Geek Girl

Landing on Netflix this week is the new teen drama Geek Girl, starring a dazzling Emily Carey. Holly Smale’s novel of the same name, originally published in 2013, was known by all teenagers of the time, loved and lauded as a story of breaking out of your shell and discovering yourself. The show is a treat, nailing some trickier teenage themes while maintaining the hopeful surety necessary for YA fiction.

Harriet Manners is our star of the show – a 15-year-old neurodivergent self-professed “geek” with an obsession with random facts and only one real friend. She finds herself in trouble when her school goes on a trip to a fashion show and she falls over quite spectacularly, quite publicly. This accident, though, captures the attention of one of fashion’s biggest modelling agencies and catapults Harriet into a world that tests her in every way.

Carey plays Harriet gently, capturing her bright youthfulness and tentative footsteps well. Harriet is as we all were at 15, unsure but desperate for change, and watching her figure it out is cathartic for those who’ve been through it and promising for those going through it now. Her inner monologue is almost too realistic; at one point she asks, “What on planet Earth, population 8 billion, have I got myself into?” Although slightly cringey at times, it adds to the feeling of familiarity, and will certainly be relatable to younger audiences. A lot happens to Harriet, but there’s one moment of heartbreak, which results in a panic attack, that shows Carey’s impressive capabilities as an actor. 

It’s the supporting cast, though, that make Geek Girl a real triumph. Rochelle Harrington is sensational as best friend Nat, Tim Downie plays a heartfelt father and Liam Woodrum as Nick is clearly a star in the making. Emmanuel Imani, though, is utterly captivating as Wilbur Evans, and at times holds the whole show together with his charm and personality.

Geek Girl is unabashedly 2013, which will keep fans of the book very pleased. Its essence has not been dulled at all, and will in fact welcome teens of the new generation into a story that sells the dream of being plucked out of the crowd, of forging your own stories. This is a show you can watch as a family, or let your youngster dive into themselves. Either way, it’s a delight.

Talitha Stowell

Geek Girl is released on Netflix on 30^th May 2024.

Watch the trailer for Geek Girl here: