I knew as soon as I saw the title and read "Project Runway" and "bedazzling" in the blurb that Be Dazzled was going to be adorable! The glittery book gods have smiled upon me! This was so freaking cute and such a quick read! Be Dazzled alternates between present day with Raffy and his friend May entering a major cosplaying competition, and thirteen to five months prior when he was just getting together and breaking up with his super hot boyfriend. Said boyfriend also turns up to the competition with an ex mutual friend and all hell breaks loose! Well, kinda. Raffy is extremely high strung and cannot deal with this distraction! Meanwhile, we're left wondering what the heck happened to bring him to this point.
Even if you're not into cosplay (I'm not, but think cosplayers are super talented!), I do think you'll enjoy Be Dazzled. While the competition is the setting, it's not the whole story. Raffy and Luca's relationship unfolding was the real highlight. I was expecting something super awful, but the more I got to know Luca, the less likely that seemed. I don't want to spoil what pushed them apart, but I think it was a good one. It felt believable and wasn't the typical teen drama. Luca and Raffy both had their own issues going into the relationship, tried handling them to the best of their abilities, but that's not always enough.
The only thing I didn't like about Be Dazzled was Raffy's mom. We're not suppose to like her, but that's not what I mean. She felt like a caricature of the "serious artist" who hates on cosplay as some lesser hobby. Everything she says and does, and Raffy's reactions to her, all felt way exaggerated and took me out of the story at times. Then her near 180 at the end felt out of place for how awful she was the entire time. I'm all for a happy ending, but that one was a bit too neat given the circumstances.