"Sometimes the broken bits are just the pieces you need to create something new, something better, something remarkable."

It was a geektastic pleasure to spend time with Raffy and Luca in their then-and-now story of first love, shattered hopes, messy repairs, and bedazzled futures.

Raphael is a brilliant but anxious young creator, an effective manager of parental antipathy, a shyly ambitious attention-seeking cosplayer who lets soccer star and megawatt dazzler Luca sneak into his maker space, his life, and heart. When homophobic parental expectations try to stifle the sparkle Luca longs for, the fallout threatens to unravel Raffy's focus and his plans to dominate the conference cosplay competition. Will Raffy be able to gather the broken bits he needs to create the respect he craves?

La Sala makes this a fun (and craftily informative) read for cosplay fans and those entirely new to the scene. The setting and characters feel true, the stakes feel real, and the narration has the perfect blend of humor and angst.

Topics, tropes, and themes: #OwnVoices, geek culture, cosplay, LGBTQ, bisexuality, coming out, first love, working with your ex, second-chance romance, ComicCon, maker culture, reality TV, reality competition, art, authenticity, family, friendship

Content notes: underage drinking, adult substance use, homophobia and toxic masculinity (mostly implied, off-screen), strong language, suggestive language, PG-13 sex scenes and references, strained parent relationships