cookiemic's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
jessicajewel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
Be Dazzled was an excellent YA romcom and I don’t know why I haven’t heard more about it! The description called it “Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.” I don’t know about you but that definitely sold me and the book delivered!!
Raffy is really into cosplay and loves the challenge of creating the costumes. He has an online channel where he streams live as he works on his projects and now is the big moment - the major cosplay competition. However Raffy’s ex Luca is also there competing.
The story is told in alternating timelines between currently at the competition and a year ago when Raffy and Luca first got together. I really enjoyed this story so much and think it would make an amazing Netflix movie - I would love to see all the costumes come alive on the screen!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy!
Raffy is really into cosplay and loves the challenge of creating the costumes. He has an online channel where he streams live as he works on his projects and now is the big moment - the major cosplay competition. However Raffy’s ex Luca is also there competing.
The story is told in alternating timelines between currently at the competition and a year ago when Raffy and Luca first got together. I really enjoyed this story so much and think it would make an amazing Netflix movie - I would love to see all the costumes come alive on the screen!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy!
chandraleereads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 stars. I loved Raffy and Luca and all of the pop-culture delightfulness! I was expecting Be Dazzled to be a fun read and it did not disappoint. What I didn’t expect was my extreme emotional reaction to certain aspects of the story. A big portion of this book is about passion and purpose and what people are good at/driven to do. That content might not be something a reader would typically find overly emotional, but as someone solidly in a third-life crisis it had me all sorts of sobbing about my lack of direction/purpose/passion. So I guess that is my long winded content warning for others in a similar life situation, but even then I think it’s totally worth the read!
caughtbetweenpages's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I absolutely flew through this book. I love any book where it's clear that the author either has a tremendous passion for a topic central to the plot, or has done research on that topic to the point of falling in love with it. Ryan La Sala is either a cosplay extraordinaire (I already know he's got Internet Presence superpowers between podcasting and TikTok etc.) or should become one given the degree to which that passion is key and cornerstone to not only the plot development of this story but the various character interrelationships as well. Raffy is a protagonist of mine own heart: self-assured on the surface but deeply seeking approval from those who can tell him Hey You're Good At This Thing You Do, so ambitious you could cut yourself on it if you're not careful (and a lot of folks around him do), and so myopic that other things can't help but fall apart when he gets in the zone, allowing shenanigans to ensue. Luca is a fantastic balance to him, though the pair really is at their best when they're not only working together but allowing and encouraging each other to play to their strengths in service of The Team that is them. The dual storylines converging at the end did a great job of developing their relationship gradually and making the various moments of emotional catharsis (and the conflicts/blow ups throughout) feel earned, and helped slow down/pace out what could've been a too-breakneck sequence of events, given that the cosplay contest in the "present day" storyline happened so quickly. I'm also a huge fan of Luca getting to be the one who chose when and how he came out, because any story with outing or in which being not-out is presented as a Personal Cruelty the not-out partner is doing to spite their out partner doesn't sit well for me. I don't know that I loved how quickly and on-a-dime Raffy's mom went from absent and neglectful and dismissive of his passions to being, like, actually pretty solid as a parent, but I'd honestly rather not have that be a loose thread in a standalone YA story. Let queer kids be loved by their parents please and thank you.
thereadingwren's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
Wow! Wow! Wow!
I'm honestly astonished I loved this as much as I did. I read Reverie (Ryan La Sala's debut) a few months ago and was really disappointed, the concept was great but execution was messy. So I was really apprehensive going into Be Dazzled BUT DAMN! The concept AND writing were spot on!
It's been a while since I felt so deeply about a character and what they were going through. Raf is a severely neglected teen that has led to boat loads of anxiety and boy do you feel that in this book. Anytime Evie was being awful to Raf you felt it, anytime Raf felt anxious about his work you felt it, when Raf was done with it all you felt that too. I think it's good writing when you can invoke similar feelings in the reader that the character goes through. As someone with anxiety the anxiety rep was spot on!
I really loved the cosplay world and you can tell Ryan La Sala knows what he's talking about with how in depth into the builds he went. It was a fun time.
It was great to have the two timelines converging on one another. It really helped to add tension and show the relationship of Raf and Luca. It also helped to show who Raf was and who he is now, which was a stark contrast. I really loved Raf being able to find joy in his work again.
The relationship between Raf and Luca was actually really wonderful. At first I was worried because from Raf's viewpoint Luca was a jerk but as the story went on you realised that these were two boys that really loved each other but both had their own demons to wrestle before they could really commit to that love openly and confidently. I adore Luca, the insecure and enthusiastic bisexual, and Raf, the high strung and incredibly talented gay.
I also loved Raf and May's friendship and that they were both willing to sacrifice their dreams to help the other succeed. That's a good friendship, not the ones we often get in media where it's all about one character. I'm still unsure about Inaya's role as mega jerk and why she went along with her friends hating her... but in the end they were all friends again, so yay.
I have so many emotions surrounding this book and I know it will be one I reread for many years to come.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
I'm honestly astonished I loved this as much as I did. I read Reverie (Ryan La Sala's debut) a few months ago and was really disappointed, the concept was great but execution was messy. So I was really apprehensive going into Be Dazzled BUT DAMN! The concept AND writing were spot on!
It's been a while since I felt so deeply about a character and what they were going through. Raf is a severely neglected teen that has led to boat loads of anxiety and boy do you feel that in this book. Anytime Evie was being awful to Raf you felt it, anytime Raf felt anxious about his work you felt it, when Raf was done with it all you felt that too. I think it's good writing when you can invoke similar feelings in the reader that the character goes through. As someone with anxiety the anxiety rep was spot on!
I really loved the cosplay world and you can tell Ryan La Sala knows what he's talking about with how in depth into the builds he went. It was a fun time.
It was great to have the two timelines converging on one another. It really helped to add tension and show the relationship of Raf and Luca. It also helped to show who Raf was and who he is now, which was a stark contrast. I really loved Raf being able to find joy in his work again.
The relationship between Raf and Luca was actually really wonderful. At first I was worried because from Raf's viewpoint Luca was a jerk but as the story went on you realised that these were two boys that really loved each other but both had their own demons to wrestle before they could really commit to that love openly and confidently. I adore Luca, the insecure and enthusiastic bisexual, and Raf, the high strung and incredibly talented gay.
I also loved Raf and May's friendship and that they were both willing to sacrifice their dreams to help the other succeed. That's a good friendship, not the ones we often get in media where it's all about one character. I'm still unsure about Inaya's role as mega jerk and why she went along with her friends hating her... but in the end they were all friends again, so yay.
I have so many emotions surrounding this book and I know it will be one I reread for many years to come.
lawbooks600's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warnings: Anxiety
Might be a good book...
Update: 6/10, this was an ok novel, it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either, it was a bit meh overall. Even though the main character, Raffy, experienced character development, it was frustrating to read him throughout most of the book as he says things like, "Oh no, I'm not the best cosplayer in the world! So sad!" Evie was a minor character but she had a bit of a judgmental and perfectionist attitude which I didn't like. Raffy was just an otaku who liked anime so much he would cosplay as anime characters, he's 18, so why doesn't he have a job yet, maybe he gets his income from his mother (his father divorced and left Raffy I think?) and his Ion streams and he gets all his supplies for free at a crafting club, that's it. He even called a gem Sea Diamond #6, why not just blue? The pacing was confusing yet painfully slow, half of it was about Controverse across the span of a day, the other half showed Raffy's fallout with Luca, they got together in the end but not as lovers anymore. If you like books about cosplaying, this is the book for you but I couldn't connect to the book so this was not my cup of tea.
Might be a good book...
Update: 6/10, this was an ok novel, it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either, it was a bit meh overall. Even though the main character, Raffy, experienced character development, it was frustrating to read him throughout most of the book as he says things like, "Oh no, I'm not the best cosplayer in the world! So sad!" Evie was a minor character but she had a bit of a judgmental and perfectionist attitude which I didn't like. Raffy was just an otaku who liked anime so much he would cosplay as anime characters, he's 18, so why doesn't he have a job yet, maybe he gets his income from his mother (his father divorced and left Raffy I think?) and his Ion streams and he gets all his supplies for free at a crafting club, that's it. He even called a gem Sea Diamond #6, why not just blue? The pacing was confusing yet painfully slow, half of it was about Controverse across the span of a day, the other half showed Raffy's fallout with Luca, they got together in the end but not as lovers anymore. If you like books about cosplaying, this is the book for you but I couldn't connect to the book so this was not my cup of tea.
missoliviareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
Oh this book was everything I needed to start me out of my reading slump! It was so cute, and so nerdy and so geeky and so precious and I loved it!!
Oh this book was everything I needed to start me out of my reading slump! It was so cute, and so nerdy and so geeky and so precious and I loved it!!
ayline's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sheissami's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75