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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
38 reviews
readingwithtemperance's review against another edition
- 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 found myself crying out of anger so many times. Everyone was just so cruel to Moon. The abuse and bullying was overwhelming at times.
It always pisses me off when purity culture is forced onto girls. Telling them they are dirty and impure and should be ashamed of themselves/their bodies. The way it absolutely uprooted Moon's self esteem was heart breaking.
Her mother is probably one of the worst characters I have ever read about.
Moon's journey to self acceptance was beautiful to watch. It was so nice seeing her self esteem raise and having some time to actually heal.
I really hope that Star does better in the future. Personally I'd love to see a sequel where she's the MC redeeming and accepting herself.
This book had me so hungry! I don't know why I've never thought to put honey on pizza, but I'll be doing that ASAP.
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Fatphobia, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity and Racism
haylee_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Ableism, Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Religious bigotry
lifeofmavsgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
cassielaj's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Physical abuse, Grief, Suicide, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Body shaming, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Really disturbing instances of parental abuse and neglect, body shaming and slut shaming, and religious bigotrylanternhillbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Minor: Suicide
the_readingraven's review against another edition
- 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
The earthy and spiritualistic melodies throughout this book were something to really experience. I never thought of my favorite word or how certain flowers can mean certain things to me. It was written in such an inviting way, instead of me being turned off by Moon's spiritual nature I gladly joined in the thought of the cosmos.
I also enjoyed Moon having "flashbacks" every few chapters, where we see how people around her left their mark on her during her formative years. At times, I would feel frustrated with how Moon was thinking or reacting but seeing the experience that caused her to behave a certain way started to make sense. Moon is a character I will always love. It certainly was a journey to see her start to love and care for herself. So much of her self-hate and self-criticism at the beginning of the book reminded me so much of myself. We really don't treat ourselves like how we should so it was a healing feeling to see Moon start to turn a new leaf.
Now, in terms of the romance, it was very bittersweet. Santiago is the main love interest, I really like how it was enemies to lovers because it did not start out on the right spot, AT ALL. I loved them at times and absolutely couldn't stand them. I had to remind myself this is a YA romance, they are newly adults, and they don't know how to fully communicate yet. Like jeez, who knew a simple conversation could possibly fix everything up! But besides that, they both are two people with "baggage" that need to learn how to handle it.
One thing I do wish we saw was the outcome with Moon and Stars' mother. Was there a resolution, did anything change, and where are they now? I have lots of questions about that situation but overall, I think our characters have learned a lot of their family dynamic and the sisters will face it together. Overall, I love this book deeply and I'm so glad I finally decided to read it!
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Child abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
cinnamonroll42's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Fatphobia
btaylorb's review against another edition
- 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
I also cried several times throughout this sweet story, over some of the experiences that I related to. I never went through anything quite as bad as Moon does, but I nonetheless felt seen and was rooting for her. I LOVE the message that you can, and should, ask for all the help you need, but only you can save yourself. In the moments where this could have been a story where the guy sweeps in to save the day, this book upends that trope with such tenderness. There are also some wildly beautiful descriptions of synesthesia and physical sensation that absolutely floored me.
Also, as a side note, some of the marketing descriptions I saw for this book used the word "steamy" and I think that does a disservice to the way sex scenes are handled in this book. The sex scenes that do occur early on are not super explicit or titillating. They are awkward as hell on purpose, in a way that illustrates a lack of experience for the character, and provides necessary contrast to another happier but still relatively tame sex scene that occurs later on.
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Grief, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Minor: Suicide, Racism, and Sexual content
meganzahn's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Suicide