This is a great story. It is pretty clear where most aspects of the plot are going but everything builds in a really satisfying way. The ending is great and the story well paced. The characters are well written and you grow attached to them quickly. While this wrapped up well a complete story I would still like to see more of them in another book. All around a great book.

Sweet, fun, engaging, and a great addition to our library! This was popular with our own cosplayers and con attendees.

Zrull's writing is witty and engaging, capturing the essence of Skye's unique personality and worldview with humor and charm. From her eclectic fashion sense to her love of all things spooky, Skye is a character who leaps off the page, capturing readers' hearts with her unapologetic authenticity.

At its core, "Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe" is a story about the importance of staying true to oneself and embracing one's individuality, even in the face of peer pressure and societal expectations. As Skye navigates the challenges of middle school – from mean girls to awkward crushes – she learns valuable lessons about friendship, acceptance, and the true meaning of beauty.

The supporting cast of characters is equally engaging, from Skye's loyal best friend, Harper, to the enigmatic new girl, Raven, who challenges Skye's perceptions of what it means to be a goth. Each character brings something unique to the story, adding depth and complexity to Skye's world.

With its relatable characters, humor, and heartwarming message, "Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe" is a charming and uplifting read that will resonate with readers of all ages. Whether you're a fan of middle-grade fiction or simply looking for a fun and heartwarming story, Lindsay S. Zrull's novel is sure to delight and inspire.

Surpresa é uma palavra que define muito a experiência desse livro para mim. Eu não esperava metade do que encontrei nessa trama e, mesmo que em alguns momentos tenha sido para o lado negativo, a maioria foi para o positivo.

A sinopse da história, depois da capa ter me chamado a atenção, resume bem um pouco do clima do enredo seguindo a protagonista, Jess, em mais um dos lares temporários a que tanto está acostumada desde que sua tutela ficou com o estado após sua mãe não conseguir criá-la em meio à esquizofrenia. Assim, é normal que a narrativa se apresente de forma distante logo de cara enquanto a Jess vai realmente mostrando quem é, do que gosta e seus objetivos para o leitor. Nesse ponto é um começo um tanto parado, mas melhora um monte quando, enfim, a aproximação de Oscar e a proposta para ajudá-lo num grupo de cosplay surgem para agitar a trama, bem como nos fazer conhecer, pouco a pouco, mais personagens.

São todos, desde à mulher que está tomando conta da Jess no momento, a Barbra, até o pessoal do cosplay, Oscar, Emily e Gerrit, muito bem desenvolvidos, ganhando profundidade ao longo da história e à medida em que a protagonista se relaciona com cada um deles e o quanto de abertura ela lhes dá. A relação dela com a Barbra em especial é uma das que mais me ganhou, pela sensibilidade com que esta se apresenta e todas as diferenças gritantes que ela representa para a Jess quanto ao padrão de pais de outros lares temporários que ela passou antes e dos quais não tem memórias muito boas. Dessa vez, ela se vê numa situação diferente, em que mesmo tentando prever o lado de Barbra, ela ainda é pega de surpresa por essa, e aliado à tudo que vai se desenrolar graças ao cosplay e sua exploração desse universo, o enredo só cresce.

"Cherish the good times you have, but don’t let old wounds hold you back from making new friends in the future either.”

E isso tudo sem nem citar, ainda, que o livro também fala muito sobre saúde mental. É uma abordagem tanto realista quanto esperançosa, uma vez que esclarece que qualquer que seja a doença, ninguém deixa de ser humano, jovem ou velho, ter uma carreira ou não, etc, por causa disso. Desde os exemplos mais comuns do dia-a-dia, como a ansiedade, até casos mais densos como o da esquizofrenia, a autora desenvolve muito bem a temática e gera um debate bacana, por vezes um pouco pesado, mas ainda com sensibilidade e eventual leveza nos demais momentos, fazendo os personagens, no fim do dia, serem muito mais do que pessoas com doença x ou y, da mesma forma que, com ou sem elas, todos precisam se cuidar de alguma forma.

Enfim, Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe foi uma aposta de leitura que eu não esperava muito, mas se mostrou um mar de emoções, descobertas sobre o mundo do cosplay junto à Jess, amizades, relações familiares além das da protagonista, e aprendizados sobre como encarar ou não a saúde mental e as variações dela.

"The world we live in wants us to believe that minds or bodies that look or work differently are somehow less, but that isn’t true."

Wow, I don't even know where to start with this book. I didn't anticipate a book called Goth Girl Queen of the Universe would have me in tears at the end, but it absolutely did! But in the absolute best way. This book was amazing. I devoured this book in less than a day because I couldn't put it down. The characters are so vibrant and likeable, they really pull you right into the story. I loved the details and careful research that the author clearly did in terms of mental illnesses and how they effect families and individuals. Having an anxiety disorder myself, and a brother who is schizophrenic, I really appreciated it. The reality of how challenging it can be to live with this disorders and to love those who have them was portrayed with such care. The underlying message of how important mental healthcare is for everyone was so wonderful to read, it's an important message and I think the author did a wonderful job portraying the realities of why it is so important. I also loved all the nerdy details about the Geeks and Cosplay in the book. As a geek and a seamstress, I totally loved it. I especially loved the message about inclusivity and body positivity in terms of cosplaying. I'm a bigger girl myself, and I've always been scared to do cosplay because I have felt like I would stick out and be stared at for being different. This book made me feel inspired to start sewing something for myself! This was such a fantastic story, I just loved it. I would love to have a group of friends like Jess found, they're such an amazing tribe. And the messages in the story are clear, but presented in a way that isn't overbearing or preachy. It adds to the story instead of taking away from it.

I love books who dealt with friendships, family and mental health so this was a nice surprise. I know some of my friends are gonna love this so I'm going to recommend it to them.

A book that deftly blends the fun of cosplay and conventions with the more serious topics of mental health and foster care. Jessica has learned the "rules" of foster care--don't get too close to people and try not to cause too many problems. But when she gets a mysterious message from someone claiming to be her birth mother and the possible opportunity to visit her, Jessica breaks every rule on her list. She ends up teaming up with a group of cosplaying kids, hoping to win a spot at a big-time convention in NYC, which just happens to be where her mom is at. Jessica has to navigate her complicated feelings for her mom, who has schizophrenia, her new foster mom, who actually seems like a really nice person if only Jessica didn't have to lie to her all the time, and the very geeky but also sort of sweet Oscar. Since the author is a former foster teen herself, she captures Jessica's feelings perfectly. It's hard not to both root for the MC and want to shake some sense into her as she navigates a world of hurt alone when there are so many people around her who would want to help. The book definitely pulls at your heartstrings--it had me in tears by the end. So much to love about this story!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley so I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book touched on so many amazing subjects, but it's one of the first I've found that discusses living with a mentally ill parent, and that is what held me like superglue to this book. What a debut from Zrull, and one I think will touch the hearts and souls of many. I can't recommend this book enough.

This book deserves all the stars. Reading this when I was a foster teen would have helped me so much. This is easily the best foster care book I have ever read.

Jess' growth and development throughout was so incredible to see. Watching her slowly learn to trust people and let them in was just amazing.

This book also had a very important take on mental illness that we don't see often.

I'm planning on getting a copy of this book for the youth work centre I work at. And I am super. super excited to see what Lindsay S. Zrull releases next. She has definitely made it to my auto-read author list.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Speaking as someone who is personally familiar with the struggles of the foster care/adoption world (my family opted into the foster-to-adopt system for my younger brother), this story truly meant a lot to me. I loved seeing Jessica's own personal growth over the course of the book, and that the book never downplayed her struggles as a foster kid.

Additionally, I also enjoyed how much geeky/nerd culture was infused into this book! While I'm personally more of a private fangirl myself, I thought it was really cool to see how much cosplay played a role into this book!

I'm truly looking forward to seeing what Lindsay Zrull comes out with next!

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :
Bounced between foster homes since the age of seven, Jessica knows better than to set down roots. Most of the kids at her new Michigan high school think she’s a witch anyway (because, you know, goth). The only one who gives her the time of day is geeky Oscar, who wants to recruit her fashion skills for his amateur cosplay group. But Jess is fine showing off her looks to her Insta fans—until a woman claiming to be her biological mother barges into her DMs. Jess was claimed by the state when her biomom’s mental illness made her unstable. While their relationship is far from traditional, blood ties are hard to break. There’s only one problem: Jess can’t reunite with her mom in New York City without a bunch of paperwork and she worries her social worker will never approve the trip. That’s when she remembers Oscar’s cosplay group, which is aiming for that big convention in New York . . . So, Jess joins Oscar’s team—with every intention of using them to get to her mom. But her plan gets complicated when she discovers that, actually, cosplay is pretty great, and so is having friends. And Oscar, who Jess thought was just a shy nerd, can be as gallant and charming as the heroes he pretends to be. As the big convention draws near, Jess will have to decide whether or not chasing a dream of “family” is worth risking the family she’s built for herself.
Thoughts :
It's cute and full of gothic vibes. I like this book just fine. The characters are very very likable. Thanks Netgalley for the early copy.

I really enjoyed this book. As someone who loves nerdy culture, I loved all the references in this book. This book has incredible voice. Jess is a tough, snarky goth on the outside but a cosplay feminist princess on the inside. The story itself was fun. I enjoyed the backdrop of the group of friends preparing for cosplay competitions while Jess struggles with the stressors of what it means to be a foster kid.

Tne highlight of this book is Jessica's character. Jessica has faced a lot of struggles in her life. Despite bad home situations and relentless bullying at school, Jessica faces challenges head-on with wit and internal strength.

This book had a lot of unique perspectives that I really appreciated. For example, I've never considered that both goth culture and cosplay culture focus on makeup and sewing. It's an overlap that I've never really considered but makes sense once you think about it. This book has a pretty interesting take on mental illness. I really liked Jess as a main character. Her prickliness makes sense considering her past experiences, and it was really nice seeing her learn to trust people and try new things.

This is a nice coming-of-age story about 16-year-old Jess, a young goth girl who dresses the way she does to alienate her classmates.

I completely misjudged this book. I wasn’t expecting this to cover mental illness as well as it did. Zrull did a decent job with Jess’s mom’s mental illness. I adored Jess, and I appreciated how the parental units in this story handled things.

I think it’s really difficult to cover issues like the foster care system, but this was done well. There were parts that just felt repetitive, and in a book that’s over 300 pages, it felt pretty long. The writing was ok, but there were times when I had to remind myself that I’m not really in the right age group.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable book. I can’t say I’ll add it to my “re-read” pile, but I appreciate the entertainment value.

3.5 rating

I couldn’t put this book down. I stayed up all night to finish it because I had to know how it ended. The story centers around Jess, goth girl, who uses it as not only a way to express herself but also a way to distance herself from students at every new school she attends. Readers will find out that Jess is in the foster care system because her mother suffers from a mental illness and she has just been placed with Barbra her new foster parent. On her first day of school she is approached by Oscar to help up his cosplay game. Seeing this as a way to get to her biomom she joins a rag tag team of nerds and finally lets herself open up to friendship and a wonderful found family. Her foster parent Barbra and the other parental units are supportive and a refreshing portrayal of adults who care. Although Jess makes some decisions that hurt others she makes them in hopes of having a relationship with her biomom. There are a lot of pop culture movie and music references that will delight fans of the 80’s and Zrull does a great job of focusing on a body positive platform. This feel good story will have you rooting for the group to win and for Jess to let love in.

I absolutely loved this book. Jess' confidence in her fashion sense and looks was so refreshing and written absolutely brilliantly. I loved the descriptions of her makeup looks, her outfits, and the costumes she made. Oscar was also a brilliant character as were the other friends in the group. They were all written so well, and were such dynamic fully fleshed out characters. I think the descriptions of the conventions and the LARPing activities were so immersive and fun.

I loved watching the relationship between Jess and her foster mother blossom. The development of that relationship was handled well and the building blocks were well placed.

I, as someone who does not suffer from Jess' biological mother's mental illness, feel like the mental illness was handled with respect if nothing else.

super cute and wholesome read! love a goth character!! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc.

Reading this novel, for me, was a much-needed window into a world I don't have much experience with. What stuck with me was how much love people were willing to give Jess, even as she was determined to push them away. And in moments where she makes horrible, frustrating decisions, we are at least able to understand why, and feel her emotions when the consequences of those decisions shake out. For some students, Jess might provide a character to identify with; for others, it might give them a new appreciation for what they have. Frankly, I don't know who needs this book more.