Geek Abroad by Piper Banks

The Snowflake Gala is done and out of the way and Miranda Bloom, math genius, is headed off to England for Christmas break to visit her mother. When she arrives, she expects to spend her time sightseeing with her mother and catching up. What she doesn’t expect is that Henry, the son of her mother’s publicist, will be showing her around London as her mom still has lots of work to do. Miranda doesn’t mind too much, especially since Henry’s so adorable, but right now she’s not sure what’s going on with her and Dex and doesn’t want to risk messing that up.

When Miranda returns home she is greeted by confusion. She still doesn’t know where her and Dex stand, Hannah (her stepsister) is still being really nice to her, her best friend, Charlie, is hopelessly lovestruck, and the dreaded MATh team competitions are quickly approaching. On top of all of that, Miranda’s evil stepmother has become even more unbearable, making her life nothing short of crazy.

Will Miranda’s semester pan out the way she wants, or will all her confusion lead to a tangled up mess?

It’s rare that you find a sequel better than the first book, but I think in this case GEEK ABROAD definitely outdid its predecessor, GEEK HIGH. The characters were more developed, it felt like there was more going on in the story, and overall I thought it was a better book.

First of all, I felt I really got to know Miranda in this book. As the book progressed, she became a more secure individual and she took on a leadership role with her MATh team. I really enjoyed seeing her develop into a stronger individual and really stand up for what she believed in. I could see a lot of myself in her and felt a real bond with her. I also could not stand Peyton, Miranda’s evil stepmother. What’s funny is this is not a bad thing at all. I loved how the author created such an unlikeable character. It was infuriating to see the way that Peyton treated Miranda and I am eternally grateful that my mom treats me so well! It was also nice to see Miranda’s dad stand up for her in this book. He didn’t take any flak from Peyton and his bond with Miranda (and the reader) really developed in this book.

I also really liked how much emotion the author was able to provoke in me. When Miranda was mad, I was mad right there with her. When she got irritated with Charlie I could feel myself getting agitated, as well. I was really impressed with this because not many books get me as involved with the characters as this one did.

This book could also make a great stand-alone book. While it is a sequel, it filled in all the necessary gaps where needed. Even if you haven’t read the first book, GEEK HIGH (which you really should), you wouldn’t be left confused.

And finally the romance in the book was too cute. There were some classic elements to it, but then there were a few times when I thought something would happen and then the author threw us a curveball. Overall, this was the perfect light read, perfect for any time of year. I really hope that the author will create more Miranda-filled adventures that we can all embark on!