this book was ... kinda a mess tbh? the vibes were amazing at first, and i loved all side characters but as the story progressed it felt dragging and the 10 pop-culture references in every other page was so annoying (coming from someone who actually likes them)

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster by Andrea Mosqueda
Publication date: May 24, 2022

Date read: June 1, 2023



Growing up in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, Maggie Gonzalez has always been a little messy, but she’s okay with that. After all, she has a great family, a goofy group of friends, a rocky romantic history, and dreams of being a music photographer. Tasked with picking an escort for her little sister’s quinceañera, Maggie has to face the that her feelings about her friends―and her future―aren’t as simple as she’d once believed.

This is a tough book for me to rate. There are some YA books that I think appeal to a wide audience and can be a good read for both teens and adults. Then there are some YA books that just scream YA. This is one of those books.

First of all, the good. I loved the diversity and representation here. Multiple gay or bisexual characters, Hispanic main character, and a lot of diverse interests among the characters that I think teens would find interesting. I also adored the family dynamic in this story. If this book had been about Maggie's relationship with her sisters, I think it would have been lovely, and I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Unfortunately, the main plot of this book is the drama of Maggie having to choose between her ex-boyfriend, her best friend (who is straight, but maybe questioning), and the new girl in school. And I do mean drama. A lot of the thoughts from Maggie's point of view are very eye-rollingly cringy reading them as an adult, because the feelings are overly dramatic in a very teen way. But this is a book written for teens, so I can't completely throw it out. I think that many high schoolers wouldn't find it as cringy as I did and would enjoy the teen drama.

My only real complaint is just how perfect the characters were, aside from their relationship dramatics. You had the amazing photographer and the amazing artist and the fashionista and the super sexy ex-boyfriend. No one has any flaws and are all way too perfect at their artistic endeavors that it just didn't seem realistic and often grated on my nerves. And unlike my previous complaint, this is an aspect that I don't think is great for teen readers either.

Overall, I thought that this book had a lot of potential that it just couldn't live up to. I would still give it a light recommendation to teens, but I had so much hope for this book and I'm sad that it's not something that I think can appeal to a wide audience. Give me a book about Maggie's family next time, though, and I'll read it in a heartbeat.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Content warning: slut-shaming, sexual assault, underage alcohol and drug use, police profiling and murder, death of a parent, homophobia

Note: language

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Taylor’s first vault track, “Slut!”, was rumored to be a condemnation of the double standards between men and women dating, based on her romantic history (much in the same vein as “Blank Space”). However, this song is less a call to arms as it is a tender look at a new relationship and how it can make you feel invincible, even amongst public opinion. In the same vein, I am reminded of how society stereotypes bisexual people as greedy or indecisive, which is explored in Andrea Mosqueda’s Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster. Maggie is the epitome of the messy bisexual as she falls for not one, not two, but three of her friends and tries to figure out not just her love life, but what she has planned for the future. I think that Maggie would be obsessed with Slut! just as I am.

I loved this one!!! So cute for the ex- scene kid in me. I love the dialogue and the silly characters. The bisexual mc. It was all so good. What a great book

This is a very cute coming of age story, with an interesting storyline of the main character Maggie navigating life being a bisexual teenager. She needs a date for her sister's quinceañera, and has to confront feelings for not one, not two, but three people in her life.

It was cute and fun, but I had wished for it to be a tad faster paced with deeper character development.

*Gifted by Netgalley & Feiwel & Friends - thank you! All opinions are my own.

I felt like the author tried to sound too young if that makes sense. After this quote is when I decided I was done “I raced to fix my face to make sure I wasn’t making unintended boner faces”.

I’m just way too old for this one sadly.

I love this sweet bisexual book. With all the bisexual erasure in college (and high school) curriculum, this is a breath of fresh air. I will assign in my young adult literature course.

Everything I love in a queer YA! Voicey, funny, tender, and a fierce reminder to be true to oneself.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

the bisexual rep in this book was very well done and i loved the social media post aspect of it. it was quite a realistic plot, which i appreciated.

Okay, raise your hand if you requested this book mainly based on the title (IT'S ME!).

This is a book about messy teens trying to figure stuff out. There's queer rep, Latinx rep, and it's not perfect but I'm just really glad that books like these are in the world for those who need the mirror.

Thanks so much to the publisher for the review copy!

*Contains Spoilers*
Told from the perspective of Maggie Gonzalez, "Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster" is both a fun and heartbreaking look at the different loves we experience when young.
When Maggie is assigned an art project that is to take place over 12 weeks and help them work through something they are struggling with, she decides to document her quest for love. The three contenders are her ex, her best friend, and the new girl. The big problem? They don't know Maggie is working through these emotions and documenting them.
I enjoyed watching Maggie learn that first love, first crush, and real love all have different feelings and that sometimes they are hard to tell apart. There were a few moments I felt some of the "bisexual cliche'" jokes were played out, but I know that can be a hard line to walk in today's society. Teenagers, especially bi and pan teenagers, are questioned if their sexual identity is a "phase" and have to constantly justify their emotions. I loved that Maggie's family was not just accepting, but also supportive, while also acknowledging that it's not the norm (especially in places like south Texas).

A book about a messy love triangle. However, the draw to the book was reading about the family interactions. I loved the references to the Rio Grande Valley.

It's hard reading these as an adult sometimes, as you're just crying our for *someone* to help this poor kid. From the moment Maggie starts her project, it seems inevitable that it will destroy her relationships (at least temporarily). While I appreciate she has a supportive adult, it also seems as though this same adult could have said, you know, this isn't a great call. Having said that, I enjoyed visiting an area of the country that's not often represented in YA literature (though there are other places to want to go aside from New York!).

Oh, I loved this book and my teens at the library love this book and I want the world to love this book! We desperately need more bisexual representation in literature, and YA books particularly. I love a book that shares my complicated relationship with the state of Texas and the voice that Mosqueda gave to Maggie is truly incredible. Love love love Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster!

This was a really cute story with a unique idea behind it. I like the art project idea she had for her photography and it was such a clear set up to how everything was going to go wrong. The characters were fun and I enjoyed reading about them, but the MC wavered between slightly oblivious to just straight up annoying. Sometimes she was a good character, and then she'd have a whole attitude switch and just be so aggravating. It was hard for me to get through this one because of it. This is probably just another "it's me, not you" thing, but this book was just okay for me.

In this novel, we follow Maggie who is struggling to find an escort for her sister’s quinceañera. She has a bit of a problem because there’s three people she likes. So the story follows her as she sorts out her feelings.

This novel is very character driven and Maggie’s internal dialogue was so amazing. Her character’s voice felt so real and I was completely immersed in her story. I enjoyed how Maggie was so connected to her hometown and her important her community was to her.

Maggie navigates relationships with friends and family and expectations. I absolutely loved the dynamics of her friend group, Jordan was my fave! Also, it was refreshing to read about a character who was out already. Coming out stories are important and wonderful, but it was great to see how characters still deal with internal struggles brought on by a heteronormative society.

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is a story about past love and new ones. A story of the expectations you put on yourself based in your family. There’s a lot more I can discuss about this book, but not enough space. Just know this one is a new favorite! I think if you liked Ophelia After All you’ll like this one.

I enjoyed the atmosphere and close knit friend group in this book. The main character has a family who will always be there for her, and friends who are like family. I thought the plot could have been a little tighter, and a little less predictable. The ending was beyond adorable though. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The title is what drew me into this book, but I ended up not finishing. While the author shows talent that will definitely grow, I am not a fan of stories that rely on pop culture references.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just wasn't drawn into it. The writing seemed stilted in places, and the story just didn't flow for me. I also didn't find Maggie as sympathetic as I was expecting.

However, these are my personal responses to the story. A book about a Latinx bisexual teenager is much needed in the YA field, and I think it does a good job of showing the struggles of a bisexual teen which are complicated by being raised in a largely conservative culture. Maggie's mindset from the beginning is that she has plans; a bright, full future with lots of adventures and experiences, and that is the strongest part of her and of the story. This is a girl who is determined to go places, and that alone is worth reading the book for.

In sum, while this book wasn't a good read for me, I think it will be for the target audience.