Spin Me Right Round
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-19 09:52:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David Valdes
- ISBN：1547607106
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Summary
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” 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” 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。
Reviews
Melanie
，
3。75 StarsThis was a cute and fast fun contemporary read。 This needed more。。。oomph put into it。 It didn't do anything spectacular。 I was so excited there was a nonbinary character and then。。。。they just weren't in like almost the whole thing。 The main character made some pretty weird kinda bad choices and this really stretched my suspension of disbelief in a lot of places。I liked it， but didn't love it。 I wish more had been done with this because I do like the premise and some of it was pretty go 3。75 StarsThis was a cute and fast fun contemporary read。 This needed more。。。oomph put into it。 It didn't do anything spectacular。 I was so excited there was a nonbinary character and then。。。。they just weren't in like almost the whole thing。 The main character made some pretty weird kinda bad choices and this really stretched my suspension of disbelief in a lot of places。I liked it， but didn't love it。 I wish more had been done with this because I do like the premise and some of it was pretty good！Content WarningsGraphic: Homophobia， Hate crime， and BullyingModerate: Racism， Violence， and Adult/minor relationship 。。。more
Emily
，
Well， I flew through this！ I was in the mood for something lighter and this did the trick。 It's a cute premise and it was an entertaining read， but I struggled with the whole mid-50s author writing as a Gen Z teen。 It's SO cringey so often， and feels like he's trying so hard。 Ugh。 Also， trying to incorporate a reference to TikTok is a bad idea--it'll basically be outdated instantly！ I couldn't stand how Luis 'sis'-ed everyone constantly， I don't think many people talk like that IRL。 It just felt Well， I flew through this！ I was in the mood for something lighter and this did the trick。 It's a cute premise and it was an entertaining read， but I struggled with the whole mid-50s author writing as a Gen Z teen。 It's SO cringey so often， and feels like he's trying so hard。 Ugh。 Also， trying to incorporate a reference to TikTok is a bad idea--it'll basically be outdated instantly！ I couldn't stand how Luis 'sis'-ed everyone constantly， I don't think many people talk like that IRL。 It just felt so forced。Also， half of the book felt like "woah！ The 80s were so different than the 2020s！" It could've been even shorter if it wasn't so full of commentary/jokes about 80s fashion， technology， etc。Luis is also incredibly self-absorbed and selfish， and doesn't seem to learn much from his journey through time。 His takeaway seems to be that he saved everyone and made the future better in the process。。。when I would've thought he had learned about the struggles queer people faced and the hard work they did to pave the road to where he was in modern times。Despite all that， the story is still amusing。 I liked all the side characters--particularly Chaz and Ernie--even if the side characters in the modern section （Cheng， Nix） aren't super fleshed out。 A fun read if you can get past the cringey language！ 。。。more
Annie
，
It was a fun story。 The whole time travel concept was interesting。 It touches on some more serious issues but not really。 The writing is definitely someone trying too hard to sound like a teenager。 There were too many pop culture references and slang。 The ending felt rushed and incomplete。 I didn't really like any of the characters and thought Luis was pretty selfish。 But still the story wasn't ever boring or slow。P。S。 I've had the Flo Rida version of the song stuck in my head for days now。 Help It was a fun story。 The whole time travel concept was interesting。 It touches on some more serious issues but not really。 The writing is definitely someone trying too hard to sound like a teenager。 There were too many pop culture references and slang。 The ending felt rushed and incomplete。 I didn't really like any of the characters and thought Luis was pretty selfish。 But still the story wasn't ever boring or slow。P。S。 I've had the Flo Rida version of the song stuck in my head for days now。 Help！ （I didn't know it sampled from a song from the 80's though！） 。。。more
Molli B。
，
This was pretty good。 Overall a positive reading experience。 Took me a while to get into， and some stuff needs to be taken with a grain of salt （and I really， really， really wish that （view spoiler）[Gordo had ended up in jail or learned literally any lesson at all by the end—although I understand why he couldn't :\ （hide spoiler）]）， but ultimately I enjoyed it and am happy to have read it。 This was pretty good。 Overall a positive reading experience。 Took me a while to get into， and some stuff needs to be taken with a grain of salt （and I really， really， really wish that （view spoiler）[Gordo had ended up in jail or learned literally any lesson at all by the end—although I understand why he couldn't :\ （hide spoiler）]）， but ultimately I enjoyed it and am happy to have read it。 。。。more
callie
，
cute but not for me
John Paul Castillo
，
Love me some gay time traveling
Isabelle
，
A fun little read！
E
，
Not all YA books are the same。 Some have obvious depth from the very start， while others take its sweet time in becoming interesting。 Whilst Spin Me Round is definitely in the second category， it does offer not only a glimpse into the not so long ago dangerously homophobic past， but also offers some insights on queer struggles for teenagers today。 It’s a sweet little adventure， even if the time travel logic seems a little flawed。 Reading the author’s note about writing books what characters he d Not all YA books are the same。 Some have obvious depth from the very start， while others take its sweet time in becoming interesting。 Whilst Spin Me Round is definitely in the second category， it does offer not only a glimpse into the not so long ago dangerously homophobic past， but also offers some insights on queer struggles for teenagers today。 It’s a sweet little adventure， even if the time travel logic seems a little flawed。 Reading the author’s note about writing books what characters he didn’t have growing up was moving and added to my overall experience。 。。。more
George
，
Yaas Bitch， Slay！
Trin
，
The premise is so good。。。but the MC and the plot choices not so much。 Full RTC。
Labyrnth77
，
This book was so good！ I loved the 1985 vibes。 I adored the friendships and relationships in this book and was rooting during the entire book for the main character to get a happy ending。
Mariel
，
This was a very cute queer take on Back to the Future。 Like with any time travel story there’s always some amount of suspended disbelief， but not obnoxiously so。 It really boiled down to the fact that one act of kindness can change the world in incremental but meaningful ways。 Being true to yourself might come at a cost， but it can also set you free。
Ada
，
What the hell why am I just disocvering about this now I NEED IT
Frank-Intergalactic Bookdragon
，
RTCThe Back To the Future comparison is undeserved。
Arianna
，
Another YA romance that has in my opinion way too many pop culture references。 As someone who was once a teen these teenagers felt unrelatable， and made it seem too much like an adult attempting to write what they believe a teen sounded like。 I LOVED the diversity in the book， especially that Chaz was a gay young black boy who was struggling to identify himself and his sexuality。 I also enjoyed the themes the book was tackling。 However， （view spoiler）[I didn't enjoy the weird arc of Luis wanting Another YA romance that has in my opinion way too many pop culture references。 As someone who was once a teen these teenagers felt unrelatable， and made it seem too much like an adult attempting to write what they believe a teen sounded like。 I LOVED the diversity in the book， especially that Chaz was a gay young black boy who was struggling to identify himself and his sexuality。 I also enjoyed the themes the book was tackling。 However， （view spoiler）[I didn't enjoy the weird arc of Luis wanting to cheat on his boyfriend then proceeding to do it anyways。 Felt unnecessary as they author could have just explored Chaz's sexuality through Ernie without involving the cheating。 Ending also felt rushed and not fully explained。 （hide spoiler）] Overall， a good read that I finished within a day。 [If I were to ever be trapped in time， I would pick this moment。"] 。。。more
Rachel Stine
，
I received the Netgalleys of this book with my LibLearnX ticket and it was the best thing I’ve read in ages！ First of all， time travel/Back to the Future is one of my favorite things ever！ Adding twists that get rid of the creepy incest angle and Biff assaulting Marty’s mom make this story so much better！ At heart this is a sweet story about a well-meaning teenage boy trying to make his school more inclusive/make the world a safer happier place。 The characters are real “You just have to get to k I received the Netgalleys of this book with my LibLearnX ticket and it was the best thing I’ve read in ages！ First of all， time travel/Back to the Future is one of my favorite things ever！ Adding twists that get rid of the creepy incest angle and Biff assaulting Marty’s mom make this story so much better！ At heart this is a sweet story about a well-meaning teenage boy trying to make his school more inclusive/make the world a safer happier place。 The characters are real “You just have to get to know him better and then he’s not so bad！” Video game obsessed Ernie， oh my god what a great book！ 。。。more
Cathy
，
Oh， my heart is full。 （And so is my head - of New Wave songs on loop now。 😊）Luis is this novel’s Marty Mcfly， traveling back to the 80s after a blow to the head from a prop being built by the drama department。 He wakes up finding himself the classmate to both his lovely mother and his terrible father （this book’s Biff）， as well as to Chaz， the boy with dazzling violet eyes， who is doomed to die on prom night。 Luckily his trusted English teacher is starting her first year at the Academy and helps Oh， my heart is full。 （And so is my head - of New Wave songs on loop now。 😊）Luis is this novel’s Marty Mcfly， traveling back to the 80s after a blow to the head from a prop being built by the drama department。 He wakes up finding himself the classmate to both his lovely mother and his terrible father （this book’s Biff）， as well as to Chaz， the boy with dazzling violet eyes， who is doomed to die on prom night。 Luckily his trusted English teacher is starting her first year at the Academy and helps him adjust to his time slip， while trying to help him figure out a way to get back to his own era。 In the meantime， Luis makes it his mission to change the trajectory of Chaz’s life。 I admit that I found Luis’ narrative voice in the first few chapters to be exhausting。 But， I see now that it was a means to highlight the ways in which he later grows and learns how to stop selfishly centering himself and his needs。 There were some very satisfying heart melty moments toward the end （please， that “Take On Me” chapter had me all heart eyed） as well as a fantastic scene worthy of an 80s slow clap （um， Leeza deciding to throw down）。 I would’ve loved an epilogue that showed the old crew crashing Luis’ 2020 prom though。 😊Now where is my Netflix adaptation？ 。。。more
Siofra
，
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review this arc！TW: Homophobia， grooming， a bit out of touch with dangerous situations， assault， harassment， little cheating and racism。Spin me Right Round is Back to the future with a positive queer twist that handles a lot more than just the goal of helping prevent a tragedy; it covers racism， homophobia， what faith truly is， the #metoo movement and grooming before it was seen for the danger it is and finding out you Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review this arc！TW: Homophobia， grooming， a bit out of touch with dangerous situations， assault， harassment， little cheating and racism。Spin me Right Round is Back to the future with a positive queer twist that handles a lot more than just the goal of helping prevent a tragedy; it covers racism， homophobia， what faith truly is， the #metoo movement and grooming before it was seen for the danger it is and finding out you can't choose your parents。I feel that Luis was a tad out of touch with the seriousness of the lgbtq+ situation in 1985; I 100% put it down to character fault as it matched his personality， which I loved and disliked at times。The problems and scenarios in this book surprised me。 It dealt with grooming， feeling good about yourself， homophobia， preventing a tragedy and a school system that was more willing to expel a student and cover up a predator teacher than be more open and loving as their faith asks - it covered a lot and even if it didn't solve it all， which I didn't want it to it brought it light and showed the step to helping。Also， I could not imagine seeing your parent back in 1985 and seeing them hate everything about you and try to harm you; that is got to be super messed up。 However， a good thing from his trip is the excellent butterfly effects and how things grew and were happier because of him。 。。。more
Lorem Morais
，
Eu queria ter gostado mais desse livro。 Criei muita expectativa pela sinopse logo quando foi anunciado， mas senti que a leitura deixou muito a desejar。Uma das razões， provavelmente， é porque é mais voltado para o público jovem e eu me tornei chata demais com a idade， mas enfim。 Tem seus pontos positivos pela originalidade， mas tem muitos personagens que são bem pouco desenvolvidos e o personagem principal me fez passar mais raiva do que não pela capacidade de tomar más decisões em sucessão e ter Eu queria ter gostado mais desse livro。 Criei muita expectativa pela sinopse logo quando foi anunciado， mas senti que a leitura deixou muito a desejar。Uma das razões， provavelmente， é porque é mais voltado para o público jovem e eu me tornei chata demais com a idade， mas enfim。 Tem seus pontos positivos pela originalidade， mas tem muitos personagens que são bem pouco desenvolvidos e o personagem principal me fez passar mais raiva do que não pela capacidade de tomar más decisões em sucessão e ter o caráter para lá de questionável em alguns momentos。No fim， é um livro bacana para passar o tempo e a leitura é super rápida， o que gosto bastante， porém tem os pontos negativos que citei。 。。。more
ferdi ♡
，
I really wish I'd loved this book， but I couldn't。 I just couldn't。 The premise and idea behind it is good and intriguing， definitely set the book up for something good， but it was executed horribly in the end。The main character （Luis） was incredibly selfish and truly didn't care about what his actions could do or what danger he was putting himself and those around him in。 Not only that， but the constant modern pop culture references and Gen-Z "slang" was so annoying and irritating。 Luis constan I really wish I'd loved this book， but I couldn't。 I just couldn't。 The premise and idea behind it is good and intriguing， definitely set the book up for something good， but it was executed horribly in the end。The main character （Luis） was incredibly selfish and truly didn't care about what his actions could do or what danger he was putting himself and those around him in。 Not only that， but the constant modern pop culture references and Gen-Z "slang" was so annoying and irritating。 Luis constantly adding "sis" at the end of his sentences was also just not it。 Anyway， I really do wish I could love this book， but I just can't。 :（ 。。。more
Tessa Gray
，
I loved the amount of diversity in the book and the characters were flawed but likable。 Luis was a funny narrator but the narration and dialogue could be cringy at times。 I had a few issues with some of the time travel things， but for the most part， the plot was fun。 It was an enjoyable read in the end that definitely made me smile a few times。
Elaine White
，
DNF'd at page 18！This may be the quickest I've ever DNF'd a book， but I just couldn't read any more。Problems: * it breaks the 4th wall on page one！ That is a huge pet peeve of mine。* Luis。 He was a problem all of his own， and one I couldn't look past。* Nix。 The token non-binary character who - in the parts I read， which admittedly wasn't much - had no discernible personality or point to the story。* the language。I feel like the book is some weird older person's vision of what teenagers should be DNF'd at page 18！This may be the quickest I've ever DNF'd a book， but I just couldn't read any more。Problems: * it breaks the 4th wall on page one！ That is a huge pet peeve of mine。* Luis。 He was a problem all of his own， and one I couldn't look past。* Nix。 The token non-binary character who - in the parts I read， which admittedly wasn't much - had no discernible personality or point to the story。* the language。I feel like the book is some weird older person's vision of what teenagers should be like。 Someone who has seen too much of， and tried to mash up old episodes of Saved by the Bell （Luis *really* reminds me of Zac at this worst）， Clueless， and Gossip Girl。 I mean， who kind of teens say things like this？:"I can't even。""One must never be *last* last， only fashionably late。"The entire language， and Luis' awful personality， make me feel like we've gone back in time already， and I didn't even get that far！ Luis was still firmly in his own timeline， when I stopped， but he felt like some weird caricature of a teenager who desperately wanted to be， and belonged in， the 80s。The plot was cheesy， with Luis currently reading a book in class that deals with time travel。。。while in a book that deals with time travel。Somehow， Luis was this golden boy， with an ego bigger than the Moon， who considered himself a trend-setter， and used words like "bae"。 Yet， he's such a snobby egoist he has no fashion sense， thinks he's the star of the school， believes he can manipulate the principal， and yet doesn't use his powers for good。 Like， to start a GSA。 He's an anti-geek snob， who is only out for himself， screw anyone who could actually benefit from his so-called power at school， like Nix。 How he ever got a （seemingly） nice guy like Cheng as a boyfriend， I'll never know。"Please: I *am* the school spirit。"Honestly， the ego on this boy is just。。。beyond words。I gave up suffering loathsome MC's last year， back when I read May the Best Man Win I decided， there and then， I wouldn't be doing it again。The positives？ It reps Latinx， queer， non-binary， and trans students。。。 Sorry， that's it。 。。。more
Linda
，
I am the biggest Back to the Future fan， so I had high hopes for this one。 I hate giving low ratings to books that have good representation， especially because in the author's note， he talks about how he never saw himself represented in the books he read growing up。 I'm not a teenager so I could be wrong， but I don't think teenagers really sound like Luis。 It reads like how adults think teenagers talk。 Also， Luis was very selfish and never thought anything through。 For someone who claims to know I am the biggest Back to the Future fan， so I had high hopes for this one。 I hate giving low ratings to books that have good representation， especially because in the author's note， he talks about how he never saw himself represented in the books he read growing up。 I'm not a teenager so I could be wrong， but I don't think teenagers really sound like Luis。 It reads like how adults think teenagers talk。 Also， Luis was very selfish and never thought anything through。 For someone who claims to know a lot about time travel， he wasn't very careful and was constantly putting others （and his own existence） in danger。 。。。more
Luan Dalmas
，
3，5 a pabllo vittar foi longe demais。。。。。。 chegou em 1985Imaginem o seguinte: você é uma poc （um gay， pra quem não sabe） que vive na mesma época da dominação social do tiktok。 A escola na qual você estuda não quer te deixar ir com seu namorado para a formatura， aí você se irrita e quer fazer uma revolução estudantil， mas algo cai na sua cabeça e você desmaia。 Quando acorda， percebe que Britney Spears ainda não fez sucesso， não foi lançado nenhum filme do Chucky （o papai dos LBGT， com sua esposa 3，5 a pabllo vittar foi longe demais。。。。。。 chegou em 1985Imaginem o seguinte: você é uma poc （um gay， pra quem não sabe） que vive na mesma época da dominação social do tiktok。 A escola na qual você estuda não quer te deixar ir com seu namorado para a formatura， aí você se irrita e quer fazer uma revolução estudantil， mas algo cai na sua cabeça e você desmaia。 Quando acorda， percebe que Britney Spears ainda não fez sucesso， não foi lançado nenhum filme do Chucky （o papai dos LBGT， com sua esposa diplomata dos LGBT e filhe gênero-neutro/fluido integrante dos LGBT） e a Kim Petras nem nasceu。 Além de que RuPaul's Drag Race tava nem na imaginação de quem criou， não existia celulares e você tinha que CONVERSAR com as pessoas e LIGAR PARA O TELEFONE FIXO！！！！Tá passada？ Imagina pro Luis， protagonista desse livro， que vive o que eu descrevi。 Gay e da raça latina， depois de desmaiar e acordar em 1985， Luis se vê colega de sua mãe e de seu pai homofóbico， e percebe que tem um objetivo a alcançar， que é salvar uma gay da morte。 Não， não é livro de terror， mas sim de viagem no tempo para jovens。 Ou seja， protagonista engraçadinho， um pouco egoísta e （se for igual ao moço da capa） bonito。 O começo do livro é bem legal， e continua assim até a metade， quando começa a ficar chatinho e com alguns acontecimentos meio ？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？ só para efeitismo。 Lendo resenhas， percebi que algumas questões de homofobia não foram lidadas da melhor forma possível， mas para mim não foi algo horrível e grotesco， mesmo achando elas desnecessárias。O final foi。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。 ok。 Segue o resto do livro， meio clichê， o que é desculpado porque agora o clichê é para as gays。 No geral， eu gostaria de ter visto mais referências dos anos 80 e de outras obras， mas talvez elas existam e eu não tenha percebido porque não li/vi muitas coisas de viagem no tempo。 No geral （novamente）， não é um livro maravilhoso， nem horrível， fica na metade do caminho， mas vale a leitura por ter bastante representatividade e para entretenimento。 。。。more
Gordon Ambos
，
TW: Homophobie， Mobbing， RassismusJeder der mich kennt， weiß， wie sehr ich Jugendbücher mit einem übernatürlichen Twist liebe。 Wenn die dann auch noch queer sind， gibt es für mich kein Halten mehr。 Die Geschichte von Luis， der ins Jahr 1985 zurückreist， um den Tod eines schwulen Schülers zu verhindern， hat mich bis zum Ende begeistert。 Besonders die letzten 100 Seiten waren so gut！
Amber D。
，
4。5 stars rounded upI’m usually wary about books with time travel， but this book won me over。 I loved all the characters and was fully invested in the story。 I read the entire book in one sitting。 Honestly， it was a very enjoyable read！
Sofia
，
Intent on changing his conservative school's rule about bringing same-sex dates to prom， Luis suddenly finds himself sent back to 1985 after a hit on the head。 That's when his parents attended his school， as well as Chaz--a gay teen who Luis's mom constantly uses as a warning due to his "accidental" death。 Taking it upon himself to save Chaz， Luis integrates himself into the school while trying to find his way back home。Luis is funny， ambitious， stubborn， and selfish at times。 The book deals wit Intent on changing his conservative school's rule about bringing same-sex dates to prom， Luis suddenly finds himself sent back to 1985 after a hit on the head。 That's when his parents attended his school， as well as Chaz--a gay teen who Luis's mom constantly uses as a warning due to his "accidental" death。 Taking it upon himself to save Chaz， Luis integrates himself into the school while trying to find his way back home。Luis is funny， ambitious， stubborn， and selfish at times。 The book deals with issues surrounding queerness and what it means to be "out，" as well as how life for queer people has changed since the 80s。 If you like the 80s， Back to the Future， or prom drama， be sure to check this one out！ 。。。more
akshara
，
THIS BOOK WAS LITERALLY SO GOOOOD HOLY SHIT I LOVED IT i suck at writing positive reviews so imma just say i loved it
Josh Newhouse
，
This was a great take on Back to the Future mixed with Prom and just a dash of Footloose by a Latinx LGBTQ+ author！ Definitely some cringey moments， and some of the language like “sis” seemed less than authentic for teens。
savior complex die hard
，
I aspire to be as egotistical Luis。 This is not a joke I want an ugly retro prom suit rn
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Spin Me Right Round
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Spin Me Right Round&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Spin Me Right Round&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0