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laprismaluna's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cw: homophobia/biphobia, small town racism, transphobia
i just rlly enjoyed this book !! i don't know if it was all the named cacti (señorita strawberry ilu) or i loved the Quintanilla sisters and their outrageous shenanigans, but i just had a grand old time !! lita and all of her moments with cole were my favorite and it felt so genuinely loving ??? they gave my heart to a romance under the desert stars ??and featured CACTI ?? and GLITTER ?? incredibly my brand. it being a book about pageantry it was v much a book about teenage stardom.... and also teenage stars.... as u kno ;9
loved the diner. loved how cozy various parts of the settings there--u could feel everybody being close in every scene, whether or not it was cramped or if it was just siblings leaning on each other's weight. the energy in this book is stellar !! outta this world !!!
i just also appreciated the comments on class + the ugliness in small towns. the typicality of who is seen as an idol to be admired versus who finds themselves rooted in being true to who they are. on wealth and small business and the subtleties of race bleeding into everyday dynamics. pageantry is a wild business in a tourist town baby !!!
i just rlly enjoyed this book !! i don't know if it was all the named cacti (señorita strawberry ilu) or i loved the Quintanilla sisters and their outrageous shenanigans, but i just had a grand old time !! lita and all of her moments with cole were my favorite and it felt so genuinely loving ??? they gave my heart to a romance under the desert stars ??and featured CACTI ?? and GLITTER ?? incredibly my brand. it being a book about pageantry it was v much a book about teenage stardom.... and also teenage stars.... as u kno ;9
loved the diner. loved how cozy various parts of the settings there--u could feel everybody being close in every scene, whether or not it was cramped or if it was just siblings leaning on each other's weight. the energy in this book is stellar !! outta this world !!!
i just also appreciated the comments on class + the ugliness in small towns. the typicality of who is seen as an idol to be admired versus who finds themselves rooted in being true to who they are. on wealth and small business and the subtleties of race bleeding into everyday dynamics. pageantry is a wild business in a tourist town baby !!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Racism
gracew's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Longer review to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, and Transphobia
caidyn's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received an ARC through Hear Our Voices for an honest review!
CW: homophobia, transphobia, and bullying
Trans voices in fiction matter, so when there was a sign up for this book (who has a trans author) for ownvoices trans reviewers, I jumped on it. Trans voices really do matter, as we've been seeing lately in the bookish world on discourses on transphobia from authors and in the books that we read. Of course, we tend to focus on main characters for trans rep, ones who are telling their stories and, well, tend to be sad to show the truths of what transpeople face.
And this book was very refreshing. For one, the trans rep is of a minor character, Cole. He's best friends to one of the main characters and his sister is the main antagonist/bully in the story. Yet, this isn't Cole's story, but we see what he goes through. Not being allowed to use the boy's locker room despite being on a male sport's team. Having to constantly educate people about gender and sexuality. Living with the knowledge that if he wasn't related to his sister, he would likely be a victim of bullying as well. It was beautifully crafted with learning experiences for cis readers and, for me, the fun nods of being a transman and knowing exactly what Cole was talking about. It was woven in beautifully in a way that I really enjoyed.
Cole's character wasn't there to be a trans learning lesson, he was there as a side character to support his best friend. Those roles are just as important in fiction as trans main characters. And I loved that it wasn't all about trans pain but trans joy and transpeople thriving.
CW: homophobia, transphobia, and bullying
Trans voices in fiction matter, so when there was a sign up for this book (who has a trans author) for ownvoices trans reviewers, I jumped on it. Trans voices really do matter, as we've been seeing lately in the bookish world on discourses on transphobia from authors and in the books that we read. Of course, we tend to focus on main characters for trans rep, ones who are telling their stories and, well, tend to be sad to show the truths of what transpeople face.
And this book was very refreshing. For one, the trans rep is of a minor character, Cole. He's best friends to one of the main characters and his sister is the main antagonist/bully in the story. Yet, this isn't Cole's story, but we see what he goes through. Not being allowed to use the boy's locker room despite being on a male sport's team. Having to constantly educate people about gender and sexuality. Living with the knowledge that if he wasn't related to his sister, he would likely be a victim of bullying as well. It was beautifully crafted with learning experiences for cis readers and, for me, the fun nods of being a transman and knowing exactly what Cole was talking about. It was woven in beautifully in a way that I really enjoyed.
Cole's character wasn't there to be a trans learning lesson, he was there as a side character to support his best friend. Those roles are just as important in fiction as trans main characters. And I loved that it wasn't all about trans pain but trans joy and transpeople thriving.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Bullying
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