Geek Girl

Geeky clumsy shy english teen's unexpected journey onto the catwalk and adulthood.

A well produced, neatly scripted, well cast, 10 part TV series, paced to keep you engaged, not over complicated or unexpected, done with heart and charm. Few characters and most villains are slightly charicatured under developed, but that keeps the focus on a few nicer central people. It borrows the Bridget Jones technique of internal monologue but does it gently, for a PG12 audience.

Simple, nice, fun; the angst and self doubt is done kindly, the necessary flirting done gently.

I enjoyed this, was not sure I would, and can comfortably RECOMMEND.

To start with, it's not any random story, it's not even only a book series adaption, it's based on the author's real experiences as geek discovered as model. I really love all six book installments, including the three specials, it's my favorite book series.

I only got access to Netflix to watch this adaption. It's here only based on book 1, a book I know by heart. But they also used some ideas and characters from all later installments.

It's definitely aimed for a young audience, reminding me of my favorite teen romance comedy movies, such like Monte Carlo, Never been kissed or Cinderella Story. It's definitely a Cinderella Story, a fashion fairy tale. Harriet's journey to try to make her life better, with some unexpected magic from a "fashion fairy godmother", a beautiful dress, a prince Charming, but still on a journey to discover herself and to love herself. Somehow this adaption feels in comparison to the book like the Disney Cinderella live action remake in comparison to the 1950 animated movie. There's more complexity, more drama, more romance, yet, to be honest, it's definitely not literally the book (I understand some changes, some less...). For fans, there are lovely references and it's so nice that Holly Smale, the original novel author, was co-author of this series, Certainly, the book was not easily to be turned to movie, much with inner reflection, here seen as a kind of voiceover.

Of course, it's a fairy tale and sometimes we all need fairy tales, and so you should have not wrong expectations from the show.

The Netflix series manages to be as hilarious, joyful, positive and manages to illustrate some key ideas, yet, they put a bit too much "Disney magic" and "Cinderella Story" in the "ugly duckling" transformation story, whereas the book series is more private and cozy than dazzling, more bittersweet than saccharine, more edgy than smooth, more thoughtful and quiet than spectacular, more thoughtful and hitting emotionally harder (such like a Maleficent/Scar level villian school bullyAlexa had downgraded to a wicked stepsister vibes Lexie). Such like I also feel with the mentioned Disney live action remake adaption vs original one. Somehow the book series is more quirky, with Harriet being bubbly or sometimes more grumpy etc.. Some ideas can perhaps better to grab as presented here casually on screen...but even if if feels like Einstein hired as elementary school teacher, this is a joyful, feel-good introduction, but of course, not thr full genius.

This show had me, I think it's in the second scene, when it portrayed stuff pretty much taken out of my own life. And it just continued delivering that spot-on portrayal of autism.

One detail I love and that not that many shows gets right was that the main character's dad is also on the spectrum, and while I recognized a lot of the main character's experiences, I also recognized a lot of the dad's experiences. It wasn't a perfect match, of course. Every individual have their own experience, even when on the spectrum!

But still, superb research!

This is a comedy, and a bit of a fairy tale, and romantic as well, so some things just isn't going to match most autistic's experiences. Like the main character having a lot of luck, or is it the fashion world being full of neurodivergence?

Most autistic people will have far more dark clouds on their skies than this show suggests, but a lot of the things going on INSIDE the main character, those are very well portrayed.

And no, everything about autism isn't doom and gloom either! So this well researched comedy is very appreciated!

Characters are likeable, production is pretty, but there are too many cliches for 2024. It's like a bad Cinderella story.

Also, everything is much too improbable, it's too far from real life. I don't think this is doing teenagers any good.

Also, they throw in some jokes but they're not funny enough to laugh about. So it's a little cringe (and I know that saying "cringe" is cringe haha).

It's better to see Heartstopper also on Netflix where a popular guy and a geek boy fall in love, same story but the difference is that the latter is good.

So for me this show is unfortunately a miss.

6 out of 10 just because England is beautiful.

It has good message to empower but unfortunately the world shown is totally unrealistic. It's a feel good show and as one, is making it's purpose.

But also it's giving young people totally unrealistic views: that world turns around them and people in work will make sacrifices for you and wait for your better moods and chase you, etc. Also modelling world, which is ruthless, here is shown as cotton and candies. Problems shown here are nothing in comparison to real world. Also word Geek stopped being stygmatized for a long time now and most young people want to be called like that. It's a pride thing. It means that you're smarter than others.