Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe, by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

22 reviews

fatoujackson's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Who knows what makes us fall in love with the universe. For me, it was fireweed. For Santiago, it was salt.”
Excellent. Absolutely excellent. Moon Fuentez, the woman that you are. 
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caitlinemccann's review

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bialves's review

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dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

One cute book that talks about serious matters. I was waiting for a very light book, but it had some dense stuff. Their relationship with her body had a huge impact on me...
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virago's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This book was absolutely amazing!  The book follows Star and Moon Fuentes, twin sisters who couldn't be more different.  Star is the "pretty twin" and Moon is forced, by everyone, to live in Star's shadow.  

The summer after high school graduation, they go on an influencer's tour to expand Star's following and brand.  However, Moon spreads her wings and her own brand grows, and begins overshadowing Star's brand.  This, of course makes not only Star unhappy, but mama Fuentes as well.

Spoiler Moon is the over-weight, "ugly" twin and has been the punching bag of her mother and sister for years.  When the ridiculously attractive younger brother of the tour's creator shows interest in Moon, and disinterest in Star, it throws both sisters for a loop.  Moon is a talented artist, photographer, and editor.  When head of the tour, inadvertently learns of Moon's talent, he promotes it on his own social media, and earns Moon many new followers.  It gives Moon such joy and confidence, but makes her sister jealous.  And of course she tries to sabotage her budding success.


This book really took me through it.  There were laughs, second-hand embarrassment, sadness, shock, anger, and joy.  The story was well thought, and well written.  They characters were loveable, and strangle-worthy.  The journey this novel took me on was incredible, and ended with great character developement.   

I would/will read this again!

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lindsbrarian03's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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samthebookdevotee's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 
This is one of the books that have sat on my tbr cart for a long while and I am honestly upset it took me this long to read it. I absolutely loved this book. I loved how it was written, the characters, and the plot. I literally could not get enough. I was almost late for my movie showing because I didn't want to wait to finish the book.


I absolutely loved Moon. I struggle a lot with my own weight and used to make a lot of self-deprecating jokes or comments about myself. Sometimes I still have those thoughts but I am working on them. I enjoyed seeing her bond with Santiago and seeing her grow confident as an artist and a creator while on the bus tour. I also connected a lot with the sister dynamic. I am not a twin but I and my younger sister were often compared by our parents. I was the golden child and my sister the scapegoat. I didn't realize it at the time. I couldn't understand why my sister held animosity towards me which in turn made me resent her. We're a lot better now, but I couldn't help but think of my sister often throughout this book. It's why I couldn't hate Star. Some of the things she did were so messed up, but I understood what drove her to that point. 


I have a few mixed feelings about Moon's romance with Santiago. While I am glad they were there for each other, there were times they pitted their own insecurities against each other causing toxic behavior from both parties. This was addressed towards the end a bit which I did like. I do wish there was more talk about it though. I guess I didn't hate it, but it's something to take note of.


I absolutely loved the writing style. I liked how almost lyrical the writing got, especially when Moon thought of the past. I thought the inclusion of bugs was a fascinating approach and brought a touch of magic to the story. I also liked how the author played around with the length of chapters. 


Overall, if you have not read this book already, you absolutely must. It's not only a great story but also one that includes an important life lesson. I will warn you it might be hard for some readers. There is depression, suicide, abuse, and talk about slut shaming. So please keep this in mind if you are sensitive to these topics. 
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kirasofia's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

tonally kinda weird, but it made me want to fall in love with living, so props for that
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panickat123's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I adored this book. Plus size character who overcomes her own insecurities and learns to stand up for herself while finding love? Sign me the hell up. Cherry on top that she’s Mexican too. Just adore. Some very heavy topics in this also so please read triggers if you want to know. 
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rjsthumbelina's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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elliehoney's review

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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