Review: How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe

by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland 

August 10, 2021

432 pages

Goodreads Summary:

The Hating Game meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this irresistible romance starring a Mexican American teen who discovers love and profound truths about the universe when she spends her summer on a road trip across the country.

When her twin sister reaches social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepts her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister’s camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the “merch girl” on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.

Most notable is her bunkmate and new nemesis, Santiago Phillips, who is grumpy, combative, and also the hottest guy Moon has ever seen.

Moon is certain she hates Santiago and that he hates her back. But as chance and destiny (and maybe, probably, close proximity) bring the two of them in each other’s perpetual paths, Moon starts to wonder if that’s really true. She even starts to question her destiny as the unnoticed, unloved wallflower she always thought she was.

Could this summer change Moon’s life as she knows it?

Review

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished reading it. The story elicited so many different emotions in me.

Moon Fuentez is simply amazing. She's brave and unapologetic in her special way. Moon constantly faced passive-aggressive comments and physical hostilities but she navigated them like a champion. Bit by bit she began to see her own worth. It was such a pleasure going on this journey with Moon.

I appreciate the contrast between Moon and Star but I strongly disliked the way Star used Moon. Sure she had a whole lot of insecurities but that did not give her the right to treat Moon so badly. Moon deserved so much better from her twin sister!

Moon had the most toxic of relationships with her mother. It physically pained me to read the interactions between them. As the one person that should've loved Moon unconditionally, her mother was a serious piece of work. The things that came out of her mouth directed at Moon had me fuming. She's a big reality check. I wish we'd gotten more of a resolution with this mother-daughter pair.

On a more positive note, I hardcore rooted for Moon and Santiago. While they didn't have the best start, he was just what she needed. They helped each other discover their self-worth. The tension between Moon and Santiago sizzled in all the right places. I loved the realness between them!

The short chapters, relatable emotions and dynamic characters in How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe kept me turning page after page. Deep and meaningful, I urge readers to pick this one up asap.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.