As a thank, you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audiobook copy of Ryan La Sala’s second novel Be Dazzled. I write this review. The book has been pitched as “project runway goes to comic-con” after reading that I had to see what this novel held. The novel follows “Raffy” or Raphael Odom as he navigates his creative endeavors by competing for an art school scholarship at Trip-C ( the Controverse Championship of Cosplay). The novel is told in two timelines one that includes Luca a closeted himbo jock who has an interest in Raffy that leads to a short-lived romance. The other is told after the two have broken up and shows Raffy competing against Luca in a cosplay competition. The novel focuses on the importance of emotional growth and the opportunities we may give ourselves if we let go. The novel gives emotional weight to coming out and examines the importance of choice for the individual choosing when to come out when they feel safe to do so. This component for teens is important to read and also to have practiced by someone whose experience may be similar. The novel is one to read for its elements of friendship, emotional growth, and plot. I enjoyed this novel as an audiobook. The audiobook narrated by Pete Cross is fantastic. Cross’s ability to become both Raffy and Luca is distinguished by nuances expanded on as the novel progresses ex. tone, annunciation, and timbre of his voice. Cross did an excellent job as a narrator and would like to explore other works he has narrated as well. Overall I enjoyed this production of Ryan La Sala’s second novel Be Dazzled and give the novel a high 5 out of 5 stars on good reads as well as the audiobook which I shall purchase as well. A thank you again to Netgalley, the publisher, and Dreamscape media for the audiobook version of this novel.

Raffy has a love of cosplay, not just doing it, but creating it. This year, Raffy is giving it everything he’s got in a huge competition that could lead to sponsorships, art school, and the acceptance of his mother who doesn’t see his art as, well, art. There’s only one problem, his ex-boyfriend, Luca is his main competition. Raffy taught Luca everything he knows and inspired him to be his true self, and this is his repayment? When the two are forced to partner up in the competition, they’ll have to put aside their past to win, and maybe even move past the past to reconnect.

This book was so much fun, and a great way to start a new year. Y’all. I’m not kidding with this backlog catchup. I am single minded. Plus, I’m trying to save more money this year, so I want to focus on reading books I already have and not buying as many new things. I’m a huge nerd and have cosplayed myself a time or two, but my sewing skills aren’t quite up to the task of creating my own looks just yet. One day!

I loved everything about this. The boys’ budding relationship, the turmoil of breakup, and the hope of reuniting. I am obsessed with Project Runway, and this was billed as that meets Comic Con, right up my alley. The narration was excellent, and I couldn’t stop listening. I spent a lot of today in bed, forcing myself to rest, and not once did I want to nod off while finishing up this book.

I was with the narrator, Raffy, and Luca, and I was rooting for them. I wanted them to win the competition, and I really wanted them to get back together. I love it when characters are precious, and you want to root for them.

This one’s out on Tuesday, so if you like queer YA, cosplay, costume design, and or sewing, definitely check this one out from your local library or purchase from your local, indie bookstore.

I really really enjoyed this book! Although I am not part of the cosplay community, I do live in Boston, where this book is set. One of my favorite thing in contemporary novels are the setting, and the author did an amazing job including some very Boston specific jokes and locations.

My only complaint is that I had a hard time telling which sections were in the present and which were in the past whenever I picked it back up in the middle of a chapter. Other than that, the romance was adorable and the friends weren't terrible people!

This was a fun time! Be Dazzled is a YA contemporary featuring a cosplay. The con and cosplay elements were fun. It was neat to be on the inside of the creating and designing process. While this book deals with some familial situations, it is lighthearted. There is a dual timeline but it is easy to follow. The audio narration fit the characters well. *ARC provided by NetGalley for review.

Be Dazzled tells the story of Raffy, a gay teen boy who wants nothing more than to be able to craft complex and awesome cosplays and receive recognition for his work in the aftermath of having his heart broken. Told in alternating timelines, we see the beginning of his relationship with closeted bi Luka, the fallout, and maybe the beginning of a reconciliation.
This was a really sweet story. I loved Raffy. He was messy and impulsive but so passionate and talented. In the book, he really struggles with his mother who is a famous and elitist artist who looks down on crafting and cosplay to the point that he has to hide this thing that is so very important to him and gosh it made me really feel for him. I also just loved how wonderfully and unapologetically queer this book was. I loved Raffy and also really enjoyed his character development throughout the book.
The one note I had was that I’m not sure that the alternating timeline really worked for me. I think it helped in the beginning but there were bits where it felt clunky. Like there were times where the things we were learning about in the flashbacks have already been shown or talked about in the present or even times where I wished that the past storyline would illuminate something better like Raffy's friendship with Anaya (since I listened to the audiobook, I'm not sure if this is how her name is spelled). I think my biggest issue was at the end where the Now storyline is building to a wonderful and happy crescendo only to jump back to Then where things are evolving and getting worse. Yes, it provided good contrast and could be seen as a way to make the highs of Now even higher but it didn’t work for me. Instead, it felt like it was taking the sails out of the happiness of the present but that could just be personal preference.
This was a great audiobook. The narrator was pitch-perfect. He gave a wonderful performance and hit all the right notes of humor and heartache. I could always tell which characters were speaking but also he fleshed out Raffy so fully. He brought a lot of life to the book and I was so happy to have gotten access to this as an audiobook because of it.
As a crafty person who grew up in the fannish and geek scene, I kept thinking of people in my life I wanted to recommend this book to. It was sweet and adorable and extremely creative and nerdy in ways that really resonated with me and overall a very satisfying performance as an audiobook. I definitely recommend this!

Very, very cute cosplay romance. Lighthearted and completely nerdy. I am liking the trend of including a bisexual love interest in YA and teen books. The narration and production was well done. I plan to purchase this for my middle school library in print and audio format.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an ALC of this book.

Raffy has dreams of being a cosplay champion, and Luca has dreams of being able to show his true self. They make a great team...until they don't.

Told in a now and then style, this story of love, cosplay, and lots of bedazzlement is the heartwarming tale you will want to start the year with!

I absolutely loved the messages in this story. Both main characters have to grow a lot before the end of the book and they both have to be able to stand up to forces that are conspiring against their happiness.

The writing is great and my heart is filled with queer joy by the end!

This book debuts on January 5th! Make sure to get yourself a copy!

4 stars. It was cute, nerdy, entertaining, and short enough for me to finish before the year ended, which I appreciate.
Rep: Gay mc, bi love interest, lesbian and probably Chinese sc, her name is Mae Wu (it could be May, audiobook), generally pretty queer.
TW: homophobia, mild panic attacks

I wasn't actually expecting to like this book as much as I did. I got the arc a couple days ago, and I wanted to finish it before the release date, which was surprisingly easy. It was fast paced, thoroughly entertaining, and I rarely got bored, although I did have to take a few breaks for the second hand embarrassment this book gave me. Authors, please, stop having your characters do dramatic and embarrassing shit in public. I almost never read synopses, so when I started this and realized it was a convention book, I was a little apprehensive because I don't usually read them, however this one touched my secret geeky heart, even though I didn't get most of the anime/video game references, and now I really want to go to Comic-Con and Bookcon/Book Expo.
I am impressed that Raffy was a well written male geek who isn't completely insufferable, and for the most part I really liked him. He's pretty fucking dramatic, which isn't too inaccurate for a 17 year old, but still a little irritating. The author does a great job of writing flawed but likable characters, especially in their relationships with and actions toward each other. Luca is super sweet, and he and Raffy have great chemistry. The long, detailed, and frequent descriptions of Luca's body and appearance made me pretty uncomfortable, but that's probably just a lesbian thing.
I'm not a huge fan of books that take place over such a short amount of time, but the "Then" chapters lay out a great backstory and give more weight to the present-day timeline, considering it's three days long.
Overall, it's cute, nerdy, queer, and a pretty fast read, if you're into that kind of stuff, and I would highly recommend it.

3.5/5 Stars

Raffy is a cosplayer, with the hopes of making it big by winning this years competition at Controverse - the biggest competitive cosplay convention in the country. If he wins. he could win not only an scholarship and university, but also his mother's approval. Enter Luca, Raffy's ex-boyfriend, and newest cosplay competitor. When they are unexpectedly partnered in the competition, they must work together again to win the competition.

Ryan La Sala is such a fun individual (at least on Twitter and in the videos I've seen of him) - that I was excited for his next book to be released! I read Reverie recently, and enjoyed it as well, but I think I liked this one even more (which is surprising because I'm not the biggest romance fan). This was a super cute romance read, with a loveable relationship! I liked the alternating time lines of Before and Now. I think that Raffy and Luca are adorable together, and I loved the flashbacks we got to their relationship. They worked well together - and I'm glad they were both able to work through their individual problems in the end to come out stronger. The cosplay competition setting was a lot of fun and I enjoyed reading about everything that went into the building of their costumes. The planning process and design for each look was interesting to read about. I liked Raffy as a main character, but at times he was very frustrating to read about. He often let his temper get the best of him, and treated his friends and Luca poorly because of it. Raffy also experiences anxiety, and from the reviews I've read, it seems to be good representation.

Overall, I think it was a super quick, and fun read!

I LOVED this book! As a 70-old-retired school library, I love books that show me different points of view. Raffy’s voice was so strong. He was so articulate in sharing his passion about designing for cosplay, and his sexuality. Not only was he a refreshing voice in sharing his emotions about his boyfriend, but I was surprised at how emotionally involved I became in the ComicCon convention competition. Sadly, the cover design showed none of this. I was expecting more of a cute gay romance, rather than the issues covered in the book. Pete Cross’s narration was a big part of my enjoyment. He got not only the emotion of Raffy but his voice changes for different characters was excellent.

This book was actually really enjoyable. I went into it expecting a cute queer YA story which is what I got bu I enjoyed it way more than I was expecting to. The story follows Raffy who loves everything geeky such as comic cons, animes and cosplaying as he goes through many different challenges and ups and downs. I was really surprised at how quickly i went through the audiobook and how enjoyable my listening time was. The cover lowered my expectations because frankly I do not like it at all and the only thing that drew me in was the fact that it was marketed as a queer and geeky YA love story. It did not disappoint at all! Highly suggest if you are looking fro a fluffy quick read that still talks about subjects more on the serious side. debating between a 3.5 or 3.75 stars.

Prepare to Be Dazzled!
This book is an absolutely delightful YA read. I love the characters Raffy and Luca and their journey as they navigate first loves and coming out, as well has how to really show up for each other. The premise of the Cosplay competition a' la Project Runway was so much fun, and I absolutely loved it even though I've never been to a Comic Con.
I loved the narration by Pete Cross and thought he did an excellent job with these characters. The pacing was excellent and I couldn't wait to hear what happned next and he did a great job of keeping the past seperate from the preset. I highly recommend the audiobook.
Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Be Dazzled
Ryan La Sala
Pub Date Jan 5, 2021

Brief Synopsis:
Be Dazzled is Ryan La Sala’s second novel, following Rafael, a burgeoning cosplayer with an unsupportive home life and big dreams to win the upcoming cosplay contest and catapult his possible career as a professional cosplayer and streamer. But when he shows up to the convention and sees his ex will be competing against him, it throws him for a loop.

Audiobook Feedback:
I don’t think I had ever listened to an audiobook narrated by this reader but I thought his voice fit these characters well. He read the novel conversationally and was enjoyable to listen to. I would definitely listen to more by this narrator!

What I liked:
Most of the characters are really likable and the chemistry within friendships and relationships is well done. The description of the cosplay is in depth and detailed, but still feels fun. I especially enjoyed the characters who were struggling with unsupportive families of different varieties. It felt authentic and really made you feel for their situations.

One thing I didn’t love:
Rafael’s mother drove me absolutely insane. I’m all for a crazy unsupportive parent as a villain but she was just so all over the place as a character and had some weird character choices that felt like they had no reason other than to be weird? I could have done without the weird drug use and completely absent parenting.

Final Thoughts:
I had the honor of reading an ARC of La Sala’s debut novel, Reverie. I enjoyed that one, but possibly one of my favorite things about reading this book was seeing how much Ryan La Sala has grown as a writer. The language has blossomed and it was like reading a totally different author and the growth was awesome! I also loved the little inclusion of the word “reverie” in this book. Overall, 4 stars.

This was such a fun contemporary that was a nice palate cleanser. We follow Raffy as he's at a cosplay convention and finds his ex there competing against him, I liked the creativity of this novel because I've never read a book about cosplay but as I'm not very into fashion or cosplay I felt disconnected from it. I also didn't fully connect to the characters but I did appreciate the anxiety representation and I think it was done pretty well. Overall I think that if your really interested in cosplay or fashion you would really enjoy this a lot more than I did.

This audiobook version of this new YA read, GAH, was so cute and the audio format just totally immersed me in the characters. This audiobook, narrated by Pete Cross, is so entertaining and I'm obsessed by the first chapter alone. This book reminds me of 'Red, White & Royal Blue' meets Ashley Polston's geeky fangirl slash cosplay YA romances, and that's what has my heart from the start. It's described as "project runway" meets comic con to make an epic queer love story, and that is one thousand percent an accurate description. Here, we follow Raffy who has a passion for fashion and design and yearns to make his mark at this big cosplay competition to help jumpstart his future in the business. In the present timeline, his main competition is his ex-boyfriend Luca. As seen in different flashback chapters, they were the perfect team until Luca's insecurities and Raffy's perfectionism imploded everything. Back to the present, they are forced to team up once more on the most impressive cosplay comp yet, juggling unresolved romantic feelings, self-doubt, and working to build their most ambitious build yet. This book is chock full of funny, witty, and relatable language that reads as so authentic and engaging. This language is just so witty and rich, and I'm obsessed. Then, the narrator really nails each emotion and tone of every character. This audio version brings listeners the perfect way to envision every scene and feel every single emotion and vulnerability. The narrator brings so much personality to each character's dialogue to differentiate and sells everything to me. Each character is so distinctive, rich, complex, and dynamic, and this audio version truly shows that. This engaging and authentic language feels like each character is so authentic, honest, and vulnerable. It's so much fun by the first chapter and I already just want to keep listening. We jump back and forth between the present day competition and different flashbacks to demonstrate these boys' journey to the current timeline. This couple, boy, are they absolutely adorable! Even from the beginning where they were hiding their relationship because Luca's not out or the beginning of their feelings and craft sessions, or even openly pining present day at the competition, just, GAH, precious. These two just have such a precious banter and are just so dang cute, like totally squeal-worthy. This book's pacing feels just right and authentic, which keeps me engaged and wanting to read more.

Be Dazzled tells the story of a crafty cosplayer who desperately wants to win a competition to show up his ex-boyfriend and finally prove himself to his artist mother. I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Ryan La Sala in audiobook form, as narrated by Pete Cross. The dual timelines in this book are expertly woven together to build suspense and maintain narrative drive. The story is gripping from the start. The characters feel believable and likable with all their flaws. It's a win all around!

While the cosplaying, crafting, and convention culture aspects of the story might be a turn-off to some, I hope people will give this book a chance. At every moment, we're given just enough information to understand what's happening in that world but never bogged own with detail. The costumes worn throughout the story are similarly described using the most vivid details to bring them to life without becoming overindulgent. Factor in the emotional stakes of Raffy managing his ambitions, anxieties, and personal relationships, and the story soars.

I have to take a moment to acknowledge La Sala's debut, Reverie. While delightful in many ways, that story felt underserved by being too heavy on visual description and action sequences and too light on character and ideas. Be Dazzled strikes a perfect balance that is appropriately dazzling. Combined with his quirky and fabulous public persona, I hope we'll be seeing a lot more Ryan La Sala in the future!

Raffy wants to be the greatest Cosplay artist possible, and loves LOVES crafting, but his mother, who is a famous artist in her own right, does not believe this is serious art, so he must do it in secret. Luca, also must craft in secret and he also has to love in secret as his parents are not okay with his bisexuality. He loves both Raffy and the fun of creating Cosplay costumes, and spends as much time as he can with Raffy outside of his other world with his family and his soccer team. They seemed to be making it work too, until something went awry at a Comic Convention and it seemed like their Cosplay partnership and romance was coming to a crashing end. Might they get a second chance? Might Raffy be able to prove that he is a superior crafter? Is there a happy ending here? You will have to listen to this audiobook to find out.

I loved Ryan La Sala's first book Reverie, and was so excited to find out that he had a new book coming out. This one felt different from his first, tackling young love and the world of cosplay in a funny, enjoyable listen. The narrator did an excellent job with this book, making it an easy listen with clarity of who was speaking, and he was so fun to listen to! Probably would have given this book 4 stars if I had not listened to Reverie first which was a 5 star book, and makes this one shine a bit less in my eyes, but still worth the listen!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to preview this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not a big romance reader. I’ve been known to completely skip over the genre all-together, so I’m not totally sure why I was so hyped to read Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala. It might be because this book is YA contemporary, and if I’m going to do a romance, it’ll probably be that sub-genre. It also might be that I’m already a fan of Ryan (despite this being the only book of his I read whoops) after watching a couple of interviews he’s given & videos he’s posted. I went into this hopeful that some of the energy he brings to social media would carry over into his work.

And I’m happy to say it did! Be Dazzled exists in the exciting world of competitive cosplay, set during the convention known as Controverse. Raphael ‘Raffy’ Odom is the son of a famous artist, Evie Odom, and has to deal with her exacting creative expectations, as well as the pressure he puts on himself. The story begins right before this final competition, but is interwoven with flashbacks where Raffy first meets his future boyfriend-turned-rival, Luca. Having the sweet and heartwarming moments the two of them shared broken up by their current estranged relationship is as saddening as it is captivating. I was speeding through this book trying to find out what could have happened to blow up what seemed to be a promising love story between Raffy and Luca.

Raffy is such a strong and compelling main character. He’s funny and easy to root for, and in a story about a high-stakes cosplay competition, that’s an important attribute! I loved how La Sala walked us through his designing and planning process for each different project Raffy was working on. It really helped the reader be able to visualize not just the end product, but how each component went into creating the entire look. Raffy’s social media presence and live-streaming was also a realistic course for this type of character and setting.

Another thing I liked in this book was that there never ended up being a ‘true villain’. Yes there are characters who make mistakes or act poorly, but there is not really a ‘bad guy’ at the end. Everyone is just responding to the hand they’re dealt, and sometimes natural conflicts arise as a result. (And for any romance readers wondering, yes, there is a HEA.)

This was such a fun read, especially considering it’s not the usual thing I gravitate to. You don’t have to be an expert on cosplay or Comic-Con or art & design at all to appreciate the accomplishments of these characters and get invested in what they’re doing. I could totally see this being a Netflix movie or something, the perfect feel-good rom-com for younger millennials and zoomers. Be Dazzled is a witty, charming and all-together endearing novel that will be sure to delight its readers!

Oh my gosh, this could not have been better. I'm not a YA contemporary reader generally, but I absolutely love cosplay, shows like Face Off and Project Runway, and competitions. This included all of that on top of an adorable and believable romance that made me smile and laugh on numerous occasions.

The writing in this is accessible but not in an amateur sense of the word. There was snark, some very quotable sentences, and a few sad and happy tears shed.

I loved the character development of both Raffy and Luca. The friendships and conflict felt very realistic, not contrived from lack of communication for the sake of having conflict.

The strained parent relationships created tension on the reader as well as within the character's relationship. There were plenty of moments that I wanted to reach through the pages and hug these sweeties.

Overall, I just loved every second of this.

This was a cute story over all but not really my kind of story. I loved the comic-con meets Project Runway vibe of this story. The cosplay descriptions were amazing. I would have loved for there to have been some rough sketches but again that is just me.
Sadly the atmosphere is all I loved about this book. I wasn't a huge fan of the romance which is really what this book was all about. I liked the characters but just them together did not work for me. There was nothing inherently wrong with it I just don't think it was for me.
Overall this was a solid book with a great setting and some great characters it just wasn't for me. I would definitely recommend this book to others who I know will love it.