Honestly love this cover but this from about three years back and I still haven't read the book. Now in my mid thirties I find that YA is a genre I have pulled back from almost entirely. But I am thankful for the ARC and the beautiful cover design.

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

This is a PERFECT YA contemporary romance. Truly this book is a must read. Filled with engaging storyline, hilarious moments, but also so much emotion and deep rooted feelings.

The hype is real for this one! How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is just as fascinating as it sounds. It's really a story about Moon's heartbreaking journey towards self love and self acceptance as she is often in the shadow of her famous and more traditionally beautiful twin sister. You will laugh, you will cry, you will likely relate to Moon and you will most certainly love her and this book. Go grab yourself a copy and be prepared to fall in love with it.

TW: Child neglect/abuse, favourite child, self-esteem, homophobia, rape culture, slut shaming, discrimination, religious trauma and suicide (mentioned).

Moon Fuentez, you became such a friend to me in this book and god, I connected to you with that religious trauma so much. In the beginning, I wasn't sure I would like Moon, just the way she spoke until I realized I did love her and that her way of thinking had some parts too similar to me -and the parts I don't like about myself, aka that's why I didn't like her in the beginning.

I adored the relationship between Moon and Santiago, and then Chapter 35 happened, AND they were my favourite!! Even though I hated some, the relationships in this book were so well-rounded and human, really captured my heart.

While I really REALLY hate how Star treated Moon, I know and understand why she was terrified to come out and how the purity and religious aspect can twist the good parts of you. Yes, it can help and heal you sometimes, but everything and religion are good and evil. Also, their mom is a bitch, and I will not like her no matter what. #idonotforgive

I don't have the words to describe how much I love this book. It was incredible and so beautiful. As I get older, I make myself a little category of "books that would have meant a lot to me when I was a teenager" and this is definitely one of them (although, I think its definitely older YA or even NA)

Where to start with How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With the Universe? Let's start with: I was selfish with this one. I loved this book so much that I am only writing a review for it over a month after I read it. I just didn't want to ruin it by being forced to write words about this book that could never really do it justice. Because it is magic, and not just any kind of magic, fat girl magic. More specifically a fat,  Mexican-American girl who has never felt enough in the shadows that her thin, influencer sister, Star, casts. But all things change when she gets dragged along for the summer on her sister's influencer tour and Moon meets a handsome yet grumpy man who also happens to be the brother of the tour manager, aka the man who invented the platform her sister is famous on, aka Moon's celebrity crush. While on the tour, Moon begins to realize that she isn't just Star's personal photgrapher, that her art matters and this tour might just mean she'll be able to afford to make it a reality. Intermixed with Moon's journey of self worth, romance, some magical realism, and just a sprinkle of angst with the same vibes as the song Brutal by Olivia Rodriguez, this book is truely magic. Read it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The main character wasn't my favorite ever, but I liked how real and interesting she was. I liked how diverse the cast was and I can see why some people see this new release as a new favorite.

3.5*

I really enjoyed Raquel Vasquez Gilliland's book. The main character, Moon, was funny and feisty, loved the banter with Santiago. It was beautifully written with a heavy theme of earth and flowers. The reason for my lower rate is because after the downfall, the book got really slow and I feel like some things could've been cut or edited more.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange of a honest review.

This book is such a good coming-of-age story about self-love and learning to accept who you are. This was fun to read but yet heartwarming at the same time.

5 reasons why you should read this book:
- A curvy protagonist! The characters feel so relatable especially as someone who has a similar body type.
- I'm not a fan of first-person writing. But not for this book. The writing style could make us feel more connected and understand Moon's feelings.
- This is such an important story about self-love and body positivity.
- Love the romance! Not only because it was an Enemies to Lovers, but also because of how their relationship grew.
- It has a little touch of magic. It wasn't heavy but enough to make this story feels more magical.

Raquel has such approachable writing. I found it flowed naturally and Raquel knew when to have her readers laughing, crying, or serious. I found it to be impactful in relaying its messages. At no point did I feel like Raquel was pandering or simply just using words. I found everything had a point – either to connect actions later or to give the character depth. Raquel also wrote dynamic, realistic characters with thoughts and feelings that we could connect and relate to.

I absolutely loved (or loved to hate) all the characters! I loved the dynamic between Moon and Santiago – but I still loved them on their own (difficult to get right). Moon was smart, caring and funny. The humour in this book is right up my alley (quick and sarcastic). Santiago is your perfect misunderstood, brooding, hot male lead. At no point did I want to write off a character – even the ones I truly loved to hate. In fact, the characters I hated, I wanted them back so they could learn their lesson lol. The supporting characters were fully fleshed out (there was never a point where I was like “wait, who?”). I loved Tia and Belle – I would love more of them!

Raquel has humour trickled in throughout the book, so that you are either smiling or laughing through many points. The chapter titles were beyond funny and adorable

The overall atmospheric tone was perfect for magical elements. They felt realistic, to the point where it felt real. And I think that may be the point Raquel was trying to make. There is magic in nature, we just need to take the time to appreciate its beauty. There are many natural, spiritual, and physical beauty that is explored – we are forced to evaluate our idea of beauty and what makes a person ugly. Those who preach certain points, but do not follow that on their own. There are characters with physical beauty, but ugly personalities – and I loved that Raquel included those contrasting characters.

This isn’t all love and happiness though. There are very traumatic and emotional points in this book. There is talks of suicide and loss; grief; physical and emotional abuse; bullying and self-hate; and racism, disablism, and lgbt-phobia. These are not easy topics on their own, but Raquel tackled all of them brilliantly. There was a perfect balance between the romance elements and hard-hitting elements.

I would 100% recommend How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe! I have a feeling this will be one of my favourites of the month and will likely end up in my favourites of 2021! If you like romances to have a little something more to them, then this is for you!

This book was so well written! It was so descriptive and it really painted a picture for you making it feel like you were there. Also I loved Moon! She was so relatable and felt so real. She was also funny! This is a book based on relationships and I loved reading about each one and seeing how they progressed throughout.

☆☆☆☆☆ /5
(english review below)

Ce roman a été un vrai bonbon ! Rempli de douceurs et de piquant, cette lecture fut un véritable coup de cœur !
¤
Lorsque sa sœur jumelle atteint la célébrité des médias sociaux, Moon Fuentez accepte son sort en tant que sœur laide et indésirable cachée en arrière-plan, destinée à n'être rien de plus que la caméra-woman de sa sœur. Mais cet été, Moon prend également un travail de « merch girl » dans un bus de tournée, rempli de belles influenceuses. Alors, son destin commence à changer de la meilleure des manières possibles.
Le changement le plus notable est son colocataire et nouvel ennemi, Santiago Phillips, qui est grincheux, combatif, et aussi le gars le plus sexy que Moon n’ait jamais vu.
Moon est certaine qu'elle déteste Santiago et qu'il la déteste en retour. Mais alors que le hasard et le destin (et peut-être, probablement, la proximité étroite) les rapprochent l'un de l'autre, Moon commence à douter de ses certitudes. Elle commence même à remettre en question son destin en tant que giroflée inaperçue et mal-aimée qu'elle a toujours pensé être.
Cet été pourrait-il changer la vie de Moon telle qu'elle la connaît ?
¤
C’est une histoire qui m’a fait l’effet d’un vent de fraîcheur, tant l’autrice y a ajouté de la légèreté et de l’humour. Dans ce roman, on est plus que sur une simple romance, sur une relation amoureuse. C’est un condensé de relations humaines qu’il y a là. Et toutes ses relations, aussi bonnes que toxiques, m’ont énormément touchée.
D’un côté, Moon n’entretient pas de bonnes relations avec sa sœur et surtout sa mère. À travers cette famille, l’autrice va aborder le thème des violences familiales et de la dynamique familiale dysfonctionnelle. C’était difficile à lire et je ressentais de l’empathie pour le personnage de Moon, qui malheureusement s’est construit sur cet environnement compliqué et qui ne s’estime que très peu. Mais pourtant, alors que j’aurais dû détester le personnage de Star, cette sœur qui sait se mettre en avant et qui rabaisse Moon, j’ai également ressenti de l’empathie pour elle car malgré ses défauts, son côté manipulatif et hypocrite, elle aussi a ses propres démons et ses propres secrets…
Puis d’un autre côté, la relation qui va se développer entre Santiago et Moon a vraiment fait du baume au cœur. En apprenant à se connaître, ils vont apprendre à aimer l’autre mais surtout, ils vont apprendre à s’aimer eux-mêmes. C’était si mignon et attendrissant de voir à quel point l’un pouvait apporter à l’autre, à quel point ils étaient là pour se rassurer et maturer ensemble. J’ai beaucoup aimé les voir évoluer… Comme les autres personnages aussi.
Par ailleurs, ce que j’ai beaucoup apprécié dans la construction des personnages, c’est que l’autrice ne nous offre pas des personnages à aimer ou à détester. Elle leur donne leur propre voix, leur propre personnalité et les laisse vivre des expériences et s’adapter comme ils le peuvent. Peu importe ce qu’on peut reprocher ou valoriser chez les personnages, au fil de la lecture, on finit par comprendre que personne n’est tout blanc ou tout noir. Les personnages sont diversifiés, nuancés et à travers eux, l’autrice nous affirme qu’il n’y a pas de mal d’être qui on voudrait être et qu’avant de vouloir plaire aux autres, il faut savoir plaire à soi-même.
En plus de cela, l’autrice transmet plusieurs autres messages à travers son histoire. Des messages sur l’espoir, l’optimisme, les choix que l’on peut faire dans la vie, l’importance de savoir se détacher de ce qui peut nous faire du mal, etc… Ces messages et le style d’écriture de l’autrice m’ont conquise.
Cette histoire fut touchante, douce et je l’ai dévoré en à peine quelques heures. Cette lecture m’a procuré énormément de bien-être.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:

This book was absolutely amazing! I regret to only give 5 stars to my reading… I loved it so much.
¤
When her twin sister reaches social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepts her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister’s camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the “merch girl” on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.
Most notable is her bunkmate and new nemesis, Santiago Phillips, who is grumpy, combative, and also the hottest guy Moon has ever seen.
Moon is certain she hates Santiago and that he hates her back. But as chance and destiny (and maybe, probably, close proximity) bring the two of them in each other’s perpetual paths, Moon starts to wonder if that’s really true. She even starts to question her destiny as the unnoticed, unloved wallflower she always thought she was.
Could this summer change Moon’s life as she knows it?
¤
It was a story that struck me with a breath of fresh air, so much lightness and humor were added to it. In this book, there’s more than a simple romance, a romantic relationship. It’s a compendium of human relationships there. And all of her relationships, both good and toxic, touched me immensely.
On one hand, Moon doesn’t have a good relationship with his sister and especially his mother. Through this family, the author will address the theme of domestic violence and dysfunctional family dynamics. It was hard to read, and I felt a sense of empathy for the character of Moon, who unfortunately built on this complicated environment and who does not hold himself in high esteem. But yet, while I should have hated the character of Star, this sister who knows how to put herself forward and who demeans Moon, I also felt empathy for her because despite her faults, her manipulative and hypocritical side, she also has her own demons and her own secrets…
Then on the other hand, the relationship that is going to develop between Santiago and Moon has really made the heart balm. By getting to know each other, they will learn to love others, but above all, they will learn to love themselves. It was so cute and heartwarming to see how much one could bring to the other, how much they were there to reassure and mature together. I really enjoyed watching them evolve ... Like the other characters too.
What I really liked about character construction is that the author doesn't offer us characters to like or dislike. She gives them their own voice, their own personality and lets them experience and adapt as they can. No matter what you criticize or value in the characters, as you read, you come to understand that no one is all white or all black. The characters are diverse, nuanced and through them, the author assures us that there‘s nothing wrong with being who you would like to be and that before wanting to please others, you have to know how to please yourself.
Moreover, the author conveys several other messages throughout her story. Messages on hope, optimism, the choices we can make in life, the importance of knowing how to detach ourselves from what can hurt us, etc... These messages and the writing style of the author conquered me.
This story was touching, sweet and I devoured it in just a few hours. This reading has given me a great deal of well-being.

Moon Fuentez has convinced me to fall in love with the universe too! This book is absolutely stunning filled with gorgeous descriptors and well thought out characters. I loved how well Moon grew as a character throughout the book and she overcame all the obstacles that life had thrown at her. I also absolutely loved Santiago, big grumpy men who are softies and protective of who they like are my favourites. I can't wait to read more of Raquel Vasquez Gilliland's work.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc.

On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks to Raquel Vasquez Gilliland all about her brand-new book, How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe, which is described as, “The Hating Game meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this irresistible romance starring a Mexican American teen who discovers love and profound truths about the universe when she spends her summer on a road trip across the country.”

Drawing heavily from her own Mexican American heritage and family, Raquel explore issues that will certainly feel universal. Self-image, sex positivity, identity, it’s all there and it’s wonderful. Using a mixed-media approach and a bit of magic, How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is perfect for today’s social media frenzied world and for those looking to take a step back and find some self-love, and maybe other kinds of love too!

Steve and Raquel about her love of both poetry and prose, how this book started out as a robot-and-cyborg travelling circus story set in historic Mexico, the importance of Latinx/Hispanic representation in YA romance, the book of course, and much, much more.

To hear the full interview with the author, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/shows/everything-is-canon-how-moon-fuentez-fell-in-love-with-the-universe/

I really enjoyed this book! It was as a great summer read full of self acceptance, romance and summer adventure. There were a lot of topics covered in this book that could be triggering, so please keep in mind that topics surrounding slut shaming, suicide, mental illness, abuse (physical and mental), grief, and death of a loved one are included.

The author did a great job at discussing these important topics in the book. The book as a whole is very sex positive and has a lot of great points about how sex isn’t bad and shameful which Moon often experiences. There are also many characters who deal or have dealt with mental illness and the various ways it can affect someone. As well, Moon and other characters deal with grief and how losing someone can impact someone’s life. All of these conversations are done really well in the book and the fact that so much of this was included in the book, really made me like it and enjoy it as much as I did. I also haven’t really read a book that talks about purity and the impact of religion on a character and I really did enjoy reading it and learning a bit from it.

I also enjoyed the overall plot and subplots of the book. Seeing Moon’s journey as she went on this summer long trip with Star was a really great vehicle to drive the story onwards and helped provide a setting for all of the various subplots that happen along the way. Through Moon and Star we were able to see how various people can handle fame and their motivations for trying to achieve fame in the first place which was a really interesting concept as these characters were famous from a Instagram inspired app. It also brought about the romance this book. I wasn’t really expecting romance when I first started this book, but it soon became clear that it would happen and I enjoyed it. This relationship was really important for Moon to experience and helped bring her character develop even further which I loved to see. I also loved the importance that nature played in this book for Moon. There was a lot of great descriptions and realness to it. You can really tell how important nature is to Moon and there were so many good quotes and analogies about nature I found!

Moon as a character is enjoyable. At times she could be a little whinny and annoying but she felt real. It was clear that her past has really impacted who she is now in the book and that helped her really feel vivid and likable. She is a bit of a smart ass at times but this just helped make me like her and add some humour into the book as well. It is clear she is a super strong person and a great role model in the book and for readers.

3.75/5
I actually really loved this! At first, what intrigued me was the premise, especially the main character– and I saw so much of myself in her, so I really appreciated that!
I think the only thing I had an issue with– was that I didn't naturally gravitate towards the book when I wasn't reading it, but I adored it when I was reading it! But I think that's moreso on me, as I was busy with uni stuff.

I adored the writing style, which along with the main character, is my favourite thing about this! And the romance! AAAAAAA it was so sweet!!!
I definitely recommend this!! :-) a wonderful contemporary read that feels magical and brings you comfort, with a wonderful writing style, romance, and main character. Definitely a stand out from the other YA contemporaries I read this year!

4.5/5 stars

This book is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance with a bit of Magical Realism. It is my first book by this author.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. It is a beautiful coming of age story. It's full of heart and some pain. But it was magical and beautiful. And I really loved it.

It's the summer after they've graduated high school and twins Moon and Star (17 almost 18 years old) get an amazing opportunity.

Moon is the narrator (1st person POV). She is an incredible photographer and earth artist. Her twin sister is a religious social media influencer.

Moon has always felt like the bigger uglier sister. But honestly she was such a unique voice. I loved her so much. The book has tarot cards. Photography. Art. Social media. Cooking. Family struggles. Curses. Mental illness. There is a lot going on in this story.

Andro is the founder of the Fotogram social media app. He invites Star and other social media influencers to tour the country. His brother Santiago is also there. And I was fascinated by them both and thought that they both added a lot to the story.

The romance was slow, but I really liked it a lot. I was also fascinated by the relationship between Moon and her sister. And between Moon and her mother.

Overall this book was amazing. I was expecting a cute YA romance. But I got so much more. I would highly recommend this book!

This book was so unexpected. I think these characters are going to stay with me for a long time. The plot is simple enough: When her twin sister reaches social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepts her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister’s camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the “merch girl” on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.

From that seemingly simple plot, I didn’t expect to find so much poetry, beauty and pain in this book. I shouldn’t be surprised about the lyrical prose since the author released two poetry books before this one but I was still in awe of the writing style. I loved how metaphorical and vivid it was and how everything was connected to the universe.

Moon is the real star of the book (you will understand this pun if you read the book) and reading about her journey of self-love and self-discovery was incredibly painful. She is the ugly duckling of her family, she has a twin sister who is perfect and who everyone constantly compares her to. I also have a twin sister and I am all too familiar with the constant comparison. But this made it so much more painful to read because the conclusions were obvious to everyone: Star won the genetic/life lottery and Moon lost. At least that’s what everyone thinks and what Moon has been taught. I felt very uncomfortable with the descriptions of the two, with Star being described as fair, pretty, thin when Moon was described as unattractive, dark and fat. This reinforced the negative stereotype of European beauty standards and the colourism that stems from it.
At first it’s easy to describe Moon as a drama queen who exaggerates everything but as the story goes on the reader has a glimpse of all of the abuse Moon has endured: physical abuse, mental abuse, gaslighting, neglect, etc. The list is endless. She has not had an easy life and yet she still tries and ultimately manages to see the beauty in the universe and in herself. I loved the focus on divination and the practice of tarot and ancient magic. It was so refreshing to read about that and it gave me a better appreciation for nature and the magic in it.
So much of Moon’s character is centered around Christianity, religion and how much damage it did to her. In this case it was extremely dangerous and the focus on the repression of sex was very present. Moon has always been taught that sex is a bad thing and that women under no circumstances should want to have sex (a character justifies marital rape). As she had sex before marriage, Moon suffers the consequences and punishment of her "behaviour". She is constantly slut-shamed and humiliated because of it. Being a black queer Christian myself, I know how harmful some beliefs are and how Christianity has hurt so many people me due to colonialism, patriarchy and homophobia. I was so conflicted as I read it because this book only showed the negative effects and I know this is a reality and I don’t want to challenge that experience but it still hurt so much to read. The twins are collateral damage of that education and this leads Moon to curse a lot using a lot of blasphemous sayings in order to distance herself from the practice of a religion that has harmed her. This made her search for a kind of "ancient magic" even more enjoyable.

When you have a twin, or a sibling it goes either two ways: you're very close or you don't get along. Moon and Star alternated between the two which made for some great drama and entertaining plot. I was saddened by their relationship because the author captured in an honest and good way how love is not enough in a family, that feelings, of the ugly kind can get in the way.

The romance was a slow-burn with a lot of angst and pining and was nothing short of beautiful. Both Moon and Santiago are insecure about their bodies; Moon because of her curves and Santiago because of his disability. They had the tendency to project their fears onto the other which created a lot of tension between the two. It was nice seeing them try to overcome their trauma and trusting each other. I loved the moments they shared together - from their banter, their "cooking show" and everything in between.

Overall this was a story about hope, about finding yourself and the people who genuinely care about you and love you. It was a very emotional book and I had to physically take a break from reading but I really ended up loving it even if the topics in this story were darker than I thought.

A combination of feel good and hard hitting, this book has a lot to say – and that’s a really good thing. It manages to make you laugh while addressing some really serious issues, yet finds the balance perfectly.

Moon is essentially ordered onto the road trip that Star has been given a place on by Star’s manager: their mother. Given no control over how she can spend her summer, Moon is resigned to the situation, and quickly finds herself in close quarters with someone she is sure she hates, and hates her in return. While part of the story focuses on that dynamic and its shifting sands, the other part looks at how Moon has become the person she is now; the good, the bad, and the very very ugly.

I found the ending a bit abrupt and thought an extra couple of chapters could have made all the difference, but I did really enjoy the book. It’s written beautifully, and is hugely character driven, which works perfectly in these circumstances. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to snuggle down, and hope for a happy ending.