I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. My days of reading YA are over and this book needs to come with a trigger warning. The hatred of self in this book is so difficult to read.

I starting listening to this book the day before it was announced that it was on the 2024 National Book Award Longlist, and now I understand why. Brett’s voice emanates out of the book and straight into your heart. I wanted to give Brett a hug and be his friend the entire book. This book is tough but also tender. (Trigger warning: Disordered eating)

What a beautiful story about overcoming an ED and giving Brett the love and compassion he deserves throughout the story. It was a beautiful story with a pile of empathy.

I love cool ranch doritos, so when this title was offered to me I knew I had to take a chance on it and it didn't disappoint. It was a tad slow at the beginning to grasp what's going on, but well worth pushing through. I really enjoyed the intro to Brett, drunk ubering sounds like a blast, until it's not. Brett is an incredible character and there's so much for him to unpack, it makes sense that he handles things the way he does. Trauma and grief compiled into an eating disorder is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. The author did a terrific job expressing everything, though readers should be warned that some of the scenes can be extremely triggering. The comic/superhero stuff is a little cringeworthy until you get into it, but also plays an important part in us understanding the character and the relationships he has with his friends and classmates.

I don't see myself ever not promoting a solid eating disorder book. We need a wide representation of ED books because no one should feel like they can't seek help because they're not "sick enough". And male representation is even more important to break stigmas, not just in the ED circles, but in all aspects of mental health.

**SPOILER BELOW**

Now, I want to talk a little about Reed and how he handled things. Was it appropriate? Absolutely not. But for a teenager who wants to help his friend? It makes sense. Teens have no idea how to help a friend who is going through something as scary as an eating disorder. I was the friend with one and my friends had no idea how to help without going to an adult, and they were afraid of either me hurting myself more or hating them forever if they did, so they didn't tell anyone. I also had friends with unhealthy coping mechanisms and I had the same fears. You can't force help or recovery on someone and have it succeed without the recipient accepting that they need help. And even then, there may be other factors stopping them from accepting help. The classmates reacting the way they did was absolutely unexpected to me, 100% a best case scenario situation. That was probably the least realistic part about this book. In real life, I could see the situation being made so much worse before it got better.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings: Eating disorder, fatphobia, body dysmorphia, body shaming, underage drinking, parent with cancer, mentions of self-harm

Ever since Brett’s adoptive mother was diagnosed with cancer, he’s been slowly losing his grip on reality. To cope, Brett fuels all of his anxieties into fiction, including his intergalactic Kid Condor comic book series. When Brett’s journal and deepest insecurities are posted online for the whole school to see, he realizes he can no longer avoid his issues, especially with the coping mechanism he has been using. As his eating disorder escalates, Brett must be honest with not only himself and those closest to him, but also his new friend Mallory, who seems to know more about Brett’s issues than he does.

This book is definitely needed, even though it’s a tough read. There’s not a lot of books out there about boys with eating disorders or about boys really struggling with body image. This novel also features Brett and Reed’s relationship that challenges the traditional masculinity of boys’ friendships, processing a parent’s battle with cancer, and so much more. It takes all of these difficult topics and shines a light on them without sugarcoating anything, making the conversations and actions all the more realistic and raw.

I would highly suggest this read to anyone, but with a great deal of caution. Disordered eating is what Brett is dealing with most, but there are a lot of other sensitive topics addressed that could be triggering. Please read with caution.

*Thank you Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This one already occupies pretty rarified space. There are very few books that talk about eating disorders in boys. And the approach here is pretty unique. It's a bit humorous but has deep emotion at it's heart. This isn't always a comfortable read but it addresses some important topics and is deep enough to be worth the effort.

This was a book that gripped me from the start. A fresh voice and perspective I've never experienced before. This speaks to the power of healing in the wake of trauma.

This book is a powerful story about coping, self-acceptance, and facing hard truths. Through Brett’s vivid imagination and struggles with body image and grief, Galarza explores mental health with heart and honesty. A raw and emotional read about finding strength in vulnerability.

It takes a community!

Brett lives in Tucson with his best friend, Reed, since his adoptive mother became terminally ill. He’s trying to hide the fact that he has an eating disorder and that he has begun to purge after eating. Despite Brett’s best efforts, Reed figures out what he’s doing and tries to intervene. Somehow Brett’s secret gets posted on social media and he’s horribly embarrassed. Many classmates approach him to let him know they’re dealing with issues too and he might be able to handle it better knowing he’s not alone.

Likes/dislikes: Intelligent and inspiring quotes given from side characters. The adults in Brett’s life gave him great advice/therapy. Too much swearing detracts from the story. The book is overly focused on being progressive and “woke” and it became tiresome because it also takes away from the story. Wonderfully helpful resources at the end of the book for people dealing with food and/or body issues.
Mature content: PG-13 for underage drinking, mention of self-pleasure, mention of drug use.
Language: R for 214 swears and 72 f-words.
Violence: PG for fighting.
Ethnicity: Brett is Mexican American. Most of the characters are white but some have brown skin.

Brett is a high school kid who writes and draws his own comics. He is also an orphan, adopted, and has an eating disorder. Brett's life is complicated. As he tries to cope with everything going on around him, Brett feels like his life is spinning out of control. What started as overeating then turns into binging and bulimia. Thanks to some amazing teachers and counselors, Brett is able to begin treatment for his disordered eating. There he realizes he can't do everything alone. He finds a great support system and some really good friends along the way. This is a great book that really speaks to the struggles of teenagers and especially those with eating disorders.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This is a book about a teen boy dealing with loss and grief by using some unhealthy behaviors. He eventually gets help and starts the road to recovery. I am not the targeted audience, but I did like the book and would recommend it.

3.5/5 Stars

After his adoptive mother is diagnosed with cancer, 16 year old Brett feels like he is losing control. He seeks comfort through food and the comic book he is writing. When his private journal is leaked and spread online for the school to see, he delves deeper into his eating disorder. With the help of a new friend Mallory, he realizes that he may need help.

I thought I was really going to love this, the first chapter kicks off with a bang, but it slowly dissipated for me. This was a difficult read at times, that handles some deep topics and doesn't shy away from them. I did really love that this was a story about a boy with an eating disorder, as I think that is a very under represented population in literature. I liked that this was ultimately a story of learning to love yourself. I think the narrator of the audiobook did a great job in portraying the raw emotions that Brett was feeling through out the story. I wasn't the biggest fan of the superhero portions of the book, but I understand the reason behind those parts. I did really like the friendship between Mallory and Brett, and I like how she gave him the tough love he needed.

I think that this book will help many, many people upon reading.

This book is so good! I love the insight into eating disorders and the book was so good and emotional. I wouod one hundred percent recommend this book!

This one got me in my heart, I absolutely loved this book. I resonated so deeply with the main character and his process.

4 stars for The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky and my thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!

I didn't finish this one, but I could see the potential. A story about a boy dealing with an eating disorder is needed, especially in YA circles, but the story was so slow moving and Brett, for all his teenage-boy insufferableness, was so incredibly insufferable. He was hurting, lashing out, and desperately needing someone to love him, but I couldn't handle him at the moment.

A YA dark-humored look at a teenage boy’s struggle with grief and eating disorders.
✨
Brett feels like he’s losing control ever since his adoptive mother got cancer. Now he lives his life in a fantasy world filled his comic book storylines and dive into oblivion using alcohol and food to cope. His best friend and foster brother tries to help him, as well as the school counselor, but Brett is in denial about his issues until someone leaks his food journal online. Now everyone knows about his insecurities, grief, feelings of isolation and struggle with food. As Brett navigates what his life is like now with no where to hide, he finds comfort in a new friend and wonders if he’s able to save himself through healing and therapy.
✨
I am not going to sugarcoat it: this book is a tough read, even if you’ve never experienced an eating disorder. @authorjoshgalarza doesn’t shy away from exploring all facets of the teen boy experience from drinking, bullying, lust and even other lesser talked about issues such as body image, insecurities about dating, mixed race issues and fighting against the patriarchy from the point of view of a teen boy. This novel is definitely one I could see being a great high-school bookclub pick, if you’re looking, because it has so many issues teens deal with and can discuss in a safe place. Check the content warnings for this one.

CW: fatphobia, eating disorder, emesis, suicide ideation, self-harm, death of a parent, cancer, body shaming, bullying, blood, toxic relationship, alcohol

This is an uncomfortable read. I don’t say that as a bad thing. One of the most important things literature can do is give us safe spaces to experience discomfort. By safe, I don’t mean that reading can’t be triggering– I know it can. Reading a book about physical danger is very different from experiencing that physical danger. (See content warnings below for possible triggers. Take care where needed.)

The story begins with Brett’s drunk-n-drive-thru routine. He’s been drinking the vodka he stashed in his room at his old house, and an Uber driver takes him through several drive-thru lines before dropping him off at one of his favorite scenic overlooks.

As the story progresses, we learn that Brett’s adoptive mom was diagnosed with cancer. He’s moved to his best friend’s house, and his best friend’s dad is now his guardian. Brett seems to be in a freefall. He’s trying to understand why he eats so much, but he’s so consumed with shame about it that he almost can’t even go there at all. It’s heartbreaking.

About halfway through the book, he becomes friends with a girl he’s heard people make fun of for years. She’s further ahead on her self-acceptance journey and takes him under her wing. There’s a little bit of a manic-pixie-dream-girl feel to her character, though the story subverts some parts of the stereotype. She’s a sort of all-knowing, wiser, chaotic artist who pulls Brett along and shows him a different way to think about his body.

Of course, things get much worse before they get better, and we go to those dark places with Brett, feeling his deep hurts and the weight of his shame. This is a really emotional book, but there’s so much heart on every page. It’s hard to believe this is a debut.

Older fans of Jarrett Lerner’s A Work in Progress or books that explore trauma, like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, will find this a gripping read.

I picked up this book because of the great representation, kind of expecting it to be good enough but not great. But Josh Galarza said, mediocre? I don’t know her.

I’m going to just list all of the reasons why I loved this book:
1. Brett is one of the most sympathetic, realistic, honest MCs I’ve read in a long time. I can’t emphasize enough how great the voice is in this book. Brett is funny, rude, foolish, kind, mean, and all the things real teenagers are. I loved him.
2. The relationship between Reed and Brett was fantastic. Galarza does a good job of showing love between friends that challenges traditional masculinity without completely throwing it out.
3. The friendship between Mallory and Brett was fantastic too. It was so different, but so much better than I thought it would be.
4. It talks about difficult topics without avoiding painful language or shying away from ugly moments.
5. Art and creating take a central role in emotional healing in the best way.
6. I am not exaggerating when I say, rep like this saves lives. There just aren’t enough books that talk about these topics or show young men struggling with eating disorders. It’s not just representation of mental health, but Indigenous people, cross-racial adoption, all kinds of queer relationships, etc.

I could go on forever. I loved this book and now I have to make everyone read it.

This book addresses some difficult topics (including grief, eating disorders, and foster children), and I love that the MC is male, as I've never read a book with these issues and a male lead. There is a lot of diversity in the cast, making it a good option for the target audience. Key themes are important ones for that audience, too: acceptance and staying true to yourself. I didn't necessarily like the way girls are portrayed by the male characters, especially in the comic books scenes. The swearing felt unnecessary. Brett is realistic, and he is struggles are likely to resonate with readers. And it is refreshing to see the struggles from a male perspective, as that is not typical in fiction.

This cover lied to me. I was under the impression that it was going to be on the young end of YA. Incorrect!

The closest book I can think to compare this to is Aaron Aceves' "This is Why They Hate Us," not because the topics are particularly similar (they aren't), but because both of these books tackle complex, nuanced experiences in a way that most books about teenage boys seem to shy away from. In this book, Brett has a lot of sh** to deal with, an in addition to loss, grief, and disordered eating, he keeps running into the fact that these problems aren't supposed to be something men have to deal with. Because men are supposed to be tough and inflexible, right?

One of the strange truths about YA books is that they're almost never written by people who are the age of the protagonists, or--presumably--the readers. They're written by adults who are writing through their lens, and often about issues they were dealing with a generation ago. In YA circles, we sometimes make this seem like a bad thing, but "The Great Cool Ranch Dorito" really drove home that this can be a a good thing, because it means that authors get to share stories that they wished they had when they were kids... which means the kids reading them now will get to experience something that will hopefully make these issues seem less strange, shameful, and unmanageable.

In his narration, Brett manages to be funny and raw and heartfelt. This book pulls no punches when it comes to any of its many difficult topics. (Seriously, check the TWs that the author has kindly provided at the start of the book. This is a lot.) But Josh Galarza isn't using this book to be didactic. This reads like a book he wish he'd had, the kind of book that lets people deal with isolating problems know that they are not, in fact, alone. It's weird and nuanced and hilarious and heartbreaking.

Ten out of five stars. It's times like these where I truly wish I could give a book extra credit when it comes to rating.

I read this book as an ARC. My effusive praise is my own. I can't wait to see what Galarza does next.

PS. Of course the author did printmaking. No wonder Mallory is so good at what she does....