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Spin Me Right Round
From lauded writer David Valdes, a sharp and funny YA novel that's Back to the Future with a twist, as a gay teen travels back to his parents' era to save a closeted classmate's life.
All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” high school still doesn't allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis's parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He's determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).
When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he's going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the '80s isn't the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis's estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.
In a story that's fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted, queer character that readers won't soon forget.
All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” high school still doesn't allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis's parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He's determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).
When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he's going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the '80s isn't the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis's estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.
In a story that's fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted, queer character that readers won't soon forget.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2022
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January 13, 2023
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I'm frequently at odds with popular opinion on this site, for better or for worse (usually for worse). It's not that I'm intentionally contrary, mostly; it's more that I happen to be a big fan of camp and irony, and "mainstream" things aren't really written for people like me, AKA awkward dorks who evolved from precocious to pretentious the way Charmander inevitably becomes a Charizard, but who also aren't quite pretentious enough to throw out their Joel Schumacher movies or tattered V.C. Andrews paperbacks. It's why I like books like, say, I MARRIED THE LIZARD MAN but don't like books like FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. One is a glorious homage to the pulpy 1950s horror films with a dash of Harvest Moon dating sim and the other masturbates harder to the upwardly mobile aspirations of the bourgeoisie than it does the BDSM sex it supposedly (and problematically, I might add) espouses.
Anyway, that's why when I find books like SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND that have low ratings on Goodreads, part of me is like, "You fools! Are we but mere swines turning up our snouts at the pearls that lie before us?" And part of me is like, "Actually, maybe I'm the weird one here, and also, let those that live in pig houses cast not the first pearl." Or something like that. Because SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND is not a perfect read. The time travel is purely whimsical and doesn't really have a lot of scientific bases. And while it touches upon racism and bigotry in the '80s more than books like ELEANOR AND PARK did (i.e. not at all, except when convenient), there's still a sort of whitewashed gloss to the book that never really goes there. Which I think, on the one hand, is actually fine. We read books for escapism and this is YA, so we probably shouldn't traumatize the kiddos with brutal depictions of what bigotry in action could look like in history. And this light hand, for SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND, actually works, because the author manages to get his point across and he does so in a way that feels temporally acceptable, if not necessarily accurate.
The plot revolves around a flamboyantly gay boy named Luis who is going to a Christian school. It's pretty progressive for a Christian school but it still doesn't allow gay kids to go to the dance as couples and Luis is campaigning hard against that, because he wants to attend with his boyfriend, Cheng. He also has a nonbinary best friend named Nix, who tries to reign him in because they have a rather tragic understanding of the limits of what the school will and will not allow. Especially since, back in the 1980s a young gay Black man named Chaz died at the school and basically became a cautionary tale that the teachers decided to use as a fallback for their gussied up "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Anyway, after a failed attempt at subterfuge involving the prom invites (whoops, did I forgot to add pronouns to the invites, thus creating a legal loophole? SILLY ME), he ends up whacked on the head in the drama department (curse you, plywood!), which sends him back to the 1980s. 1985, specifically. Which I might be more skeptical about if 80% of my Timeswept historical romances didn't end the same way. I literally shared one today on Instagram where a female stuntwoman ends up int he middle of an 1800s bank robbery because of some faulty pyrotechnics. A few weeks ago, it was one where this woman bonked her head while falling out of a tree. Head bonkings are the leading cause of time travel, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW.
Anyway, Luis ends up meeting his favorite teacher (who is in her twenties in this timeline, omg so SWEET), and she believes him about the whole time travel thing because Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is her favorite book, so hooray. She decides that the best thing to do is to grandfather him into the school by pretending he's her tragically orphaned nephew, and it works because nobody has Google to look that shit up (looking that shit up on Google fixes 99% of falsified nephew shenanigans). Since his personality is big and brash, he decides to just be his best gay self while hanging out with the fringe crowd at this school, which includes HIS MOM(!), an artsy girl named Leeza, an adorable dork named Ernie, and the soon-to-be-doomed Chaz(!).
I don't want to say too much about this book because spoilers are foilers, people. But it's actually adorable in the way that some of those low budget YA movies of the '90s were adorable, where even if the story is far-fetched, it's so earnest and enjoyable that you end up coming back to it over and over. This book manages to capture all of the nostalgia of what made the '80s live on in so many young people's imaginations: the thrill of being in the moment, without phones; the over the top catchy beats of '80s songs (I appreciate The Cars shoutout); Tiger Beat; '80s clothes involving ruffles; CHESS KING; bomber jackets; big hair, etc. But it also doesn't ignore what made the '80s kind of awful, and it hammers home, in a really subtle and kind of quietly tragic way, how so many kids of the '80s and '90s had to wait a very long time to grow up and come out, in order to get to be their true, authentic selves.
The ending is beautiful and perfect and the scenes with Luis discovering his mom as a teen and seeing so much of himself in her actually made me tear up. I think it's easy for kids-- especially teens-- to forget their parents are people with actual hopes and dreams, and seeing his mom before she grew up, and seeing so much of himself in her, was such a powerful, beautiful moment. Luis is everything I love in a narrator-- he's willful and difficult, but he's also very funny, and even though he's shallow and a little selfish, he's not an inherently bad person and part of the story is watching him grow, as well. This is another cool thing about the book because a lot of the times, when an author writes a queer book, I think that there's an expectation that the queer character has to be flawless, acting as a sort of ambassador for whatever color block on the Pride flag they're representing, so seeing a queer character who gets to be imperfect and who gets to do so in a really fun way is fun and exciting and actually ended up making him feel really well rounded and interesting. I liked that he could be a bitch. I can be a bitch, too, so that made me really relate to Luis. I also liked the fact that he was Cuban, and how the author touches upon some of the inherent misogyny that can appear in some Latinx households, and how working past that (in the case of Luis's mother) can take a lot of effort and introspection.
Is this book for everyone? No. But if you like camp and catty narrators and John Hughes movies, I think you're going to love this book. I know I did. It's also a clever subversion of the bury-your-gays trope. Netflix seriously needs to make this into a movie for the promposal and the "Drive" scenes alone.
4 to 4.5 stars
August 27, 2023
Rep: Cuban American gay mc, Chinese American gay li, nonbinary side character, Thai American side character, Indian American side character, Black side character, Cuban American side characters
CWs: homophobia, teacher-student relationship, homophobic violence
CWs: homophobia, teacher-student relationship, homophobic violence
July 29, 2023
Okay, so there’s been an underlying message in YA Lit I’ve read cropping up recently that the ultimate form of liberation for queer folk is coming out. And yeah, this can be true… for some. For others, it can be endangering and traumatic and generally not worth it. So when the bulk of a novel is the MC not so subtly trying to convince another character to be out and proud in a highly religious school, in the 80’s, where he is already harassed for being presumed gay, I wonder whether the author missed the thread somewhere along the way.
Miscellaneous Thoughts-
•F slur is thrown around freely. Normal for the time period, but jarring compared to the generally light tone of the novel
•Should've been called "Karma Chameleon"
•Luis says 80’s music isn’t “his jam,” who the hell doesn’t like 80’s music!?
Miscellaneous Thoughts-
•F slur is thrown around freely. Normal for the time period, but jarring compared to the generally light tone of the novel
•Should've been called "Karma Chameleon"
•Luis says 80’s music isn’t “his jam,” who the hell doesn’t like 80’s music!?
February 16, 2022
Yet another YA novel riddled with out of touch pop culture references and cartoonish portrayals of teenagers, this was a fun, yet cringey, ride. I did enjoy the general premise, and I thought lots of the banter was fun to read. The book intrigued me, and did a good job of keeping me entertained: I read it all in practically one sitting, and was never bored.
However, it read to me like the author hasn't came within 50 feet of any real-life teenager, and decided to write a kid based on their online proximation of what Gen-Z is like. There are certain novels with many pop culture references that still manage to feel authentic to the age group being written about: Ophelia After All, for example, does a great job of realistically writing 21st century teenagers, and Red White and Royal Blue is very fitting of the *millennial* characterizations deeply entrenched in pop culture. This book did not hit that mark. Not only was the main character extremely selfish and thoughtless, which wasn't ever properly unpacked, but he also acted in a way that no teenager acts in real life.
Still, I really enjoyed the large cast of diverse characters and the plot was fun. 3.5
However, it read to me like the author hasn't came within 50 feet of any real-life teenager, and decided to write a kid based on their online proximation of what Gen-Z is like. There are certain novels with many pop culture references that still manage to feel authentic to the age group being written about: Ophelia After All, for example, does a great job of realistically writing 21st century teenagers, and Red White and Royal Blue is very fitting of the *millennial* characterizations deeply entrenched in pop culture. This book did not hit that mark. Not only was the main character extremely selfish and thoughtless, which wasn't ever properly unpacked, but he also acted in a way that no teenager acts in real life.
Still, I really enjoyed the large cast of diverse characters and the plot was fun. 3.5
February 9, 2022
4.5 stars, rounded up.
A gay, YA twist on Back to the Future ? Yes, please, give me David Valdes' Spin Me Right Round ! (Oh, and you'll probably find yourself singing the song, either the original 80s version or Flo Rida's.)
Luis’ high school is supposed to be “progressive,” but students aren’t encouraged to be out, so the thing Luis wants more than anything, to take his boyfriend to prom, isn’t allowed. And while his mother is fully supportive of his being gay, she worries about him making a big issue of this at school because when she was a student there, Chaz, a gay classmate, was found dead on the night of the prom.
As the student-body president and a favorite of many of the faculty, Luis thinks he might be able to find a way to trick the school into allowing same-sex couples to go to prom. But his hopes are quickly dashed, and he's not sure how to handle his disappointment and anger, or his mother's resistance to his speaking up.
When a bump on the head sends him back to 1985, he finds himself in his very same high school—and his parents are students. Luis is determined to let Chaz know it’s ok to be who he is, and hopefully save his life in the process. But a super-conservative school isn’t the best place to stand out, and if he changes the course of the past, how will it affect the future?
I loved Spin Me Right Round so much! It was fun and silly and sweet and thought-provoking and a reminder of how far things have come but also a reminder of how far they still have to go.
Thanks to Storygram Tours and Bloomsbury YA for inviting me on the tour and providing a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!
The book publishes 12/7.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
A gay, YA twist on Back to the Future ? Yes, please, give me David Valdes' Spin Me Right Round ! (Oh, and you'll probably find yourself singing the song, either the original 80s version or Flo Rida's.)
Luis’ high school is supposed to be “progressive,” but students aren’t encouraged to be out, so the thing Luis wants more than anything, to take his boyfriend to prom, isn’t allowed. And while his mother is fully supportive of his being gay, she worries about him making a big issue of this at school because when she was a student there, Chaz, a gay classmate, was found dead on the night of the prom.
As the student-body president and a favorite of many of the faculty, Luis thinks he might be able to find a way to trick the school into allowing same-sex couples to go to prom. But his hopes are quickly dashed, and he's not sure how to handle his disappointment and anger, or his mother's resistance to his speaking up.
When a bump on the head sends him back to 1985, he finds himself in his very same high school—and his parents are students. Luis is determined to let Chaz know it’s ok to be who he is, and hopefully save his life in the process. But a super-conservative school isn’t the best place to stand out, and if he changes the course of the past, how will it affect the future?
I loved Spin Me Right Round so much! It was fun and silly and sweet and thought-provoking and a reminder of how far things have come but also a reminder of how far they still have to go.
Thanks to Storygram Tours and Bloomsbury YA for inviting me on the tour and providing a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!
The book publishes 12/7.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
January 6, 2022
Pros: diverse cast of POC characters, good premise, good writing. The writing is the main reason I was able to read the whole thing despite not liking the book overall
Cons: Has this author ever met a teenager??? cause I can say 2021 teens don’t act this way. The amount of trying to throw in slang and media references made me cringe.
The MC is so annoying I couldn’t stand reading his perspective
The conclusion felt lazy, like oh everything is perfect now and homophobia is dead HURRAY
Really? a harry potter reference?? in a 2021 queer ya? I thought we were done with that. As a trans reader it left a sour taste in my mouth and made me immediately turned off of this book
Cons: Has this author ever met a teenager??? cause I can say 2021 teens don’t act this way. The amount of trying to throw in slang and media references made me cringe.
The MC is so annoying I couldn’t stand reading his perspective
The conclusion felt lazy, like oh everything is perfect now and homophobia is dead HURRAY
Really? a harry potter reference?? in a 2021 queer ya? I thought we were done with that. As a trans reader it left a sour taste in my mouth and made me immediately turned off of this book
February 27, 2022
What a great concept!
What a terrible main character!
Worse -- fatally -- he's a character who's awful in ways the author has no idea about. I love a complicated protagonist, especially one who learns and grows, but Luis doesn't learn any real lessons and in fact has most of his bad choices and poor behavior affirmed. He even
I feel like Valdes came up with this fantastic premise -- Back to the Future but with the added goal of preventing a gay classmate of the MC's parents' death -- and then didn't really know what to do with it. Look, I know:
But I don't think Valdes had really any ideas about actions and consequences, or even about different things Luis might do to try to save Chaz's life. Luis, to be honest, didn't seem to care much either, or feel much urgency, and his actual plan makes no sense considering that he doesn't know how Chaz died in the original timeline -- whether he killed himself or was murdered by homophobic assholes or what. Ultimately, he pretty much chooses to put Chaz in more danger before lucking into saving him -- and he is so, so unsympathetic to anyone who might want or need to stay closeted, at a homophobic boarding school, in a rural area, in the nineteen-eighties. Honestly, Luis feels like someone who might forcibly out others "for their own good." I did not like him.
I also did not like how Valdes wrote the situation with Luis' parents. Luis' dad is just awful, but the narrative does nothing interesting with his awfulness. What if, instead of painting a bigger target on Chaz's back, Luis used his time in the past to try to get through to Gordo, to address the actual source of the homophobic violence rather than try to force Chaz to be out when it wasn't safe? Also, as others have pointed out, the fact that Luis' mother I feel like a lot of character decisions were made for reasons like this, for what amounts to ~aesthetic~. This does not make for a very emotionally satisfying book.
On the whole, this feels like a time travel novel that's wholly uninterested in time travel, starring a self-righteous Gen Z protagonist who thinks that not getting to go to prom with his boyfriend (remember: ) is the worst type of homophobia that could possibly exist, and that gay people of the past weren't out and proud simply because they weren't "brave" enough, like him.
Overall, an extremely frustrating reading experience.
What a terrible main character!
Worse -- fatally -- he's a character who's awful in ways the author has no idea about. I love a complicated protagonist, especially one who learns and grows, but Luis doesn't learn any real lessons and in fact has most of his bad choices and poor behavior affirmed. He even
I feel like Valdes came up with this fantastic premise -- Back to the Future but with the added goal of preventing a gay classmate of the MC's parents' death -- and then didn't really know what to do with it. Look, I know:
But I don't think Valdes had really any ideas about actions and consequences, or even about different things Luis might do to try to save Chaz's life. Luis, to be honest, didn't seem to care much either, or feel much urgency, and his actual plan makes no sense considering that he doesn't know how Chaz died in the original timeline -- whether he killed himself or was murdered by homophobic assholes or what. Ultimately, he pretty much chooses to put Chaz in more danger before lucking into saving him -- and he is so, so unsympathetic to anyone who might want or need to stay closeted, at a homophobic boarding school, in a rural area, in the nineteen-eighties. Honestly, Luis feels like someone who might forcibly out others "for their own good." I did not like him.
I also did not like how Valdes wrote the situation with Luis' parents. Luis' dad is just awful, but the narrative does nothing interesting with his awfulness. What if, instead of painting a bigger target on Chaz's back, Luis used his time in the past to try to get through to Gordo, to address the actual source of the homophobic violence rather than try to force Chaz to be out when it wasn't safe? Also, as others have pointed out, the fact that Luis' mother I feel like a lot of character decisions were made for reasons like this, for what amounts to ~aesthetic~. This does not make for a very emotionally satisfying book.
On the whole, this feels like a time travel novel that's wholly uninterested in time travel, starring a self-righteous Gen Z protagonist who thinks that not getting to go to prom with his boyfriend (remember: ) is the worst type of homophobia that could possibly exist, and that gay people of the past weren't out and proud simply because they weren't "brave" enough, like him.
Overall, an extremely frustrating reading experience.
February 24, 2023
gay teen boy of color has somehow had the privilege of never having to codeswitch in his life
(wondering if i would have liked this more if i didn’t find myself constantly annoyed by the audio narration)
edit: actually the more i think about this book the more i Hate it and the more i feel like it’s existence and “message” is dangerous. idk if i’ll explain more coherently but that’s all i’ll say for now ig
(wondering if i would have liked this more if i didn’t find myself constantly annoyed by the audio narration)
edit: actually the more i think about this book the more i Hate it and the more i feel like it’s existence and “message” is dangerous. idk if i’ll explain more coherently but that’s all i’ll say for now ig
October 2, 2021
★★★ ½ ☆ // 3.5 s t a r s
My Book Blog — Apollo Approved
Thank you Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
This book was honestly a whole mood. LIke, if you're one who needs a book with a relatable character who even though is (kinda) self-centered you can't help but love because he just so happens to be thinking everything you're also thinking? This one's for you. Also, to all my contemporary lovers who want more than the high school romance, we've got time travel so, exciting! (It honestly is making me want to find a book that's completely set in the 80s [or such] with a really radical MC best friend, because how interesting would that be? Having that mindset and stuff.)
We're doing a character paragraph and worldbuilding in this one, just so you're aware (I wish I could sound formal in these reviews and not like I'm literally talking, so annoying). Anyway, Luis Gonzalez (literally had to check the summary for his last name, did they ever say it in the book…? They prolly did, my memory sucks). Describe him in three words you ask? Cuban, queer, confident (there are better adjectives, say "loud" or "this dude talks too much", but it didn't vibe the same and we know I'm all about the vibe [if I was extra enough an *eye roll emoji* would be here right now]). But seriously, just about everything our boy Luis uttered was a huge mood, and a better type of MC that was traveling into the future could not be asked for. What more could you need than someone who absolutely does not fit into the 80s to be thrown into the 80s, of course.
Chaz Wilson. The gay boy in the 80s that definitely was not born is the right family as far as acceptance, and definitely was born in the wrong century (or at least place). He's super charismatic and seriously the type of guy that if he was alive now, all those jock dudes would be like "Oh, but I'd be gay for him."
Okay, one word explanation of four random characters, go. Gordo (aka Luis' homophobic dad) — barf. Maria Elena (aka Luis' mother) — magnificent. Ms Silverthorn (aka Luis' English teacher) — radical (af). Mrs. Somboon-Fox (aka Luis' principal and top-tier flower lady) — (try-hard) rebel. That's all. The struggle it was to only write one word that I really went out of my way to add parenthesis to make it look like I did *eye roll emoji again*.
Worldbuilding, whoop dee doo. Good. I liked it. That's all that needs to be said. David Valdes really captured how a school made certain changes as time went on, showed how horrible those conditions were back in time, and then showed how much more changes were possible (with a little help from Luis, obviously). I think Valdes actually showed it really well in the short time that Luis was in his previous actual time, and in the even less time that he was in his new actual time (that sounds very confusing but I don't know how to reword it, oops).
(Searches up "In Conclusion" synonyms…) In closing, Spin Me Right Round is the gay Back to the Future book we all didn't realize we needed, but are definitely glad we now have. So read it. Now. Well, I guess not now, but in a month!
Read...If You Liked...
• One Last Stop
• Summer of '69
• Fahrenheit 451
My Book Blog — Apollo Approved
Thank you Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
This book was honestly a whole mood. LIke, if you're one who needs a book with a relatable character who even though is (kinda) self-centered you can't help but love because he just so happens to be thinking everything you're also thinking? This one's for you. Also, to all my contemporary lovers who want more than the high school romance, we've got time travel so, exciting! (It honestly is making me want to find a book that's completely set in the 80s [or such] with a really radical MC best friend, because how interesting would that be? Having that mindset and stuff.)
We're doing a character paragraph and worldbuilding in this one, just so you're aware (I wish I could sound formal in these reviews and not like I'm literally talking, so annoying). Anyway, Luis Gonzalez (literally had to check the summary for his last name, did they ever say it in the book…? They prolly did, my memory sucks). Describe him in three words you ask? Cuban, queer, confident (there are better adjectives, say "loud" or "this dude talks too much", but it didn't vibe the same and we know I'm all about the vibe [if I was extra enough an *eye roll emoji* would be here right now]). But seriously, just about everything our boy Luis uttered was a huge mood, and a better type of MC that was traveling into the future could not be asked for. What more could you need than someone who absolutely does not fit into the 80s to be thrown into the 80s, of course.
Chaz Wilson. The gay boy in the 80s that definitely was not born is the right family as far as acceptance, and definitely was born in the wrong century (or at least place). He's super charismatic and seriously the type of guy that if he was alive now, all those jock dudes would be like "Oh, but I'd be gay for him."
Okay, one word explanation of four random characters, go. Gordo (aka Luis' homophobic dad) — barf. Maria Elena (aka Luis' mother) — magnificent. Ms Silverthorn (aka Luis' English teacher) — radical (af). Mrs. Somboon-Fox (aka Luis' principal and top-tier flower lady) — (try-hard) rebel. That's all. The struggle it was to only write one word that I really went out of my way to add parenthesis to make it look like I did *eye roll emoji again*.
Worldbuilding, whoop dee doo. Good. I liked it. That's all that needs to be said. David Valdes really captured how a school made certain changes as time went on, showed how horrible those conditions were back in time, and then showed how much more changes were possible (with a little help from Luis, obviously). I think Valdes actually showed it really well in the short time that Luis was in his previous actual time, and in the even less time that he was in his new actual time (that sounds very confusing but I don't know how to reword it, oops).
❝ And as we step out onto the lawn, the sun leaning late in the sky, two gay boys in fabulous attire, it hits me… ❞
(Searches up "In Conclusion" synonyms…) In closing, Spin Me Right Round is the gay Back to the Future book we all didn't realize we needed, but are definitely glad we now have. So read it. Now. Well, I guess not now, but in a month!
Read...If You Liked...
• One Last Stop
• Summer of '69
• Fahrenheit 451
October 19, 2021
Spin Me Right Round is the book I didn't know I needed in my life. A blast from the past with hope for the future, this book is thoughtful, funny, and totally fabulous. Valdes perfectly captures a mix of hilarious queer joy and the seriousness of our queer history. Luis is such an incredible main character, and the growth he takes throughout the story is touching and relatable. This is a perfect read for queer readers of all ages, practically required reading for all. So much love for this one!!
June 4, 2022
"Progress" is an overly simple word. It's not simply things either get better or they get worst. As much as things get better, people get left behind. In the U.S., same sex marriage was legalized back in 2015, but the Don't Say Gay Bill was passed in Florida seven years later while Texas is attempting to criminalize gender affirming care.
And then there's this book.
In this book, our main character, Luis, goes to a relatively progressive school. Yet he can't take his boyfriend to prom. Which does genuinely suck. He is sent backwards in time to the eighties where he decides to save another queer boy, Chaz, from a hate crime that took his life. He's doing this because Chaz's death was a big set back in the school's progress with LGBTQ+ acceptance and so saving Chaz means that Luis will be able to take his boyfriend to prom.
Now there's a lot to unpack here. I'll discuss Luis being unlikable in a minute. But right now I want to talk about the theme of "progress." The way this book is framed, a major theme is the idea of how far we've come vs how far we have to go. But the thing is, it's grossly oversimplified. The homophobia depicted in this book isn't the kind that was unique to the eighties. Honestly, if time travel was taken out of this story, the eighties setting could be replaced with just any conservative-leaning school. Really, the only reason this book needs to be set in the eighties is so they can make eighties pop culture references.
I want to be clear here: there are still Chaz's today. There are still schools that are like Chaz's. There are Luis's today. There are schools like Luis's. Sometimes, they even go to the same school but are in different social circles.
All this is to say, I disagree with this book's main message.
That whole spiel aside, Luis is in fact an asshole. He is incredibly selfish and a dumbass, he's also pretty privileged and blissfully unaware of that privilege. Now me, I no longer really take issue with characters being annoying because I don't think a good story necessarily means the main character needs to be likable or relatable. My issue is that the narrative seems completely unaware that Luis is unlikable.
He doesn't really have an arc, he just realizes the eighties sucked with homophobia (but not in what specific ways eighties homophobia was different from modern homophobia) and learns more lore about the adults in his life. He never becomes a better person and the fact he's unlikable never drives the drama in an interesting way. Luis being self righteous and full of himself, makes the book feel self righteous and full of itself. And minor spoiler here, but Luis cheats on his 2020s boyfriend with Chaz. The cheating is never really viewed as wrong nor does his boyfriend ever find out.
Spin Me Right Round is sold as a queer Latinx Back To the Future. All while lacking any of the charm or entertainment of Back To the Future and being a poor take on LGBTQ+ progression.
TWs: gay bashing, homophobia, cheating, a student-teacher relationship (high school) (the narrative does acknowledge that this is a problem), and bullying.
And then there's this book.
In this book, our main character, Luis, goes to a relatively progressive school. Yet he can't take his boyfriend to prom. Which does genuinely suck. He is sent backwards in time to the eighties where he decides to save another queer boy, Chaz, from a hate crime that took his life. He's doing this because Chaz's death was a big set back in the school's progress with LGBTQ+ acceptance and so saving Chaz means that Luis will be able to take his boyfriend to prom.
Now there's a lot to unpack here. I'll discuss Luis being unlikable in a minute. But right now I want to talk about the theme of "progress." The way this book is framed, a major theme is the idea of how far we've come vs how far we have to go. But the thing is, it's grossly oversimplified. The homophobia depicted in this book isn't the kind that was unique to the eighties. Honestly, if time travel was taken out of this story, the eighties setting could be replaced with just any conservative-leaning school. Really, the only reason this book needs to be set in the eighties is so they can make eighties pop culture references.
I want to be clear here: there are still Chaz's today. There are still schools that are like Chaz's. There are Luis's today. There are schools like Luis's. Sometimes, they even go to the same school but are in different social circles.
All this is to say, I disagree with this book's main message.
That whole spiel aside, Luis is in fact an asshole. He is incredibly selfish and a dumbass, he's also pretty privileged and blissfully unaware of that privilege. Now me, I no longer really take issue with characters being annoying because I don't think a good story necessarily means the main character needs to be likable or relatable. My issue is that the narrative seems completely unaware that Luis is unlikable.
He doesn't really have an arc, he just realizes the eighties sucked with homophobia (but not in what specific ways eighties homophobia was different from modern homophobia) and learns more lore about the adults in his life. He never becomes a better person and the fact he's unlikable never drives the drama in an interesting way. Luis being self righteous and full of himself, makes the book feel self righteous and full of itself. And minor spoiler here, but Luis cheats on his 2020s boyfriend with Chaz. The cheating is never really viewed as wrong nor does his boyfriend ever find out.
Spin Me Right Round is sold as a queer Latinx Back To the Future. All while lacking any of the charm or entertainment of Back To the Future and being a poor take on LGBTQ+ progression.
TWs: gay bashing, homophobia, cheating, a student-teacher relationship (high school) (the narrative does acknowledge that this is a problem), and bullying.
January 19, 2022
DNF at around halfway through
There's nothing glaringly bad about this book, but the cavalcade of cringeworthy teenspeak, Luis' incredibly grating personality (as I noted in my review of CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY, I can rarely stand the "diva" type MCs), and the way everything so seamlessly falls into uber-convenient place () and my current reading slump make me feel disinterested in continuing. For what it's worth, I do really like Ms. Silverthorn, Ma Elena, and Leeza (and Nix, even though their role up up to the part I got to was "nonbinary friend whose purpose is to show up whenever queer issues are discussed" and pretty much nothing else), and I could see some people really enjoying this! It just didn't work for me.
There's nothing glaringly bad about this book, but the cavalcade of cringeworthy teenspeak, Luis' incredibly grating personality (as I noted in my review of CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY, I can rarely stand the "diva" type MCs), and the way everything so seamlessly falls into uber-convenient place () and my current reading slump make me feel disinterested in continuing. For what it's worth, I do really like Ms. Silverthorn, Ma Elena, and Leeza (and Nix, even though their role up up to the part I got to was "nonbinary friend whose purpose is to show up whenever queer issues are discussed" and pretty much nothing else), and I could see some people really enjoying this! It just didn't work for me.
Read
January 11, 2022Back to the Future from Wish but at least his mother doesn't want to fk him.
Spin Me Right Round is about a boy named Luis who just wants to go to prom with his boyfriend. When he decides to fight back and try to change the rule, he ends up in an accident that makes him travel back in time to when his parents were in high school. Now he's back in 1985 and meets a kid he was always warned about because he was gay & died: Chaz. With no other idea of what to do, Luis decides this is his chance to save him. Being gay in a conservative school in the 80s is not the best place to be and then Luis's own estranged father is now his classmate but is doing nothing but be a problem for him.
So I hate time travel. I have no problem admitting that. But also this author did fuck all for this time travel story to make any damn sense. Luis gets hit on the head, knocked back to 1985. His first instinct, run to his teacher who worked there even then. Her first instinct is to believe him and then also... enroll him in the school? Like why though. Why did he have to go to school??
They do half ass things like talk about the butterfly effect and how he could totally make it so he wasn't born but that really wasn't a problem even though he messed with everyone's life instantly?? Then ofc when he gets back oh like the two problems are fixed and everything is good when he stepped on SO MANY BUTTERFLIES. He didn't just step he fucking moon walked over them, turned around and did it the other way. It would make no sense to have everything be the same but with two errors fixed. I know I'm thinking about this too much but PLSSS.
Luis is so annoying oh my god. He was annoying from the beginning and then just stayed annoying. His voice was obnoxious and I want to bully him myself because he's so stuck up. I don't know anything about the author but it really just feels like he was a parody of a gay teenage boy.
Gross cheating too like uh okay you suck and kissing someone else to help you realize that huh, you do love your bf is gross. The way they even had a ~bond~ was just they were the only two gay boys at the school. That's literally it!!!
So much random homophobia and Luis's father was so hilariously homophobic like even after all he did, Luis was still born? I mean okay... His parents entire relationship was so gross and I thought it would come out where they don't get together but no, it was all for nothing.
I would like to time travel back in time to before I decided to read this and then tell myself to take a nap instead.
Spin Me Right Round is about a boy named Luis who just wants to go to prom with his boyfriend. When he decides to fight back and try to change the rule, he ends up in an accident that makes him travel back in time to when his parents were in high school. Now he's back in 1985 and meets a kid he was always warned about because he was gay & died: Chaz. With no other idea of what to do, Luis decides this is his chance to save him. Being gay in a conservative school in the 80s is not the best place to be and then Luis's own estranged father is now his classmate but is doing nothing but be a problem for him.
So I hate time travel. I have no problem admitting that. But also this author did fuck all for this time travel story to make any damn sense. Luis gets hit on the head, knocked back to 1985. His first instinct, run to his teacher who worked there even then. Her first instinct is to believe him and then also... enroll him in the school? Like why though. Why did he have to go to school??
They do half ass things like talk about the butterfly effect and how he could totally make it so he wasn't born but that really wasn't a problem even though he messed with everyone's life instantly?? Then ofc when he gets back oh like the two problems are fixed and everything is good when he stepped on SO MANY BUTTERFLIES. He didn't just step he fucking moon walked over them, turned around and did it the other way. It would make no sense to have everything be the same but with two errors fixed. I know I'm thinking about this too much but PLSSS.
Luis is so annoying oh my god. He was annoying from the beginning and then just stayed annoying. His voice was obnoxious and I want to bully him myself because he's so stuck up. I don't know anything about the author but it really just feels like he was a parody of a gay teenage boy.
Gross cheating too like uh okay you suck and kissing someone else to help you realize that huh, you do love your bf is gross. The way they even had a ~bond~ was just they were the only two gay boys at the school. That's literally it!!!
So much random homophobia and Luis's father was so hilariously homophobic like even after all he did, Luis was still born? I mean okay... His parents entire relationship was so gross and I thought it would come out where they don't get together but no, it was all for nothing.
I would like to time travel back in time to before I decided to read this and then tell myself to take a nap instead.
October 10, 2022
This book was horrible! I'm 99.9999% convinced the author has never met a teenager, because this is NOT what we talk like whatsoever. Oh and the main character annoyed me so much! like seriously, Please. Get. A. Brain.
February 13, 2022
What a fabulous, brilliant book !
It really is a gay retelling of Back to the Future in the funniest and sassiest way !
Luis, the narrator, is an out-and-proud, larger than life, loud and sassy senior. He is used to having his way, using his silky tongue and his witty brains to woe the school principal into embracing his ideas. But the school in upstate rural New York (one of these small-town-America places that seem absolutely horrible places to live in books) isn't as progressive as it claims to be, and despite Luis' efforts, they don't allow same-sex couples at prom, and Luis is furious he can't attend with his boyfriend Cheng.
While Luis is plotting potential ways to change this, on his way to talk with his favourite teacher, Ms. Silverthorn, an accidntal hit in the head sends him back to 1985.
And 1985 is a terrible place for gay people. His school is a religious hellhole, and one of the worst people around is Luis' estranged father, Gordo. Luis quickly decides that there's a reason he's here, and that's to save closeted gay boy Chaz Wilson from committing suicide on prom day - a story he knows from his mother.
With the assistance of a young Ms. Silverthron, Luis befriends Chaz, his roomate Ernie Gale (who in the present timline grew up to be an eccentric museum curator), no-nonsense Leesa and his own mother. We see through his eyes all the terrible aspects of life in the 80s for gay people, but this book is a message of hope, of preserverance, of love and the message that big changes can be put into motion by the actions of a few individuals and just having someone there for you.
Especially the last part is the one we can see it clearly :
- we see the difference between the 1985 school and the 2020 school, and then the differece with the new 2020 school which is the result of decades of efforts from a determined teacher, inspired by the courage and love of her students back in 1985.
- we see the impact Luis' intervention has on Chaz, who now has someone to talk to, to help him accept himself and .
- we see the impact on Ernie's life, who completely changes with his new friends and leading him to personal revelations too.
A minor complain: The book could use 2-3 more chapters so that some loose ends from the past are tied in the present. We never learnt about Leesa in the present, it would be nice to see adult Chaz and Ernie, and maybe a bit more of Cheng.
Overall, it was a great and unique read and I hope David Valdes keeps writing YA gay novels !
It really is a gay retelling of Back to the Future in the funniest and sassiest way !
Luis, the narrator, is an out-and-proud, larger than life, loud and sassy senior. He is used to having his way, using his silky tongue and his witty brains to woe the school principal into embracing his ideas. But the school in upstate rural New York (one of these small-town-America places that seem absolutely horrible places to live in books) isn't as progressive as it claims to be, and despite Luis' efforts, they don't allow same-sex couples at prom, and Luis is furious he can't attend with his boyfriend Cheng.
While Luis is plotting potential ways to change this, on his way to talk with his favourite teacher, Ms. Silverthorn, an accidntal hit in the head sends him back to 1985.
And 1985 is a terrible place for gay people. His school is a religious hellhole, and one of the worst people around is Luis' estranged father, Gordo. Luis quickly decides that there's a reason he's here, and that's to save closeted gay boy Chaz Wilson from committing suicide on prom day - a story he knows from his mother.
With the assistance of a young Ms. Silverthron, Luis befriends Chaz, his roomate Ernie Gale (who in the present timline grew up to be an eccentric museum curator), no-nonsense Leesa and his own mother. We see through his eyes all the terrible aspects of life in the 80s for gay people, but this book is a message of hope, of preserverance, of love and the message that big changes can be put into motion by the actions of a few individuals and just having someone there for you.
Especially the last part is the one we can see it clearly :
- we see the difference between the 1985 school and the 2020 school, and then the differece with the new 2020 school which is the result of decades of efforts from a determined teacher, inspired by the courage and love of her students back in 1985.
- we see the impact Luis' intervention has on Chaz, who now has someone to talk to, to help him accept himself and .
- we see the impact on Ernie's life, who completely changes with his new friends and leading him to personal revelations too.
A minor complain: The book could use 2-3 more chapters so that some loose ends from the past are tied in the present. We never learnt about Leesa in the present, it would be nice to see adult Chaz and Ernie, and maybe a bit more of Cheng.
Overall, it was a great and unique read and I hope David Valdes keeps writing YA gay novels !
Read
January 24, 2022A cute YA LGBT+ time travel story with a diverse cast, an already established relationship in the background rather than a romance-based plot, and some touching messages and character growth. Audio narration by Anthony Rodriguez was enjoyable with the right amount of sassiness for the main character.
January 9, 2022
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This book was so sweet, so full of heart, I fell completely in love. And so I am just going to go ahead and explain why.
►Luis. Is. Everything. I love him so very much! He's funny, he's witty, he's charming, and he's just a good guy with a ton of personality. I loved him from the very start. He also grows a ton during the course of the story, because even though he is awesome, he's for sure flawed, just as we all are.
►The other characters are amazing, too! Every single side character was so well developed, I ended up loving them all just as much.
►Time travel is always fun, and this iteration is no different! I mean, it's obviously amusing that Luis went back into the time period of his parents, but there is even more meaning behind it than that. He ends up face to face with the young man who died, becoming his mother's "cautionary tale" when Luis wants to fight for LGBTQ rights at his school. It's certainly not easy for Luis (or the reader) to see how the LGBTQ community was treated during the 80s.
►As Luis's modern day problems show, the world hasn't made as much progress as we absolutely should have. While we do see how extra awful it was in the 80s (especially for gay men in the dawn of the AIDS era, no doubt), the problems Luis is facing with his school's prom illustrate how not a whole lot has really changed, and how messed up that really is. I liked that this book authentically portrayed the situation- that sure there's been progress, but we have a long way to go.
►It's just so emotive and heartfelt. I laughed, I cried, I just flat out enjoyed it. I was so completely invested in the outcome of all the characters, that I couldn't put it down. And yeah, I was sad when it ended. But I was also completely and wholly satisfied, and that is a win.
Bottom Line: Full of likable yet flawed characters, tons of growth, and a lot of heart, You Spin Me Right Round is a can't-miss.
This book was so sweet, so full of heart, I fell completely in love. And so I am just going to go ahead and explain why.
►Luis. Is. Everything. I love him so very much! He's funny, he's witty, he's charming, and he's just a good guy with a ton of personality. I loved him from the very start. He also grows a ton during the course of the story, because even though he is awesome, he's for sure flawed, just as we all are.
►The other characters are amazing, too! Every single side character was so well developed, I ended up loving them all just as much.
►Time travel is always fun, and this iteration is no different! I mean, it's obviously amusing that Luis went back into the time period of his parents, but there is even more meaning behind it than that. He ends up face to face with the young man who died, becoming his mother's "cautionary tale" when Luis wants to fight for LGBTQ rights at his school. It's certainly not easy for Luis (or the reader) to see how the LGBTQ community was treated during the 80s.
►As Luis's modern day problems show, the world hasn't made as much progress as we absolutely should have. While we do see how extra awful it was in the 80s (especially for gay men in the dawn of the AIDS era, no doubt), the problems Luis is facing with his school's prom illustrate how not a whole lot has really changed, and how messed up that really is. I liked that this book authentically portrayed the situation- that sure there's been progress, but we have a long way to go.
►It's just so emotive and heartfelt. I laughed, I cried, I just flat out enjoyed it. I was so completely invested in the outcome of all the characters, that I couldn't put it down. And yeah, I was sad when it ended. But I was also completely and wholly satisfied, and that is a win.
Bottom Line: Full of likable yet flawed characters, tons of growth, and a lot of heart, You Spin Me Right Round is a can't-miss.
December 8, 2021
I can’t tell you how many times I smiled while reading Spin Me Right Round. We get the perfect amount of Time Travel with a Back to the Future type story… AND a queer twist, of course! I am here for ALL OF IT!
Not only was Luis perfectly over the top, but he never apologized for being himself. I definitely felt seen on a deeper level. Even finding himself in 1985, he found ways around and out of the closet, making friends with (almost) everyone he came in contact with, including his own mother.
And now that I’m done, I am so fulfilled. Like there are no loose ends left to nag at my subconscious. That, in and of itself, is pretty amazing!
Not only was Luis perfectly over the top, but he never apologized for being himself. I definitely felt seen on a deeper level. Even finding himself in 1985, he found ways around and out of the closet, making friends with (almost) everyone he came in contact with, including his own mother.
And now that I’m done, I am so fulfilled. Like there are no loose ends left to nag at my subconscious. That, in and of itself, is pretty amazing!
January 6, 2022
It's okayish. Characters sound familiar. The plot sounds familiar. Give it a go if you are a beginner or someone new to young adult.
February 22, 2022
I’m trying my hardest not to review other people’s reviews of this book, but the complaints that some readers had made me question whether or not we even read the same thing! And, yes, in all transparency I am reacting to some of the criticisms as a fellow YA author who also wrote about IDENTITY, which can be like stepping into a mine field. So:
Luis is our main character, and first person narrator. He’s basically a gay Zack Morris for the 2020’s: he’s funny, he’s charming, he’s scheming, and he’s wayyyyy too full of himself. He’s a flawed character because there is LEARNING AND GROWING that he needs to do. He has a fairly narrow of view of the world because he is in high school. We’re building up the stakes here people, so buckle up for the (DeLorean) ride.
Our scheming narrator accidentally travels back in time to 1985, and ends up in his parent’s senior high school class, where he takes it upon himself to prevent a tragedy that he believes is holding him back in 2020. I am so glad that this book didn’t revolve around Luis freaking out about the lack of technology, it’s barely mentioned at all, and instead we get into the meat of the plot, wherein our hero gets a crash course in homophobia 101, and starts to have some sympathy for the way that some of the adults in his life try to protect him.
I went to high school in the 90’s, when things were maybe starting to get a little bit better for LGBTQI folks, but you’ll have to remember that LGBTQI wasn’t even a *thing* back then. We had the gay and lesbian alliance, and at least in my high school, there was only a handful of members, and I mean, you could hold all of them in 1 hand. Homophobia was all but encouraged culturally. Watch an episode of SNL from 1996 and your head will spin at all the gay jokes: it was essentially the whole show’s content. And as a punk scene elder, who has interacted directly with people who are 15-20 years younger than me, I can see the need for the reminder that there was a time before being woke, and it wasn’t even all that long ago.
David wrote this book about being a gay teen in the 80’s, through the lens of how a gay teen in 2020 would react. I mean, it’s basically spelled out directly in the author’s note at the end of the book. I feel kinda sorry for all the DNFs who didn��t let the story get into full swing, because I think they missed out on a really heartwarming tale about how important it is to be yourself, but how unsafe that was, and maybe still is for some people. The landmine of writing about identity is that people seem to want that character to BE PERFECT, possibly because they have been waiting a long time to see that character, but that’s not fair, because nobody is perfect, and in the case of Luis, that’s the point! Don’t ding a book’s rating because the main character wasn’t enough of a trope!
So, as the “kid’s” would say TL/DR: This book is a fun YA time travel romp that veers into the uncomfortable, but very real world of homophobia, and the last sentence made me cry just a little bit.
Luis is our main character, and first person narrator. He’s basically a gay Zack Morris for the 2020’s: he’s funny, he’s charming, he’s scheming, and he’s wayyyyy too full of himself. He’s a flawed character because there is LEARNING AND GROWING that he needs to do. He has a fairly narrow of view of the world because he is in high school. We’re building up the stakes here people, so buckle up for the (DeLorean) ride.
Our scheming narrator accidentally travels back in time to 1985, and ends up in his parent’s senior high school class, where he takes it upon himself to prevent a tragedy that he believes is holding him back in 2020. I am so glad that this book didn’t revolve around Luis freaking out about the lack of technology, it’s barely mentioned at all, and instead we get into the meat of the plot, wherein our hero gets a crash course in homophobia 101, and starts to have some sympathy for the way that some of the adults in his life try to protect him.
I went to high school in the 90’s, when things were maybe starting to get a little bit better for LGBTQI folks, but you’ll have to remember that LGBTQI wasn’t even a *thing* back then. We had the gay and lesbian alliance, and at least in my high school, there was only a handful of members, and I mean, you could hold all of them in 1 hand. Homophobia was all but encouraged culturally. Watch an episode of SNL from 1996 and your head will spin at all the gay jokes: it was essentially the whole show’s content. And as a punk scene elder, who has interacted directly with people who are 15-20 years younger than me, I can see the need for the reminder that there was a time before being woke, and it wasn’t even all that long ago.
David wrote this book about being a gay teen in the 80’s, through the lens of how a gay teen in 2020 would react. I mean, it’s basically spelled out directly in the author’s note at the end of the book. I feel kinda sorry for all the DNFs who didn��t let the story get into full swing, because I think they missed out on a really heartwarming tale about how important it is to be yourself, but how unsafe that was, and maybe still is for some people. The landmine of writing about identity is that people seem to want that character to BE PERFECT, possibly because they have been waiting a long time to see that character, but that’s not fair, because nobody is perfect, and in the case of Luis, that’s the point! Don’t ding a book’s rating because the main character wasn’t enough of a trope!
So, as the “kid’s” would say TL/DR: This book is a fun YA time travel romp that veers into the uncomfortable, but very real world of homophobia, and the last sentence made me cry just a little bit.
September 1, 2023
This story could have worked a whole lot better had the main character not been one of the most obnoxious teenagers I've ever had to read about. I didn't feel that the author had much grasp of Queer history outside of the very basics, and main character Luis's knowledge seemed to stop outside of Drag Race and vaguely knowing the AIDs crisis exists.
Trying to get past Luis's constant verbal diarrhoea of “yes sis!” and referencing Drag Race every few pages, he also decides once he travels to the past to out Chaz to basically everybody, get into everyone's business and attempt to cheat on his actual boyfriend, while making every excuse under the sun as to why that was okay.
The ending was fine, and basically what I expected. I did expect that knowing that Chaz had been murdered, Luis would make more effort to find out who was going to commit the crime and try prevent it, but he does not do this once, he's too busy putting together fashionable outfits and thinking about prom. This book was a mess.
Trying to get past Luis's constant verbal diarrhoea of “yes sis!” and referencing Drag Race every few pages, he also decides once he travels to the past to out Chaz to basically everybody, get into everyone's business and attempt to cheat on his actual boyfriend, while making every excuse under the sun as to why that was okay.
The ending was fine, and basically what I expected. I did expect that knowing that Chaz had been murdered, Luis would make more effort to find out who was going to commit the crime and try prevent it, but he does not do this once, he's too busy putting together fashionable outfits and thinking about prom. This book was a mess.
February 21, 2023
i'm sorry but what was this??? so much awkwardness, so much secondhand embarrassment, and for what.
i loved the concept, and i was really looking forward to reading this book. i mean, gay back to the future?? it doesn't get much cooler than this folks.
the first thing that i will say is that there isn't anything inherently bad in the majority of this book. yeah, sure, the pop culture references irked me, but they didn't really get under my skin as much as the stereotypical "internet-culture-obsessed" "always-politically-correct" "walking-meme-encyclopedia" gen z portrayal of the main character did. it was annoying and cringeworthy, and completely unrealistic. no one i know actually talks like that in real life??? it felt very how do you do fellow kids—like the author researched "teenagers these days" on google and their top source was r/teenagers or something 🤡
there's also a ridiculous amount of convenience that takes place, and by that i mean everything works out perfectly for our main character, and we're supposed to believe that. case in point: the very first thing he does after being dropped in the future is to seek out his english teacher, who has no idea who he is because this is THIRTY YEARS IN THE PAST, and tell her he's from the future. and she believes him?? without even so much as a second question??? it's insane, and extremely unrealistic. and yes, you can make the argument that nothing about this book is realistic, but personally, people should still behave like people, no matter what genre they're in.
in the vein of Scenes in This Book That Required Varying Degrees of Suspension of Reality™, there's also the ending.
that being said, however, i really liked the sheer amount of diversity in this book. it's present and it's effortless, without trying to be in your face about it. and the plot itself actually wasn't bad—it was engaging and interesting, apart from the secondhand embarrassment, and made for a quick but fun read.
overall, this book wasn't exactly as good as i was expecting it to be, and that's mainly where it starts to go downhill. and even though i had a lot of annoyances with it, there's something to be said about the way that it handles the serious issues that it does, without being too heavyhanded as well. it wasn't my favorite, but i wouldn't go as far as to say that it was particularly "bad" either.
love the cover art though.
i loved the concept, and i was really looking forward to reading this book. i mean, gay back to the future?? it doesn't get much cooler than this folks.
the first thing that i will say is that there isn't anything inherently bad in the majority of this book. yeah, sure, the pop culture references irked me, but they didn't really get under my skin as much as the stereotypical "internet-culture-obsessed" "always-politically-correct" "walking-meme-encyclopedia" gen z portrayal of the main character did. it was annoying and cringeworthy, and completely unrealistic. no one i know actually talks like that in real life??? it felt very how do you do fellow kids—like the author researched "teenagers these days" on google and their top source was r/teenagers or something 🤡
there's also a ridiculous amount of convenience that takes place, and by that i mean everything works out perfectly for our main character, and we're supposed to believe that. case in point: the very first thing he does after being dropped in the future is to seek out his english teacher, who has no idea who he is because this is THIRTY YEARS IN THE PAST, and tell her he's from the future. and she believes him?? without even so much as a second question??? it's insane, and extremely unrealistic. and yes, you can make the argument that nothing about this book is realistic, but personally, people should still behave like people, no matter what genre they're in.
in the vein of Scenes in This Book That Required Varying Degrees of Suspension of Reality™, there's also the ending.
that being said, however, i really liked the sheer amount of diversity in this book. it's present and it's effortless, without trying to be in your face about it. and the plot itself actually wasn't bad—it was engaging and interesting, apart from the secondhand embarrassment, and made for a quick but fun read.
overall, this book wasn't exactly as good as i was expecting it to be, and that's mainly where it starts to go downhill. and even though i had a lot of annoyances with it, there's something to be said about the way that it handles the serious issues that it does, without being too heavyhanded as well. it wasn't my favorite, but i wouldn't go as far as to say that it was particularly "bad" either.
love the cover art though.
Want to read
May 1, 2021This premise!!
May 27, 2022
Luis is determined to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his school absolutely won't allow. When he's knocked back in time to 1985, he sees a chance to change the future by saving Chaz, a boy who wound up dead at the bottom of a cliff on prom night. Navigating a Catholic school in the 1980s is a new world for Luis, but he's more than up for the challenge.
I have no clue how to rate Spin Me Right Round. I felt it was written well, a very engaging book with a strong voice (Luis is a love him or hate him character - I think on balance I love him, although I could have done without the 'spastic robot' comment). The plot is quite fun: out and proud Luis is knocked back in time, and gets into a lot of mischief in his Catholic school amongst new classmates including his teen parents and sweet Chaz and Ernie. I didn't really get any sense of urgency from the story, in the sense that nothing Luis was doing seemed to have any hope of returning him to the present day - plus, Luis himself didn't really seem to mind? I did feel he was incredibly chill about the whole experience, and had no real desire to return. Possibly personal tastes, but I didn't like how he treated his present day boyfriend in his moves towards Chaz, or the way the narrative treats suicidal ideations. The whole suicide aspect of the plot in general felt poorly researched and understood.
My major issue is Luis' behaviour. He actively endangers Chaz constantly, by trying to out him, trying to convince him to out himself, and dropping hints all the time about his sexuality, despite knowing Chaz's fate. I seriously thought Luis was going to be the reason Chaz died in the end. Chaz is a Black gay teen boy in a Catholic school in the 1980s, surrounded by boys who make it very clear they will assault him for being gay, so why is Luis constantly putting Chaz in danger? I don't buy this whole 'the weapon is the problem, the target should be able to do whatever they like' because it's simply not true in real life. Honestly I found Luis' risk-taking (specifically his constant endangerment of Chaz) to be shocking and incredibly selfish. Especially because ultimately, what he wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend in the present day. It feels as though he would do anything - let Chaz die even - if it proved he should be allowed what he wanted. Luis doesn't grow, yet he's rewarded by the narrative.
Let me deep dive, because I need to get this off my chest. At the beginning, Luis' selfishness seems to be his major internal flaw. Yet, he doesn't challenge this in any way, he just deepens his stance, even in the face of gay-bashing and warnings of what will happen to him and Chaz. Maybe you could say he's being brave, but there's brave and there's brave, in a 1980s religious school context. It feels to me the novel is saying 'If you're closeted for your own safety, you're a coward.' That's how it feels. Which is incredibly irresponsible. Even today, how many teens would be attacked or killed for coming out? Far too many. It's incredibly irresponsible to write as though the world has changed to the extent that Luis' behaviour should be praised.
I also can't forgive his mother for taking Gordo back after his behaviour towards Luis and Chaz. She seems like the absolute worst fence-sitter, someone who says all the right things, but in the end never once changes her behaviour enough to back up her empty words.
What a book... what is it with contemporary releases that market themselves as fun, "funny" queer books, that end up being full of f-slurs, and homophobic attacks, and a generally constant sense of homophobic threat?? Honestly this is bad marketing because it sells the book as something it really isn't. This does feel like a Gen X-er pictured themselves as a teenager in the 2020s, and behaved accordingly. I think the typical gay teen these days is much more self-aware than Luis, and more conscious of how not to put others in dangerous situations for their own personal gain.
I didn't hate that I read this book because it got me thinking hard, but I'm seriously astounded by some of the content, and not in a good way.
I have no clue how to rate Spin Me Right Round. I felt it was written well, a very engaging book with a strong voice (Luis is a love him or hate him character - I think on balance I love him, although I could have done without the 'spastic robot' comment). The plot is quite fun: out and proud Luis is knocked back in time, and gets into a lot of mischief in his Catholic school amongst new classmates including his teen parents and sweet Chaz and Ernie. I didn't really get any sense of urgency from the story, in the sense that nothing Luis was doing seemed to have any hope of returning him to the present day - plus, Luis himself didn't really seem to mind? I did feel he was incredibly chill about the whole experience, and had no real desire to return. Possibly personal tastes, but I didn't like how he treated his present day boyfriend in his moves towards Chaz, or the way the narrative treats suicidal ideations. The whole suicide aspect of the plot in general felt poorly researched and understood.
My major issue is Luis' behaviour. He actively endangers Chaz constantly, by trying to out him, trying to convince him to out himself, and dropping hints all the time about his sexuality, despite knowing Chaz's fate. I seriously thought Luis was going to be the reason Chaz died in the end. Chaz is a Black gay teen boy in a Catholic school in the 1980s, surrounded by boys who make it very clear they will assault him for being gay, so why is Luis constantly putting Chaz in danger? I don't buy this whole 'the weapon is the problem, the target should be able to do whatever they like' because it's simply not true in real life. Honestly I found Luis' risk-taking (specifically his constant endangerment of Chaz) to be shocking and incredibly selfish. Especially because ultimately, what he wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend in the present day. It feels as though he would do anything - let Chaz die even - if it proved he should be allowed what he wanted. Luis doesn't grow, yet he's rewarded by the narrative.
Let me deep dive, because I need to get this off my chest. At the beginning, Luis' selfishness seems to be his major internal flaw. Yet, he doesn't challenge this in any way, he just deepens his stance, even in the face of gay-bashing and warnings of what will happen to him and Chaz. Maybe you could say he's being brave, but there's brave and there's brave, in a 1980s religious school context. It feels to me the novel is saying 'If you're closeted for your own safety, you're a coward.' That's how it feels. Which is incredibly irresponsible. Even today, how many teens would be attacked or killed for coming out? Far too many. It's incredibly irresponsible to write as though the world has changed to the extent that Luis' behaviour should be praised.
I also can't forgive his mother for taking Gordo back after his behaviour towards Luis and Chaz. She seems like the absolute worst fence-sitter, someone who says all the right things, but in the end never once changes her behaviour enough to back up her empty words.
What a book... what is it with contemporary releases that market themselves as fun, "funny" queer books, that end up being full of f-slurs, and homophobic attacks, and a generally constant sense of homophobic threat?? Honestly this is bad marketing because it sells the book as something it really isn't. This does feel like a Gen X-er pictured themselves as a teenager in the 2020s, and behaved accordingly. I think the typical gay teen these days is much more self-aware than Luis, and more conscious of how not to put others in dangerous situations for their own personal gain.
I didn't hate that I read this book because it got me thinking hard, but I'm seriously astounded by some of the content, and not in a good way.
January 17, 2022
A fun YA time travel story with some serious homophobia storylines. I loved how flamboyant and out Luiz is trying to get his conservative private school to allow same-sex couples to attend Prom. When he ends up going on a Back to the future journey that transports him to the 80s when his parents attended the school he gets a chance to save one gay teen who died tragically. Funny with a lot of positive messaging. I really enjoyed the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court references too. Recommended for fans of Like a love story. Great on audio.
February 20, 2022
I am so glad that I borrowed this one from the library. I saw that it was advertised as gay "Back to the future' and was interested , but also scared that it would be too derivative. it was not too derivative Imo, but it surely spent time trying to explain time travel and I love time travel so it worked for me.
I don't mind main character being very selfish (for me he is a teenager is indeed a sufficient explanation for such selfishness). I did like him being unapologetically himself in 2021 , but why was he talking that way? He did not talk as a teenager to me - at all, more like the author's idea of how teenagers talk.
Also, this is not a romance, beware. It does not end tragically and features couple relationships but not a romance.
I don't mind main character being very selfish (for me he is a teenager is indeed a sufficient explanation for such selfishness). I did like him being unapologetically himself in 2021 , but why was he talking that way? He did not talk as a teenager to me - at all, more like the author's idea of how teenagers talk.
Also, this is not a romance, beware. It does not end tragically and features couple relationships but not a romance.
April 28, 2022
sometimes you read 5 pages of a book and your finger just smashes that 1 star rating on Goodreads
May 25, 2022
Omg this book was a pleasant surprise!!! I love it so much, I dont know what to say!! Spin Me Right Round was probably the best coming-of-age queer book I've ever read. It was so cool to read about a religious school in the 1980's. I had no idea how life was back then and how bad it was for queer people. Honestly, I love how Luis' experience at his parents' highschool changed his perspective on their lives and what they've been through. It changed him as an overall person. He learned not to judge people when they don't agree with his choices and not to make everything about him. Even though it was kind of weird that Luis' mom was literally friends with him and he is her child...That part was a little confusing. I think 1985 Luis came first and so on. I really loved the characters and I am very glad Chaz didn't die. What is probably most surprising is that Luis didn't end up with Chaz. And that Chaz didn't get mad that he was a "conquest." But I love how Chaz ended up finding his own love with someone surprising. And Leeza!!! She was a queen in her catsuit! Women power sis!! Not only was this book about getting Luis' "progressive" highschool more queer rights, it was also about strong female women who deserve to be acknowledged. This book as a whole had charming 80's moments like the dancing living in the moment scene, and the glowing promposal scene (which is not 80s but was too cute to not to smile at)!!! I honestly wish I could time travel to when my mom was a kid because she always says how I'm so lucky that I have all this stuff, and she never did. But I defintely would not want to change the future! Luis was such a bright, unashamed character and I loved him!! Chill out, sis Like #preach and #pray 🙏 But seriously, in what world is dancing a sin???
~Becca da you Spin Me Right Round like a record baby Queen <3
(Tbh, I thought this title was based off the version by Kesha 😂 Also, this book was so well written that it had to have been written by someone who experienced something similar. I think that everyone should read this book because they're not nearly enough ones like it.)
~Becca da you Spin Me Right Round like a record baby Queen <3
(Tbh, I thought this title was based off the version by Kesha 😂 Also, this book was so well written that it had to have been written by someone who experienced something similar. I think that everyone should read this book because they're not nearly enough ones like it.)
January 10, 2022
[ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]
“Gay YA take on Back to the Future” had me from the first time I saw this premise.
In Spin Me Right Round, Luis has it all figured out. He’s a high school senior who is confident in himself and his ability to create change in his school. He wants to go to prom with his boyfriend (a thing that is not allowed at his school) and everyone mentions the death of a former student as the reason why. Chaz Wilson is a name that Luis has known for years. After a bonk to the head, he wakes up in 1985 at his school and with a very much still alive Chaz Wilson. Now, Luis has the opportunity to save Chaz’s life (while becoming friends with his own mom at the time!) and to change many other lives in the process.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It is just as much fun and lighthearted as it is heavy. There is beautiful representation across the board and the acknowledgement that it isn’t always safe to be out. There are so many moments that are handled with poignant grace by David Valdes.
I’m also a sucker for good voice when it comes to narrators. For me, Luis was a star. There are a ton of wonderful parenthetical asides, so many quips, and by page 3, I *knew* this character. He grows and changes from the selfish teen at the beginning who feels like the world revolves around him.
The ending ties up just a little too neatly for me and there’s one character meeting that I was expecting that didn’t pan out by the end of the book, but overall, I found this to be a fun and emotionally deep book.
“Gay YA take on Back to the Future” had me from the first time I saw this premise.
In Spin Me Right Round, Luis has it all figured out. He’s a high school senior who is confident in himself and his ability to create change in his school. He wants to go to prom with his boyfriend (a thing that is not allowed at his school) and everyone mentions the death of a former student as the reason why. Chaz Wilson is a name that Luis has known for years. After a bonk to the head, he wakes up in 1985 at his school and with a very much still alive Chaz Wilson. Now, Luis has the opportunity to save Chaz’s life (while becoming friends with his own mom at the time!) and to change many other lives in the process.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It is just as much fun and lighthearted as it is heavy. There is beautiful representation across the board and the acknowledgement that it isn’t always safe to be out. There are so many moments that are handled with poignant grace by David Valdes.
I’m also a sucker for good voice when it comes to narrators. For me, Luis was a star. There are a ton of wonderful parenthetical asides, so many quips, and by page 3, I *knew* this character. He grows and changes from the selfish teen at the beginning who feels like the world revolves around him.
The ending ties up just a little too neatly for me and there’s one character meeting that I was expecting that didn’t pan out by the end of the book, but overall, I found this to be a fun and emotionally deep book.
April 11, 2022
Time travel, 80's nostalgia, social justice and happy endings.
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