Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster follows self-described romantic disaster Maggie Gonzales as she tries to figure out whom to ask to be her escort to her little sister’s upcoming quinceañera: her charming ex-boyfriend, her gorgeous best friend and first crush ever, or the mysterious new girl in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley with the romantic baggage. As Maggie turns her search into an art project for school and time runs out, she finds herself having to face resurfacing feelings, confusing uncertainty about her plans for the future and what her decisions will mean for her and the people she loves.
There are some books you relate to so much you kind of want to keep them close to your chest and not let anyone else know how much they spoke to you just in case they won’t find it as compelling as you did and Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster was definitely that kind of book for me. In all honesty, I love character-driven stories like these that are all about how messy it is to be a teen, and Maggie completely delivered in that aspect. Maggie as well as her friends (and crushes) were well developed and you really got a feel for what made each of them tick. Maggie is understandably torn and frustrated because she has some unresolved feelings for Amanda, her best friend, Matthew, her ex-boyfriend, and Dani, the new girl in town. I loved the representation of what it means to be a teen and constantly question everyone’s motives and wondering where the line is between just being nice and flirting with someone—we’ve all been in that gray area before, I’m sure. The whole time Maggie is trying to figure out who to take to her sister’s big bash, she’s also beginning to discover more about herself and her own goals in life which meshed really well together—and was heightened by her using her passion for photography to put into words (and images) what she really thought about. Maggie is an incredibly messy, expressive and artistic character and I bet she’ll turn into a favourite for many readers.
All the secondary characters were also super interesting. There are definitely no perfect people in here— everyone is flawed and makes mistakes and has regrets and it just perfectly encapsulated the teen experience in my opinion. There are moments where you want to call out Maggie’s best friend or her ex-boyfriend for sending mixed signals but then, Maggie does the same thing, even if unwittingly. Like I said, this story just really nails what it means to be young and confused and in love.
One of my highlights from Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster was how Mosqueda dealt with the subject of life after high school. Maggie’s family is super proud of her going to a specific university after finishing high school but the more time passes, the more Maggie questions her decision. I just could relate so much to Maggie who felt a bit like she was cornered with all these expectations and hopes for her going off to a particular college while she was slowly realising that this maybe wasn’t her dream anymore, but just her family’s. It’s hard to disappoint people who want a better future for you and I loved the way this conundrum shaped Maggie’s relationship with her family.
All in all, this quickly became one of my favourite queer YA novels—Mosqueda absolutely knocked it out of the park with this debut and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future.
Encapsulating what it means to be young and blurring the lines of friendship and love, Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster shines with its relatable messy bisexual protagonist thanks to Mosqueda’s enrapturing prose. Filled with loads of heart, love for art and compelling relationship dynamics, this story is perfect for fans of Felix Ever After and Ophelia After All!
Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 24th 2022.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In this voice-driven young adult debut by Andrea Mosqueda, Maggie Gonzalez needs a date to her sister’s quinceañera – and fast.
Growing up in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, Maggie Gonzalez has always been a little messy, but she’s okay with that. After all, she has a great family, a goofy group of friends, a rocky romantic history, and dreams of being a music photographer. Tasked with picking an escort for her little sister’s quinceañera, Maggie has to face the truth: that her feelings about her friends—and her future—aren’t as simple as she’d once believed.
As Maggie’s search for the perfect escort continues, she’s forced to confront new (and old) feelings for three of her friends: Amanda, her best friend and first-ever crush; Matthew, her ex-boyfriend twice-over who refuses to stop flirting with her, and Dani, the new girl who has romantic baggage of her own. On top of this romantic disaster, she can’t stop thinking about the uncertainty of her own plans for the future and what that means for the people she loves.
As the weeks wind down and the boundaries between friendship and love become hazy, Maggie finds herself more and more confused with each photo. When her tried-and-true medium causes more chaos than calm, Maggie needs to figure out how to avoid certain disaster—or be brave enough to dive right into it.
