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katihowell's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
christinaswilcox's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel guilty for rating this 2 stars for some reason because I didn't necessarily have a terrible time and there were some very sweet moments but also what was this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Outing
There are so many random content warnings for this book weirdly and they happen very quickly and kind of all at once???? idkwanderlust_romance's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
What the blurb doesn't tell you about Moon Fuentes' popular, beautiful, and seemingly perfect sister...is that she's a social media influencer who has built her following on purity culture. To that effect, if purity culture, fatphobic bullying, slut shaming, and religious bigotry/gaslighting are hard limits for your reading...then this is not the book for you.
I could appreciate that the messages in this book are meaningful for a young person working through similar issues. Moon recounts how she has used sex in order to seek validation, in light of the bullying and abuse she receives from her mother and sister. You see her struggle to break free from the internalized messages of slut shaming and how it has contributed to her low sense of self. Moon engages in a lot of negative self talk, especially when it comes to her body. At the same time, she constantly plays the comparison game; believing that her sister has it all. But Moon also has a plan to make her own way - if she can just get through this summer influencer tour slinging merch with a very grumpy and very attractive Santiago Phillips. There is a decent amount of sex in this book, mostly addressed through Moon's memories, her reflections on how it made her feel, and the eventual social stigma it caused her in school (partially because of her sister's social media prominence).
Outside of the "sex stigma" and purity culture aspects, How Moon Fuentes Fell In Love With The Universe took on A LOT. The death of a parent. Grief. Manipulation & gaslighting by a parent. Serious verbal and physical abuse by a parent (and sometimes a sibling). Magical realism. Social media. Influencer culture. Rejecting harmful conservative religious principles. Developing a healthy romantic relationship.
This reminded me quite a bit of "Kiss Me, Mi Amor" by Alana Quintana Albertson, which also dealt heavily with conservative, patriarchal, and harmful interpretations of religion.
I could appreciate that the messages in this book are meaningful for a young person working through similar issues. Moon recounts how she has used sex in order to seek validation, in light of the bullying and abuse she receives from her mother and sister. You see her struggle to break free from the internalized messages of slut shaming and how it has contributed to her low sense of self. Moon engages in a lot of negative self talk, especially when it comes to her body. At the same time, she constantly plays the comparison game; believing that her sister has it all. But Moon also has a plan to make her own way - if she can just get through this summer influencer tour slinging merch with a very grumpy and very attractive Santiago Phillips. There is a decent amount of sex in this book, mostly addressed through Moon's memories, her reflections on how it made her feel, and the eventual social stigma it caused her in school (partially because of her sister's social media prominence).
Outside of the "sex stigma" and purity culture aspects, How Moon Fuentes Fell In Love With The Universe took on A LOT. The death of a parent. Grief. Manipulation & gaslighting by a parent. Serious verbal and physical abuse by a parent (and sometimes a sibling). Magical realism. Social media. Influencer culture. Rejecting harmful conservative religious principles. Developing a healthy romantic relationship.
This reminded me quite a bit of "Kiss Me, Mi Amor" by Alana Quintana Albertson, which also dealt heavily with conservative, patriarchal, and harmful interpretations of religion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
deedee_4's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
anyaemilie's review against another edition
5.0
OUCH. So good but poor Moon. She goes through so much and just needs a big hug 😭
Also please take the content warnings for this seriously because for a contemporary romance, the MC goes through a LOT of shit. Be careful.
Content warnings:fat shaming; racism; parental abuse (knife violence, verbal abuse, emotional abuse); possible suicide of a parent (car accident); slut shaming (a lot, throughout the whole book)
Also please take the content warnings for this seriously because for a contemporary romance, the MC goes through a LOT of shit. Be careful.
Content warnings:
book_concierge's review
3.0
From the book jacket: When her twin reached social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepted her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister’s camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the merch girl on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers, and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.
My reactions:
This is a pretty typical enemies-to-friends-to-lovers scenario. It’s also a YA coming-of-age book that deals with bullying, body-image, and self-confidence. Moon and Star’s Mom is a religious fanatic who has always favored Star, the fair-skinned, blonde “good girl.” It takes a group of strangers, and one in particular, to get Moon to recognize her own gifts and talents, and to help her find her own path to success.
The up-and-down, on-and-off romance drove me a little crazy, but it’s part of the package for this genre. Although the sex scene was still unrealistic, I’m at least glad that Gilliland chose to have them get to know one another over several months before they acted on the attraction.
As for Star … I’m not sure I would have forgiven my sibling so easily for behaving the way she did.
My reactions:
This is a pretty typical enemies-to-friends-to-lovers scenario. It’s also a YA coming-of-age book that deals with bullying, body-image, and self-confidence. Moon and Star’s Mom is a religious fanatic who has always favored Star, the fair-skinned, blonde “good girl.” It takes a group of strangers, and one in particular, to get Moon to recognize her own gifts and talents, and to help her find her own path to success.
The up-and-down, on-and-off romance drove me a little crazy, but it’s part of the package for this genre. Although the sex scene was still unrealistic, I’m at least glad that Gilliland chose to have them get to know one another over several months before they acted on the attraction.
As for Star … I’m not sure I would have forgiven my sibling so easily for behaving the way she did.
alexsanch25's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Raquel’s writing is so beautiful and Moon is such a wonderful character.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2/5
I found this to be alright, the plot was a little uneventful sadly and I felt like it was dragged out.
I found this to be alright, the plot was a little uneventful sadly and I felt like it was dragged out.