Trigger warnings: Anxiety

Might be a good book...
Update: 6/10, this was an ok novel, it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either, it was a bit meh overall. Even though the main character, Raffy, experienced character development, it was frustrating to read him throughout most of the book as he says things like, "Oh no, I'm not the best cosplayer in the world! So sad!" Evie was a minor character but she had a bit of a judgmental and perfectionist attitude which I didn't like. Raffy was just an otaku who liked anime so much he would cosplay as anime characters, he's 18, so why doesn't he have a job yet, maybe he gets his income from his mother (his father divorced and left Raffy I think?) and his Ion streams and he gets all his supplies for free at a crafting club, that's it. He even called a gem Sea Diamond #6, why not just blue? The pacing was confusing yet painfully slow, half of it was about Controverse across the span of a day, the other half showed Raffy's fallout with Luca, they got together in the end but not as lovers anymore. If you like books about cosplaying, this is the book for you but I couldn't connect to the book so this was not my cup of tea. ( )

I had no idea my life was missing a YA novel about cosplay and love, but alas, it was. ( )

I laughed out loud at least twice while reading this and, given that I'm currently descending into one of my regularly-scheduled depressive episodes, that's impressive. ( )

Be Dazzled is the sparkly gay book I hoped it would be.

Raffy is a seventeen-year-old gay cosplayer with a passion for craft and a dedicated following. His mother is a big name in the art world and looks down on his work to the extent that he has to hide it from her. Raffy's ex-boyfriend Luca is a bisexual soccer player with a homophobic father and a mother who wants Luca to be straight because it's easier. (For her.) When Be Dazzled begins, they've been broken up for a while and the narrative switches back and forth between the beginning of their relationship and the present, when they're against each other in a cosplay competition.

La Sala balances the romantic arc with Raffy and Luca's family arcs, as well as Raffy's growing into himself as a crafter and artist. The relationships between the teens and their parents are definitely strained and since the book is entirely from Raffy's POV we don't know the full of extent of what Luca's struggling with, which worked well as a way of keeping them apart. I was wondering how or if they'd find their way back to each other, how they could possibly work things out with their parents and, honestly, if one of them would get kicked out.

But I'm a queer romance reader and the ending of this book felt like a hug. Nothing's perfect and it's not a sitcom episode where everything's suddenly fixed and happy, but it was hopeful and joyful in a way I really needed in January 2021.
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I received a copy of this book for review. (review is at www.loveinpanels.com/prose/be-dazzled) ( )

Sometimes your girl just needs some (borderline super cheesy) teen romance with a healthy side dose of nerd culture and cosplay, and boy did Ryan La Sala deliver it with this heartfelt story! Following protagonist Rafael (aka Crafty Raffy) as he navigates the world of cosplay and creation, we see him find unexpected love, practise his chosen artform, and struggle with his family who doesn’t accept his passion. On the surface the story seems a bit over-bedazzled (sorry, I had to haha) and melodramatic, and Raffy definitely has his moments of teenage silliness, but La Sala explores some apt themes around growing up in such a realistic and truthful manner that I’ll forgive him for covering everything in a layer of glitter. Who am I kidding, anyways; you know I’m always down for a little extra sparkle in life and stories! ( )