This Book Has:
- Fantastic pansexual rep
- Casual and heartfelt trans rep
- Latinx main characters
- Friends-to-lovers TIMES TWO
- Beauty pageant shenanigans
- Sibling love/hate/endless support cycle
- Characters making mistakes and GROWING from them
- The phrase “the snake-haired, coming-out Medusa”
- My whole heart ❤
Review:
Anyone who knows me is aware that I have very strong opinions when it comes to magical realism – I only vibe with it in distinct situations. So when this book promised that there was a girl who was made of stardust and was being called back to the sky, I was hesitant. However, in a turn of events that stunned no one who has ever read a book by either Tehlor Kay Mejia or Anna-Marie McLemore, that magical element only made the story that much more beautiful and out of this world.
The writing was just so visually stunning. I haven’t read a book by either of the authors yet, but after this masterpiece, I will remedy that immediately. The overall storyline had me from the get-go as it follows two ex-best friends who find their way back to each other because of a beauty pageant that both take part in in different ways, pursuing different goals.
Lita, who is sure she will have to leave soon, wants to enter and win the Miss Meteor beauty pageant with her more voluptuous figure and darker skin before she disappears into the sky. Chicky, on the other hand, wants to win this to get back at the town people who have been ridiculing her for the colour of her skin and her sexual identity. Basically, both want to win out of spite and that’s one motivator I can always get behind. Together, they team up and make it their mission to get Lita that crown and to show the town of Meteor that beauty standards that only favour white, thin girls are antiquated and overrated.
Though the unusual concept and witty writing alone would have sold me on this book, what made it the unforgettable read that it was can definitely be attributed to the attention to detail the authors have given every single relationship that Lita and Chicky have. Chicky’s bunch of sisters were aggressively funny and snappy; I could read an entire series just about each and every one of them. Not to mention Chicky and Lita’s complicated past or their current…entanglements with potential romantic partners. Even their relationship with their parents (or parental figure in Lita’s case) felt so real and made me want to give out free hugs like there was no tomorrow. From moments where I chuckled at the antics they all got up to during the beauty pageant, then to moments where I had to wipe at my eyes because Chicky finally opened up to someone about who she is and what she wants from life, or when Lita worries she won’t be long for this world, this book just didn’t have any dull moments and that’s because of the authentic portrayal of every single character.
Lastly, what struck me most about this book was the way it approached sensitive topics such as xenophobia and transphobia and the concept of fake allies. Cole’s sister, for example, very much portrays the supportive sister after his transition, yet when her classmates make fun of two girls potentially being more than friends, she not only engages in the cruel jokes but even instigates most of them. The showdown between her and her brother was so powerful because it showed that just because you know someone that’s part of the LGBTQIAP+ community doesn’t automatically make you an ally. Just safeguarding one person on the spectrum instead of everyone is not enough and it’s not being an ally. Cole’s sister has a lot to learn and I loved her development throughout the story.
At its core, this is a story about friendship and love and how stigma, discrimination, and downright hurtful behaviours can influence the way you engage with others and above all, how you see yourself. Chicky struggles a lot with her sexual orientation; she has known for a while now that she is pansexual, but she’s afraid to speak up, conscious that she’s already being hassled because others think she is gay; setting the record straight does not appeal to her because it would only cause her that much more pain. Some parts about her journey were incredibly hard to read but all the more powerful for it, especially when she, with help of her friends and her sisters, eventually learns that the only opinion that should count in this is her own.
A unique and beautifully penned story, Miss Meteor belongs to the dreamers and the outsiders in this world who will find that they will always have a safe haven with the right people and that they can change the world, one beauty pageant at a time.
Miss Meteor is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 22nd 2020.
Will you be picking Miss Meteor? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history. But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or why her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world—and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands. So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough—they are everything.
Witty and heartfelt with characters that leap off the page, Miss Meteor is acclaimed authors Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia’s first book together.
