“Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.”

Oh my god I absolutely loved this book! I love comic cons and whilst I am not a cosplayer, I definitely appreciate the time, thought and effort it takes to produce their costumes not to mention then having to walk around a hot exhibition centre with them on all day!

This book follows Raffy, who has a passion for cosplay. He builds costumes for every Comic Con he attends but he mother is a ‘serious’ artist and gallery manager and doesn’t approve of his “hobby” so he has to do it in secret. He streams his creating process on a streaming platform called Ion and one day receives the gems he needs from an anonymous source. And thus his relationship with Luca develops…
Luca’s family do not accept his sexuality or the fact that he likes geeky things like anime, video games and now cosplay and suddenly Raffy is on his own again, preparing for this year’s biggest cosplay competition. He knows that if he can win it, it could lead to bigger and better things and maybe his Mum finally taking him seriously. There's only one small problem... Raffy's ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.

This story is told in two timelines - now and then. Sometimes I got so into the current timeline that when it switched I had to remember where we were in the other timeline but that was just me and it only took a few sentences to remember.

“My anger fades beneath startling relief, and I realise that once again, my anxiety has been showing me a lowlight reel of what the future could be. Anxiety is awful like that; it shows you only the worst, and all at once.”

This quote especially hit home. I really identified with Raffy and his anxiety. I get anxiety at Cons and I also feel like I need to be in control of everything and that having other people ‘help’, isn’t always helping, like Raffy doing his cosplays by himself.

Overally, I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved the atmosphere, I loved the storyline. Easy 5 stars.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Sourcebooks for letting my read an e-arc of this!

An absolutely lovely, fun, a heart filling book. Truly a great escapist read that we all needed in 2020.

Okay, this was a super cute read! Raffy is pretty adorable and too sweet for his own good and I just want everything for him. Watching him fall in love, have his heart broken, then pick himself up and go after his dream was emotional, yet so much fun.

This book is divided into then and now, showing us how Raffy met and fell in love with Luca in the past and Raffy and Luca compete in a cosplay contest now. I felt so bad that Luca became his competition and the way their relationship ended. Raffy also lost a good friend in the chaos, plus he's dealing with a mom who doesn't support him. All of this would really bring someone down, but luckily Raffy still had his bff May to be there for him and encourage him to go for it.

I loved seeing Raffy become confident, stand up for himself, and get rewarded for his work. The only downside for me was that I didn't feel like Luca, Inaya, or Evie really apologized to Raffy and he definitely deserved it. But Raffy is an amazing person who is way more forgiving than I am and seemed pretty happy at the end, which is all I want for him.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review

Son of a millionaire artist turned gallery owner, Raphael ‘Raffy’ Odom doesn’t quite live up to the expectations his mother has. Preferring the feel of a hot glue gun and foam to anything else, Raffy is determined that this year, he will blow minds at the most important convention in the cosplay world – Controverse. Even if he has to compete against his ex-boyfriend and former duo partner to do so.
Raffy is a seventeen-year-old stress ball, stuffed with a good dose determination and pure talent. Cosplay is his passion, his mind a magic laden nest where small ideas grow into wonderful actualities. He is painfully aware that if he wants to follow his dreams with a formal art education, he will need to fund it himself, ideally through scoring sponsorship when he wins the top prize at Controverse. Winning at ‘Trip-C’, as it is called by the cool kids, would solve his future financial problems as well as proving to his mother that his creations are more than a hobbyist phase. His costumes are works of literal art built with his own hands and passion. Raffy is single minded in his pursuit of his goal, self-deprecating at times, he is mostly secure with who he is and is unequivocally himself. The one person who seems to truly put dents in his confidence is his mother Evie. She frequently demeans him, has nothing but animosity for the store Craft Club and would sooner die than have a child that does cosplay seriously. Forced to lie about his passions, Raffy is often on the back foot in their interactions, with Evie’s cutting remarks coupled with her apparent lack of caring about him in general. A few times a week, hidden away from his mother in their mostly unused backyard studio, Raffy streams himself creating his works of art out of any material imaginable. His online following validates him in way Evie doesn’t and provides an outlet to gush about his passion.
Luca Vitale is a bit of a jock, has a touch of dudebro going on at times and is really very lovely to look at, which he knows. He plays soccer and hangs out with ‘the boys’ and generally stays within that social lane. Or that is how it would seem to most. Luca is bisexual but does not have the easiest time at home because of this. His mother is determined that he follow a more ‘straight’ path to appease his father, believing that outside things influence someone’s sexuality. She dictates what he reads and watches, insists he keeps playing soccer and encouraging female relationships. Luca knows he is absolutely not allowed to be watching anime, browsing Craft Club for Sea Foam Dream #6 rhinestones and most definitely not watching the soft gay boy from school be dazzling artificial fins on a live stream. Luca spends more and more time with Raffy, trying to learn the ins and outs of cosplay and burning his ass in the process, literally. He is a sweetheart at his core, seeking acceptance for who he is entirely and unsure of how he can make all the pieces of his life work together but wants Raffy firmly in it. He is warm and genuine, supportive of Raffy and in awe of his ability to be entirely himself. The moments that show his judgemental side and insecurities make him real, even when the narrative has you thinking you should dislike, its hard to do so.
Told with a dual timeline, the past picks up just over a year prior working steadily towards present day. Starting with surprise rhinestones and pulling the reader through a growing relationship woven with the secrets they’re keeping from their own parents. Raffy opens up Luca’s world, letting him lean into who he is and who he wants to be without expectation or judgement. He indulges his ideas and is happy to be distracted by Luca, craft no longer his sole focus 24/7. Luca has some preconceived ideas about conventions and the people that attend but through Raffy he opens up to it all, eventually being as sucked in as everyone else. Their love story was sweet, organic but not without flaws, it wasn’t rushed or lofty, just people falling in love. The present narrative is spread over three days, Raffy barely able to contain his emotions when he spots Luca in his beautiful craft world. Trip-C is his dream and his future, he won’t let one ex-boyfriend derail that, no matter how much he hurts. When twists and roadblocks are thrown in the way, it ultimately forges their paths back towards each other, though Raffy isn’t sure he wants to be near Luca at all, let alone lose himself in that relationship again, even if it means losing out at Controverse.
Be Dazzled is adorable, soul warming and plain old fun, each page sucking you in more until you’re at the end and don’t quite know why or how there isn’t any more brilliance left to read. Raffy and Luca are wonderfully individual, neither of them having any sort of wild cliché extremes that would take away from their realism. Ryan La Sala stitches the then and now timelines together effortlessly, the dialogue and interactions read like teenagers and everything perfectly unfolds thanks to the authors natural talent for storytelling. Be Dazzled should find a place on every bookshelf to be read time and again, particularly when you need a book hug from what I have no doubt will become a favourite.

What a fun book. I'm so glad this storie has brought me joy and hapiness in such dark times. I really loved the main characters' relationship (which led the book, in my opinion) and their love for cosplay. I found it hard to connect with the supporting characters and coudn't really identify each other, so that's a negative point for me.
But, in general, it was a fun gay book, with fun characters and an amazing dinamic between them.

This was really cute, but it also didn't feel very substantial. The alternating timelines didn't always work for me, and that everything boiled down to my most-hated romance trope (The Great Misunderstanding) and some pretty dated coming out fears for one of the two leads was disappointing. The ending was also VERY abrupt and rendered so much of the anxiety and tension in the book moot.

A fun little distraction but nothing I'll think too much about or recommend too heartily.

Raffy’s dream is to win the Controverse Cosplay Competition and prove to everyone, including his art director mother, Evie, that he is capable of achieving greatness. He walks in to the convention center beaming, knowing his work will earn him and his teammate, May, top scores. That is, until he spots some of his competition – Luca and Inaya, Raffy’s ex-boyfriend and former friend. It’s been five months since their breakup, but Raffy is still bent up about their failed relationship. They tried to make it work, but insecurities and inability to accept anything but perfection left them scrambling apart But Trip-C has some big twists in store for its competitors, and maybe, just maybe, it could help both boys realize how good it feels to work together.

This was such a cute YA contemporary that is immersed in the cosplay and convention scene. The detail and thought that went into descriptions of their outfits and the aspects of the competition made me imagine myself as an audience member. I appreciated how even in the last hour, Raffy didn’t go back on his promise to May, because even though she offered to lend a hand, both would have been miserable knowing what was sacrificed in the process. The split timeline did surprise me, though it was interesting to see both how Luca and Raffy’s relationship started, fell apart, and came back together all simultaneously. Raffy and Luca both had their own obstacles to overcome, and even though their relationship hit a bit of a tumultuous end, in their time apart (even if Raffy didn’t realize it) they both came to understand why they didn’t work as a couple before, and how their mindset can be adapted to allow themselves to work in the present. I feel like this book is a love letter to nerd culture, to people who may not be accepted elsewhere but find what they do best and the people they want to share it with and make the most of it. It was great to read.

If there was anything I would have changed, I’d say I would have like to see the growth that Luca’s and Raffy’s parents undergo. In the timeline detailing the past, we are shown how unsupportive Evie is of Raffy’s passion for cosplay. There is even a moment when she screams and humiliates him in front of a Craft Club, where she calls his pursuits “childish” and cuts off access to his workspace, proclaiming its only for “real artists” to use. From Luca’s actions and choices, we are able to surmise that his parents are opposed to him pursuing any future in cosplay, especially if that future involves Raffy. Towards the end of the novel, their attitudes have changed, and both Luca and Raffy are delighted by the support. I just wish we could have seen more of that change (though I will acknowledge there is a gap of five months between the past and present timelines, which is certainly enough time for someone to change their perspective).

All in all, I’m rooting for Raffy and Luca every step of the way, and May (and even Inaya too). I’m interested to see what others think of this nod to cosplay and convention life. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.**

It was really cool to see a book focus on cosplay. And the competition didn't disappoint. It was really interesting to see the past and now and how Ryan switched it so nicely. Over all it was a fun read.

Be Dazzled was so much fun!! This was one of my MOST anticipated releases of 2021 and it did not disappoint! I loved everything about this book: the cosplay, the second chance trope, the lovers to rivals trope, the queerness. Aside from all of those that made the story definitely fun to read, the pacing was so quick and easy to read. I highly highly recommend this book!

Next in Fashion goes to Comic Con in this dazzling romance by Ryan La Sala!

Raffy is a master of cosplay. Luca is a talented soccer player. They start to get involved little by little and build a beautiful relationship. But that relationship ended. Now, a big cosplay event is coming up. and they will compete against each other.

This book was written by the FANTASTIC author of Reverie, Ryan La Sala. It will come out in January 2021, and I received an ARC by NetGalley. Here are a few reasons why you can't miss it:

1. Expectations exceeded

I had high expectations for Be Dazzled, and yet they were exceeded. Starting with the characters: Raffy and Luca are complex, well developed, and have real fears and dreams. I was able to identify with anxiety attacks, family dynamics, and other issues.

2. Passion in every page

There is nothing more exciting than someone talking about their passions. I was not so interested in cosplay and sewing, but I was delighted with the possibilities after that book. Everything is stunning: from the descriptions of clothes and materials to the assembly of the pieces.

3. Surprises every time!

Each chapter in this book is exquisite. At all times I was surprised and impacted. I got so attached to the characters that I suffered and celebrated with them. Some scenes are very delicate, and the author always brings a message of hope and comfort.

4. The real message

Being Dazzled is a book about fighting for your dreams, even if your family doesn't believe you. It's about being around the right people, the people who love and support you. It's about celebrating your victories with the one you love too. It's about meeting someone and realizing that everything in your life has changed.

I stayed up late to finish reading Be Dazzled. Ryan La Sala used the right materials to sew my new favorite book, and the result was... well... dazzling.

This book was so fun to read. I'm not involved in the cosplaying community and I really loved getting to learn more about it through this book! To really see how much time and effort goes in to each costume and how much the competitions mean to them. I'm so happy I got the chance to learn more about that culture, especially since I don't know that I'll ever get the chance to be a part of it.

Besides getting to learn about something super interesting, this book was still amazing. The writing was fantastic. I mean, fantastic. I loved the writing style, but I mostly just loved how the characters were written. I feel like you truly got to know them in a real way, rather than just reading about them. They all had motives that made sense, rather than seeming unrealistic, and they all had realistic reactions.

I also loved how this book went back and forth between the past and the future. It was such a fun thing to see because you got to see their relationship unfold at the same time as seeing it fall apart. It was a unique dynamic that I was definitely there for.

The only criticism I might have of this book is I found Raphi to be a little dramatic, but that's also his personality, so it's not really a criticism. Overall, I loved reading this book and learning about the world of cosplay!

I like Ryan La Sala and have seen him at a conference before so I was excited to get this book. It took me a bit to get a feel for the story and the characters, but they are definitely bold and will dazzle you.

I think this is one many teens will like and see themselves in.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

It's Rafael's first convention appearance since his disastrous breakup with Luca, and so far things aren't off to a great start-- he spots Luca right away, and he's donning one of Raffy's cosplay concepts. Be Dazzled is told in two different timelines: Raffy and Luca's love story one year ago, and now as they compete against each other in a high-stakes cosplay contest, all building up to exactly how they got in this predicament. At first, I was rooting for Rafael, but it wasn't too long until I was rooting for them both! Con-geeks of all kinds will get all the feels from this boyfriends-to-rivals-to-second-chances novel of fashion, fandom, and fabulousness!

Luca is a soccer star who is secretly into anime (and boys); Raffy is so into cosplay that he streams his project sessions (just don't tell his mom). BE DAZZLED tells their story in two converging timelines, one beginning nine months ago at the start of their failed relationship, and the other beginning on the first day of Controverse, where Raffy is determined to win the cosplay contest and accompanying scholarship money.

This thing that makes BE DAZZLED stand out is that it isn't a typical gay romance because it isn't about being gay, it's about the two boys developing the courage and confidence to be themselves as full people and as artists. The characters have an exceptional amount of nuance: Luca is confident on the field but hesitant in the studio, while Raffy is a minor internet sensation but struggles to get recognition from his elitest, artsy mother, and the main conflict is centered around the two of them moving beyond other peoples' expectations. There is a sexuality aspect - Luca's parents have some assumptions about cosplay, anime, and homosexuality - but it is parceled into the overall cosplay plot as opposed to being the primary issue. The ending is heartwarming and pure, the writing is quirky and hilarious, and the characters are both flawed and loveable.

I highly recommend this book to anime nerds, cosplayers, and anyone who needs a lighthearted, positive story with a couple of queer characters. Ryan La Sala is clearly a rising star in YA lit, and I cannot recommend his books heartily enough.

The year of queer YA is soooo strong. Meeting a boyfriend in the sequin aisle of the craft store is a dream, and the book just gets better from there. Ryan writes descriptions really well, and as someone whose memory drops chunks of descriptive text really easily, I was still able to process and imagine the gorgeous costumes and cosplay buildings that are expertly laid out.

I loved the puns, loved the two timelines, and Ioved the clear personal feelings and experiences included. Also, as a high schooler, I always had crushes on soccer players, so I totally related to Raffy.

Funny, charming, and nerdy. Perfect.

I wasn't a huge fan of Reverie, but was curious to pick up this book to see if I enjoyed Ryan La Sala's writing in a different genre. While I did enjoy this book a lot more than his previous work, I still think there's something about La Sala's writing that doesn't connect with me personally. The story was fine and the characters were fine, but I wasn't blown away by this book as others have been.

If you love YA, fast paced love stories then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed every character for their own quirky habits and behaviors. Very easy to read.

Ryan La Sala comes hot of the heels (yes, I mean that literally) of Reverie with this contemporary novel about a boy who just loves to make cosplays. Raffy is the son of an effervescent out of this world art expert of a mom. She just does not get cosplay, going as far as calling it arts and crafts and cheap imitation of others art. It’s not elevated. It’s not the best. And she wants her son to be the best artist he can be. Raffy keeps his cosplay a dirty little secret from his mom. Raffy has worked hard to build is social media following on the video streaming app Ion (think a mix of Instagram and TikTok) and plans to make his mark on the cosplay scene at the big cosplay contest Trip-C where he will finally prove that what he does is art! But, lots of twists and turns on the competition put Raffy to the test, and the biggest twist might be if he can deal with his feelings over his ex-boyfriend, Luca.

I was mesmerized by this book. And I expect nothing less form Ryan La Sala who, like with Reverie, manages to weave a fantastical story but keep the characters down to earth and believable. Raffy is riddled with self-doubt and anxiety, all of which plays out very well on the page. I got caught up in Raffy’s worries, his hopes and dreams, and I felt his pain when it all comes crashing down.

And we have Luca. Luca’s story arc was my favorite. *** BIT OF LUCA SPOILERS HERE *** He is closeted when he meets Raffy (which they meet in the CUTEST way), but that doesn’t stop him from falling hard for Raffy. Luca is plagued by constant worries of coming out and staying in the closet. He navigates this in-between space uneasily. At times he seems out and proud (wearing a very gay outfit to a art gallery) but also by being very reserved in not wanting anyone to find out he’s cosplaying. It’s a journey I really felt connected to, one that I went through myself at that age (minus the cosplay). Ryan really captures this delicate space that a closeted queer person sits in and how they have to navigate their identity around others. *** END THE SPOILERS ON LUCA ***

I felt like Raffy and Luca compliment each other really well. Raffy is high strung, a perfectionist, always has to be working. Luca is down to each, easy going, and just goes with the flow. Raffy is first bothered by this, but find himself fall into Luca's easy going nature and learns that sometimes it's not all about the work.

I really loved this book for a lot for a lot of reasons. It is nerdy and lots of talk of anime, video games, and comics. Plus, the COSPLAY! UGH. I just love it all. I have no idea how to make costumes at all, but I after reading thing I would say Ryan has either done this before himself or did a lot of research into it. Lot’s of scenes describes HOW the costumes are made, the techniques used, the tools used, and everything. It added that extra special something that really made me believe Raffy and his art. It isn’t vague suggestions about making cosplay leaving the details to the readers imagination. The details are there, and I believe them.

My only real *** SPOILERS ON ENDING *** issue with this book is the end, and specifically the resolution between Raffy and his mom. I’m happy they come to an understanding, but their relationship seemed so complicated, and honestly a bit toxic, that the way they settle their disagreement just felt unsatisfying. I almost wanted them to still nearly hate each other by the end with a bit of hope it will work out. That would have been more believable to me.

I read this in the early autumn of 2020 and I cannot explain how much I needed this story at that exact moment. 2020 was the year that the con circuit was cancelled and I was devastated that I couldn’t make my annual trip or even think about travelling to any others. There is a magic to anime and comic conventions that does not exist anywhere else and Ryan La Sala completely captures that magic in Be Dazzled.

La Sala has written a gay love letter to the cosplay world and it pierced my heart. I haven’t made cosplay in years (though I have worn it) and this reminded me what it felt like to create. It made me want to create again. Both Luca and Raffy are characters were definite flaws, but they are also both extremely easy to love. You forgive them for their mistakes because you feel like you’ve been there with them.

The story is told in two timelines, the first is the present at Controverse where a single Raffy is competing with his best friend May against his ex best friend and his ex, Inaya and Luca. The second is nearly a year ago when Raffy and Luca are just beginning to fall in love. I really liked switching back and forth between these perspectives and it meant that the story was always exciting even when one section slowed down for a bit. I also thought it was a much more interesting way to show off what drove Raffy and Luca apart than an info dump.

Of course I adored all the little references to anime, cartoons, games and comics that were splattered throughout the series. It covered quite a few classics as well as some newer material and I just always feel so seen in stories when the characters are exactly as geeky and nerdy as I am.

I really felt satisfied when the story pulled to a close. It was happy, hopeful but not exactly what I expected. The characters were all written as people and there were no real villains or bad guys other than…Evie.

Evie is the one reason that this book does not get a five star rating. Sort of minor spoilers in this paragraph. Evie is abusive and a horrible mother. She puts down Raffy at every chance, tells him his passions are stupid, leaves him home alone most of the time, yells at him for touching light switches and embarrasses him in public. She does drugs in front of him and there’s no indication that she’s only been like this in his teen years. There is no nice resolution to this story where Evie is made to see what a horrible person she was. Luca’s parents were homophobic and Evie still comes off as the worse mother so that should say something.

Aside from my extreme distaste with how Evie was handled this story was whimsical and wonderful. I hope we can all go back to conventions again soon because La Sala really reminded me how it feels to be surrounded by all the weebs, geeks and nerds and know that you are among your people. This is a really fresh story with a distinct voice and I look forward to reading more of La Sala’s work in the future.

Thank you SO MUCH Netgalley and Sourcebooks Publishing for giving me the ebook ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK. THIS. BOOK.

This book reminded me why I love to read. Raffy's voice comes out so clear from the first sentence that I was instantly transported into his life, and I got to experience everything that happened in such a vivid way that I never wanted to leave. This book flows with such a magical glittery fantastical pace, and all the characters are fantastic.

I really cannot praise this book enough. It is phenomenal and inspiring and deep but not preachy and I loved, loved, loved it. The best book I've read in a very long time. The queer romance the world needs so badly is expertly executed with tons of style and a degree of detail that pulls you in but never overwhelms.

READ THIS BOOK. LET YOURSELF BE DAZZLED. I know I was.