“It’s a whole new beginning, you know? It’s that moment before the universe expanded, when all of matter is the size of a trillionth of a period, all hot and full of nothing but potential. I could be someone who isn’t always and completely eclipsed by my sister and kicked down by my mom. Who could I be? The skyline whips by us, the clouds white. Everything feels new right along with me. Who could I be? I could be anything. No, scratch that. I could be everything.”
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe follows Moon Fuentez who, when her twin sister reaches media stardom and gets invited on an influencer tour, has to trudge along to fulfil her fate as her sister’s camerawoman. Moon is no stranger to being overlooked—her mother sees her as nothing but a promiscuous problem and her sister seems to only be kind when she wants new photos being taken. But as Moon takes on her role as “merch girl” on the tour and butts heads with Santiago Phillips, her co-worker on the tour and ultimate new nemesis, she’s seen for the first time. Not just as her sister’s camerawoman, but as a talented artist. Soon Moon learns that first impressions can be deceiving and that this summer might just change everything for her.
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is jam-packed with relevant topics and it’s hard to imagine that there is anyone who won’t love this book to pieces. From self-acceptance, self-worth, religion, spirituality, creativity and art, all the way to forgiveness, love and heartbreak, and working for your goals instead of just dreaming about them, there’s little this story doesn’t cover. Yet it explores these topics in such an approachable, easily consumable way. The writing is lyrical and there’s definitely prose that you will want to ink on your skin, but it doesn’t weigh down the pacing of Moon’s adventure. In a lot of ways, reading Moon’s story reminded me of the feeling I used to get watching One Tree Hill as a teen—like I wasn’t alone, like the struggles that might seem insurmountable might just be overcome with the right people and a whole lot of self-love. Gilliland has that atmospheric writing down to a T, making the most mundane of places feel extraordinary and making you feel like you’re in charge of your fate, just like Moon eventually realises.
Though there are so many things to mention about this book, I don’t want to spoil too much so I’ll just highlight two elements that blew me away. For one, this is very much a story about relationships. The one you have with others, but also the one you have with yourself. It’s so fascinating to follow Moon as she traverses these relationships with her sister and her mother that she can’t just cut off but that influence and shape her worldview in the worst of ways. On the road, Moon makes friends in the most unexpected of places and finds people who appreciate her and begins to question just how right the opinions of her family are and it’s fascinating to watch her find support instead of ridicule. To finally have people appreciate her artistic eye, the way she sees the world and replicates pieces of herself in her art pieces, was so satisfying.
What I loved most about this book, though, was the focus on self-acceptance and self-worth. Moon has spent her life being defined by what others think of her. She’s been made to feel inferior, ugly, unlovable and unwanted by her mother, and sometimes by extension by her sister. Gilliland here delivers a heartbreaking, unflinching and authentic depiction of what it means to have others decide your worth based on your looks or what they deem to be “unsuitable” behaviour. It takes Moon a long time to break away from these opinions that crowd her mind and Gilliland doesn’t shy away from showing the long-term effects that has on Moon. Instead, Moon is encouraged by her aunt, and herself to work on herself and in the end, save herself. Because no one else can do it for her. She works hard on learning to love herself, realising that she doesn’t need anyone else’s validation to be perfect just the way she is. That story arc makes How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe one of the most impactful reads of the year. I can only imagine what this book might have done for me in my teens, but I’m happy with the knowledge that other readers who might feel just like Moon will find this book at the right moment in time.
There is, of course, a romance that will leave you flipping the pages wondering when those two will realise their feelings for each other. Gilliland here aces the forced proximity trope and offers readers a nail-biting back and forth between Moon and Santiago that is as entertaining as it is frustrating watching them run in the wrong directions most of the time. Small kindnesses mean almost more because of this, and it makes for one hell of a reading experience. Really, the only thing that left me gritting my teeth was the resolution of the romantic relationship in this book. Moon and Santiago have a lot of separate issues and often, they lash out at each other or create problems because of the way they’ve been raised to believe themselves to be unworthy of love. In a way, they’re polar opposites and yet they’re one and the same when it comes to the things that matter. And while I loved how we got to see these two stubborn heads find ways to be on the same page, to help each other understand just how magical the other one is, I wish the resolution would have focused a bit more on the hurtful things they said to each other and real forgiveness instead of brushing it off to make the happily-for-now work. There were some things said that I wouldn’t have forgiven as easily and it did niggle at my mind that it wasn’t really discussed in the resolution. But that’s a minor griping of mine in a book that, otherwise, is a revelation.
With subject matters that hit below the belt, lyrical writing and a romance that will make you want to tear your hair out while swooning simultaneously, How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is an unmissable road trip adventure, perfect for fans of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega and One Tree Hill storytelling vibes.
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 10th 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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?
