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philsbookcorner's review against another edition
5.0
(Mini-Review) I’m sitting here with the biggest smile on my face - Ryan La Sala, what a book! I loved Raffy so, so much! Can we give it up for what an amazing, unapologetically queer main character he is? I loved how passionate he was about his art - while yes, this is a romance (& an adorable one, at that), the themes of sticking with what you’re passionate about & allowing your creativity to soar really struck the biggest chords with me. To use some of the lingo, I shipped Luca & Raffy so much! While they had some issues between them, I loved how supportive Luca was of Raffy’s cosplay & how much Raffy played a hand in helping Luca discover & love his true self. I could go on & on about how much I loved this, but I’ll end by saying you should all go out & preorder this ASAP! I can’t think of a better way to get your 2021 started than by joining Luca & Raffy for some bedazzling - got to go get that Sea Foam Dream #6!
cwalsh's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea my life was missing a YA novel about cosplay and love, but alas, it was.
carolineaxvig's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an absolute freakin delight from start to finish. Raffy is a talented artist, and his medium? Elaborate cosplays that he designs and executes himself. His dream is to win a scholarship to art school by taking first at the cosplay competition at his local Boston version of Comic-Con.
At the beginning of the book I wasn't a big fan of the main relationship between Raffy and soccer-bro Luca, but as the book progressed and Luca's character developed, I was definitely a fan by the end.
Raffy is such a relatable character and is exactly the kind of friend you would want to have in high school. I loved that the book takes his art seriously from the very first page and that despite his many obstacles (difficult mother, friend drama, relationship stress, anxiety) Raffi stays confident in his art and himself.
Pete Cross is an excellent narrator and I loved listening to this audiobook.
I can't recommend this one enough, what a wonderful way to start the year!
At the beginning of the book I wasn't a big fan of the main relationship between Raffy and soccer-bro Luca, but as the book progressed and Luca's character developed, I was definitely a fan by the end.
Raffy is such a relatable character and is exactly the kind of friend you would want to have in high school. I loved that the book takes his art seriously from the very first page and that despite his many obstacles (difficult mother, friend drama, relationship stress, anxiety) Raffi stays confident in his art and himself.
Pete Cross is an excellent narrator and I loved listening to this audiobook.
I can't recommend this one enough, what a wonderful way to start the year!
kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
3.5
goatgirl185's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book I don't see myself coming back to, but I enjoyed it.
miracchin's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jugglingpup's review against another edition
3.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
My biggest complaint about this book is that the book description gives away pretty much every twist and turn of the book. This should shock you that I read enough to ruin the whole book, yet here we are. I was never once at the edge of my seat or interested in what was happening because it had already been laid out for me.
There are three plots: MC’s mom sucks, MC is interested in/upset about a boy, and MC needs to win to get college money. None of them felt fleshed out enough or explored enough to really give me satisfaction.
MC’s mom sucks: so this is simple, his mom is a pretentious jerk. She looks down on him for what he does and constantly tells him. She goes out of her way to emotionally destroy him and abandon him. There is little to no mention of his dad or why his mother had kids in the first place. It just felt really off. I didn’t care about his mom or her antics. She would show up randomly to throw some insults and then disappear for days. She wasn’t consistent enough to really get her plot fleshed out. So the big twist at the end? Not a twist. She didn’t try and she won’t try. Someone more important than her kid spoke so she listened. None of this is shocking.
Boy drama: I never understood why the MC and Luca were together. Luca seemed to be into the MC for reasons beyond looks, but it is never explained why the MC is into Luca. It boils down to just looks, maybe there was some attraction for personality later, but looks are mentioned over and over and over again. It is joked about a few times that Luca is obsessed with how he looks, but I don’t think he is the one who is. Both boys felt shallow and disjointed. Past Luca and current Luca are drastically different and I think part of that is that the narration is from a hurt stand point, but it also doesn’t make sense why they would immediately get back together when nothing had changed. It doesn’t make sense that the break up hit the way it did. Nothing had enough emotions to me, since it was all about how Luca was hot and a distraction. I needed something more to ship them.
Money for school: this is the weakest plot by far. The motivations are constantly told to the reader, but they keep changing. Once it is because of the love of crafting, most of the time it is about money, some of the time about revenge. It is really inconsistent and there really isn’t a resolution to this idea that sounds like it would be the main plot of the book from the first 30%.
Overall, the book just underwhelmed me. I expected more from La Sala. I wanted more. I plan on continuing to read more of his work when he publishes more, I can see how amazing he could be and I have no doubts he will get there. This is just not the book that showcases that well. I have hope though!
I got an ARC of this book.
My biggest complaint about this book is that the book description gives away pretty much every twist and turn of the book. This should shock you that I read enough to ruin the whole book, yet here we are. I was never once at the edge of my seat or interested in what was happening because it had already been laid out for me.
There are three plots: MC’s mom sucks, MC is interested in/upset about a boy, and MC needs to win to get college money. None of them felt fleshed out enough or explored enough to really give me satisfaction.
MC’s mom sucks: so this is simple, his mom is a pretentious jerk. She looks down on him for what he does and constantly tells him. She goes out of her way to emotionally destroy him and abandon him. There is little to no mention of his dad or why his mother had kids in the first place. It just felt really off. I didn’t care about his mom or her antics. She would show up randomly to throw some insults and then disappear for days. She wasn’t consistent enough to really get her plot fleshed out. So the big twist at the end? Not a twist. She didn’t try and she won’t try. Someone more important than her kid spoke so she listened. None of this is shocking.
Boy drama: I never understood why the MC and Luca were together. Luca seemed to be into the MC for reasons beyond looks, but it is never explained why the MC is into Luca. It boils down to just looks, maybe there was some attraction for personality later, but looks are mentioned over and over and over again. It is joked about a few times that Luca is obsessed with how he looks, but I don’t think he is the one who is. Both boys felt shallow and disjointed. Past Luca and current Luca are drastically different and I think part of that is that the narration is from a hurt stand point, but it also doesn’t make sense why they would immediately get back together when nothing had changed. It doesn’t make sense that the break up hit the way it did. Nothing had enough emotions to me, since it was all about how Luca was hot and a distraction. I needed something more to ship them.
Money for school: this is the weakest plot by far. The motivations are constantly told to the reader, but they keep changing. Once it is because of the love of crafting, most of the time it is about money, some of the time about revenge. It is really inconsistent and there really isn’t a resolution to this idea that sounds like it would be the main plot of the book from the first 30%.
Overall, the book just underwhelmed me. I expected more from La Sala. I wanted more. I plan on continuing to read more of his work when he publishes more, I can see how amazing he could be and I have no doubts he will get there. This is just not the book that showcases that well. I have hope though!
whiskers_and_lipstick's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0