thanks to netgalley for an ARC of daniel, deconstructed

i thought this book was very sweet and easily readable, and i know it’ll mean a lot to most readers. daniel was a great MC and i liked his interactions with his friend mona. one thing i didn’t like as much was the whole LARPing subplot, but that’s a personal critique.

i didn’t enjoy the book as much as i expected to though, but i did think it was a good read nonetheless. i’m looking forward to future books from this author!

Thank you to Inkyard Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review This book was so cheesy and I loved every moment of it.

I absolutely adored this young adult/teen fictional coming-of-age with a romantic subplot from James Ramos.

We receive the first-person POV of Daniel, a Cuban, autistic, queer senior in high school who is passionate about photography/videography and is still navigating the ever-evolving chaos of high school microcosms. His bisexual best friend Mona is a soccer player and popular high school athlete, and he is constantly questioning why she is friends with him, since they are seemingly polar opposites. He is an introvert who attends LARP (live action role-playing) sessions and she is invited to the stereotypical high school parties, so he wonders what they have in common.

Daniel ruminates on how one day, Mona will simply leave him behind and in order to self-destruct and feel as in control of the situation as he can, he tries to set her up with someone so that he can move the process along. It's as if he is grieving the friendship before it is over, and when he meets Gabe, he feels they are the perfect match for Mona, so he decides to set the two up!

Amidst the hijinks of Daniel's attempts to set his two friends up, he begins to unpack more of his own beliefs about himself, his sexuality, his neurodivergence, and his place in the world. I felt Daniel's uncertainty, anxiety, confusion, giddiness and more throughout this book; Daniel's journey is one of quiet ruminations, gentle epiphanies, and surrounded with so many compassionate folks who so deeply care about him.

The subplot of the romance was so sweet and tender! I adored Daniel's realization that he was worthy, lovable, and wanted just as he is. Though his specific realization was tied to his nervousness about revealing his autistic identity, I think that is a message that can be universally shared, since many of us are fearful that our full, authentic selves will not be accepted, appreciated or loved.

The way that characters navigated defining sexuality, such as asexuality, aromantic, or pansexuality, was full of curiosity, kindness, and hope. This book should be a prime example of how YA is not silly nor is it only for young adults. It contains healing qualities that invite us to imagine a world where every conversation with a loved one could have this much empathy, active listening, and validation.

Thank you James Ramos for such a beautiful story, and I can't wait to read what you write next!

If you love cheesy romance movies but like make it lgbt then this is for you. Tropey but fun is how I best describe it. It was a fun and mostly predictable ride but you have a fun time all the same.

Thank you Inkyard Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A charming and sweet read. Daniel has rules on how to face his friends and school, especially when it comes to his autism. Then he meets Gabe and fins himself in a new situation. At the same time people at school start to ask him what the deal with him and Mona is? He has no clue what they’re talking about, she’s his best friend. But worried that he might be getting in her way he’s decided that she and Gabe need to date, they’re both outgoing and well liked, in other words perfect for each other. Only Gabe and Mona don’t seem to understand this. And as he and Gabe get to know each other more he starts to realize that he looks at them differently than he does anyone else. At the same time Mona starts to pull away. Can he fix whatever’s happening with Mona? What are these feelings he has towards Gabe? And how do they all fit together? I love the disability representation in Daniel, Deconstructed! In my professional life I work with students with disabilities and a lot of our students with autism relate similar experiences or ways of viewing/seeing the world around them. I also love that James Ramos showed different aspect of autism with different characters because disabilities aren’t the same to everyone. Daniel is sweet, charming, and funny! A wonderfully diverse book that I highly recommend check out! Can’t wait to read it again!

Thank you to Inkyard Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was okay! Nothing bad but nothing I LOVED either.

I am so happy I got to read at least the first half of this before IndieNext, because it is SPECTACULAR. Such a dynamic and interesting voice with authentic characters. I really feel for these characters and even though I'm not autistic, I am neurodivergent, and the rep in this is so well done and I related hardcore. I love this so, so much.

Ramos pours his heart and soul into this one, with a lovable main character who you will root for from page one. The narrative style and voice in this book is a joy to read. Be warned: Daniel, Deconstructed is known to induce audible laughter.

Daniel, Deconstructed is a very easily readable diverse YA story about a queer, half-Cuban boy on the autism spectrum.
 
Daniel is autistic, and he's aware of it all too well. Even though he's tempted, too, he knows he can't simply throw out everything he knows about a particular subject, such as his camera. It would feel like info dumping to allistic people. He knows he should smile to connect with other people, especially as a Black man, so he smiles when he talks to neurotypical persons and of course makes eye contact because that’s needed too. He knows he can't stim in front of others, so he only does it in his room. Daniel loves roleplaying, and he's good at it, so he always wears a mask. Even when his best friend Mona, a beautiful soccer superstar, is around. And then there's his queerness, including his crush on his mysterious non-binary classmate Gabe, who he actually wants to match with Mona because, well, they're both so cool (and Daniel isn't).
 
Using the camera in this story is a great choice. Daniel hides who he really is and does it literally with the camera. He excludes himself from the scenes, constantly making himself a spectator instead of participating in the images he takes. He even does it in his crush on Gabe.

Don't think this story is a heavy one because it's not. It's light and humorous, and at the same time, it touches on heavier topics. In addition, it's very informative and provides lots of background information about being autistic. Therefore, I think this book is not only a great one for autistic or neurodivergent readers but also for those who want to learn more about autism.

 I liked one thing less. Daniel loves Live Action RolePlay (LARP), and in a few chapters he was playing his role. I immediately dropped out in these chapters, despite smiling at the interactions with Zee-Four and understanding the importance of roleplaying for Daniel (participating instead of watching and putting on a mask where he was in the lead). It went over my head and my brain simply got lost. It's clearly a me-thing, so please don't mind my opinion!
 
Overall, Daniel, Deconstructed is a sweet, entertaining, AND informative story. Actual rating 3.5 stars rounded up to four.

This book had a great grasp on neurodivergence and the reality of having multiple identities. We see Daniel who is autistic and queer who is trying to so hard to understand the world around him he misses a lot of big clues others see about his building relationships. Masking is a huge aspect of many autistic individuals daily life, especially at that age and his past trauma only highlights that.

I loved the character development in this story and the plot was fun to follow as it was not too predictable. The way you use film to show how Daniel sees the world was a very interesting perspective. It is almost like the only way he can view the world is through the eyes of a camera otherwise it slides right by him,

I wish we could have seen a little more of Mona's development in her identity but it was a great twist I did not expect.

I would like to thank Inkyard Press and James Ramos as well as NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.