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How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
11 reviews
wanderlust_romance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
I could appreciate that the messages in this book are meaningful for a young person working through similar issues. Moon recounts how she has used sex in order to seek validation, in light of the bullying and abuse she receives from her mother and sister. You see her struggle to break free from the internalized messages of slut shaming and how it has contributed to her low sense of self. Moon engages in a lot of negative self talk, especially when it comes to her body. At the same time, she constantly plays the comparison game; believing that her sister has it all. But Moon also has a plan to make her own way - if she can just get through this summer influencer tour slinging merch with a very grumpy and very attractive Santiago Phillips. There is a decent amount of sex in this book, mostly addressed through Moon's memories, her reflections on how it made her feel, and the eventual social stigma it caused her in school (partially because of her sister's social media prominence).
Outside of the "sex stigma" and purity culture aspects, How Moon Fuentes Fell In Love With The Universe took on A LOT. The death of a parent. Grief. Manipulation & gaslighting by a parent. Serious verbal and physical abuse by a parent (and sometimes a sibling). Magical realism. Social media. Influencer culture. Rejecting harmful conservative religious principles. Developing a healthy romantic relationship.
This reminded me quite a bit of "Kiss Me, Mi Amor" by Alana Quintana Albertson, which also dealt heavily with conservative, patriarchal, and harmful interpretations of religion.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
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
bialves'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
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Bullying, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
technicallyaly'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
4.5
Moon Fuentez is an incredibly charming protagonist. I love how she loves, and how she sees the world, and how she feels pain and anger and forgiveness. She feels so real to me; she has a special place in my heart.
In turn, I also adore Santiago —
The progression of their relationship was great, from butting heads and personal jabs, to grudging coworkers, to reluctant friends, to something so genuine and touching. It felt organic and it's what made me fall in love with this book.
There are some things I take issue with;
Moon's resolution with her sister Star also felt a little flat to me, but also it felt right. In Moon's shoes, I wouldn't be so graceful, but her reactions felt very in line with who her character was growing to be. It made sense in the world, even if I disagreed with how it was handled.
Complicated feelings aside, I still loved this read. The language was beautiful and poetic (without sounding pretentious), and even though I have minor issues with the ending, the lead in / build up is so great, it eclipses everything. My feelings towards this book are overwhelmingly positive. 4.5/5 stars.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Misogyny
panickat123'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: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Body shaming, and Grief
Minor: Toxic friendship and Racism
rjsthumbelina'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: Child abuse, Bullying, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Suicide
Minor: Car accident
calamitywindpetal'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: Body shaming and Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Car accident, and Racism
Minor: Self harm and Outing
legalplanner'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
5.0
Moon Fuentez is a nobody in the social media world unlike her twin sister Star who wants nothing more than to be the top influencer on the summer tour. Moon has accepted her fate as the summer "merch girl" and knows it will be all bad. Bring in grumpy, snippy, sometimes combative, attractive Santiago Phillips to change Moon's mind.
About Moon:
I absolutely loved how we get to know Moon. She's real, she's not some faked out character who is "perfect". Moon is not a size 2, she's not a virgin, she wants her own life away from her sister, and she wants to be loved for her.
The dynamic in the family is evident from the very beginning of the book. It is clearly outlined that Moon is the outcast and Star is the favorite. Yet, we get to know Moon in ways that show she's been cast in the roll as outcast for so long that even she has started to believe it. She goes above and beyond for her sister's career by taking and editing her photographs, yet she is never given a choice or a compliment about the hard work she's done.
In some moments of the story, it was painful to hear the degrading comments about Moon because she is not a virgin and not a size 2. Yes because people should not be shamed for those things but also its because its coming from a person who should love her unconditionally, but doesn't.
The twists and turns and her friendship with Santiago is what kept me turning page after page. While you think this might be a Teen YA RomCom, it is don't worry, it doesn't feel like an overplayed RomCom. We learn more about Santiago and Moon as disinterested co-workers, then friends, and then possibly more. Yet we see their insecurities and we see them work through how you're supposed to work through those in a proper manner. We also see the downfall of Star and Moon's relationship and how being put on a pedestal can create immature jealousy that does more damage than realized.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Racism and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
imstephtacular'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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Mental illness, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Suicide, Cursing, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Car accident
nitya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This destroyed me in the best of ways, I don't know if I can write a coherent review.
Wish a certain character hadn't been redeemed so early/easily though. I don't care that they're family, what this person did was FAR more unforgivable. (Then again I hold epic grudges.)
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Toxic relationship is family related, not the main romance