How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe
Poignant, funny romance works through serious issues.
Kids say
Based on 1 review
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe is a coming-of-age romance by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything) with some possibly triggering themes of violence, frank talk about sex, descriptions of having sex that aren't graphic, and lots of strong language. Most of the violence has to do with main-character Moon's verbally abusive mother and the one time she attacked Moon physically with kitchen knives. Moon's father killed himself by driving his car off a bridge a number of years before the story starts. Another car crash crushed one character's hand and killed his sister, the driver. There's some kissing that mentions tongue and lots of romantic tension. Strong language includes variation of "f--k," "crap," and "s--t," d--k," "bitch," and "ass." Prominent themes also involve depression and negative affects of some religious beliefs. Moon's not comfortable in or happy with her size-16 body but eventually accepts it and starts to feel positive about it. She's also very close with her twin sister, but for a lot of the book they're not getting along well. A minor character smokes once or twice.
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What's the Story?
HOW MOON FUENTEZ FELL IN LOVE WITH THE UNIVERSE is the story of 18-year-old Moon in the summer after she graduates from high school. Moon's spent her life in the shadow of her twin sister, Star. Star is tall, blond, perfect, and making lots of money thanks to her huge presence on social media. Moon is short, dark-haired, and has cellulite on her "jiggly" body. Moon also has a mother who never loses a chance to remind Moon what a disappointment she is. Star gets invited to go on a nationwide publicity tour with the creator of a popular social media platform and some of its other top influencers. Her mom won't let her go alone, so Moon is drafted to go with Star as her photographer and tour "merch girl." On the tour she's thrown together with "merch guy" Santiago, who's incredibly good looking but who mostly communicates by scowling and grunting. With everyone crammed together on a tour bus for days and weeks on end, of course tensions run high and secrets get revealed. When things start to fall apart, people's true character gets revealed, too.
Is It Any Good?
This at times funny, dreamy, and moving novel is both a sigh-worthy romance and compelling coming-of-ager neatly woven together with humor and sensitivity. Teens will easily relate to Moon as she falls in love, finds artistic expression, gains greater independence, wonders where she fits in the world, and starts to really believe that she's lovable.
The romance follows a pretty predictable story arch, but lots of witty banter between Moon and Santiago keep it entertaining, and the realistic voices in How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe make the characters believable. The writing really excels when Moon is thinking about nature and the universe, and drives her toward a place where she can explore and appreciate her own value. Food plays an important role, too, with mouthwatering descriptions of Santiago's gourmet cooking. Lots of strong language, frank sex talk, abuse, and mental illness make it best for teens and up.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe. Is it realistic? Is there too much? Is reading about it different from seeing it in movies, videos, games, and other media?
What about all the sexy stuff? Is it realistic or glamorized? Does that make a difference?
Have you experienced abuse, or do you know someone who has? How can you get help, or how can you help your friend?
Book Details
- Author: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Cooking and Baking, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publication date: August 10, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 432
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 27, 2021
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