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natahoochie's review
4.0
On the book: This was such a precious read. Truly heart warming. I've been tearing up at my desk throughout the whole book. The writing is quite simple, but effective, and it reads the way a teenager thinks and talks. All in all, worth it.
On my setting: It was cold enough to wear a light sweater to work today but somehow I'm still freezing at my desk. Children are screaming. Carts are clunking. A patron had a bit of a psychotic episode. What a day. All in all, still the best job ever.
On my setting: It was cold enough to wear a light sweater to work today but somehow I'm still freezing at my desk. Children are screaming. Carts are clunking. A patron had a bit of a psychotic episode. What a day. All in all, still the best job ever.
sasha_in_a_box's review
5.0
Listen, you'll probably cringe at the first few pages until Oscar and Jess have their first conversation. It's kind of twee and try-hard for that very beginning, but that's the only thing wrong with this book.
It's about foster care and trauma of being separated from your bio family. It's about mental health and the ticking genetic clock, it's about found family, scream queens, anxiety, connections, finding the best weirdos who support you, LARPing, adorable first relationships, betrayals, and abuela's delicious snacks.
If you want to go on a ride through conventions and cosplays with your heart in your throat melting all the way into your belly, this is for you.
It's about foster care and trauma of being separated from your bio family. It's about mental health and the ticking genetic clock, it's about found family, scream queens, anxiety, connections, finding the best weirdos who support you, LARPing, adorable first relationships, betrayals, and abuela's delicious snacks.
If you want to go on a ride through conventions and cosplays with your heart in your throat melting all the way into your belly, this is for you.
marykjeff's review
5.0
This was an atypical and delightful read for me! I loved having main characters with such diverse backgrounds and representations. The story was cute and I love the positive mental health messages it shares.
shaylees_shelf's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. There’s different layers to the story between the foster system, difficult relationship with parent, making friends, mental health and such. A good balance of serious and light hearted topics throughout the book. Some points of the book will have you at the edge of your seat, hoping the main character will choose the better choice. Her character development from start to finish of the book was wonderful (and I do hope there’s a second book either continuing the story further or from another characters pov.)
waywordxwitch's review
5.0
~ ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion ~
This was such a cute read - even while dealing with tough topics. I loved the detail of the cosplay (would love to see those costumes!!). It did really well exploring how Jess felt about her mom, foster care, friends and her foster mom. Totally recommending to my teens for YA readers advisory.
This was such a cute read - even while dealing with tough topics. I loved the detail of the cosplay (would love to see those costumes!!). It did really well exploring how Jess felt about her mom, foster care, friends and her foster mom. Totally recommending to my teens for YA readers advisory.
milkshakevoid's review
5.0
I will champion this book to the ends of the earth. It is so beautiful and wholesome and heartbreaking and magical and I loved every second of it. I legitimately cried and I’ve been telling everyone I know about it as I’ve read it this week. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
This beautiful masterpiece showcases the foster care system, it’s heroes and shortcomings. It champions geekdom, fandom, inclusivity, and cosplay. It’s feature so many cool quotes from various pop culture icons and Edgar Allan Poe. Mental health is a huge topic in this book and as someone who struggles with several anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder the representation is so important and that well done. The author perfectly captured the energy and excitement and diversity in cosplay and conventions. They also highlighted judge mental and misguided individuals who unfairly judge or gatekeep certain characters from certain peoples and how beautiful it can be to empower people to be who they want to be.
Hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you want a diverse cast, romance, mental health, infused with spectacular geek representation and cosplay goodness pick up this book.
Don’t walk, RUN! This book was amazing.
Thank you Netgalley for this lovey ARC!!!
This beautiful masterpiece showcases the foster care system, it’s heroes and shortcomings. It champions geekdom, fandom, inclusivity, and cosplay. It’s feature so many cool quotes from various pop culture icons and Edgar Allan Poe. Mental health is a huge topic in this book and as someone who struggles with several anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder the representation is so important and that well done. The author perfectly captured the energy and excitement and diversity in cosplay and conventions. They also highlighted judge mental and misguided individuals who unfairly judge or gatekeep certain characters from certain peoples and how beautiful it can be to empower people to be who they want to be.
Hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you want a diverse cast, romance, mental health, infused with spectacular geek representation and cosplay goodness pick up this book.
Don’t walk, RUN! This book was amazing.
Thank you Netgalley for this lovey ARC!!!
woodsbookclub's review
4.0
Gothic fashionista Jess is on a mission to reunite with her estranged biological mother—but is she willing to risk her new friends, cosplay championship, and even her future to do so? Bounced between foster homes since the age of seven, Jessica knows better than to set down roots. Until she meets Barbra, her new foster mom (who’s such a cool and surprising weirdo), and the geeky and tender Oscar, who wants to recruit her fashion skills for his amateur cosplay group, where she meets the fearless Emily and the mysterious Gerrit.
The title can be misleading. Yes, Jess is goth, but this is not a cutesy gothic story. It’s a thought-provoking, heartwarming and funny love letter to foster kids and found families. Written by Lindsay S. Zrull, a former foster teen, Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe is all about finding your own agency and embracing the family of your choice.
The writing style is more juvenile than I was expecting and, even though I enjoyed the nerdy and pop culture environment, I wish the author had described less the characters' costumes and skits. Despite that, since this is definitely a character-driven book, LSZ made an excellent job of building and developing everyone’s personality and backstory.
Besides the MC being a plus-sized gothic foster teen, there’s so much more diversity, from culture and socioeconomic status to gender identity and sexual orientation. And, of course, I absolutely love how it addresses so many important topics, from mental health to body positivity.
But what struck me the most was the account of what it is like to grow up with a mentally unstable parent, that is not abusive but slowly falls apart and can’t fulfill their role of guardian. It was so emotional to watch Jess facing the truth of it and the fear of becoming like her biomom.
Thanks to NetGalley, Flux/North Star Editions and Lindsay S. Zrull for providing me with an eARC. I’m leaving this 100% honest review voluntarily. And I assure you, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in July!
The title can be misleading. Yes, Jess is goth, but this is not a cutesy gothic story. It’s a thought-provoking, heartwarming and funny love letter to foster kids and found families. Written by Lindsay S. Zrull, a former foster teen, Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe is all about finding your own agency and embracing the family of your choice.
The writing style is more juvenile than I was expecting and, even though I enjoyed the nerdy and pop culture environment, I wish the author had described less the characters' costumes and skits. Despite that, since this is definitely a character-driven book, LSZ made an excellent job of building and developing everyone’s personality and backstory.
Besides the MC being a plus-sized gothic foster teen, there’s so much more diversity, from culture and socioeconomic status to gender identity and sexual orientation. And, of course, I absolutely love how it addresses so many important topics, from mental health to body positivity.
But what struck me the most was the account of what it is like to grow up with a mentally unstable parent, that is not abusive but slowly falls apart and can’t fulfill their role of guardian. It was so emotional to watch Jess facing the truth of it and the fear of becoming like her biomom.
Thanks to NetGalley, Flux/North Star Editions and Lindsay S. Zrull for providing me with an eARC. I’m leaving this 100% honest review voluntarily. And I assure you, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in July!
jdalton's review
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for a review copy of this novel.
As a geeky, cosplaying woman, I loved this book. I loved having a world I know and love being shown in a book and the little moments that the characters has that are so totally things geek kids and even adults do, and made my geek heart happy.
And while I am not someone well versed in the foster care system, I really thought that aspect of this story was great, especially seeing it from the kid's perspective. It wasn't sugar coated at all and you could tell that Jessica (yes that was something else I loved) had some trauma and things she was still trying to reconcile.
All in all, I think this book was done well and wasn't super predictable either, I highly recommend it.
As a geeky, cosplaying woman, I loved this book. I loved having a world I know and love being shown in a book and the little moments that the characters has that are so totally things geek kids and even adults do, and made my geek heart happy.
And while I am not someone well versed in the foster care system, I really thought that aspect of this story was great, especially seeing it from the kid's perspective. It wasn't sugar coated at all and you could tell that Jessica (yes that was something else I loved) had some trauma and things she was still trying to reconcile.
All in all, I think this book was done well and wasn't super predictable either, I highly recommend it.
sammys2's review
4.0
Surpresa é uma palavra que define muito a experiência desse livro para mim. Eu não esperava metade do que encontrei nessa trama e, mesmo que em alguns momentos tenha sido para o lado negativo, a maioria foi para o positivo.
A sinopse da história, depois da capa ter me chamado a atenção, resume bem um pouco do clima do enredo seguindo a protagonista, Jess, em mais um dos lares temporários a que tanto está acostumada desde que sua tutela ficou com o estado após sua mãe não conseguir criá-la em meio à esquizofrenia. Assim, é normal que a narrativa se apresente de forma distante logo de cara enquanto a Jess vai realmente mostrando quem é, do que gosta e seus objetivos para o leitor. Nesse ponto é um começo um tanto parado, mas melhora um monte quando, enfim, a aproximação de Oscar e a proposta para ajudá-lo num grupo de cosplay surgem para agitar a trama, bem como nos fazer conhecer, pouco a pouco, mais personagens.
São todos, desde à mulher que está tomando conta da Jess no momento, a Barbra, até o pessoal do cosplay, Oscar, Emily e Gerrit, muito bem desenvolvidos, ganhando profundidade ao longo da história e à medida em que a protagonista se relaciona com cada um deles e o quanto de abertura ela lhes dá. A relação dela com a Barbra em especial é uma das que mais me ganhou, pela sensibilidade com que esta se apresenta e todas as diferenças gritantes que ela representa para a Jess quanto ao padrão de pais de outros lares temporários que ela passou antes e dos quais não tem memórias muito boas. Dessa vez, ela se vê numa situação diferente, em que mesmo tentando prever o lado de Barbra, ela ainda é pega de surpresa por essa, e aliado à tudo que vai se desenrolar graças ao cosplay e sua exploração desse universo, o enredo só cresce.
"Cherish the good times you have, but don’t let old wounds hold you back from making new friends in the future either.”
E isso tudo sem nem citar, ainda, que o livro também fala muito sobre saúde mental. É uma abordagem tanto realista quanto esperançosa, uma vez que esclarece que qualquer que seja a doença, ninguém deixa de ser humano, jovem ou velho, ter uma carreira ou não, etc, por causa disso. Desde os exemplos mais comuns do dia-a-dia, como a ansiedade, até casos mais densos como o da esquizofrenia, a autora desenvolve muito bem a temática e gera um debate bacana, por vezes um pouco pesado, mas ainda com sensibilidade e eventual leveza nos demais momentos, fazendo os personagens, no fim do dia, serem muito mais do que pessoas com doença x ou y, da mesma forma que, com ou sem elas, todos precisam se cuidar de alguma forma.
Enfim, Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe foi uma aposta de leitura que eu não esperava muito, mas se mostrou um mar de emoções, descobertas sobre o mundo do cosplay junto à Jess, amizades, relações familiares além das da protagonista, e aprendizados sobre como encarar ou não a saúde mental e as variações dela.
"The world we live in wants us to believe that minds or bodies that look or work differently are somehow less, but that isn’t true."
A sinopse da história, depois da capa ter me chamado a atenção, resume bem um pouco do clima do enredo seguindo a protagonista, Jess, em mais um dos lares temporários a que tanto está acostumada desde que sua tutela ficou com o estado após sua mãe não conseguir criá-la em meio à esquizofrenia. Assim, é normal que a narrativa se apresente de forma distante logo de cara enquanto a Jess vai realmente mostrando quem é, do que gosta e seus objetivos para o leitor. Nesse ponto é um começo um tanto parado, mas melhora um monte quando, enfim, a aproximação de Oscar e a proposta para ajudá-lo num grupo de cosplay surgem para agitar a trama, bem como nos fazer conhecer, pouco a pouco, mais personagens.
São todos, desde à mulher que está tomando conta da Jess no momento, a Barbra, até o pessoal do cosplay, Oscar, Emily e Gerrit, muito bem desenvolvidos, ganhando profundidade ao longo da história e à medida em que a protagonista se relaciona com cada um deles e o quanto de abertura ela lhes dá. A relação dela com a Barbra em especial é uma das que mais me ganhou, pela sensibilidade com que esta se apresenta e todas as diferenças gritantes que ela representa para a Jess quanto ao padrão de pais de outros lares temporários que ela passou antes e dos quais não tem memórias muito boas. Dessa vez, ela se vê numa situação diferente, em que mesmo tentando prever o lado de Barbra, ela ainda é pega de surpresa por essa, e aliado à tudo que vai se desenrolar graças ao cosplay e sua exploração desse universo, o enredo só cresce.
"Cherish the good times you have, but don’t let old wounds hold you back from making new friends in the future either.”
E isso tudo sem nem citar, ainda, que o livro também fala muito sobre saúde mental. É uma abordagem tanto realista quanto esperançosa, uma vez que esclarece que qualquer que seja a doença, ninguém deixa de ser humano, jovem ou velho, ter uma carreira ou não, etc, por causa disso. Desde os exemplos mais comuns do dia-a-dia, como a ansiedade, até casos mais densos como o da esquizofrenia, a autora desenvolve muito bem a temática e gera um debate bacana, por vezes um pouco pesado, mas ainda com sensibilidade e eventual leveza nos demais momentos, fazendo os personagens, no fim do dia, serem muito mais do que pessoas com doença x ou y, da mesma forma que, com ou sem elas, todos precisam se cuidar de alguma forma.
Enfim, Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe foi uma aposta de leitura que eu não esperava muito, mas se mostrou um mar de emoções, descobertas sobre o mundo do cosplay junto à Jess, amizades, relações familiares além das da protagonista, e aprendizados sobre como encarar ou não a saúde mental e as variações dela.
"The world we live in wants us to believe that minds or bodies that look or work differently are somehow less, but that isn’t true."
jess29's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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