sink or swim. Christina’s new job looks like a challenge, which could crumble her with everything going on with Vivi. She’s going to need her girlfriends!

What are you hopes for the final 3 episodes of the series? Big shocking theories?


K: Assuming we get a little closure on some story lines and I expect there to be a season 2, I want Elli to become a champion for her work and become well known. I want Taneesha to find some solace and happiness in life, and maybe a whole new job. I would love for Aditi to rock the book world, and write a kick ass sequel. I want Michelle to tell her publisher who supports dickhead men to go shove it. Christina to find a balance between being responsible and having a life.

CJ: GEEZ the worst part is you know some stuff is going to be left unfurled since seasons go on but I hope we don’t get some Grey’s Anatomy level ending here. I hope Taneesha gets some resolution with the crap at work. I really just want management to step the hell up.

Four reasons why fangirls will love Grace and the Fever

She’s flawed in a way all of us fangirls are. I don’t know about you but if you put me in front of the members of All Time Low, I lose my ability to speak and have to remember to ACT COOL. At age 33, Even though I’ve met them more times than I can count. So when Grace ends up in a room with her boys, she doesn’t exactly do the 100% right thing. But she does do what most young fangirls might do.

Her online engagement is on point. If you are in the thick of your fandom, you know how things go. There are cliques. Levels of fan-ness. Your go-to spot for news. YOUR PEOPLE. Grace embodies it all with her online persona and Tumblr account.

She’s not 100% out about her obsession. To her IRL friends and family, her fangirl obsession ended in tween-land. Unfortunately, it’s just not cool to be a fangirl. I was teased pretty terribly about my NSYNC obsession in high school (whatever, don’t be jealous that I owned the dolls) and even in my 30s, people don’t quite understand my relationship with my fandoms. Or why getting meet and greet EVERY All Time Low show is the upmost importance. Or why I sobbed the one year I was too broke to buy my tickets during presale (thank you to Yasmeen who saved my butt with meet and greet tickets).

Watching a band from behind the scenes will remind you that they are people too. Grace gets a healthy dose of reality in getting to know her favorite band from behind the scenes. Hopefully it doesn’t ruin the magic ;).

Ughhhhh Christina WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU? There's totally an intervention coming and I am feeling so much dread for her and Vivi. Moving in together is not going to fix the problems you've swept under the rug. There's a major explosion building here, especially with her lack of awareness of how she needs to support Taneesha and her post is doing the opposite.

I love Ruby and Elli's budding friendship. Elli seems so misunderstood and like her unique qualities aren't appreciated and I totally feel Ruby gets it. So much that she helps give Elli a name to her romantic preferences - Elli is asexual. I love the diversity within this group of friends. I also love how natural it all feels as a reader.

Ok but I love Diego. DIEGO. I am all in for Taneesha and Diego.

After listening to this week's ep AND attending SDCC:
I'm so angry at Michelle's female boss for putting her in that position and at the same time I wasn't surprised. We've seen these male authors time and time again, including recently.
Christina is a bomb waiting to go off. Why do I have a feeling an intervention is coming?
Taneesha GET A LAWYER. Or a new job or both. Because these jerks don't know what they're doing and you deserve better.
I would love to switch places with Elli and just go to cons. And watch Supernatural. Did someone say hot cocoa?

After this episode, I had a few thoughts:
Ted is a dick. I really do not like Ted.
I'm glad I'm not the only one whose standard coping response is to watch Supernatural. It seriously cures EVERYTHING
Glad Aditi found an outlet. This is going to be an uphill battle but I'm here for it.
Ruby is full of wisdom and we've only seen the beginning of it.

One of my favorite booksellers described this book as 25% Spider-Man and 75% Jason Reynolds, which is completely accurate. I absolutely LOVED Miles Morales and can't recommend it enough. What Jason does to transform the history and legacy of Miles in just 272 short pages is incredible.

Miles is a 15 year old black-Puerto Rican youth with a whole lot going on and, oh, he also has the same powers as Spider-Man. The old mantra "with great power comes great responsibility" sounds great except when you're trying to keep your grades up at your all-white private school and the world is working against you. Miles has to worry about his parents and his neighborhood far before he will be saving the world, a lesson his dad shares with him at the very beginning of the story. To say I loved the family dynamics in this story is an understatement.

Without spoiling the story, I have to tell you...The villain in this story? Jason knocked it out of the park and hit home on our current world. Miles doesn't have all the privileges we see in typical superhero stories, which makes his story compelling and true. I can't recommend this enough!

The last two episodes have felt like things were building up to a big explosion - and last week I left feeling a serious sense of dread for Taneesha. If there's one thing I've learned about the internet, it's that the Reddit/4Chan neckbeard trolls will ruin your life if they see fit. Taneesha is left high and dry by her company - honestly, no surprise there. I hope this gives her the motivation to GTFO (and get a lawyer).

On the flip side, we are watching Michelle go down her new path and boy, is that enjoyable! But seriously, fuck Ted. I really can't stand her ex.

I'm looking forward to the next episode, where I hope we will get a peek at how Elli is doing at her new job and maybe some more insight into what's going on with Christina and Vivi. Anyone else feel Christina was particularly INTENSE this week?

Ahhh, so excited that the squad goes to Booklovers Con (which is similar to RWA and BookExpo) but, uh, I so want to go to a conference where they have panels like the one Michelle went to (meow!).

In The Long Con, we get to spend quality time with Michelle, Aditi, Taneesha, Elli, Vivi, and Christina. I loved Vivi and Christina - their chemistry is off the charts! I would be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for them big time. Taneesha goes on a date with our new fav book boyfriend (seriously, can I have him?). Aditi's flighty nature is better explored; I think we've only scratched the surface of what's going on for her. We also got some insight into Michelle's former marriage and a peek into her future. This episode did not shy away from sexy times!

As for Elli, I spoke too soon last week because it looks like she may have found her calling! It's funny how you never know where life will take you. I can't wait to see how things turn out for her.

It's not only refreshing to see a (geeky) diverse cast of women (written by a diverse set of women) in all stages of their career and personal life but also to see a new character (Ruby) introduced who helped explore ableism. I hope we see more of her in the future!