This book hit very close to home. As an individual who was displaced by Hurricane Katrina felt deeply connected with Malena and the deep lost and hurt she felt with not being able to go back home to her normal life.

This book hits some pretty heavy topics that happen too often in high school setting that are just now being looked at closely. Sexual assault, teen drinking, racism, misogyny all wrapped in a pretty little bow called “The Dress Code Violation”.

This coming of age novel has one character finding her voice through very difficult times, and another realizing that sometimes her voice does more harm than it does good. This is a very powerful book that everyone should read. Yes, it has the teenage cringe factor. But beneath that is a message that everyone needs to hear because not everyone experiences this type of abuse at the hands of people who are supposed to protect us.

Does my body offend you by Mayra cuevas & Marie Marquardt is about two main characters who come from two different backgrounds but quickly become best friends!!! I really enjoyed how at first some of these characters didn't get a long but in the end they did! I am really happy I loved this book as it was my May book club pick for queerreads!! Four/five stars!(:

Oh this was good and so freaking nuanced.

At first, I was like “omg Ruby!! Leave Malena alone! You don’t understand anything she’s going through.” But then Ruby is groped at school during their protest against the dress code and her whole personality changes. At first, she was all girl power and fighting for what you believe in but that moment sucked the life out of her. It’s incredibly sad but also very understandable.

(there is also a moment before the assault where Ruby shows up to school without a bra, as a way to protest the dress code, and no one notices. I FEEL YOUR PAIN, RUBY)

Malena, on the other hand, starts the book as quiet and dealing with the loss of her home due to Hurricane Maria. She just wants to get through the day and not make trouble. But that changes once she becomes friends with Ruby and starts to become more involved in fighting the school dress code (she went to school without a bra and the administration had her stick menstrual pads to her skin to cover her nipples. It will make you rage!).

But Malena doesn’t understand what happened to Ruby. Her new friend is going out with her cousin and telling Malena to be a certain way. What happened to the girl she met in the bathroom??

The two girls have to deal with their own struggles and their own trauma and they don’t necessarily understand what each other are going through. And they aren’t the best at communicating their needs.

But eventually, Ruby’s truth comes out and Malena explains how hurt she was when Ruby became someone she didn’t recognize. It’s such an important and sweet moment. Especially when you remember how close they were at the beginning of the book.

This book does such a good job of going into the nuances of feminism. Like feminism isn’t not having a boyfriend or having a boyfriend. It’s not having sex or not having sex. It’s not wearing clothes that cover you up or clothes that show lots of skin. It isn’t always being front and center (especially when you’re a white girl).

It’s all those things and more. And the two authors show the different aspects of it really well.

Beyond Ruby and Malena, the supporting characters were also really fun and vital to the story. Ruby lives with her grandmother and OMG I LOVE HER! I also really like Malena’s mom and her cousins. Her mom is iffy about Malena being the center of this protest but once she understands what her daughter is trying to do, she is ALL IN.

I’m giving Does My Body Offend You? 4 out of 5 stars. If you like a story with a message, especially a message about feminism and teen girls, this is definitely a book you want to check out.

Does My Body Offend You? by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt is available now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this YA story of activism and standing up for what you believe in. I especially liked that it highlighted impact vs intention in showing that allies can end up causing harm even when trying to help.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access in exchange for my honest review!

Great YA read about intersectionality of sexism and feminism and body autonomy. If you enjoyed Moxie, you will enjoy this title too. It was refreshing to read about a white teen girl who was willing to listen to her Puerto Rican teen friend about how sexism impacts people of color. This would be a great addition to a Project Lit book club.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title! I am blown away at the wide array of YA books that exist now, and really wish these would have existed when I was a younger adult. I wanted to pre read this before buying a copy for my teenaged siblings. I loved the wide range of emotions this book provokes, and the different representations. Will definitely be buying and gifting!

I read an arc of this book. It took me awhile to get to it because I had been reading other things, but once I started it I was kicking myself for taking so long. I think stories like this are important. We need to do more to empower young womens in thier own bodies. We need to let them know the power they possess. Stories like this can help to do that, especially in our current climate.

I am honestly surprised that I haven't seen this book talked about more! It is delightful and offers important commentary on the bodies of young girls and women

Reading this book with everything going on with Roe V. Wade and the political climate we currently live in added an extra layer to the story that was unique. It added points to how I already felt and fleshed everything out. Women all over are continuing the fight for bodily autonomy. This book doesn't directly talk about abortion, but it does tackle the conversation associated with how the bodies of young girls and women are viewed as inherently sexual by society and how that isn't okay. Our bodies are not for the entertainment of boys and men, as our main characters like to point out. We should not have to dress differently to lessen the temptation for them. Our main characters, Malena and Ruby, address all this when they stand up for what they believe in.

Malena and Ruby are stark contrasts of each other but I think it works in the book's favor.

Books like these don't often get the attention they deserve, but they are so important. There are so many ways to interpret this story if only people would give it a chance.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book. I think this is a necessary piece of literature to have out in the world. Fresh and very diverse.

CW: slut shaming, sexual assault (on page), misogyny, underage drinking

Malena's home has been destroyed by Hurricane Maria leaving her now stuck in Florida. She misses her home, but knows there is nothing she can do about it. When she goes to school without a bra due to a bad sunburn, she is shamed by the administration into covering up.

Ruby is an outspoken feminist who always seems to be under her sister's shadow. She's always looking for a way to make a difference, so when she sees Malena being forced to cover up, she refuses to be quiet about it.

There were so many points here that I was excited about. I love reading feminist novels as I truly feel like I can take on the world afterwards. Now, with this one I didn't fully get that feeling (I'll talk about why later), I still fell in love with this book.

Flipping between Malena and Ruby, the reader really gets to know them.

Malena struggles with her life in Florida. She hates being the poor displaced Puerto Rican who lost her home. She’s really nervous to speak out against the school officials. She’s quiet and determined to make a change once it seems possible. I loved seeing her grow more confident in herself as the story went on and finding her voice.

Ruby is loud throughout the book. She definitely has a way of steam rolling through things because she’s certain that she has the answers. Ruby talks a lot about white privilege, but struggles to realize it in herself which can make her POV frustrating at times. She’s very white feminist and while she’ll preach to others, she forgets to look inward and check herself. It does allow not only for development on her end, but good conversations.

Ruby and Malena’s friendship was nice. I did like seeing them support each other. Though, I did not like some of the things that ended up happening between them in the name of character development. It makes it realistic, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t mean I enjoyed it.

Seeing all the ways that Ruby and Malena had to jump through hoops to have a chance to change the rules and really get their point across was fascinating. There were plenty of changes for them to bond with everything they needed to go through to make a difference.

Now, as these two are teenagers, young teenagers at that, there are points that had me sighing because they were just being teenagers and not understanding why they were being treated the way they were afterwards. As someone older, that was frustrating to read because they just were so certain they were correct. Them getting blackout drunk and not getting why people were worried.

I loved how this did touch on intersectional feminism. Now, it was brief and not for very long, but I loved how it was brought up. This is where I’m going to talk about why this book made me feel like I couldn’t take on the world afterwards.

Throughout this book, Ruby is a white feminist, she is a white savior. So, as I was reading and recognizing all of this, it made me look inward and see if maybe that is how I would act. So for me, while this book I think is indeed powerful, for me it was also introspective.

Does My Body Offend You? Is a good feminist novel. The main characters have wonderful development. It talks about racism, dress codes and feminism. While this has teenagers being dumb teenagers, I do think this is a good story that talks about a number of important topics!

If you enjoy other YA feminist stories, pick this one up too.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Malena Rosario is been through a lot. Hurricane Maria destroyed her house, forcing her and her mother to move to Florida, where she's stuck and where the city isn't like her beloved Puerto Rico. Besides, when a bad sunburn forces her to go to school without a bra and she's humiliated by the administration, forced to cover herself up, she can't do anything about it.
On the other side, Ruby McAllister has a reputation as a feminist, but where she lived in Seattle she was under her sister's shadow and now that her sister is away and she in high school, she doesn't know what to do. When she notices what happened to Malena, she refuses, though, to keep quiet.
Without meaning to, Malena and Ruby become the leaders of the school's dress code rebellion, while, also,navigating their own insecurities, a blossoming friendship, ups and downs and so much more.

Does my body offend you? is a brilliant story about two teenagers who discover their own power in standing up for themselves and their ideals, a strong story about feminism, friendship and more.
Written in a collaboration between Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt, this book is absolutely amazing. It's funny, important and so relevant, dealing with biases and privileges, injustices and the importance of fighting for themselves, making a stand and about the power in friendships. It deals with loss and new beginnings, grief and change, growing up and beliefs.
Told by two different perspectives, I loved this story. It's fresh, timely and I devoured it. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Malena and Ruby are high school classmates who come from seemingly different worlds. Malena left her home in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island. Ruby left her Seattle home to help care for her grandmother. Florida is now home to them both. After a bad sunburn, Malena can't wear a bra and goes to school bra-less and in her mother's too-large tunic top. She's covered up so it shouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong. The school's administration embarrasses her by making her cover her nipples with pantyliners! When Ruby catches wind of this, she decides to help Malena fight the dress code. This book is about standing up for yourself and other women but also touches on race and privilege. It was a little slow and repetitive at times and it sometimes felt like the authors were trying to cram too many social issues into one book, but I enjoyed it overall.

This book is a stroke of genius. As a 36 year old, I have to say that my only regret in reading this book is that I did not have a book like this in my youth. Bless the authors of this book. Bless the work that they put into it. Bless the readers who will pick this up, unwittingly about to start a journey of self discovery and receiving the gift of feeling seen, heard, and validated. I loved the way the two voices add unique perspectives to the situation and themes, two nuanced sides of the same coin, I appreciate the elements of bilingual voices, and the heartfelt voice of a young Latina woman learning to navigate the difference in lifestyles in Florida, Tough topics such as bodily autonomy, consent, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and the general woes of growing up as a marginalized individual are handled with such grace, honesty, empathy, and frankness. It’s a beautiful tale that extends so far beyond the surface value, and reminds us that we are each experiencing the world in our own ways. It reminds us ALL to listen to the voices of others, and not get so lost in wanting to help and empathize, that we drown out the very voices and causes we’re so impassioned about! I think this is a brilliant book for all Middle School and High school aged readers, but is also quite poignant for adults as well. This is a beautiful book that is at once funny as it is moving, and I could not put it down. The characters are all likeable and relatable, and readers of every gender and background will find reflections of themselves within these pages. They’ll also find that while one character may speak directly to their experience, there’s also plenty of voices to listen to and learn from. I cannot speak more highly of this book, and I hope that schools consider adding this to their required reading lists. It’s brilliant, relevant, poignant, and charming. I’m glad to have read it, and I cannot wait to gift it to the young people in my life. Thank you to the authors for allowing me the space to enjoy their work, and for giving such tools and empathetic love to the young people who come up after us in life!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

A touching story of teenage comradery in the face of constant pressure and policies demanding the female sex stay submissive and policing of our bodies. When a dress code violation brings two girls together, they take on the patriarchy in their school system and it's a lesson for all of us that are femme representing can learn and take up the banner to continue the fight.

This book is stunning!! This is such a fantastic tale about intersectionality.

Cuevas and Marquardt created to distinct, flawed, and lovable characters as well as a spectacular cast of support characters that allowed them to explore intersectionality as robustly as possible. I think that's really wonderful about this book is that it really speaks to a wide group of people. Melanie validates the feelings and experiences of teens of color, and Ruby gracefully helps explain how white teens trying to be allies can steamroll (in the words of the book) initiatives they should be taking a backseat on.

I highly recommend this one.

I loved this book! I never thought of how the dress code *in school* caters to boys/men and punishes girls/women. I hated being called aside for my clothing in school. I felt exactly as these young women did. Violated. The fact that anyone but especially grown adults felt they had any right to see me any way except as a student trying to learn really disgusts me now. I especially felt betrayed when it was a woman calling me out, making me adjust my skirt or shorts and putting my arms down to make sure it was the appropriate length or measuring the inches between my knees and the length. I was a straight A student! I'm sorry I have Latina curves and things don't fit the same as the other girls.

Malena has to relocate to Florida from Puerto Rico after a hurricane hits and isn't happy about the situation. She misses her school, her home and her dad who had to stay behind to help others. Ruby is in Florida from Seattle, WA after her parents moved them there to help with her grandmother after an illness. Her parents go off on a 2nd honey moon and she stays with her grandmother to escape the shadow of the "perfect older sister" that she feels like she's trapped in. Important to note, Malena is Puerto Rican girl with curves and Ruby is a white girl without curves.

Both young women are smart, just trying to make the best out of life when their paths cross. Malena has been reported for not wearing a bra (due to a horrible sunburn) and they meet in a bathroom at school. Well meaning Ruby tries to help Malena with a "F" the authority type of attitude and Malena listens and ends up in more trouble. Detention.

This leads Ruby to take charge and try to bulldoze her way to doing what she thinks is the right way of doing things with Malena slowly gaining her own self determination and courage along the way but in the end, Ruby is forced to realize that life isn't the same for her and Malena. Just because they're both young women, doesn't mean they'll be treated the same. It also touches on how things are different for men and women and not just in dress codes.

This book is very much an eye opener for me. I probably would have acted just like Malena did at first. I'd rather avoid trouble if I could. I wouldn't encourage my girls to just go along with it now though. They shouldn't have to hide to avoid being harassed or assaulted by other people. Everyone should learn to keep their hands and opinions to themselves. I hope this book opens people's eyes about the difference in treatment and consequences that people go through due to gender, status, race, etc. Even if we can't teach the older generation that this is not ok, we can hopefully teach our children.
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Really enjoyed this feminist YA contemporary about two girls from different backgrounds teaming up to tackle their school's sexist dress code. I loved both perspectives and really appreciated that each girl had her own feminist journey. They both stumble and figure out how to move forward. This book really asserts that there's no one right way to be a feminist.

My only complaints is that 1) I would have loved to see even more intersectional conversations happening here! I don't think trans folks were mentioned until 75% of the way through the book, and it would have been great to see them included in the conversation more about marginalized groups who are impacted by dress codes.

And 2) I was deeply disappointed to see that a quote from Cherie Moraga was included. Moraga is a known TERF who has publicly said many harmful things about the trans community (including at a visit of hers that I attended at my undergrad college years ago, in which her transphobic comments led to several students running out of the room in tears). While I understand that she has made valuable contributions to the queer & feminist community, her transphobia is inexcusable and I was disappointed to see one of her quotes being upheld in a feminist book.

The above are the only reasons this wasn't a 5 star read for me. I really did love it otherwise, and will still recommend it. Perfect for fans of Moxie or The Nowhere Girls!

This was such an incredible exploration of feminism and female empowerment, and I related so much to the journeys that both of the protagonists went on. This story means so much to me, and I think so many people would resonate with this story and its message.

I really loved this! Amazing feminism novel with beatiful description and background. I really do enjoy how both girls have some kind of background, whether it's home or personal/friend life, it's there and I'm glad it is. I also enjoyed the description with reasoning as to why they'd started the rebellion. The characters felt like my own friends as they speaked, with the realtive situations and all, I just really enjoyed it! FIve stars!!

An interesting story that starts off with a dress code violation, but is about so, so, much more.

Malena is displaced from her Puerto Rican come after hurricane Maria. She and her mother move to Florida, while her father has to stay back and help rebuild. When she is about to start school she gets a bad sunburn, and doesn’t want to wear a bra because it will be too uncomfortable with her sunburnt back. Thinking it will be ok with a long flowing shirt she heads to school. A teacher is “uncomfortable” and the solution is not at all a good one.

I truly enjoyed this book. The characters are fully realistic and each have their own points of view, but also points they are blind to. Ruby wants to help but is completely unaware of many issues outside of her experience. There are many well meaning mistakes made through out. Family, friendship, intersectionality, and a touch of romance. Great one voices read.