Mexican American Moon Fuentez is spending the summer following high school graduation on a Fotogram (aka Instagram) tour with her twin sister, Star, and other young social media influencers. A gifted nature artist, Moon is there as Star’s photographer. Physically Star takes after their dad’s European ancestry; her “brand” is beautiful, pale, pure, delicate, religious teen waif. Moon sees herself as the opposite in every way. She has a large, curvy body, dark coloring, and very different attitudes about religion and sex. Their mom calls Moon a heathen slut for having had sex; the fact that their mother clearly has mental health issues makes her assaults no less painful for Moon. Moon works the merch table on the tour along with Santiago, brother of Fotogram’s founder. Biracial (Colombian/white) Santiago is initially taciturn and crabby, but Moon’s verbal sparring—ranging from witty to profane—amuses him. Moon is attracted to Santiago but can’t believe he might feel the same for her; she’s outwardly rejected the purity/whore narrative, and has been defiant of her mother and the way she’s been treated all her life, but she’s also internalized all of it. The sparks and stutters between Moon and Santiago provide a traditional romantic arc for this story, but Moon’s transformative perception of herself as someone worthy of love—helped along by her supportive Tía—is among the things that makes it a standout. Elements of magical realism add to the wonder of a lush tale full of gorgeous writing and radical self-affirmation. (Age 14 and older)

“Breathlessly atmospheric…A gorgeous, hopeful book.” —Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

The Hating Game meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this Pura Belpré Award–winning novel that’s an 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?