A review by anxiousrainbows
Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Such a great book to pull me out of a reading slump. This book is fun, a little dorky in a lovable way; the best way I can describe it is camp, very camp. I loved reading Raffy and Luca fall in love, both at first and then again, and I think this book really reminds you that teenagers are constantly changing as they figure themselves out, in a way that I think YA romance tends to forget in favor of the story. 

The only thing I didn't really like about the book is the placement of the flashbacks. They're an important piece of the story and I think the book really would've suffered without them, but as you get farther into the "now" timeline, they start to feel like commercial breaks and totally kill the pacing. Putting them all in the front and splitting the book into two parts I think would've served each story better by allowing them to have room to breathe and tell their part.

All in all, this is a great story, one that I will absolutely be recommending to friends who are cosplayers (I myself am not, I misread the summary and thought that "cosplay" was "costume", and coming from a theatre background, my interest was piqued, but the book does a great job of being accessible to readers who don't really know a whole lot about cosplay).
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