If you’re looking for a voice driven YA contemporary debut, you have to read Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster. To me it’s a queer Latinx version which delivers similar vibes to “Never Have I Ever” and “To All the Boys I Loved Before”. It has a MC who does some very questionable things like “Never Have I Ever” with the charm and family dynamics of “To All The Boys”. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: biphobia, sexism
My love for Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is split between Maggie’s character and this story line. In general, all of the characters in this story are fantastic – like I couldn’t pick a favorite family member or even love interest. Mosqueda does an amazing job of creating these fully dimensional complex side characters even if we only see them for a few scenes. I’d love stories for each of them because it’s clear they have nuance and life to them. But even more so, Maggie is such a gem. In Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster, I empathized with Maggie’s dilemmas.
Love triangles or potential love interests always fascinate me because I think they’re so telling of who we are. What each person represents to us and the futures they hold. So seeing Maggie having to process her own feelings was incredibly endearing. However the method she chooses has the potential for a lot of consequences and Maggie is going to have to figure out what she will do. But as a whole, Maggie’s narration is unique, fresh, and full of character.
Furthermore, you can’t help but get swept away by the story line of Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster. It’s simultaneously like watching a great romantic comedy unfold while also peeking between your eyes at a scary scene because you aren’t sure if the hero will make it out. Mosqueda’s debut asks us about our indecision. Our willingness to potential hurt the people we love and how honest we are with ourselves and the people around us.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
There’s plenty of swoony romantic scenes and in general, Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is about discovering ourselves. About conscious choices about who we want to be and what our future will hold. Find Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.