Bookish Brews Snapshot
Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend
When Gary is challenged to acquire the prized possession of the most beautiful girl in school, Gloria Buenrostro, he jumps at the chance to join the in-crowd. But as he gets to know Gloria and they become best friends, Gary starts to wonder if popularity is worth losing a true friend.
☁️ Cozy Reading ✒️ Debut Author 🌱 Character Growth 💗 Heart Warming
- Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Book Review
Sweet, smart, sensitive, fun, light, thoughtful
Gloria Buenrostro is Not My Girlfriend is a story about a mixed Vietnamese kid in high school who has always felt like an outsider as one of the only two Asian American students in school. So when he’s approached by the most popular guy in school with an invitation to the in crowd, he jumps at the chance to feel like he belongs. His only task to gain entry to the inner-circle? Get the prized possession of the most beautiful girl in school, Gloria Buenrostro.
Hoàng thoughtfully explores toxic masculinity and how easy it is to fall into harmful behavior, especially when you feel like you don’t belong. Through Gary we’re able to clearly see the pained, desperate desire to finally fit in and have a friend group. But through Gary we’re also able to see the harm that comes from these behaviors and the growth it takes to make a change and stand up to and say no. Gloria Buenrostro is Not My Girlfriend tackles an incredibly sensitive topic with the careful nuance that only thoughtful fiction can depict.
This story wouldn’t work if the toxic masculinity wasn’t stunningly juxtaposed with Gary and Gloria’s sweet, kind, and real friendship. Their friendship is one of the sweetest fictional friendships I’ve ever seen. Everything about their growing friendship is honest, which holds the tension so well because it’s all founded on a single lie. Their friendship is an oak tree standing on top of a house of cards. It’s so easy to fall in love with Gary and Gloria’s friendship and impossible not to be overcome with worry about the inevitable truth coming to light.
Gloria Buenrostro is Not My Girlfriend is special in it’s honesty and heart. Hoàng has a unique skill in illustrating a realistic story that works to call out problematic behavior through the genuine honesty of true friendship. The best of fiction shines when it can weave a strong theme throughout while flawlessly maintaining the right voice for the characters and the intended readers, and Hoàng does it perfectly. It’s a reminder how multiple systematic issues work in tandem to emphasize each other in a delightfully sweet read.
