This is queer YA romance at its most whimsical. Coming of age and a sweet ex-boyfriends romance between a closeted bisexual love interest Luca and the gay main character Raffy.

I adored the comic con and cosplay details. The last event I attended in 2020 was C2E2 (Chicago’s comic convention). I enjoy cosplaying (for fun) so this book really spoke to me.

I’m always in awe of the competitors and the incredibly intricate work to create their costumes and designs. La Sala really nailed the details, and I enjoyed learning about the process.

The structure of the novel was cleverly done, too, as the chapters alternate between the past relationship between Raffy and Luca and the present competition at Boston’s comic convention that pits the former couple against each other.

I highly recommend this book. It was a pure delight, and it will be the perfect way to start 2021 when it releases in January.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC.

I absolutely adored this book! Be Dazzled is a hilarious, queer, romcom masterpiece pitched as “Project Runway goes to Comic Con”, which is such a spot on description! It’s a fun, tender and emotional story about creativity, passion, big dreams and how everything in life is better when bedazzled.

I received an eARC from Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley of this book that will be published early next year, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this gem and to find this new (to me) amazing author! Ryan La Sala has a unique voice in his writing. It’s so fun and witty, yet so personal and emotional.

The story follows seventeen-year-old Raffy who is a master of cosplay. He’s also a bit of a drama queen, which made me love him even more, and so vulnerable and adorable. He’s totally passionate about his creations and determined to win a big cosplay competition and prove to his art-world powerhouse mother that his art matters. With the help of his best friend May he’s got everything ready for the big day. The only problem is that his ex-boyfriend Luca is there too, competing against him…

Luca is also such a sweet, lovable character that I immediately rooted for. He’s a closeted soccer player, who’s attempt to tell his mother that he’s bisexual brutally failed. Now he wants to be with Raffy and he wants to do cosplay and dress up and… be himself. But he’s struggling with the need to keep it private for his parents’ sake.
The story is told in two parallel tracks, jumping between present and past to reveal how Raffy and Luca met and fell in love. I really loved this way of slowly revealing the relationship and the problems leading to the break-up.

The relationship was so cute and still there were so many misunderstandings and mistakes that broke my heart, with Luca doubting Raffy’s love and with Raffy doubting that their different worlds would go together outside the studio. But Raffy and Luca were so perfect for each other that all I wished for was a way for them to realize it too and find a way to make it work. To find a way to keep them sparkling together.

All in all, this is a wonderful and charming story about first love, about finding your path in life and finding the courage to become your most authentic self. I loved the pacing, the puns, the way the story was told in parallel timelines, the relatable characters with all their flaws, over-the-top feelings and vulnerability and the cosplay world insights. I adored the unique, funny yet serious, voice in which Ryan La Sala told this gem of a story. And most of all, I loved the important message in this book that you are perfect just the way you are.

This is a book that makes the world shine a little brighter!

"Only now am I seeing a new truth: that sometimes the broken bits are just the pieces you need to create something new, something better, something remarkable."

Billed as Project Runway goes to Comic Con, I knew I just had to read this book.

Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making--for creation. He's always chosen his art over everything--and everyone--else and is determined to make his mark at this year's biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There's only one small problem... Raffy's ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.

What follows is a story about believing in yourself, the power of creativity and friendship.

From the outside, Raffy and Luca have nothing in common.
Raffy is an incredibly talented artist, but he is meant to use his talent for "serious" art, not craft projects, according to his famous, art gallery owning mother.
Luca is meant to be the star football player, not a cosplayer and especially not a bi-sexual cosplayer. His believes ultra-conservative family would never accept him if they find out he isn't straight.

But the beauty of this story is that Raffy and Luca see past what they are "meant" to be and find their true selves.

The love story of Raffy and Luca is told in alternate timelines - how they met and fell in love, and where they are now, after breaking up and becoming rivals.

Since breaking up with Luca, Raffy's best friend May has become his cosplay partner for the competition he is counting on winning to increase his chances for a scholarship that will allow him to go to art school on his own terms. Their main competition is Raffy's former friend Inaya and Luca. Through the twists and turns of competition, Raffy realises just what his single-minded focus on his work may have cost him in his relationship with Luca and Luca begins to feel more comfortable with his true self and not hiding it away from the world.

It is fun, it is super nerdy and I loved it!

"I don't see the flaws. I only see the magic."

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really liked this view into the grueling world of cosplay/competitive arts&crafts. I felt like I could imagine well from the descriptions a lot of the outfits designed. It was great to see Raffy and Luca develop their relationship and I enjoyed the 2 time frames.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC of this book!

Be Dazzled is a sparkly YA romance about following your passion, even if it's not where you thought it would lead you, and learning to trust yourself.

Raphael Odom is a cosplay designer, arts and crafts master, and anime lover. With Contraverse - a big cosplay con - coming up, Raffy is determined to create something spectacular and take home the top prize. But when his ex boyfriend Luca shows up in Raffy's costume idea, it threatens to derail everything.

The story switches from present day to past so that while we're watching things at the con unfold, we're also watching the rise and fall of Raffy and Luca's relationship.

This book truly has layers. It's a romance, but honestly the romance wasn't even my favorite part (not that it wasn't fantastic, because it was). It was Raffy's journey. There's a real undertone of almost sadness, I think, in his narration. He's anxious with a mother who believes his art is meaningless and a need to push himself as hard as he can, judging himself harshly in the process. He's never quite sure of who he is and where he stands. He internalizes blame and worst case scenarios, and the journey he takes from that to embracing the freedom he feels in his art is masterful. Ryan did an amazing job of showing how deeply some of us can feel anxiety, and how allowing ourselves the freedom and room to mess up can make a difference.

The side characters were all funny and interesting, naturally because it's Ryan La Sala. Luca definitely had his moments of being annoying (honestly I think it was just because I was rooting so hard for Raffy), but he was a layered character, with sunshine smiles on the outside covering a layer of uncertainty on the inside. May and Inaya were both well developed with distinct personalities that showed through beautifully on the page.

It had the quick wit and quotable lines of Reverie, but you can really see Ryan's growth as a write here. Their prose is gorgeous and the imagery is well done. A really fantastic sophomore novel!

𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: 𝘉𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦𝘥
This book kindly provided by @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire has flown right up to one of my top 5 reads this year! What a masterpiece.

Be Dazzled is a contemporary MM romance, about openly gay Raffy: an anxiety ridden, stress head who has an eye for bedazzling, crafting and COSPLAY! Raffy has designed and built an amazing character rendition to enter into the high stakes competition Controverse... But, in true dramatic fashion, Raffy discovers that none other than Luca, his ex, has entered the building... in none other than one of Raffy's ideas....and is now his competition.
Luca is a solid, confident (read: 𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘯 haha..), soccer player who is still 'in the closet' to his family and peers.
The book jumps between 𝘯𝘰𝘸 and 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 allowing the reader to understand Raffy's & Luca's relationship.... Which is cute AF... To the events that led to the their undoing.. And finally to their chance opportunity in which they need to work together to work it 𝘢𝘭𝘭 out.

I absolutely loved every single page of this book. It was well executed so that even someone who has no bloody idea about Cosplays, bedazzling and all that jazz can read this and be submerged in this whole world. The relationship between the boys was authentic and the detail that went into explaining (without inundating) about the building of the cosplays was done so very well. I could visualise them perfectly! I take my BeDazzled hat off to you, @ry_la_sa ! I look forward to reading your future books!

Quotes: (Subject to change)

Some kids do drugs. Some kids start fires. I embroider in the dead of the night, for attention of strangers.

All in all, the look is very Lady Gaga meets Red Lobster, very Shakespeare in hell. I look fucking fantastic.

"Tastes like French onion soup," Margaret concludes. "So I did a series on bread bowls. I called it Carb-e Diem. Seize the bread."

Having loved Reverie, I was excited to see what Ryan La Sala would come up with for Be Dazzled, and I’m thrilled to report it was pure escapism at its finest. Pitched as Project Runway goes to Comic Con, I can confirm this pitch matches up to what you’ll find inside the pages of this sophomore novel.

The novel jumps between past and present and the two are woven together seamlessly to great effect; the pacing of the story hit all the right beats for me. Rafi as a main character is also a standout—he is both highly competent and a disaster, wickedly funny, vulnerable in authentic ways which make him relatable, and in possession of flaws which make him feel all the more human. And of course, there are numerous LGBTQ+ side characters and nerd references galore (including several to Sailor Moon, which I would have been VERY disappointed about missing).

In addition to unapologetically queer romcom goodness with some of my favourite tropes (artsy one/sporty one dynamic, anyone??), what I particularly loved was how faithful to nerd/con/cosplay culture this novel was. Despite becoming more and more mainstream as the years go by, there’s still a dismissive attitude toward the creative efforts people put into fandom pursuits, and I loved seeing this stigma play a role in the novel’s conflict sources.

All in all, if you’re ready for an engaging read about staying true to your dreams, finding the people who celebrate you for who you are, and growing along the way, all in a convention setting by turns heart racing and hilarious, Be Dazzled is for you.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The world of cosplay can be cut-throat, diabolical...and covered in flat backed rhinestones. Just ask Raffy, our complex main character. Raffy throws himself into cosplay almost as a way to escape from his own artist mother, Evie. The difficulties of their relationship come out in ten fold throughout the novel, with Raffy having to hide his artwork because he knows that Evie (his mother) will never approve. Actually, he knows she wouldn't approve, which is shown during one scene on Christmas night. While others understand the work and craftsmanship that goes into creating characters for cosplay, all Evie will think of it is that it is arts and crafts...it's a boring hobby, and not one that a son of hers should be doing. Yet, Raffy does create...and does it well. He has his own following online with videos of his creations, and he even catches the eye of a boy from school, who falls for both Raffy and the world of cosplay. Yet when Raffy's perfectly crafted world starts to crumble, and the boy is gone, now an enemy; Raffy has to work even harder to prove to himself, his friends, and maybe even his mother, that he is capable of being an artist and being perfect...because isn't that what he wants??

La Sala's does a great job of weaving the storyline to show the reader the "then and the now". It doesn't feel clunky or disjointed, but rather gives the reader a window to see what happened to lead up to the present moment. La Sala presents the reader with characters that help drive the storyline across, and give strength to the plot itself. Each person has a reason that they are brought into the story, each relationship Raffy has with his friends is important and well thought out. This novel is crafted with care, love, and a little hot glue.

Wow, I’ve never read a book about cosplay before and I loved it!
Raffy is super anxious about his mother finding out about his hobby, who’s a famous artist owning a successful art gallery. And also thinks that people doing art and crafting for „fun“ are laughable and not making „real“ art.
His mother’s comments and hints make Raffy super self conscious about his creations and turn him into a perfectionist...while making him forget about the fun of creating something.
I loved Raffy, he is super relatable with all his worries, always spiralling into fantasys about the worst outcomes. I do that too and I felt so much sympathy for this boy.
I also really liked Luca, he seemed like a genuine good and nice guy.

I loved the plot with the convention and the contest! It was super interesting and fun to read about it.
I also really liked the alternating chapters between the convention and the time back when Raffy and Luca were still together.

Somehow it was a little weird for me to read about the „big thing“ that broke them up right in the end of the book when they were actually starting to get closer again in the present time and for everything that happened between them, Raffy seemed to forgive everything a little too easily for me personally.
I wouldn’t have minded for the book to be a few pages longer and for them to actually have more talking time in the convention scenes to sort out everything a little more.

All in all it’s a YA romance and it was really sweet and cute, so I still really liked this book!

I also liked that in the end nothing was magically solved between Raffy and his mother, it was more like a little step in the right direction rather then a whole 180 in a second and I think that it was super realistic this way.
The ending in general was super realistic and yay for character development!!!

Definitely recommend reading it, especially for the really cool cosplay theme!!!

3/5🌟: honestly, i was so excited for this one and the story was cute, but it was nothing new. the relationship was mediocre, at least there was some bi rep. the cosplay contest plot line has been popular for a while and thus was quite predictable. but if you're interested in cosplay and how costumes are made, you might enjoy this one more than i did. the thing that bothered me the most was that there were 4 characters, other than raffy and luca, who were of importance: while all of them were female, 3 out of 4 were portrayed as evil (to some kind of degree). this seriously ruined the book for me. of course, the two cis boys were (almost) flawless, but the female characters had to be the ones ruining their lives. what year is this, 1960? ugh. i feel like a lot writers don't even try to write good female characters, like yes, it was great that the mc was wearing makeup without it being considered weird and for one tiny scene there even was a trans woman included, but why would you ruin all of that by writing shitty cis female characters? when their only character trait is to be mean towards the mc, you know there's something wrong with the female rep. i honestly expected more from this.. the writing style was nice though.

thank you netgalley for the digital arc!

Only now I am seeing a new truth: that sometimes the broken bits are just the pieces you need to create something new, something better, something remarkable.

This book was such an unexpected delight! I didn't expect the story to focus so heavily on the creation of Cosplay outfits, but it and the clever way it is used to help Raffy express his feelings were just beautiful to read. I loved following his journey, how he realized where he went wrong in the past and how to fix it.

The kiss ends like all my projects: amazing and whole, the fragments of many moments joined together to create something entirely alive and real. Something incredible, out of nothing.

I really loved how effortlessly the author weaves the past and present together to tell the story of Raffy and Luca! Going back and forth between present and past sometimes makes it hard for me to follow the story, but as each piece of the past was revealed, it helped me understand the present better. I am really impressed by this author's storytelling!

This is a wonderful story about second chances, realizing where your priorities lie, and fighting for what's important, and I loved every second of it!

The only tiny little complaint I have is that I felt it ended a bit abruptly. It makes sense and is a good ending for Raffy's journey, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet, and I would have loved to have an epilogue.

This book was a delight! Full of anime/manga/videogames references, cosplays and so much sewing; it has relatable characters who are young, fun, flawed, and just genuine. I liked Raffy so much, he is a ball of anxiety and thinks he's never doing enough. Well, with a mother like his, I understand him completely. I knew there was something more about Raffy and Luca's break up so I couldn't hate Luca. I actually liked him from the beginning, and his story was actually sad and my heart just broke. But, besides the chapter of the break up (which hurt a lot), all the other chapters were sweet with the interactions between the characters. Raffy and Luca were really adorable in both the flashback chapters and the now chapters, and I loved seeing how they were together, both the good and the bad.

Told in alternate chapters of past and future, we are immerse in a bedazzling cosplay world and I loved everything about it. I got almost all the references and I laughed out loud more than once. I had to stop a couple times because I was actually laughing too much! It was hilarious.

Highly recommended. I can't wait to listen to the audiobook and have the book in my hands!

*I received this eARC from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
TW (trigger warnings): homophobia

"Be Dazzled" by Ryan La Sala is a heady mix of artistry, first love, cosplay conventions, unsupportive parents and finding out who you really are, all wrapped in a YA queer novel. (4 stars)

Description from the publisher:
Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making--for creation. He's always chosen his art over everything--and everyone--else and is determined to make his mark at this year's biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There's only one small problem... Raffy's ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.

I really liked this book. The first couple chapters were kind of meh for me but after that I got sucked in. The main character, Raffy, is a well-rounded character that I totally fell in love with. I'm not a cosplay fan or even very arts and crafty but the details about Raffy's creations and how he made them was amazing. Luca I liked a bit less, just because of how Raffy feels betrayed by him, but he was also a complete, realistic character you cheered for. The parents in this book were not well-liked and didn't understand their kids at all. This trope seems to be very popular in YA novels but La Sala did it well, wrapping things up well at the end. The highs and lows were great with lots of teen drama and backstabbing which is a thumbs up from me.

7/10 | 3,5/5
This book was so much fun! Although it didn't reach all my expectations, it is still a relaxing reading experience with an important message about fighting for your dreams and to be with the right people next to you to achieve that.

The Up's: the narrative in two timelines (the 'Now' and 'Then') is a great tool used by the author, so it built 'the rise and fall' of Raffy and Luca's past relationship without using infodumping, also creating some charisma for the two protagonists (specially, for me, in Luca). I also enjoyed the family approach on the book's plot in both protagonists, which were very real and relatable (in Luca's case). Raffy's family drama was a bit hard for me to buy at first, but along the book the author could work really well in this aspect.

The Down's: not gonna lie, but I feel that Raffy is such an annoying protagonist, and the first-person narrative just made that statement stronger, making my reading experience difficult at the point that the book didn't attracted my attention anymore sometimes. Also, some resolutions for the problems created in the book were solved quickly, in a simple way or just in such a convenient way due to the situation in question.

Ryan La Sala does it again! And by "it" I clearly mean build a world of growing, exploration, self-discovery, and glitter.

Raffy, serious cosplay crafter and eternal disappointment to an artiste mother, seeks solace in a world of crafting and fabrics with friends May and Inaya. When Luca enters the chat everything changes. Luca is an adorably sporty closeted bisexual boy who falls for Raffy but the two aren't quite meant to be (or are they?) in "Be Dazzled." Their story is told in alternating storylines, not between the two of them, but in before and after their eventual break up. Forcibly reunited at the most important moment of Raffy's cosplay career, the two team up after a series of mishaps and betrayals.

Admirably, one of the best aspects of La Sala's work is that it is not entirely a coming out story. Such queer stories are absolutely important but they are not the only queer story to tell. Raffy is out as gay though its not a conversation piece for him and his mother and Luca is bi but not fully ready to let the world know. Mostly this is a story of two people learning about themselves through their connection to one another. A perfect addition to any library.

Seeing this described as "Project Runway goes to Comic-Con" was the perfect hook for me. As a casual cosplayer and cosplay enthusiast, mourning for the lost cons of 2020, getting to read this novel was just so much fun. This book was campy, crafty, and full of the best kind of drama (the kind with a happy ending. Within the pages of this novel, you'll find yards of fabric, piles of glitter, ribbons, and sequins! And of course, cosplay, drama, romance, and kissing. Raffy, our anxious crafting genius, is SO stressed, and SO determined to do well at this year's cosplay competition. Nothing is going to stand in his way. Of course, who should show up but his one-time maybe boyfriend Luca, dressed in his own cosplay with a new crafting partner. Cue the drama as Raffy and Luca are pushed to work together and everything will come down to one amazing weekend.

I enjoyed this book SO much. The cosplay, the drama, the romance, the kissing - all delightful. I will admit, there were moments that I was super stressed and I do think that if you are an anxious reader this might be a challenge. However, the tension and anxiety do serve a larger purpose and help us better get inside Raffy's hed. I also really enjoyed the way the novel was structured, with alternating chapters past and present. It gave the story great pacing, and allowed for the slow build of Luca and Raffy's romance to really hit. The fact that this novel comes out on January 1st means that this is the perfect book to ring in the new year. So pop some bubbly, grab some sequins, and enjoy the show!

This book blew me away with its beating heart. The pages bled with the author's love and respect for crafting, crafters, and pop culture. I feel like I learned so much about the intricacies of crafting and the hours of work that people put into their projects. On top of that, there's gay romance! The main conflict is between two ex-boyfriends who compete against each other in a cosplay contest at a comic con. There is SO MUCH drama. (That probably contributes to just how queer this book feels XD) The chapters go back and forth in the time line, so the story of how the relationship between these two fell apart is slowly unfolded.

✨ＢＥ ＤＡＺＺＬＥＤ✨

You have no idea how happy I was when I was approved to read this. I have been dreaming of reading this book and heck did my fanatics come true. This book is a calling to all dweebs, nerds and artists with dreams. To those who feel neglected by their peers and loved ones. To those who are confident in their things they do and love, and will not stop to prove themselves. THIS was absolutely spectacular and I was in tears from the pure joy it gave me. It was wholesome, downright adorable, and absolutely exactly what i wanted.

I loved Raffy, with his love for crafts and cataclysmic creativity, and how he was utterly prepared to prove to his snobby mother, to knock her hideous socks off with his talent, and yet she always found a way to criticize him for his unique art . I hated her from the first page.

I could relate so much with Raff, especially with his anxiety and constant need to be working at all times, as if he would fall apart if he wasn't doing something productive, and hell did that resonate with me on a whole other level.

To be honest, i sometimes felt conflicted over the dynamic of the relationship in the book, even though it was ADORABLE, but i could understand why Luc, the love interest, was so hesitant at times. I really came to adore him as the chapters progressed and as I got a better insight on his character, his relentless enthusiasm, his insecurities and fears. They were absolutely perfect for each other, two complete opposite balancing each other.

I really appreciated the whole cosplay aspect to the book and how much it meant to so many people, much like our bookish community, a place where you felt understood, a place where you belonged, instead of being ridiculed for your obsessions.

I urge everyone to read it and i hope you come to love it as much as i did. This was wholesome, downright adorable, and absolutely exactly what i wanted.

[E-GALLEY RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE OF AN HONEST REVIEW]

This novel is perfect for fans of queer romance, and just wrap my heart in a warm hug. I recommend it 100%, a romance where two world collide and just explode in a big big big heartwarming something.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Raffy is a nerd, a cosplayer, a streamer, and a disappointment to his mother. Because she enjoys some fame in the art world, Raffy's mother looks down at his "crafting", and therefore, he must do it in secret. Still, he is ready to meet his moment of truth at Controverse, where he hopes to be crowned the cosplay champion, but will his plan go off the rails when he is reunited for the first time with the boy who broke his heart.

People! This book was so good! It was funny, sweet, and adorable, while also being jam packed with cosplay goodness. I loved the way La Sala wove the design and competition aspects into this story of first love. Alternating between Then and Now allowed me to watch Raffy and Luca's relationship begin, grow, and end in-between their unexpected face-off at the con.

Five things I adored about Be Dazzled:

1. It was fantastic being immersed in this world. I used to watch Heroes of Cosplay and found all the brainstorming, construction, and competition aspects of cosplay captivating. La Sala did such an incredible job pulling me into it all. I swear! I could see the sparkle of those bedazzled pieces. The love La Sala has for this world came through crystal clear, and his enthusiasm was contagious.

2. Raffy was hilarious! I laughed so much as I read this book. Raffy's observations, his over the top mother, the banter with is friends was very amusing, and I was glad to be a by-stander to it all.

3. Raffy and Luca were so flipping cute together. There was a time, in the beginning of the story, where I had my doubts about Luca, but then I got to know him, and I could understand what Raffy loved. I also understood him a bit better and recognized all the pressure he was under. He was in a difficult situation, but I think he eventually rose to the occasion.

4. Friendship was important to Raffy, and I was glad it worked its way into the story. It's subtle but an important part of Raffy's growth.

5. I was happy to see some people finally showed up. I found myself disappointed in characters, left and right, but in the end, they came through. There was even one scene, about 83% of the way through, that had me simultaneously cheering and crying, because I was just so happy.

This book was a romance wrapped in friendship and nerdy goodness, that stole my heart and left me smiling from ear to ear.