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iam's review against another edition
3.0
This is a nice gay contemporary YA story about cosplay, ambition, romance, and unsupportive parents. I loved the concept, but to me it constantly had very strange undertones in every aspect.
Content warnings include: unsupportive and abusive parents, homophobia, breakup, anxiety, public embarassment, sex between teens off-page but sexual innuendos on-page.
The strangeness was there from the very start. Raffy, the protagonist and narrator, enters a cosplay competition that he desperately wants to win. It's also introduced that his mother, though an artist, is not supportive of his cosplaying at all so he hides it from her, and that his ex-boyfriend, Luca, is also in the competition.
Of course the reader is supposed to root for Raffy in the competition, in convincing his mother that cosplay isn't just embarassing "arts and crafts", and in making up with Luca, but to be honest, I only really wanted one of these things to happen.
Let's start with his mother: I disliked her intensely from the very start. She's abusive both in that she is neglectful of Raffy, imposing her needs over his, and in belittling him constantly, even destroying his work. While the story arc featuring her was a background one and had a positive conclusion, there was no meaningful character development in it in any way, and it felt very unsatisfactory. She barely had direct face-to-face interactions with Raffy.
Then there's the romance. I did end up being all "awww" about Raffy and Luca, and I did think they fit together in the sense that their individual strengths work in mellowing out each other's flaws. However, I found Luca's introduction to the story sort of creepy in the flashback chapters that show how the two met up to how they broke up months before the "now" timeline. On top of that, I just disliked his character. He ended up growing on me a bit, but especially in the beginning he a) just seemed off and really suspicious to me, which made me feel like he had bad intentions and just overall gave very bad vibes into the romance to the point where I didn't want them to be together, and b) I found it hard to reconcile the Luca we see in the flashbacks to the Luca we see in the "now". It felt almost like two different characters, and throughout the very end it it felt like Luca flip-flopped between two different characterizations.
That said, Luca and Raffy were believeable teenage characters. Luca is bisexual and from an Italian family, and more of a jock character, while Raffy is gay, not thin, and could probably described as flamboyant.
Raffy is also extremely ambitious to the point of neglecting consideration for anything else. I liked that he was a flawed character, but I found it very weird how his ambition tied into the cosplay competition plot and his need to prove himself to his mother.
On the one hand it's implied that cosplay is his ambition and he wants to show his mother that this is a worthwhile thing to do and not embarassing or childish. He puts a lot of himself into the cosplays, and the crafting plays a big role in his and Luca's relationship and their romantic storyarc.
However, on the other hand Raffy himself says that he wants to win the competition in order to get a sponsorship and possibly a full ride to art school. This, to me, established that his primary motivation for the competition isn't a passion for cosplay, but the fiancial and marketing prospects rewards. Which undermined the impact of the other storyarcs, as well as my investment into seeing him win. I do think the shift in his motivation was supposed to be a character development over the course of the story, but it got completely lost to me.
Even without Raffy's motivation, the cosplay content too felt super strange to me. Again, there was a slightly sinister undertone that kept me on edge the entire time, and unfortunately I mean "on edge" in a bad way here. It was clear the organisers were planning something, taking competitors aside, making special treatment deals, and keeping competitors in the dark about the scale of the competition, its timeframe, and what it would entail. This was really alarming, and to me it felt so off that it broke my suspension of disbelief.
The second half of the book was stronger than the first one for me, but there too I had issues with the pacing. The last flashback chapter felt out of place to me, and in my opinion the events therein should have been put/revealed in the "now" chapters. Once more I felt like the events undermined the tension built up previously and cast a really weird shadow to what had been established before, since sure, to the reader this was new information, but it wasn't to Raffy, and in my opinion it changed things significantly.
Still, I did have a good time reading this book, and I read it in pretty much a single sitting. Especially towards the end I became really invested. However, there were also chapters I did skim over. I do not like public embarassment scenes, but I do like it when the tension is relieved by acknowledging that mistakes happen and that's okay!
Raffy had a distinct voice, and I liked that the book gives not only a cool setting and hobby a spotlight, but also that it's a queer YA story with realistically flawed teens.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content warnings include: unsupportive and abusive parents, homophobia, breakup, anxiety, public embarassment, sex between teens off-page but sexual innuendos on-page.
The strangeness was there from the very start. Raffy, the protagonist and narrator, enters a cosplay competition that he desperately wants to win. It's also introduced that his mother, though an artist, is not supportive of his cosplaying at all so he hides it from her, and that his ex-boyfriend, Luca, is also in the competition.
Of course the reader is supposed to root for Raffy in the competition, in convincing his mother that cosplay isn't just embarassing "arts and crafts", and in making up with Luca, but to be honest, I only really wanted one of these things to happen.
Let's start with his mother: I disliked her intensely from the very start. She's abusive both in that she is neglectful of Raffy, imposing her needs over his, and in belittling him constantly, even destroying his work. While the story arc featuring her was a background one and had a positive conclusion, there was no meaningful character development in it in any way, and it felt very unsatisfactory. She barely had direct face-to-face interactions with Raffy.
Then there's the romance. I did end up being all "awww" about Raffy and Luca, and I did think they fit together in the sense that their individual strengths work in mellowing out each other's flaws. However, I found Luca's introduction to the story sort of creepy in the flashback chapters that show how the two met up to how they broke up months before the "now" timeline. On top of that, I just disliked his character. He ended up growing on me a bit, but especially in the beginning he a) just seemed off and really suspicious to me, which made me feel like he had bad intentions and just overall gave very bad vibes into the romance to the point where I didn't want them to be together, and b) I found it hard to reconcile the Luca we see in the flashbacks to the Luca we see in the "now". It felt almost like two different characters, and throughout the very end it it felt like Luca flip-flopped between two different characterizations.
That said, Luca and Raffy were believeable teenage characters. Luca is bisexual and from an Italian family, and more of a jock character, while Raffy is gay, not thin, and could probably described as flamboyant.
Raffy is also extremely ambitious to the point of neglecting consideration for anything else. I liked that he was a flawed character, but I found it very weird how his ambition tied into the cosplay competition plot and his need to prove himself to his mother.
On the one hand it's implied that cosplay is his ambition and he wants to show his mother that this is a worthwhile thing to do and not embarassing or childish. He puts a lot of himself into the cosplays, and the crafting plays a big role in his and Luca's relationship and their romantic storyarc.
However, on the other hand Raffy himself says that he wants to win the competition in order to get a sponsorship and possibly a full ride to art school. This, to me, established that his primary motivation for the competition isn't a passion for cosplay, but the fiancial and marketing prospects rewards. Which undermined the impact of the other storyarcs, as well as my investment into seeing him win. I do think the shift in his motivation was supposed to be a character development over the course of the story, but it got completely lost to me.
Even without Raffy's motivation, the cosplay content too felt super strange to me. Again, there was a slightly sinister undertone that kept me on edge the entire time, and unfortunately I mean "on edge" in a bad way here. It was clear the organisers were planning something, taking competitors aside, making special treatment deals, and keeping competitors in the dark about the scale of the competition, its timeframe, and what it would entail. This was really alarming, and to me it felt so off that it broke my suspension of disbelief.
The second half of the book was stronger than the first one for me, but there too I had issues with the pacing. The last flashback chapter felt out of place to me, and in my opinion the events therein should have been put/revealed in the "now" chapters. Once more I felt like the events undermined the tension built up previously and cast a really weird shadow to what had been established before, since sure, to the reader this was new information, but it wasn't to Raffy, and in my opinion it changed things significantly.
Still, I did have a good time reading this book, and I read it in pretty much a single sitting. Especially towards the end I became really invested. However, there were also chapters I did skim over. I do not like public embarassment scenes, but I do like it when the tension is relieved by acknowledging that mistakes happen and that's okay!
Raffy had a distinct voice, and I liked that the book gives not only a cool setting and hobby a spotlight, but also that it's a queer YA story with realistically flawed teens.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
simkei's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
haley_j_casey's review against another edition
3.0
I know that I am an ADULT reading a YA book, but while I loved so many things about this, I also felt like all of the characters who are kind of terrible and cruel don't have to make up for any of their actions in the end, but I wasn't done being irritated by their meanness. While the romance is sweet and the art is lovely, I wasn't as fulfilled as I wanted.
cardigansandcandles's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
zarahzoe's review against another edition
4.0
this is very cute and very nerdy, and what it did for me above all else is making me angry at my own teenage self for not getting into cosplay and be nerd royalty
kappareads's review against another edition
5.0
Real rating: 4.5 stars
Read this review and more like it on my blog here!
I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Told in alternating timelines, BE DAZZLED is the story of Raffy, a teen whose passion is cosplay, and Luca, who he shares classes with but doesn’t know anything about cosplay. A year ago, they were falling in love, but now they are rivals in one of the biggest cosplay competitions
I had no expectations going in and this was amazing!
I loved the convention setting. I've only been to one convention where I cosplayed (but not to the level of this book), but I was getting so nostalgic! And the cosplays in this book are so well described, you wish that the fake anime/video games they were based on were real! Are you missing con season? Check out this book.
The cosplay competition ends up going above and beyond in the last 25% but I still enjoyed it! You just gotta suspend that disbelief for a bit and dive into the fun.
It was really the characters and their relationship that solidified this book as a potential new favorite. Raffy is such a good character. I loved his drive for perfection and ambition and his character growth? Chef's kiss. Luca was such a dork, but also so supportive and just trying his best considering his situation.
This is a weird thing to say, but I loved their parents as well. They both felt nuanced in their reasons for making their sons keep secrets. Raffy's mom doesn't hate his cosplay because "raaa! she's an evil lady," but because she's into high art and doesn't consider anything else "Real art." Luca's parents aren't explicitly homophobic, they just don't know how to react and so they ignore it and then freak out if Luca hides things from them. It felt real!
But their relationship... I have not been this gaga over a relationship since Cemetery Boys. No offense to every other relationship, but Raffy and Luca made me scream out loud in the middle of my neighborhood when I'm taking walks around my neighborhood. That takes a special kind of cute to get me to do that.
I rated this book 4.5 stars and it has a very good chance being my first favorite book of 2021!
Read this review and more like it on my blog here!
I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Told in alternating timelines, BE DAZZLED is the story of Raffy, a teen whose passion is cosplay, and Luca, who he shares classes with but doesn’t know anything about cosplay. A year ago, they were falling in love, but now they are rivals in one of the biggest cosplay competitions
I had no expectations going in and this was amazing!
I loved the convention setting. I've only been to one convention where I cosplayed (but not to the level of this book), but I was getting so nostalgic! And the cosplays in this book are so well described, you wish that the fake anime/video games they were based on were real! Are you missing con season? Check out this book.
The cosplay competition ends up going above and beyond in the last 25% but I still enjoyed it! You just gotta suspend that disbelief for a bit and dive into the fun.
It was really the characters and their relationship that solidified this book as a potential new favorite. Raffy is such a good character. I loved his drive for perfection and ambition and his character growth? Chef's kiss. Luca was such a dork, but also so supportive and just trying his best considering his situation.
This is a weird thing to say, but I loved their parents as well. They both felt nuanced in their reasons for making their sons keep secrets. Raffy's mom doesn't hate his cosplay because "raaa! she's an evil lady," but because she's into high art and doesn't consider anything else "Real art." Luca's parents aren't explicitly homophobic, they just don't know how to react and so they ignore it and then freak out if Luca hides things from them. It felt real!
But their relationship... I have not been this gaga over a relationship since Cemetery Boys. No offense to every other relationship, but Raffy and Luca made me scream out loud in the middle of my neighborhood when I'm taking walks around my neighborhood. That takes a special kind of cute to get me to do that.
I rated this book 4.5 stars and it has a very good chance being my first favorite book of 2021!
cookiemic's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? N/A
4.5
jessicajewel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.5
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
Be Dazzled was an excellent YA romcom and I don’t know why I haven’t heard more about it! The description called it “Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.” I don’t know about you but that definitely sold me and the book delivered!!
Raffy is really into cosplay and loves the challenge of creating the costumes. He has an online channel where he streams live as he works on his projects and now is the big moment - the major cosplay competition. However Raffy’s ex Luca is also there competing.
The story is told in alternating timelines between currently at the competition and a year ago when Raffy and Luca first got together. I really enjoyed this story so much and think it would make an amazing Netflix movie - I would love to see all the costumes come alive on the screen!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy!
Raffy is really into cosplay and loves the challenge of creating the costumes. He has an online channel where he streams live as he works on his projects and now is the big moment - the major cosplay competition. However Raffy’s ex Luca is also there competing.
The story is told in alternating timelines between currently at the competition and a year ago when Raffy and Luca first got together. I really enjoyed this story so much and think it would make an amazing Netflix movie - I would love to see all the costumes come alive on the screen!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy!
chandraleereads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 stars. I loved Raffy and Luca and all of the pop-culture delightfulness! I was expecting Be Dazzled to be a fun read and it did not disappoint. What I didn’t expect was my extreme emotional reaction to certain aspects of the story. A big portion of this book is about passion and purpose and what people are good at/driven to do. That content might not be something a reader would typically find overly emotional, but as someone solidly in a third-life crisis it had me all sorts of sobbing about my lack of direction/purpose/passion. So I guess that is my long winded content warning for others in a similar life situation, but even then I think it’s totally worth the read!