You have to love a queer/magical realism YA book. Especially when it’s written by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore. This book shows a fun side of pargents, and is perfect for people who are interested in a queer version of Dumplin’.

Wonderful characters and story as well as lovely queer rep. This was a cozy read that's perfect for a rainy day snuggled in bed.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book. I really appreciate it.

Brilliant! Loved this, loved the PAN rep, but this was also just a gorgeous dual POV book also FRIENDS TO LOVERS

This book is angsty and whimsical and full of heart. Yay for fabulous, queer YA books! I’m just sorry I didn’t read this book sooner!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

I loved loved loved this book! First of all the fact that we have such a diverse cast and the characters aren't charicatures is so wonderful to read. I never felt like any of the characters identities were there to boost diversity or didn't fit with their character. I loved that each person was a PERSON and not just their labels. I loved the fact that characters grew within their "labels" and explored who they were. And I LOVED Lita as a character. That touch of magical realism (which I know McLemore excells at but I hadn't read any Mejia yet) really just made the story even more down to earth, especially when Lita struggled with very real human issues.

I highly recommend this book and I think it did a wonderful job of speaking to the moment and also just giving a voice and some representation in a totally normalizing way. Beautiful work!

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

The story takes place in Meteor, New Mexico, a town that received it’s name thanks to a meteorite that crashed in the desert. In this town, there are two events that give the people a needed boost in tourism: the cornhole tournament and the Miss Meteor pageant. This year, for the 50th Miss Meteor pageant and with the need to keep the cornhole tournament cup in the town, everyone is looking forward, for one thing or another, to the next drew weeks.

We follow Lita, a girl made of stardust, and Chicky, her ex-best friend and school’s outcast, as they decide to join the Miss Meteor pageant. Each of them have their reasons: Lita wants to do something she’s always wanted to do before the sky takes her back. Chicky wants to get back at the people who have hurt her, her family and friends.

I don’t even know how to say how much I loved this book. It touched very important topics while giving us a sweet story about friendship, family, love, and self-confidence.

Miss Meteor is a beautifully written story about learning to accept yourself and showing the world who you are, who you love, and what you believe. I need EVERYONE to read this. The story is amazing, the writing is amazing, the characters are amazing… everything is amazing! It’s the first book that has made me feel like this in a while and I’m so glad I got to read it.

It's so rare to see a book like this! Big kudos to Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore for coming up with this concept and delivering it with such quality. Loved the setting, the sprinkles of humor, and the great depictions of characters we almost never see on the page. This one has also been added to many of my students' TBR stacks--and frankly, it's been bumped to the top of many of them.

I’ve read and loved every book by Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia (minus Paola Santiago which is on my TBR), so I was prepared to love this book, which is their first collaboration together, and I did.

I’m not from a small town, but the narrow-mindedness of Meteor reminded me of my own childhood spent in majority white cities at a majority white schools. Lita and Chicky’s status as misfits definitely resonated with my experiences from when I was a teen. While I was not subjected to the slurs that they were, I was made to feel lesser, like an alien for my race and my gender nonconformity. People can be cruel.

One of the things I love the most about this book is the themes woven into it. Both Lita and Chicky struggle to defend themselves and feel confident in their skin at the beginning, and as the story progresses, they grow so much. In particular, I thought it was cool that they were each able to reclaim something that had formerly been weaponized against them, taking ownership of the pain and transforming it into something affirming. The ending felt so triumphant, and I’m so proud of these two girls.

The other supporting characters, especially Junior and Cole (who is a trans boy) were also well developed and had their own journeys that were intertwined with those of Lita and Chicky. The four of them had an interesting dynamic, and I loved how friendship was at the center of the book, not only between Lita and Chicky but also between Lita and Cole and between Chicky and Junior. The intimacy between them was poignant and served as a solid basis for their respective romantic arcs, which were less about falling in love than realizing and/or articulating that they were in love.

Chicky’s sisters were so much fun and provided a lot of comedic relief in the story with their bickering and wit. As former participants and runners-up in the pageant, they served as Lita’s Fab Five (or rather Fab Three?), providing equal parts fashion consultation and moral support. You couldn’t find a better crew.

I also liked the way the setting was developed, with the tourist attractions and space theme. It gave the town a unique character while also providing context for the magical realism elements of the story. The way Lita’s starry origins and impending return to the sky/cosmos reinforced the themes about belonging and identity was poetic, to say the least. In other words, Anna-Marie McLemore’s signature style shines through in Lita’s narrative.

Last but not least, I really liked Cole’s character. He’s out and has been out for a while prior to the start of the book, so his arc isn’t about coming out or seeking validation for his gender. While he does face some trans-antagonism, his story is more about the relationship he has with his sister who is toxic and verbally abusive toward people like Lita and Chicky. He is a person with problems not unlike the problems of cis people. He’s athletic and articulate and astute. I’m sure everyone will love him.

In short, Miss Meteor is a heartfelt, triumphant coming of age story dedicated to all the people who felt like they don’t/didn’t belong.

What a sweet, magical story! Told from the perspectives of ex best friends Chicky and Lita, we learn that secrets that become to heavy tear friendships apart. And that sometimes, those secrets can bring friendships back together. A beauty pageant and a desire to beat the milk toast girls who always win bring Chicky and Lita back to speaking terms. First? Magical realism. Who doesn’t love star stuff and the desert? I’m steadfast in my belief that growing up in the desert must be magical. This story and the 4 friends who find themselves and their truths is for sure going to make my students happy!

Miss Meteor is a delightful celebration of the different and a triumphant against anyone with hate in their heart.

I really admired this book. It's more than just proving yourself to your community, pushing the public definition of beauty. There's plenty of exploration of beauty pageants. Even more so, it's about accepting yourself. It's casting aside your old traumas, accepting truths about yourself, and becoming strong enough to present those truths to the world. I like, too, that some of the "villains' are complex. We see their motivations, see them as people who can become more likeable. There is some weirdness, (the protagonist being "from the stars" and the school's obsession with cornhole) but it doesn't really become overwhelming.

I fell in love with the characters in this one. Its very interesting to see this type of inclusivity now. It's deff. gonna take a lot of people to get used to it, but it is what it is. Its time for the world to love every person.

I wasn’t sure how this book was going to be but it was everything and more. I wish there was books like this when i was growing up - as i am a Latinx reader and felt i was constantly reading white straight stories but even at 30 i am loving the representation. This story was good and can’t wait to let my daughter read it next. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc.

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore

Miss Meteor is about two girls who were best friends. One of those girls was literally made from stardust, caused by the meteor after which the town was named. Lita is about to turn back into stardust and endeavors to make the most of the time she has left. Chicky, her former best friend, wants to prove that girls who look like them can compete alongside Barbie clones in the town’s all-important beauty pageant.

The book goes back and forth between perspectives (Chicky and Lita), each author writing one of the characters. I appreciate this as it gives the reader further insight into the characters and events in the book. We get to witness the struggles each girl faces in the keeping of their respective secrets. These aren’t secrets to the reader, but to each other as well as the other people with whom they interact.

These authors created realistic characters with whom the reader empathizes. Teenagers identify with the complicated nature of identity, friendships, and hardships. Adults remember this time in their lives and empathize with these concepts. Readers of any age easily become emotionally invested.

This book contains queer characters! One of the main characters is pansexual. I’ve only ever seen this type of queer person in one other book. As a pansexual myself, I greatly appreciate this addition. Miss Meteor also includes a transgender character. Aspects of the book cover these topics due to the importance with regard to character identity. The authors notably do not use queer bodies as plot points. I appreciate this as well.

This is a well-executed plot that incorporates magical realism alongside contemporary realism. I would consider this book an easy read. One gets absorbed into the story, invested in the characters, and intrigued by the plot.

Miss Meteor was a gorgeous, magical book that I'll be recommending to teens at my library again and again! Lita is a girl born from the stars and brought to earth on a meteor, but she knows the stars will take her back soon. Chicky is her ex-best friend--both are outcasts in different ways. Before she returns to the stars, Lita wants to win Miss Meteor, the beauty pageant their small town is known for. Chicky agrees to help her for old times' sake.

This was a fun story about an underdog trying to win a beauty pageant--think Dumplin' but queer and magical. Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore are two of my favorite authors and the pairing worked so well. Their voices balance each other perfectly and I adored both Chicky and Lita. They each have a romantic plotline going on, and Chicky is struggling to figure out her own sexuality. Miss Meteor touches on what it means to be a brown girl today, and what it means to be "alien."

I adored all the characters: Lita, Chicky, Chicky's big family, Bruja Lupe, Cole, Junior. This book was full of sad moments, sweet moments, swoony moments, and even laugh-out-loud moments. I loved it and hope that Tehlor and Anna-Marie do more books together!

In terms of diversity: the two lead characters are Latinx (#OwnVoices), one is questioning and eventually identifies as pansexual. There is also a trans guy supporting character.

My only complaint is re: the marketing of this book. The synopsis and marketing made me think this would be a friends-to-lovers story between Lita and Chicky, which it is not. I've noticed other reviewers also expressing that that's what they thought this book would be about. It did have friends-to-lovers romances in it, but not between the two girls. I still loved it, but found myself a bit confused while I was reading it because of this.

I adored this book! It’s absolutely wonderful. I tore through it in less than a day because I couldn’t get it out of my head. A beautiful story with compelling and realistic characters drives the plot. read this book now!

Hi everyone! A couple of weeks ago I got Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore, a.k.a. my first eARC courtesy of HarperTeen Publishing and NetGalley so thank you to both for this opportunity.

All of the following opinions are my own.

Summary

Miss Meteor is a YA magical realism/contemporary novel with elements of romance and LGBTQ+ themes.

In small town of Meteor (some say it’s called Meteorite. It’s the town’s oldest debate), New Mexico, it’s the week of the Fiftieth Annual Meteor Regional Pageant and Talent Competition, or Miss Meteor Pageant, for short. Lita Perez has dreamt of participating in the pageant since she was a child, and she’s running out of time; she’s a star and the sky wants to claim her back. The problem is: every winner in the pageant’s history has fit into the white, tall, blonde type, while Lita is brown, small, and chubby. She enlists the help of her estranged friends, Chicky Quintanilla, a self-proclaimed tomboy, and her four older sisters. Along the way, both Chicky and Lita find out that in rekindling their friendship, they can both find a way to fully be themselves.

Plot
The plot of Miss Meteor is well-rounded and has a bit of everything. There was comedy, there were heartfelt moments, there were moments where I held my breath waiting for an outcome, but most importantly, there were moments that let both Chicky and Lita (literally) shine and come into their own. I often read books where certain scenes feel like a “talking heads” scenario and they keep running circles around the points, but that was never the case for Miss Meteor. Every scene revealed crucial information that pushed the plot forward. Each of the girls’ secrets are revealed to the reader early on in the plot but not to any of the other characters so as a reader, seeing that slow progression of both friends piecing clues together was so satisfying.

Characters

What I actually loved most about this book were the characters. I could see pieces of myself and the people I’ve surrounded myself with in Lita, Chicky, Junior, Cole, the Quintanilla sisters, and Bruja Lupe. The dynamic between Lita and Chicky was so well written that I could feel the history between the two of them before they had ever shared a conversation. The belief in each other was genuine and I think having alternating POV chapters between the two really allowed for me, as the reader, to get to know them and their distinct personalities thoroughly. I’ve come to miss them.

And Cole. My dear sweet Cole. I love that boy so much. It was my first time reading a book with a trans boy where his plot did not revolve around being trans or transitioning. His growth was seen in other aspects of his personality that if I were to get into, they’d be spoilers. Just trust me on this one.

I want to point out that the town of Meteor/Meteorite itself felt like a character on its own. I could vividly picture Bruja Lupe’s house, Selena’s diner (a place I so badly wish was real), the Meteor Meteorite Museum, the pageant dressing rooms, the cornhole championship, the Party That Changes Everything, and, my favorite, the spot of desert where Lita’s cacti live.

Overall

I enjoyed reading Miss Meteor so, so much! I kept thinking about how I wish I could travel back in time and give this book to my 16-year-old self because I think she needed it. I’d mostly recommend this to the 14-17-year-old demographic, but I believe everyone, regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender, etc., will be able to see parts of themselves in this book. Miss Meteor is a celebration of expression, identity, Latinx culture, queerness, and friendship. Don’t miss out on this one!