How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe Review

By Nic Daniels

TW: domestic abuse, body-shaming, slut-shaming, mentions of suicide

Welcome back, audacious readers!

Hope you enjoyed a peaceful and filling holiday. As we round out November, we are continuing our theme of family, the bad, the ugly, and the good…eventually. Last month, we weaved our way through the thriller My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. This month, we’re diving right into the coming-of-age story, How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gililland.

Moon Fuentez has always been regarded as less desirable and more trouble than she worth, especially when compared to her twin sister, Star. Between her weight, her interest in spirituality out of Catholicism, and the fact that she’s sexually active, her mother sees her as cursed. Moon has long gotten used to being in the background as her sister’s photographer while the pious and outgoing Star rises to social media fame.

However, things change when she meets the brooding but handsome Santiago on an influencer tour. Despite getting off on the wrong foot, they build a genuine bond that has Moon reflecting on the other relationships in her life as well as her own worth.

I think this book tackles so many points in adolescence that often adults deem “inappropriate” but are so crucial, especially at this age.

Let’s stat with the romance. By now, y’all know I’m a sucker for love so we have to talk about Moon and Santiago. I appreciate so much of their dynamic. I like that they truly had to find points of connection—finding out if this person is “safe”—before forming a friendship and then dating. I also appreciate that Santiago only having one hand due to a car accident isn’t ignored nor overemphasized. It’s just right. It’s not reliant on looks nor are their issues ignored. They are constantly talking, and we love to see it.

Additionally, this book isn’t afraid to address sex or water down the stigma around it, especially for girls. I think we can all agree it’s to use religion as an excuse to restrict or hurt somebody, despite that being an unfotunately common practice, and this book shows us why. Moon is constantly shamed for having sex by her family and exploring her sexuality. While she’s quick to put on a brave face about it, it becomes a point of shame for her. It goes to show this idea of “purity” in young women destroys so much of their opportunity, knowledge, and freedom of their own body.

Funny enough, while Moon is aware of all this, so much of her mother’s abuse shapes her thought process. Moon recognizes the abuse and has goals that remove her from it. The fact that she didn’t give up and instead rebelled in her own ways to show her art—applying to an art college, accepting commissions, posting her own artwork onlines, and keeping in touch with her supportive aunt—shows Moon’s resilience. Yet, the way she views herself is warped. She isn’t sure she is worth being helped or saved. She doesn’t know if someone would truly cherish her. She strong and independent but very little of that goes to herself, which makes me so sad but also super proud when she decides enough is enough. I think there’s nothing braver than learning how to save yourself.

There’s still so much to talk about but I’ll stop right here until the book club IG live, coming soon. What did you think of How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe? What have you done to save yourself?  Let me know and until next time, don’t forget to read audaciously!