Lindsay S. Zrull

Gothic fashionista Jess is on a mission to reunite with her estranged biological mother—but is she willing to risk her new friends, cosplay championship, and even her future to do so? Bounced between foster homes since the age of seven, Jessica knows better than to set down roots. Until she meets Barbra, her new foster mom (who’s such a cool and surprising weirdo), and the geeky and tender Oscar, who wants to recruit her fashion skills for his amateur cosplay group, where she meets the fearless Emily and the mysterious Gerrit.

The title can be misleading. Yes, Jess is goth, but this is not a cutesy gothic story. It’s a thought-provoking, heartwarming and funny love letter to foster kids and found families. Written by Lindsay S. Zrull, a former foster teen, Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe is all about finding your own agency and embracing the family of your choice.

The writing style is more juvenile than I was expecting and, even though I enjoyed the nerdy and pop culture environment, I wish the author had described less the characters' costumes and skits. Despite that, since this is definitely a character-driven book, LSZ made an excellent job of building and developing everyone’s personality and backstory.

Besides the MC being a plus-sized gothic foster teen, there’s so much more diversity, from culture and socioeconomic status to gender identity and sexual orientation. And, of course, I absolutely love how it addresses so many important topics, from mental health to body positivity.

But what struck me the most was the account of what it is like to grow up with a mentally unstable parent, that is not abusive but slowly falls apart and can’t fulfill their role of guardian. It was so emotional to watch Jess facing the truth of it and the fear of becoming like her biomom.

Thanks to NetGalley, Flux/North Star Editions and Lindsay S. Zrull for providing me with an eARC. I’m leaving this 100% honest review voluntarily. And I assure you, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in July!… (meer)