OKAY, I AM SCREAMING I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I guess I have another new fave?? 😂

This was just beautiful! It's funny, it's heartwarming, it's poignant, it's moving, it's simple.

What I thought was simply going to be a fun, enemies-to-lovers romance, turned out to be this beautiful, hilarious, profound, sex-positive, body-positive book about seeing yourself and loving yourself, dealing with the good and ugly sides of family, and falling in love. It challenged fatphobia and misogyny; it talked about mental illness, domestic violence, prejudice against sexually-active women, how religion can sometimes trigger worst in people; it also had a bit of disability rep and queer/sapphic rep.

Also, Moon Fuentez as a main character is already a compliment itself. I loved her! I loved her character, her personality, her character arc, everything. She made this book so lively and definitely relatable.

This book has it all. It's an instant favorite for me. 😭

CW: fatphobia, bigotry mostly influenced by religious views, misogyny, domestic violence/child abuse, unstable mental health, parental death, implied suicide, slut shaming, sexual harassment (minor/mild), sexual content (mild to graphic)

Please look forward to my tour stop on August 14th with TBR and Beyond Tours! (https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2021/07/08/tour-schedule-how-moon-fuentez-fell-in-love-with-the-universe-by-raquel-vasquez-gilliland/)

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is a masterpiece and it wrecked me, ruined me, destroyed me. Moon Fuentez understood me in a way that very few books ever have and, for that, it has now made a home in my heart forever. If Moon Fuentez was a person, I would want to cry and give her a big hug - and I imagine she would give me the most delightful, squishiest cuddle back.

Moon is a Mexican-American teen who is an artist and photographer. However, for most of Moon’s life, her identity and who she is has always been defined by her sister, Star. While Moon is brown, fat, and has felt unwanted and unloved, Star took after their white father: light-skinned, blonde, lithe and thin, and also a famous Fotogram influencer with hundreds and thousands of followers, her brand all about religious purity.

I adored Moon Fuentez. By the end, I wanted to give her the whole world, presented to her while I’m on my knees, because she deserves it ten times over. Readers will love Moon for her wicked and delightful sense of humour (that had me giggling to myself so many times!) and her narrative where it feels like she’s speaking to you, a close friend sitting with her by the light of the night sky. What I loved is that we got to see Moon at her best – when she creates and comes alive through her art and her connection with nature, as well as her hilarious and dry comebacks – we also see Moon at her most low and vulnerable. In other words, we get a rich and intimate picture of Moon Fuentez; over the course of the book, we really get to know her and, I think, you won’t help but fall a little bit in love with her.

It’s important to note that Moon Fuentez isn’t what you would call a ‘wholesome’ and light-hearted book that is all sweetness and joy. Though there are such moments, Moon Fuentez also explores parental abuse, sexism, fat-shaming, slut-shaming, and jealousy, and how family, religion and grief can thread through all of these together. Moon Fuentez delves into confronting truths and realities about how religion can be weaponised to police bodies and sexuality, and how ideals of purity can be harmful and farcical. Futhermore, Moon’s family’s curse, La Raíz (or ‘The Curse’), leads her to believe that her deviance from purity and piety is punished, adding another layer to how entangled Moon’s struggle with family and religion are.

There are some challenging and heartbreaking moments in Moon Fuentez, but there are just some books that have to lay bare the trauma in order for healing and softness to bloom in its aftermath. What I loved about the story was that it resists the idea that Moon is defined by the abuse she experiences. It doesn’t make light of her pain or trauma – rather, everything is handled with the gravity and weight it deserves – but I loved that the story centered on, as the title very much suggests, how Moon ultimately falls in love with the universe, how she grows to love herself, and how she breaks free from the shackles of people’s expectations of her. Moon Fuentez is ultimately Moon’s journey through a turning point in her life; her story is emotional, affirming, and tender despite all the hurts and pain along the way.

Evidently, there are many things that I loved about Moon Fuentez, but my review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the gorgeous hate-to-love romance between Moon and Santiago, her merch-vendor counterpart. Hate-to-love romances don’t really gel well with me, but the banter between Moon and Santiago was both delightful and so vulnerable. With Moon’s pervasive feelings of being unloved and unwanted and Santiago’s frustrations about how people treat him because of his physical disability (he is a hand amputee), the two come together for their mutual and deniable attraction for one another and their growing friendship but also pull away from each other. I loved the slow-burn of Moon and Santiago’s romance; throw in some shenanigans (like a raunchy photo accidentally sent to Santiago) and you have a romance that is wildly funny, gorgeous, and meaningful.

For everyone and anyone who reads Moon Fuentez, I think we will all agree that the writing is exquisite. Raquel’s poetry background shines brightly in the storytelling, giving Moon’s story a gorgeous lilt that effortlessly oscillates from light and funny to devastating, all in a page and all in the most lyrical way. Moon’s narrative is utterly captivating, and I felt myself pulled into the world as she saw it: an immense and miraculous place of beauty and wonder that also holds pain, hurt, and cruelty too. By the end of the book, I too felt like I had fallen in love with the universe.

This is a departure from the YA formula, Moon is a very much in her head character, but her head is a nice place to be. She's poetic, comical, generous, and loving. I did find her a bit too obtuse for the first half or so, and her word flitted, sometimes awkwardly, between childish and rather mature. I found near the end her and one of her relationships seemed to be desribing people in their late 20s or 30s, not at all what teenagers would act like. <spoiler>I felt that Star's redemption was unearned, since she destroyed not only expensive pieces of equipment, but years of Moon's work</spoiler>

I enjoyed how important religion/spirituality is since most of the popular YA tends to be areligious, something I've found kind of strange even as an atheist.

4 stars

This is a true all-that-and-the-kitchen-sink kind of read, but it WORKS. While Moon is supposed to fall in love with the universe, readers cannot help but fall in love with her.

The titular Moon Fuentez is the m.c. of this expansive novel, and she has experienced well beyond her fair share of struggle in 17 (going on 18) years. Moon's twin, Star, lives up to her name as a Fotogram influencer known for her external beauty but also her effusive piousness. Don't trust that kind of thing? Good call. Right at the start of the novel, Star gets an opportunity to go on tour in this role, and because the twins' mother is rivaling Piper Laurie in the original _Carrie_ for mother of the year, Moon is somewhat relieved to be shipped off with Star as her resident photographer and the tour's merch girl. As savvy readers might expect, this literal journey presents the ideal format for the twins' rite of passage (especially Moon's) from young adulthood into adulthood.

There is so much to love about this novel. Moon is utterly endearing. She has been emotionally abused (among other things - I'll keep this relatively spoiler free) in such a severe manner, and this is apparent in her self-perception and struggle to accept love and care from others. It is both heartbreaking and empowering to watch her work through this. A central component of this journey has to do with Moon's relationship to her body, her sexuality, and her new potential romantic partner. The intertwining of these these themes is another strength for the character and the work overall. The treatments of mental health and suicide are honest if - at times - a bit surface level. An unexpected but beloved quality of the novel is Gilliland's use of magical realism and the supernatural. Moon is a true Earth Mother and master of nature, and the archetypal juxtaposition between this constant affirmation and others' interpretations of her behavior is powerful and relatable.

Because there are so many issues and plotlines flowing at all times, there are some areas that rely too heavily on convenient clean-ups and coincidences and others where I'd have loved to see more explanation and closure. That noted, I love this character and am fascinated by this world. I'm eager to read more from Gilliland and to recommend this work to students for years to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!! Oh my god. 5/5 stars. Everyone, oh my god. THIS BOOK. It's beautiful. The cover? Beautiful. Moon and Santiago? Beautiful. Depictions of mental illness? Beautiful. Depictions of influencers? Amazing. Depictions of fat culture? My heart.

Seriously, I picked this up as an ARC because of the cover and the synopsis. I couldn't put it down. Moon is SUCH a relatable protagonist and the writing and style and easy to read and get into. I do think there needs to be TWs for abusive family relationships, toxicity, and purity/religious culture along with body image. I was expecting a fun, light read and while I got it....this book also delves into the result of purity culture and religion on people along with the influencer life style.

I also LOVED the ancestral latinx influence in this with nature and magic. It was a beautiful addition and made SO much sense with Moon's journey.

The portions with Santiago (okay, the whole book) just made my heart full, warm, and fuzzy. I want a man like that...and can a man cook for me like that? I absolutely need more of Moon and Santiago's journey.

Pick this book up. You won't be disappointed. It was SOOOO good. It made me laugh, cry, squeal, etc.

Moon Fuentez is an absolutely beautiful book and character. This was a nearly perfect read for me. Moon is hilarious, heartbreaking, and so relatable, even though her life might not seem like it at first glance. The exploration of all different kinds of relationships, from family to friends to romance to the relationship you have with yourself was *chef's kiss*. Gilliland's writing is superb and I know this is a book I'll reread again and again. I ordered multiple copies for my library and I can't wait until it's released so I can push it on everyone I know.

There are some books -- and they're almost never the same books for everybody -- that just reach into your heart and touch some leftover broken part of yourself that you didn't realize you were holding onto. Characters that feel so real to you, you wonder if their lives on the page are some reflection of an alternate universe version of yourself. Moon Fuentes was that kind of magic for me. I didn't always like her; there were choices she made, things she said, that my adult self disapproved of. But the adolescent me, she felt totally seen here.

Favorite parts:
- Moon's photography. I had never really thought about earth art as a media form in and of itself, and now I want the Moonflower Tarot IMMEDIATELY.
- The relationship between Star and Moon. I don't think Star was a nice person, and I don't think we got to see enough of her own complexity, but I still love that even though they kept hurting each other, in the end, they thought of each other as a vital part of their constellations.
- The romance with Santiago. Wooooooowee.

I wish we'd gotten to see more of some of the side characters, especially Belle and Tia. And I wish I had known going in how intense the emotional abuse would be. But it really is a beautiful book, and I am so grateful I had the chance to read it.

Beautiful, but..... mid-book all that talking about sex annoyed me.
And that's really a pity because the story is beautiful, intricated, it glues you to the pages.
Moon's character is simply wonderful, all characters are.
The focus on sex wasn't that necessary, in my opinion...It takes it away from all the wonderful things that are happening: Moon's growth, Star's secrets, Santiago opening up...

I give this book 4 stars because it's beautifully written.

This book is devastatingly beautiful in its prose and execution and I absolutely loved Moon.

The story touches on so many relevant things like art, religion, forgiveness, consent and it’s all wrapped up in poetic language. This is so much more than a romance and really is a story of Moon’s self discovery and coming of age.

I know that there are girls out there who will relate to Moon and I hope that her story gives them confidence too.

The aspect of the story that felt least believable to me was the relationship at the end with the twins. There was so much trauma that they each and collectively experienced, and it felt like a bit of a jump for them to seem that connected to each other.

I really loved Moon and how much she grew throughout this story and really became herself. It can be so hard to see the good in yourself with others around you exuberate and gain more attention. I was glad to see Moon find her path and really see herself as more than just the ugly wallflower sister.

A really beautiful book!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Goodreads review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an ARC of this book!

Moon Fuentez is easily one of the most likeable protagonists I have ever had the joy of reading about. She was never perfect, which made me like her even more. We see her insecurities and emotional scars interspersed with her passions.

And don't even get me started on Santiago and how much I adored every detail of his character development.

This book has been described by other reviewers as beautiful, and that is the absolute perfect word for it. The imagery, character development and relationships readers peer into are all simply beautiful.

I highly recommend How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe for young adult readers and new adult readers alike. I believe this book would make an excellent addition to any fiction collection developed for a young adult audience.

3.5⭐️/5 rounded up to 4!
I first want to point out how scarily on the nose Moon’s life is to my own––I’m Latina, I have a twin sister, my mom was abusive, and my dad committed suicide… like WHAT.

I ended up reading this aloud with my twin sister. Here are three things we liked and three things we did not.

We really liked Moon’s humor. She had some good quips and (even though it was a self-defense mechanism) comebacks for her sister. The banter between her and Santiago, when he wasn’t grunting, was really fun to read too. I busted out laughing when she told him his bra size was triple F.

The conclusion of this novel was refreshing. A lot of young adult novels with bad or abusive parents feature redemption arcs for these shitty parents or even some sort of final reconciliation between the protagonist and their parent(s). I REALLY liked that this did not happen. Love is thicker than blood as this novel so beautifully shows.

We also really enjoyed the flashback scenes between Moon and her father.

Because I am a twin, I have to mention that this twin relationship was horrible. I know not everyone gets along with their siblings, but I personally think this felt like a relationship between a sister and another sister who are not twins. I felt this way especially when Star made fun of Moon’s fear of bridges (and just about every other time Star was mean to Moon tbh.) I hope this makes sense, but the relationship I have with my twin is so different from the relationship I have with my other sisters, and Moon and Star’s relationship resembled the kind of bond (or lack thereof in comparison I guess) that I have with my twin.

We both agreed that Santiago felt more like a silhouette of a person rather than an actual person. I think part of this is because he is so reserved that his personality isn’t really shown a lot. The other part might be that most of what makes him a person is his body because so much of Moon’s perception of him is by way of his muscles, height, etc.

This is also a really long book lol. I felt some scenes didn’t really add much (Moon’s date with the boy from the library, for example.)

If I could use one word to describe Moon it would be irreverent, which makes for some hilarious scenes since her twin sister, Star, is a hyper religious purity influencer on social media. I love Moon’s character because she is someone who you just really want to succeed throughout the book as she comes to realize that she has been emotionally and physically abused her entire life. Her view of herself and her body has been tainted by that abuse, and she transforms into a young woman her knows her beauty and worth. I also really enjoyed the romantic relationship between Moon and Santiago and the discussions about his disability as an amputee.

This book is OUTSTANDING. The characterizations are top notch, and it is such a complex, multi-layered novel in the guise of a YA love story. It is LGBTQIA+, Latinx, and contains sex and body positivity, mental health, abuse among others-- all very important topics that teens (and the not-so-teens) need. Will definitely have this in our collection. Easily 5 stars.

This book covers so much. Let me just make a quick list!

*self-worth
*body shaming
*religion/purity culture
*disability
*mental health
*toxic families (mental and physical abuse)
*bullying
*suicide
*Mexican culture
*acceptance
*self-love

These characters have depth in a way that I did not expect. I really started this book anticipating typical enemies to lovers YA romance and I go SO MUCH MORE than that. This book is beautiful. The descriptions of Moon's art, the background with her Aunt (Tía), and the emphasis on nature and the cultural aspects that tied into it. Amazing. Each of the characters, even the one that I grew to seriously dislike, were stunningly REAL in a way that is hard to accomplish through words alone.

This is not just a romance, this is Moon's journey to becoming comfortable in her own skin, accepting that she and her art are worthy, and learning to set boundaries with everyone in her life--especially family--for her own sake.

*Review will be posted on my blog on 7/29/21*

Likes:
*I am in LOVE with this book. Where do I begin? First the title intrigued me, and the character’s name being Moon. Because I love all moon things. Then the cover with a curvy girl, the moon above her and all that pink and purple tones. That’s where my love for it starts – but then the story takes me on an emotional journey and that’s when I fell hard.

*Moon Fuentez is so relatable. She’s an artist and calls to the artist in me. I want to follow her Fotogram account, I want to buy her tarot cards, I wanted to know this girl and we definitely get to know her in this story. Her twin is Star Fuentez and her opposite from their body size and beliefs about lifestyle. Moon honors the old ways, honoring the Earth, delving in the mystical – and Star is a religious model (I didn’t even know those existed!). Moon has a lot of family secrets that are revealed little by little as she gets to know Santiago, a boy on the tour. I love how Moon grows on this tour. She’s there to basically be her sister’s assistant but she learns that she has a light around her too and embraces it in the end.

*Speaking of Moon and Santiago – theirs is an enemies to lovers romance which so much spark. They are enemies, then sort of friends, which was fun to watch because Santiago really is such a grump and likes to anger Moon haha, and Moon makes him laugh. I mean, Santiago already had me with his kitchen skills. They are the cutest couple.

*This story takes sensitive issues that Moon is dealing with and weaves them into the mystical and natural fabric of our world and universe. I thought it was beautifully done. I felt embraced in Moon’s experiences with La Raiz. I love how Moon learned divination with her Tia, the only person who has shown her real love (besides her dad). It’s a heartbreaking story at its core, a girl just wanting the love of a parent. But Moon is strong in the end to make decisions that are healthier for her heart, soul and mind, even if it hurts a lot.

Random Notes:
Triggers: suicide, child abuse, depression

*This story is sex positive but Moon struggles with her mom’s views on sex and body image. It reminded me of my own Catholic upbringing but obviously Moon’s mom took it to the next level by slut shaming her, blaming her – her own child, for how miserable she felt inside. Her mother needed help and never got it but it conditioned Star and Moon from childhood that sex was an evil act. Moon has other people in her life explain to her why it wasn’t how her mom portrayed it to be, which is great.

*Depression is mentioned because some characters in the book go through it. Moon has her own coping mechanisms, ones that she realizes she has to work through.

Final Thoughts:
Is Moon Fuentez real? Because I want her to be – I want to buy her beautiful tarot cards and pick flowers with her. I want to check out her artwork in a museum, I want to see the images she captured on her beloved camera. I fell in love with Moon and Moon with Santiago and this whole story about nature’s magic, how even in this amazing, big universe, we are all connected, even in our pain. This is a book I connected with wholeheartedly, it really touched my heart, and I can’t wait to have it in my hands as a physical book.

Ugh, I loved this. I related to Moon's story and journey so much and really felt connected to her and her relationships to her family and friends. If you like character driven stories about journeys and self-love, pick this up.

Thank you for the e-arc.