Does My Body Offend You?

by Mayra Cuevas, Marie Marquardt

A timely story of two teenagers who discover the power of friendship, feminism, and standing up for what you believe in, no matter where you come from. A collaboration between two gifted authors writing from alternating perspectives, this compelling novel shines with authenticity, courage, and humor.

Malena Rosario is starting to believe that catastrophes come in threes. First, Hurricane María destroyed her home, taking her unbreakable spirit with it. Second, she and her mother are now stuck in Florida, which is nothing like her beloved Puerto Rico. And third, when she goes to school bra-less after a bad sunburn and is humiliated by the school administration into covering up, she feels like she has no choice but to comply.

Ruby McAllister has a reputation as her school's outspoken feminist rebel. But back in Seattle, she lived under her sister’s shadow. Now her sister is teaching in underprivileged communities, and she’s in a Florida high school, unsure of what to do with her future, or if she’s even capable making a difference in the world. So when Ruby notices the new girl is being forced to cover up her chest, she is not willing to keep quiet about it.

Neither Malena nor Ruby expected to be the leaders of the school's dress code rebellion. But the girls will have to face their own insecurities, biases, and privileges, and the ups and downs in their newfound friendship, if they want to stand up for their ideals and––ultimately––for themselves.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Feminism, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Audiobook

432 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I wish was getting just a little more buzz! It has such an interesting take on the conversation about the bodies of young girls and women that I think is worth checking out. CW: sexual assault on page

Readers for alternating perspectives of Malena and Ruby. Malena is living in Florida after being displaced by a hurricane that destroyed Puerto Rico. Ruby is attending the same high school as Malena after leaving her home town of Seattle. One day Malena attends a school without a bra due to severe sunburn. She is told by school officials that her attire is inappropriate and goes through a series of events that redefine how she views her body.

This book comes at an interesting time as women all over the US continue to fight for autonomy over their bodies. While this doesn’t directly deal with abortion, it does tackle the conversation associated with how the bodies of young girls and women are viewed especially those belonging to Black and Brown communities. There are a few times that characters have to be reminded that a woman’s body shouldn’t be viewed solely as a temptation for boys and men and that certain attire shouldn’t be required to lessen those temptations and risks that said girls and women would face otherwise. Doing this makes it seem as though women and girls are directly responsible for the likelihood that they would be sexual assaulted and/or raped. All of this and more is discussed in the book as Malena and Ruby attempt to make a difference and stand up for what they think is right.

There is definitely some really good character development. Malena is nervous to speak out against the school officials which is a stark contrast to Ruby. I loved that Ruby was challenged and checked on her desire to help Malena. She knew what white privilege was but didn’t realize how she was engaging in that and the “White savior” complex. It was nice to see other characters teach her how to help without crossing that line. It was also nice to see Malena grow confident in her voice. She struggled so much after having to move to Florida and the violation of her body by school officials didn’t help the situation. Eventually, she learns to find the confidence she needs to feel comfortable in her new surroundings.

This is definitely a novel worth checking out. I often feel like books that explore these tougher topics don’t get enough attention. The exploration of body autonomy is of particular importance today and I’m looking forward to see how people interpret this story.

[Piya · Rating 4 out of 5]

ACTUALLY FEMINIST BOOKS>>>>>>>>>>>>

✨4 stars✨

Some words for that cover: BADASS WOMEN sjkajskjaksjaksnajksjkajskjashkajhskjhask

I've grown up in a society where a woman showing skin is "shameless" "vulgar" and "asking for it". Even as a kid, I was taught early in my ~childhood~ to start wearing a bra because otherwise "it's inviting boys". I mean I'm asking for it if I go out without wearing a bra, aren't I?

"I can't go to school like this," I protest, waving my hands in front of my bare chest in an exaggerated gesture.
"They'r'e just breasts, Malena. Everyone has them."

I loved how the story unfolds: Ruby and Malena's friendship-how two girls from very different social and economical backgrounds find common ground and stand up for each other-and how the authors tackle subjects like white privilege and body shaming, and internalized misogyny while keeping in mind the high school setting of the book.

I could feel Malena, her pain, her anguish, and her helplessness. Because yes, I've felt what she was subjected to. I've been taught: to cover up, to not show because that is uNdEcEnT and "against our CuLtUrE".

All I know is that even though no one physically touched me, I've never felt like a victim in my own body-until now

Which is why, Reading this book was an empowering journey of sorts, to say the least. This book made me feel heard.

Another thing I adored-Girls standing up for girls-(I know I know it's a given considering it's a feminist book but it still takes me by surprise because of the amount of shit I've read in MaInStReAm YA books)-Girl on girl hate is honestly so pathetic and makes me want to squeeze the life out of me or said girls.

These are the bodies we were born into. The bodies given to us by our mamis and our abuelas. What is so wrong with these bodies?

With diverse characters and a strong message, Does my Body Offend you is a beautiful book that is bound to make you feel and fill your heart with warmth.

READ.THIS.GO

[Deeksha Bhardwaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔?”

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛
Does My Body Offend You follows two teenagers Malena and Ruby, who meet under a weird circumstance and started a rebellion against the school’s dress code. But little did they know that their insecurities and privileges would be a hindrance to their cause. Will they be able to stand up for their ideals, ultimately for themselves?

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
I was very intrigued by the premise and the cover, they just reeled me in. The plot was very engaging as we get dual POVs - Malena and Ruby’s. With its simple and light-hearted approach to the plot, this book was captivating, and I couldn’t put it down. It was full of fun & humour-filled moments, there was also a sweet romance that was unexpected but was very cute.

With immense character development, this book tackled a problem persisting in today’s society aptly. It addresses the social issues against marginalised groups and brings awareness to the readers in an interesting way. The perspectives and experiences of the protagonists and how they handled the situations, and how the situation influenced them added a whole lot of depth to the book, making it realistic and enjoyable!

But, the plot shifts its focus from the premise soon and turns Ruby into the main protagonist. Her POV had more depth than Malena’s, which was disappointing. There needed to be a balance between both the character’s POVs because that would've made it much more satisfying. Moreover, the ending felt really rushed when in fact it should have been the most profound part of the book, more impactful...

As I said, both the protagonist had immense character development but I feel Malena was not given that much voice and depth. I loved her throughout and felt like she should’ve been the only protagonist in this book! She was a powerful character but didn’t get to shine. On the other hand, Ruby could have been a side character because her actions were very annoying. The whole plot after a while revolves around her more which defeated the point of this book!

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
With a captivating plot filled with humour and emotional moments, this book addresses the issues women face in a very interesting way. It shows how people think they have the right to decide for women “what to wear and how to wear”. It's a must-read!! Despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed it immensely and would want to read Malena’s POV in depth.

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[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten! My copy was an eARC I got as a staff reviewer for YA Books Central.

3.5 stars.

Content warnings: sexual assault, sexism, racism

The SCREAM I made when I turned the first few pages, y’all. This book has a page to set the setting and its location? Orange Park, Florida.

I KNOW ORANGE PARK. I LITERALLY LIVE HERE.

I’ve never EVER read a book set in this conservative little suburb before and I was all for it given how I saw the dress code enforced when I was in high school. I nearly got coded on a perfectly acceptable skirt by an admin and tricked my way into getting to wear way-too-short shorts twice where staff couldn’t touch me. A book about a protest against draconian dress codes and the revolution that follows would be well at home here.

Does My Body Offend You? is definitely a good book, but perhaps because I’m a resident of the setting, the novel couldn’t get all its hooks into me.

Malena is a fifteen-year-old girl cursed with the same thing I had at fifteen: painfully large DD boobs. She’s got it worse than I had it though. She’s only in Orange Park because she can’t go home to Hurricane Maria-wrecked Puerto Rico and a sunburn so bad she can’t wear a bra gets her in trouble with school administration. They tell her to tape pantyliners to her chest to hide her nipples.

Just– No. No no no no NO. Even when I had teachers pull me over with concerns about wearing a bra when I was twelve, they took care not to make me feel humiliated. They certainly never told me to tape pantyliners to my chest. (Which is good because there was a two-year span after my knockers came in that I refused to wear bras on a regular basis.)

The protest’s seeds are planted when Ruby, recent Seattle transplant and seventeenish-year-old white feminist, finds Malena in the bathroom trying to put the pantyliners on. When her advice gets Malena in trouble again, Ruby is determined to use all her social activism know-how to make some changes to the dress code and make sure it never happens again.

Thing is, she’s a really privileged white girl and Malena is a Puerto Rican girl in a new country. Not just that, but in an area I can tell you is very conservative. She has a very different experience as a brown girl who is being sexualized because she was in too much pain to wear a bra. Ruby doesn’t see any of those differences and those blind spots nearly ruin everything they’re trying to do.

Does My Body Offend You? is a good story about activism, friendship, and being a better activist. What convinces Malena to go with Ruby’s plans is how Ruby is the first person to ask how she is feeling after the humiliation, but that’s one of the last times Ruby is interested in her input for a while. Ruby wants to blaze a trail, but she doesn’t where she’s going and accidentally starts paving the road to hell with her good intentions.

She’s a reminder that a good activist is constantly listening to others and acting in their best interests, not in what they think is in someone’s best interests. If you’re in a position like Ruby’s, be the megaphone that lifts the voices of those directly affected, not the one speaking over people.

And boy, does Ruby speak over Malena, who is trying her best to speak up. She did it plenty back home, but it’s different in the US and she’s from a family for whom reputation is more important than justice. The poor girl mainly has her cousins Soraida and Carlos to rely on for support among all her relatives.

The choice of setting is an inspired one because this is the kind of place the issue of dress codes, sexism, and racism would come to a head, but because I live here, Cuevas’ and Marquardt’s descriptions of the area kept pulling me out of the story.

Like, did anyone involved in the making of this book even look us up on Google Maps? Just when I’d get immersed in the story, I’d be pulled out again thanks to details like:

*a claim that there are no sidewalks near the schools (the schools and neighborhoods around them are basically the only ones with consistent sidewalks; my neighborhood has none)
*The entire Nick Jonas concert. You’re telling me he performs at a venue that immediately lets out into downtown, the streets are nearly empty, and the venue is within walking distance of a Waffle House? Everything about that is just inconceivable! The only venue of that description is the Florida Theatre, which he’s too big to perform at. The streets are never empty and there’s no Waffle House downtown because Jacksonville is a food desert.

These details are not going to mean much to most readers, but again, this is my home. I’ve been living in Jacksonville/Orange Park since I was four. If it’s a reasonable criticism when people write New York City inaccurately (see: Girls and Friends), it’s a reasonable one when I say this book fails to get even basic things right about my area’s geography. The only difference is that there are more people who can point out a poor portrait of NYC than of my home.

Does My Body Offend You? is smart with a good heart, but lord, the geographical issues. If someone reached out and asked for my help in making all the location stuff accurate, I’d do it as long as I got paid.

[Sherwood Smith]

One of those reads that I begin over lunch, then can't put down until I've finished.

Puerto Rican Malena is new at a mainland high school after her home was wiped out by Hurricane Maria. She's part of a large, loving family, with strong women whose message might seem conflicting to budding feminists: big girls are great, but women are much better off being quiet, dressing quietly, not making waves.

This survival tactic is millennia old, and still going strong, but Ruby McAllister, a white girl transplanted from Seattle, is not having any of it. Unasked, she gives Malena some advice on the first day of school when Malena is put in a humiliating position--with the result that Malena is even more humiliated.

Understandably, Malena's family is furious over Ruby's nosy white-knighting--especially Malena's hot cousin, the soccer star. Malena herself would be just as happy if Ruby would never speak to her, or walk in her line of sight, again.

Ruby of course is horrified! She meant well! She's a feminist! Why should women's bodies be an issue . . . and so the novel develops at a galloping pace, with the teenagers taking action in their own way, dealing with how it backfires, but learning and thinking as they also deal with typical high-octane teen emotions. And one of the things they learn is how adults just might have their own stories that shaped them.

I loved this book. It's full of humor and compassion and sharp-eyed observation about human/cultural interactions. Told in alternating chapters, it makes Malena and Ruby into living, breathing people. I hope every school library gets copies. And every library, for that matter.

Copy provided by NetGalley

[Lee (Books With Lee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: sexual assault

This is a book that deserves more attention!

Does My Body offend you, tackled some tough topics such as how race impacts the way society views bodies. As well as the impact of having a White savor complex both within friendships and within an entire movement.

Told from a dual- perspective, this book largely address body autonomy in a way that was both engaging and impactful. I’m beyond happy that books like this exist as I did not have access to any thing that came close to this growing up.

Reading this impacted me in a good way. It offered validation to me from the unfair “rules” that were placed on the black and brown students at my schools growing up. Although discrimination such as this still exist, I’m hopeful that change can happen through creating and sharing stories such as this one.

I thought the story felt authentic. The characters were well developed, and the message was clear.

I also like that the authors provided resources in the back of the book as well as provided some background information in the authors notes.

I loved this book and will definitely read more from these authors!

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malena Rosario is dealing with the loss of her home in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria leaves It in ruins. She moves to Florida to start new. After a bad sunburn, she goes to school without a bra and is reprimanded by the school administration.

Ruby McAllister has moved from Seattle looking for a fresh start in Florida. She’s a little lost with not knowing her purpose and feels like she’s always been in her sisters shadow. Ruby notices what happens with Malena and together they lead a revolution.

I really enjoyed the characters, they feel real and I enjoyed watching the girls friendships unfold and grow. I think this book was powerful, feminist, and deals with a lot of important topics. The overall message was great. I will say this is extremely long for a young adult book but I still blew through it pretty quickly!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I DEVOURED this book. Does My Body Offend You? was a difficult read, especially with the Roe v. Wade shenanigans, but this was a very important feminist novel. The only thing keeping this book from being five stars for me was that it could have been edited a little so it wasn’t quite as long.

[dovesnook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does My Body Offend You? by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt was one of my most anticipated releases this first half of 2022 and it d e l i v e r e d 👏👏👏😌

It follows two high school girls who fight not only their school’s dress code but against the sexualization of young women and for the right to their own bodies. By listening and making various mistakes, both girls learn to be better. Better friends, better at calling out racism (sometimes even in themselves), better at acknowledging an unfair system, and ultimately find their own voices.

It’s such a special story that needed to be told and these authors did an incredible job! 10/10 recommend reading.

I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how to explain the importance of this book, but just read it! It addresses every single thing that it should be addressing, even when you think it won’t. It does it in an impactful way, and it shows different communities how to work together to create change.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My body is a gift from my parents. It’s a temple for my soul, my mind, and my heart. My body is pride, a picture of my homeland, a song of love. My body is not yours to judge. Not yours to decide. Not yours to criticize. It’s mine, only mine, and no one else’s.”

“That mentality only deflects the conversation about what is mutually respectful behavior between boys and girls. It perpetuates the belief that girls’ bodies are dangerous, and that harassment is inevitable. It puts the burden on the victim.”

Malena is a Puerto Rican refugee that moves to Florida after hurricane Maria devastates her hometown. Ruby moves to Florida from Seattle, WA. Both teens attend high school at Orange Grove HS and become fast friends after Malena is forced to put panty liners on her nipples when she doesn’t wear a bra to school after getting a bad sunburn. Does My Body Offend You? follows both girls before, during and after they decide to protest the unfair treatment of Malena.

Holy moly! This is quite possibly my favorite YA Contemporary book ever! I applaud the authors for writing about these important social issues that surround marginalized groups including women, minorities, and LGBTQIA+. I got emotional several times throughout the book. The character development for many of the characters was done well and very realistically, but the growth for Ruby and Malena was excellent! I highly recommend this book for young adults and adults.

CW/TW: Sexual assault, sexism, classism, racism/xenophobia, white savior complex, body shaming, and alcohol.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down.

Let's start with the obvious: Does My Body Offend You? is far and away the best book title of the year. The title is almost inextricably tied to the fantastic cover, with its distinctive color blocking and bright, focus-pulling colors. All of this serve as excellent trappings for a very timely book. A brief summary: stuck in Florida after Hurricane Maria devastated her home of Puerto Rico, Malena is forced to go to school bra-less due to a bad sunburn. She gets punished - which white student Ruby sees and objects to. They become friends and work together to change the problematic school dress code. Shenanigans occur.

Recently I've been struggling on two fronts: I can't find any interesting books (I read about 10% of a book, decide I'm bored, and move on to another. Rinse, wash, repeat), and grad school is killing me (RIP me). Despite this, I was excited to see that I finally got off the waitlist for Does My Body Offend You? at my local library. I read it in one sitting and... I have thoughts. Chief among them is this: I don't think this is my book.

Yeah, I know.

See, on paper this book should be my type of book. I love this stuff: YA stories in which teenagers tackle Big Issues and struggle against the Hegemonic Patriarchy that is trying to hold them down; when characters learn about their own privilege and work to dismantle their own biases; when everyone grows and learns and loves and blah blah blah. Anyways, Does My Body Offend You? doesn't quite work for me. Ordinarily I'd blame it on my own positionality as a cis white adult man, but I think it's because the book just kind of... lacks nuance. We know from the beginning that Ruby doesn't really get her own privilege; we know that Hurricane Maria profoundly affected Malena and that she's going to get her voice back; we know that Plan A is never going to work out. All of these big plot points lack nuance, leading to a pretty obvious conclusion.

I dunno. It's a decent book, and Malena in particular is a great character, but something about it is lacking. I kind of wish the authors would have dropped Ruby from being a protagonist to a secondary character or something. This could have added a bit more nuance and made for a more interesting story. Or something. All of that being said, it's certainly worth a read, and it's an important and very timely story that needs to be told - particularly when we consider the oh-so-realistic realities of white saviorism and the increasing lack of autonomy women are facing in their everyday lives.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does My Body Offend You? is a very timely YA book with a message pertaining to a few serious topics for teens and their parents alike.
Did you see or read the book Moxie? If you enjoyed it, this would be a great companion novel to it.

Ruby and Malena could not be more different. Malena has recently moved to Florida after Hurricane Maria ruined her home and the island of Puerto Rico. She feels out of place already, but when she is called out of class for something that she could not help, a nosy upper classman tries to "help" her.
Ruby, meanwhile is a middle class white girl from Seattle. She is all about calling out authority and giving a voice to the people that need one. She has the best intentions, but sometimes doesn't know when she crosses boundaries.

At the beginning, I was excited to see these two come together for the greater good. It seemed like Ruby really knew what she was talking about and like she could assist Malena in her standing up for herself. Only that's not what happened. Ruby tramples Malena and really takes over something that should be more about Malena and the injustices SHE experienced. Malena is a girl that really needed to find her voice in her new school and do it with confidence. While Malena eventually finds her voice and their movement takes a different turn, I felt like some of the message was getting lost in the outside relationships. What started out a dress code feminist movement became a lot more. It became a story of sexism, body shaming, rape culture, racism, discrimination and privilege.

I loved that the authors took on a lot for a young adult book and had two characters from different backgrounds find common ground and form a friendship during this movement. The way food and culture played into the girls' roles was done exquisitely. I enjoyed that a part of Puerto Rico was brought to the mainland and interspersed within the story and the message. Ruby and Malena were true teens and full of flaws and finding themselves and their voices. It's hard to admit mistakes, but seeing that growth in them made them all the more real. And while Ruby trampled at the beginning, she learned where her place was at and how to be supportive to Malena.

Does My Body Offend You was a good story with strong characters and a great message. A few things weren't wrapped up or dealt with in the end, but overall it was a story that I would definitely want to share with my teenagers to show them that they do have a voice, even when they think they don't.

[Liv · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried, I really tried.

First off, I did not hate this book. I loved the storyline and the message it sent. But the writing wasn't engaging, and I didn't feel like a part of what was happening. Malena is a great character and an inspiration, and I love her a lot. But Ruby, oh god.

Ruby fucking McAllister.
For starters, her whole not-cursing thing was so dumb. I get it if you're trying not to curse, but please, for the life of me, DO NOT SAY DAG-BLAM.
Yes, you heard that right. Our very own Ruby McAllister unironically says the phrase dag-blam. *gags* She's already close to unredeemable. But also, she rants and rants about how women should not be objectified, AND THEN CALLS HER BOYFRIEND, AND I QUOTE, "A PERFECT SPECIMEN." Also, she gets mad at him because his family favors him. WHICH HE HAS NO CONTROL OVER!!! She tells him to ask his family to "start treating him fairly." Also, she blames his family's favoritism on male privilege. *sigh* Break up with her already.

And now to Dr. Hardaway.
At the beginning of the book, she is depicted as a cruel woman who punishes Malena for not wearing a bra. Then, once it is revealed that she was raped when she was younger, she suddenly becomes a kind and compassionate source of comfort. SHE PUT MALENA IN DETENTION FOR A WEEK BECAUSE HER NIPPLES WERE VISIBLE! Of course, what happened to her was terrible and might help the characters try to understand her actions more, but I don't think that is so easily forgivable.

Finally, the writing.
*deep breath*
WHY DO SO MANY RANTING TEENAGERS ONLY USE "FREAKING???" IT ISN'T REALISTIC AT ALL. THEY'RE TEENAGERS! THEY SHOULD BE SWEARING! I HAVE NEVER HEARD AN ANGRY TEENAGER USE "FREAKING." JUST SWEAR, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL!

Final rating - 2.5/5

Anyway, thank you for reading my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day. :)

[Drew's ambitious reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does my body offend you by Mayra cuevas & Marie Marquardt is about two main characters who come from two different backgrounds but quickly become best friends!!! I really enjoyed how at first some of these characters didn't get a long but in the end they did! I am really happy I loved this book as it was my May book club pick for queerreads!! Four/five stars!(:

[Gili · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m surprised by how much I’m disappointed by this book. The cover art is so good, the title is a punch in the gut in the best way, and the premise and themes are right up my alley.
Unfortunately it managed to be less than the sum of its parts, or more exactly less than the sum of its two storylines.
Malena is a 15ish girl from Peurto Rico that moves to Florida following a hurricane back home. She loses some of her confidence being an immigrant and being subjected to racism in her school, and the story follows the way she becomes more able to speak for herself instead of the Ruby who suffers from having some “white savior syndrome”. Her big moment is yelling at Ruby about the way school dress code is applied in a racist way towards brown and black students. I wish we would see more of her figuring this out, part of the fact that we don’t see parts of the story from her point of view is that her arc feels mostly like a reaction to Ruby, and I would have loved to understand why of all the shitty things that happen to her this seems to motivate her the most.
Ruby is a bit older, white and well off with an even more white savior sister who is adored by her parents. Half way through the action something happens to her that seriously affects all her reactions from that point of the story on, but she keeps it a secret including from Malena. While it’s important to the way she behaves, including towards Malena, it’s barely addressed between them, which makes her story become just about her learning to shut up despite there being plenty of setup for something more nuanced.

Big spoiler
Come to think about it, the way, sexual assault survivors become the enforcers of the patriarchy, not once but twice in this book and get more “screen time” than almost anyone else doing so is… a bit icky.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malena has not been having an easy time of it lately. First, Hurricane Maria destroys her home, and now she finds herself living in Florida with her mother while her father remains in Puerto Rico helping with the recovery process. When she goes to school one day braless due to a terrible sunburn, she finds herself at the center of a dress code storm. Ruby is also relatively new at school and has been trying to find her own way out of the shadow of her over-achieving sister. When Malena and Ruby meet in the girls' restroom where Malena is crying due to the "solution" she was give to deal with her bralessness, Ruby decides it is time to speak out. The two girls form an alliance to change the dress code and along the way, discover friendship, love, terror, and forgiveness. Such a fantastic book dealing with timely issues.

[Jaye Berry]

TW: slut shaming, sexual assault, misogyny

Does My Body Offend You? is about a girl named Malena whose home got destroyed by a hurricane. Now her and her mom are stuck in Florida, which is nothing like Puerto Rico. After she goes to school without a bra because of a bad sunburn, she gets humiliated by the school administration into covering up. Ruby has a reputation for being an outspoken feminist rebel but was always under her sister's shadow in Seattle. In her Florida high school, she wants to make a difference so when she sees the new girl being forced to cover up, she isn't going to be quiet about it.

This book had so many layers honestly. I loved the girls supporting girls vibes and I liked Malena's and Ruby's friendship. I wish some things that happened between them didn't but I understand it was all for the character development. And oh my god Ruby needed a LOT of that. She's so white feminist and spends the entire time white-knighting and while I'm happy that she learned to be better, I kind of wish I didn't have to read her POV at all lol. She was so annoying at times and I just wanted to shake her. I also wanted to shake Malena a couple times too but for completely different reasons.

Maybe I'm just old but this book has a lot of teenagers being teenagers which means being messy and getting drunk then acting morally superior about it. It was so frustrating how blackout and messy one of them got at a party and then acted so annoying about how she's allowed to do that. Like yeah sis do whatever but I'm still going to call your teenage ass a dumbass for getting that trashed.

I did like the conversations this had about dress codes, racism, and feminism but some events that happened in here just had me rolling my eyes and made it hard to get through. The second hand cringe was really driving the boat. But still an important read!! Also sidenote: does offend my you? body

[Kelly]

There were a lot of things that were great--particularly where Malena learns to use her voice and to call out Ruby's white savior complex -- but there were more things that were underdeveloped and could have added far more to the narrative (in particular, Malena's father being absent because of the work he was doing post-Maria in Puerto Rico).

It's fine, but Watch Us Rise is much stronger, traversing similar themes. But if you liked that one or Moxie, this is worthwhile.

[Arwyn Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I wouldn’t like this book, but it was really good. Frustrating at times, but really good.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started off SO well, but Ruby was an absolutely awful character. Her white saviour complex meant that Malena had very little agency over what was happening to her, and while I get that Ruby existed purely in the book to highlight how annoying it is when white people try to solve the problems of minorities, the way she was written brought down the entire book.

Additionally, her romance with Carlos felt forced (I genuinely thought she was going to be queer, the way she talked about Malena when they first met), and after 50 pages, her mentioning that she was flat-chested every other page started to get slightly annoying. I genuinely thought her chapters were written by a man, because any woman with a small chest will tell you that we don't make our lack of tits our personality. I also don't agree with the book's belief that women with smaller bodies don't get in trouble for flaunting their bodies, because they absolutely do. Florence Pugh in that pink see-through dress says hi.

Malena's chapters were better, but she kind of lost me when she started virgin-shaming and associating her personal feminism with sex and sensuality. You cannot call yourself a feminist when you refuse to support women who *don't* feel comfortable showing their bodies and who would rather save themselves for marriage. Maybe she had a change of heart at the end of the book, but I never bothered finding out.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning, eloquent, undaunted exemplification of feminism and fighting back.

This book spoke to the very depths of my feminist soul and I learned so much from it. The combination of Ruby’s passion and Malena’s authenticity made a story I won’t forget.

The story covered so much, from privilege and interracial relationships to sexism and racism and homophobia to sexual assault and rape. There should definitely be a content warning at the beginning, but the way the authors dealt with all of the topics they tackled was commanding yet personal. I’m still in awe with the way the story unfolded and with the beautiful ending.

I fell so deeply into this book, and I truly can’t recommend it enough to anyone and everyone, whether a seasoned or budding or brand-new feminist. Does My Body Offend You? is a gorgeous expression of the feminism I and many others aspire to embody.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[julia ☆ [owls reads] · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with big tetas, this was a read. It also would have meant a lot to teenage me.

[bocasbri · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was pleasantly surprised with how good this young adult book was. i have read a few feminist young adult books over the years, and this one was by far the best (that i remember at least). i think that the author did a great job at incorporating many different aspects of intersectionality feminism—which i found lacking in many other feminism themed books. it was nice to read about how brown girls and boys are policed differently even by the school administration. i remember getting dress coded for shorts that were much longer than a lot of the other girls *angry face*.

although ruby kind of steamrolled the movement and failed to be a friend/reliable teammate when it came down to it, she did seem to learn from the situation and her mistakes. i am glad that melena stood up to her and made her voice heard. i appreciated the friendship aspect of the book and was glad that ruby & carlos’ relationship didn’t become a main focal point of the book. i had been looking forward to this book for months and it didn’t disappoint for me.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review, and my apologies for the lateness as this came out a few weeks ago.

This was so great!! In this young adult, feminist manifesto, we fall in love with the fantastic Malena, a Puerto Rican displaced from her home following Hurricane Maria. After a bad sunburn, she comes to school without a bra and is of course sent to the assistant principal's office where she and the nurse have her put pantyliners on her nipples because a teacher complained. There, she meets Ruby, a white feminist out to prove that she is an activist. They become friends and take on the dress code, bringing in a wonderful conversation of purity culture, racism, friendship, white feminism and activism, white saviorism, misogyny, sexuality, and sexual assault. And there's a little romance in it that I really loved too. It is the book I wish I had in my teens!

I really loved pretty much everything about this book- the characters, the plot, and the hard-hitting issues. It may have been a full five star book for me, but it dragged just a little bit for me in the middle. However, I really cannot wait for more from these two talents authors.

If you enjoy a little feminist YA (and if you liked the Netflix movie "Moxie"), you'd be into this one too. Super glad I requested this one, despite knowing nothing about it.

4.5 stars rounding up

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book for young women. Explores the topics of sexuality, racism, gender issues, and student activism. Two girls try to change their high school by protesting the dress code after an incident with one girl coming to school without a bra on due to a painful sunburn.

I was attracted to this book by the cover and the title!

[Natalie Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I stumbled across this cover in a Barnes and noble one day, this book is amazing. Everyone should read this book!!

[Alexe (mtlbibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish every teenager would read this.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book was slow getting into it was definitely worth it. And such a conversation starter. It tackles topics relevant yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The character development is also phenomenal. This book I feel personally is can be relatable to a lot of people(me included), goes to show that fiction is just a replication of truth.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This realistic YA about dress coding, friendship, & intersectionality holds nothing back! Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt crafted the essential novel about feminist activism in youth. Told in alternating perspectives, Does My Body Offend You? follows the lives of Malena Rosario and Ruby McAllister as they challenge the cultural of shame and sexism in their school's dress code policy.

Puerto Rican Malena is new at school, and she's already struggling to adjust after moving to Florida following Hurricane Maria. Due to a bad sunburn, Malena doesn't wear a bra to school, and she's forced by administration to tape pantyliners to her nipples and bind her breasts with surgical tape. Ruby, an outspoken white girl originally from Seattle, witnesses Malena's distress and tries to help.

This incident and what follows leads Malena and Ruby on a path to friendship, school activism, and personal growth. Through their journeys, Malena must learn to speak up for herself and feel confident in her unique voice and experience. On the other side, Ruby has to learn how to lead through platforming others and recognizing how privilege impacts her life and others'. Both women come to learn that everyone has a story, and those stories are always impacted by trauma, privilege, and society. We can't deny our stories, but we can use them to create better stories for ourselves and those around us.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last 20% of the book was a cry-athon.
The novel unravels white privilege, and how that plays out in h.s. dress codes.
Who gets "dress coded"? Big girls? Girls of color? Queer boys? Ruby and Malena see how this plays out on their own bodies. How much this work of fiction was based on research doesn't appear in the resource list or the acknowledgeents, but certainly, there is a provocative kernel that puts forward the position that girls of color and transgender students are the most targeted for examination of clothing.