Book Review: Model Misfit by Holly Smale

Title: Model Misfit

Author: Holly Smale
Series:  Geek Girl, #2
Pages:  356
Publisher: HarperCollins' Children's Books
Date of Publication: 26th September 2013
Source: Publishers, via NetGalley
Synopsis from Goodreads: “My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.”

Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.

What Harriet doesn’t know is where she’s going to fit in once the new baby arrives.

With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother’s ‘chaperoning’. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes.

Because, this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like.

Can geek girl find her place on the other side of the world or is Harriet lost for good?

My Thoughts:
I was super excited to get started with reading Model Misfit so as soon as I could, I did. I absolutely loved Geek Girl and for once, I didn't have to wait a whole year to get the sequel! Model Misfit lived up to my expectations and I really, really enjoyed it.

The majority of Model Misfit is set in Japan, which was REALLY cool. I really want to go to Japan - I always have, but even more so now! Just the sound of Tokyo and the people and buildings, everything just sounds so different and amazing and it would be so cool to go there! I also liked how we got to read a little bit about the countryside of Japan, and that was awesome because just like Harriet I had never really considered that they would have a green countryside, although now that I think about it, of course they do! Hehe it's funny how you don't think of things until they're pointed out to you.

I really enjoyed the plot of the story, even if it was a little bit predictable. I had my doubts about some things as the book was going along and I had a few little annoyances, but at the end you find out why those things happened (sorry to be so cryptic but I don't want to spoil you!) and it suddenly all made sense and I could forgive the certain characters that I didn't want to forgive before the end. I really hope that made some sense to you! The only thing I would have liked was possibly a little more variation in the places that Harriet went to model - as I said I did love reading about Japan but one of the things that I loved about Geek Girl was reading about all the cool places that she went to model, instead of just the one place. I'm only nit-picking though!

My favourite thing about Model Misfit was probably Rin. She was so sweet and cute, and her attempts at speaking English were so funny and really made me laugh out loud, for example when she tells Harriet about a letter that came in the post for her, but she calls it an "alphabet". There are others too which have escaped me now, but trust me when I say she will make you laugh. I want to be her friend! She's just so silly and loveable :D

Just as in Geek Girl I really enjoyed reading about all of Harriet's modelling shoots - the costumes, the scenery, and even all her mistakes. The shoots were just so wacky and I loved imagining what she would look like surrounded by fish, or stuck in a glass box. Sometimes I found them a little unbelievable, but all you have to do is flick through a fashion magazine and you realise that some of the shoots, poses and costumes that actually take place are so peculiar that anything seems normal. The world of fashion is so weird... Aaaanyway.

Overall I really enjoyed reading Model Misfit and I definitely think it's a worthy follow up to Geek Girl. It was full of everything I loved from the first book, as well as new characters and a new setting that worked so well. I'm not sure whether there is going to be a third book but I really hope that there will be - I haven't read enough about Harriet's world yet! If you've not started the series, I definitely recommend that you do, as you're missing out!

*Huge thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for allowing me access to this title for the purpose of an honest review. In no way has this affected my opinion of the book.