Bookish Boyfriends: Talk Nerdy to Me

TALK NERDY TO ME by Tiffany Schmidt is the third installment in the BOOKISH BOYFRIENDS series. This story follows Eliza, a girl known not only for her beauty and intelligence, but also for her mom and dad, who happen to be famous scientists. Unfortunately, Eliza doesn’t spend much time with them, as her parents are in Antarctica for work, leaving Eliza in the US with a guardian. Despite the distance, Eliza’s parents control every aspect of her life to exacting detail. It’s suffocating, but Eliza’s never gone against their wishes— that is, until she starts hanging out with Curtis. Though her parents say she’s not allowed to date and have even provided scientific studies as to why it’s not good for her, Eliza, for the first time, realizes some aspects of life aren’t meant to be controlled by lab results.

The idea for this book series in general is super cute and a lot of fun. The author takes classics and weaves parallels through her protagonists’ lives. In TALK NERDY TO ME, Schmidt uses FRANKENSTEIN and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES as foils to one another, opposite examples of who Eliza could become. However, you don’t have to be familiar with the source material to enjoy this book. You also don’t have to be familiar with the first two books of this series, as this novel functions as a standalone as well.

What works in this book is the romance between Eliza and Curtis. I love their dates— making cupcakes, training for a marathon, practicing for academic competitions. They complement one another and push each other to be better. I also enjoy Eliza’s friendship with Merri and her family. Merri is so different from Eliza and offers a nice contrast. Merri brings the idealism to Eliza’s realism.

With that being said, I had a hard time connecting to Eliza at first, and as such, the book got off to a slow start. In fact, the pacing throughout varies. There are parts where I didn’t want to put the book down and other bits that took longer to get through— generally, that was when Eliza was closing off again. As a result, the end is less satisfying, because it takes so long for Eliza to let her guard down and confront her parents, and she gets what she wants rather easily. It made me wonder why we had to go through all that happened, when the solution was pretty simple.

That aside, TALK NERDY TO ME is perfect for avid readers who may want a contemporary story that incorporates whimsy, retellings, and coming-of-age.