SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND kicks off with Luis, an out-and-proud spitfire, campaigning for an inclusive prom at his conservative school. His mother, haunted by the mysterious death of a gay classmate from her teen years, tries her best to understand but always chooses Luis's safety over everything. When even Luis's friends and allies start telling him to give up his crusade, a sudden head injury knocks him back to 1985. With the help of a teenaged version of his mother, a young version of his favorite teacher, and some new friends, Luis sets off on a mission to help Chaz, the effeminate boy who died on prom night in 1985. If Luis can save Chaz and give him a future, he's certain the future will be better for everyone.

This time slip story is told with a funny and sassy narrative voice and loads of 80s references. It's a fast-paced romp that offers a glimpse of what it was like to be queer and a person of color in the USA a few decades ago and shows how far we've come. While the present has improved in many ways, the fight for full equality continues. The book does a nice job of offering nuanced perspective on such matters while entertaining the reader with snappy prose and cultural references.

While there is a lot that this book does that is pleasant and enjoyable to read, there is a lot that can’t be forgiven with the way things were handle. Without giving too much away, I think there was a lot of forgiveness in places where there shouldn’t have been. The main character also gets away with a lot and there didn’t seem to be any repercussions or growth. I think this can be extremely harmful. Overall, I enjoy the idea of a lgbtq YA Back to the Future retelling but I didn’t enjoy the way it was done.

Voice is an element I discuss with my high school creative writing students quite frequently. If I don't bring it up, they do. For this reason, I look forward to sharing SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND by David Valdes with them. The main character Luis Gonzalez has such a voice! From a quick skim of other reviews, I suspect Luis' voice might be divisive, but I can't wait to hear the responses from my students. Luis is a bit over-the-top, which he owns upfront. It's his unapologetic approach to being himself that is such a great draw for the book.

The "Back to the Future" aspect of this story was a bit predictable for me, but I also had to study this movie as part of my screenwriting classes, so that might not be how others respond. Still, this is a fun example of reinventing known stories and it's a refreshing break from fairy tales. Spin Me Right Round and Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin (which is a take on the movie Thelma and Louise) will make a refreshing way to show my students how retellings can be original and inventive.

It took me a few chapters to get into this one. At first I found Luis to be too much and very immature. Once the time travel piece kicked in though I could not put this one down. Going back to the 80's and meeting your parents when they were teens? So good.

This book is for everyone who feels out of place and like they aren't seen. It's for everyone who needs a reminder that small changes can have a huge impact on the future. Highly recommend.

I wanted to enjoy this but ultimately I found this story to wrap up too quickly and have characters that felt flat and dull. The premise is strong, but the payout is not worth the time.

In this new book by David Valdes, protagonist Luis Gonzalez wants nothing more than to attend his senior prom with his boyfriend, Cheng. Though his school is more progressive than some, there is still a rule that prom dates must be opposite gender, and he will not be allowed PDA or dancing with his boyfriend, even if they attend on individual tickets. Luis is obviously not happy with this, and attempts, futilely, to change it. His own mother doesn't even want him to go with Cheng, citing the "look what happened to Chaz Wilson," a gay student at the school in his mother's time who died on prom night.

As Luis heads to the arts building to talk to his favorite teacher in hopes she might have sway with the administration, a freak accident knocks him out - and he wakes up in 1985, the year his mother and father attended First Secondary, and Chaz Wilson is still very much alive. Fortunately, Ms. Silverthorn, his favorite teacher, is a new teacher in 1985 and she believes that Luis has time traveled. So Luis decides that his purpose for being in this time period is to prevent Chaz's death.

The time-travel is so fun, as is the reference to a favorite book from my childhood, Francine Pascal's Hanging Out with Cici, a book in which a teen travels back in time and is befriended by her teenaged mother. The same happens here - Maria Elena befriends Luis, and through a series of events that take place over the course of a week in 1985, some things are changed forever - including Luis.

This is such a fun book to read and the characters are well rounded and believable. Very enjoyable and I do recommend!

This was a typical time slip story, similar to back to the future but much more diverse. A fun read with more darkness than I expected.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and Bloomsbury YA, for the chance to read one of my most anticipated reads in 2022!

TW: homophobia, bullying, violence

Luis Gonzales wants to go to prom with his boyfriend, but his "progressive" school doesn't allow it, not after what happened to Chaz Wilson, died years ago when Luis' parents were in high school. Luis is determined to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve. When he's hit on the head and knocked back in 1985 he meets the famous Chaz himself and Luis decided to save his life and help him. But 1985 isn't safe for be gay, closeted or out, not with homophobes at school, including Luis' father. And what would happen if Luis couldn't get back to his time and be stuck in 1985? Helped by his teacher, finding new friends and discovering new things about people he thought he knew, Luis moves in that time, fighting to finding a happily ever after for Chaz...and himself.

Spin me right round is a funny and imaginative YA, with fresh and complex characters, main and sides ones and a brilliant plot. Luis is big-mouthed, self-confident, proud of being himself and a bit too self-centered. When he finds himself in a different time, surrounded by dangers and unknown, he has to fight and being inventive and try to life a "normal" life there, while looking how to get back to his own time. Luis finds himself in a time and place where being gay was dangerous and, expecially in a religious school, not so accepted.
I loved reading this book and it was refreshing and interesting reading how Luis realizes and compares his life and what he can do, how he can be himself so freely with Chaz's struggles in 1985, his denial and fear.
In a time and place where being gay was seen as a sin, Luis meets open-minded people, or people able to unlearn their prejudices and those who are stuck in their bigotry and fear, homophobes and violents. While understanding the progress made in time and still the current struggles, Luis tries to do the right thing for Chaz and his friends, while refusing to smother and deny himself as he is.

I loved reading his relationships, past and present, with Chaz, Ernie, Leeza and with Cheng and Nix.
I have to admit that, at first, I didn't like Luis so much, I found him too self-absorbed, but I was so impressed by how much he grows and realizes things about himself during the whole adventure and book. He's queer, proud of himself and I loved reading how much he changes and becomes more serious and caring, more thoughtful of other's feelings and desires.
This book was such a wild ride, fun, brilliant and so important. I loved the comparison between times and people, between the old and new Luis and everything was so delightful I devoured this book in one sitting.
I totally recommend this story to those looking for a wild ride, beautiful relationships between friends and lovers, important themes and so much more.

Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with an ARC of this book! I enjoyed reading it, but didn’t love it. The time traveling was interesting and cute, and I liked how everything came full circle with some of Luis’ present being impacted and changed by his actions in the past. At the beginning, Luis was not a very likeable character. As he grew to understand why he was in the past, his character grew on me. I loved Chaz and Ernie, and Leeza was also a great character. Overall, this was an enjoyable, relatively cliche read. If you’re looking for a queer time traveling book, this is the book for you.

Time travel books have always intrigued me, and with the Back to the Future twist, I couldn’t resist this one.

Being personally familiar with high school in the 80s (totally dating myself), I especially loved this setting. The wild clothes, big hair, and catchy music are all familiar, as is prom in a gym decorated with crepe paper – an affront to someone with Luis’s high standards. When he finds himself dropped into this time period and realizes he can’t just Google the answers to questions, text friends, or check social media, you can’t help but chuckle.

Luis is a delight and tons of fun. He readily admits he’s a big personality, a lot to take, and can be self-centered at times, but he’s got a big heart and is determined to save Chaz’s life and let him know it’s okay to be who he is. That’s not an easy thing to do in the 80s where there’s pressure to conform. I loved that he had the same supportive teacher to rely on both in his time and in the 80s (kind of like Doc in Back to the Future). During his time away, Luis comes to some self-realizations and surprising truths about his parents as he gets to know them as teenagers. Maybe things aren’t as he’s always thought.

This novel is about acceptance, both of yourself and others, family, and friendship. With plenty of humorous moments, it was a pleasure to read story full of heart and charm.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a terrific read -- warm, funny, and thought-provoking. It is 2020 and Luis Gonzalez is out at his high school in upstate New York, the same high school his parents attended over 30 years ago. Back then, the school was not welcoming to anyone who was not straight. In fact, the one student who people suspected of being gay, Chaz Howard, met a tragic end that has troubled Luis's mother ever since. Since then, the school has come a long way, with one exception: same-sex couples are not allowed at prom. Luis is determined to change that policy. But then he is knocked on his head and somehow ends up in 1985.. Luis quickly realizes that, somehow, he is now in high school with Chaz, his mom, and his dad (the ringleader of Chaz's bullies). Luis is determined to give Chaz his first real kiss and survive in the 1980s version of his high school, all without doing anything that will change the future he desperately wants to make his way back to before it is too late.

This was a fun way to explore all the differences between the 1980s and present day, from technology to the treatment of LGBTQ people in high school and society more broadly. Luis is quite endearing, and it was fun to go along with him as he navigated the 1980s, including his experiences interacting with his parents and teachers as teenagers, and seeing him gain insights into them and his life in 2020.

Very highly recommended!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

The world needs books like this!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Spin Me Right Round!

This is a really fun and sweet twist on Back to the Future, featuring a gay teen named Luis who goes back in time to try to save the life of a gay boy who attended the same high school years before. The book is both serious and funny, and I think that overall it hits just the right amount of each. It deals with serious issues in an appropriate way, and it is definitely a thought-provoking read. I enjoyed Luis's character, though I did find him a bit over-the-top at times. I also really enjoyed all of the side characters, and I'm a sucker for anything with time travel, so that bit worked for me quite well too.

Overall, a fun read with serious themes, perfect for fans of contemporary YA with some slight sci-fi elements!

I'm a sucker for time travel stories. Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies, so when this one was marketed as Back to the Future with a twist, I had to read it.

Luis Gonzales wants to go to prom with his boyfriend, but his school won't allow it. While trying to get the rule to change, he is transported back in time to 1985. He meets his teen-aged parents, teachers, and the boy (Chaz) whose death in high school hung over the community in Luis' time as he tries to find a way home.

Overall, I loved the story. A modern teen sent back in time to a less tolerant community is a fun concept, however, I have a problem with Luis. He is beyond selfish. He does try to make his school more inclusive and accepting, but only in his way, to the detriment of those around him. He even tells his mom "If they won't change for me, they'll never change" (pg 32). That level of egocentrism is something on par with teens but it just continues. He gets mad at his boyfriend for pointing out that he doesn't listen to those around him, choosing instead to do what he wants. He does not listen. He even invades a class that is supposed to be a safe space for women (I don't know if Nix is AFAB or not, so I can't say anything about their presence) but it's okay because he's got makeup on. And story is centered on something that just made me very uncomfortable. Luis spends his time in the past trying to get Chaz to come out of the closet. It would have been enough to see him just try to save his life, but no. He does everything short of outting him himself. It works out in the end, and I like the ending.

This book adds to representation in YA books and I'm happy for that. I may not be able to completely recommend the book, but it's something I wouldn't mind adding to my library shelves.

Luis Gonzalez wants nothing more than to go to prom with his boyfriend, and be crowned homecoming king. His school, set in upstate New York, even as "progressive" as it is, can't seem to outrun its roots as a religious boarding school where a closeted student died more than thirty years ago, and same sex dates aren't allowed at prom, dashing Luis' hopes. When a knock on the head sends him back in time, Luis has to grapple with the past of the school and his future 2020 self.

So basically, queer, intersectional Back to the Future.

The beginning had me cringing. Luis started out as a bit of an unlikable character who gave me second hand embarrassment in some of his conversations. He talked like an adult trying to sound young and cool, which was just a whole mood that I didn't love. Luis felt like a bit of a stereotype, which isn't always a bad thing, but it was overdone in a way, and felt kind of cringe.

But the end of this book really pulled it around for me and this is the story I kind of didn't know I needed. Luis grows more likable as the story goes on, for sure, so if you're cringing in the first few chapters, hang on.

As for the story, Valdes balances queer joy and staying true to yourself and the continued fight that queer people are engaged in now, with the seriousness of the past that a lot of young queer people are really disengaged from and I like that. We've come a long way, and this book pays homage to that, but we also have a long way to go, and Valdes balances that well.

Luis becomes a lot more likable as the book goes on and I feel like that was the whole point of the book. I don't think that Luis grew in a meaningful way, and for a coming of age story, his progression felt pretty stale, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it.

I slowly fell in love with all of the characters, especially Chaz and Ernie, and then eventually, I came around to like Luis too. The ending was a bit of a cop out, and Luis didn't have to really deal with the aftermath of any of his actions and things just magically turned out okay, which was pretty fine with me. I think this story needed a happy ending, for sure. This story could have been really deep and meaningful, but for what it was, I liked it.

If you're looking for something queer and happy with a time traveling twist, this might be for you.

This book was sweet and fun; I loved the kids in both eras, and who could possibly disdain any back-to-the-future-style examination of changes to a timeline? I thought the main character was kind of shockingly shallow—I found it a bit unbelievable that a high school senior so knowledgeable about pop culture, and experiencing and fighting homophobic discrimination himself in 2022, would be so blithely unaware of and unconcerned with the realities of bigotry against other LGBTQIA people, not only in the 1980s but in the world around him.

I got this arc from NetGalley and these opinions are my own. I really enjoyed this book! Luis has all the confidence that I wish I had had at that age! Luis goes to a private school that is conservative, their not allowed to bring same sex partners to prom, they claim it’s because in the 80’s a kid who was gay killed himself. He’s also into time travel books and movies, after an accident Luis ages up in 1985. He has a chance to save Chaz, the kid ho may have killed himself, but at in 1985 his school is even less accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. To make things more awkward his mom and dad attend the school at the same time. And if you changes things in the past how does that effect the future, could he create a situation in which he doesn’t exist? Or what if he can’t get home? I enjoyed reading the perspective of someone who grew up in todays world traveling back in time to an even less friendly time for the community and trying to navigate that. I couldn’t imagine being a LGBTQ+ teenager in the 80’s and I grew up in the 90’s and 00’s. Luis is a caring person and wants to help people! I really enjoyed all of the side characters as well, Chaz was adorable! Thinking about the original timeline, before Luis comes, is heartbreaking. I think the story points out that some people hate for no other reason then to hate. And that sometimes homophobia runs deep and can make you an ugly person! I’m excited to read this again when it comes out! David Valdes wrote an incredible book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an advanced copy of this to review! I know this was originally supposed to come out in December, but the publication date now got pushed back to January. But you’ll still want to keep this Back to the Future retelling on your radar for after the holiday season!

Let me start by saying I loved the concept of this book. A queer re-telling of Back to the Future with characters of color? Sounds like a fun adventure. And it was! The basics of the plot, at least for the present, were also realistic. It’s 2021, and I’m sure there are still high schools that don’t gay couples go to prom. Especially considering all of the book bannings that are currently happenig around the United States. On mostly LGBTQ books. But anyway! I digress.

What lessened the reading experience for me was the voice of the main character. It makes sense that he’s supposed to be selfish and naive at the beginning, but I didn’t see much growth in him throughout. He didn’t really think about the consequences of his actions, which is also a typically teenage thing to do. But by the end of the book, it didn’t feel like he had learned anything from what happened. Most of the outcomes were good, or things ended up okay. Which is fine! However, as a coming of age kind of story, more growth was needed.

All in all, at the surface, this was a fun story that I think just needed a little more character growth. But if you’re looking for a fun time travel story, definitely check this out out!

I was looking forward to this book quite a bit, but unfortunately, I felt rather let down. I'm starting to wonder if maybe sci-fi just isn't the genre for me.

Plot-wise, this was a lot of fun! The idea and concept were both carried out very well, and the side characters were all fun. Where this fell flat for me was our main character, Luis.

It's hard to love a book if you dislike the main character, and that's exactly what happened for me here. I think it had something to do with the way he talked and in general the way he acted. It sort of felt like the author hadn't talked to a teen in a while, and then went and asked adults who don't particularly like teens what they thought the average young adult sounded like. The dialogue was borderline cringey at times, which made it hard to enjoy the story. I also felt that Luis was a fairly selfish character, and in general, he just rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall, I'm sure some people will find this a fun read, but it just didn't end up working for me.

The premise is really cool and there's redeemable moments, but overall, it was just hard to root for Luis when he was being pretty unlikeable and doing things like pushing people into ore dangerous situations or basically cheating on his boyfriend. Also he sounds like a parody of what Gen Z teenagers talk like which means a lot of the times his dialogue just sounds like painfully cobbled together AAVE. Not exactly a vibe.