Raya and Grayson’s Guide to Saving the World by Catherine Dellosa
Published: September 14, 2019
Purchase: Amazon
Goodreads: Goodreads
“If I don’t break your heart, the world is going to end.”When Grayson posts about his girlfriend breaking up with him with that line in an anonymous “Breakup Confessions” thread, Raya recognizes the references and knows that it’s him.Raya has been dealing with a deeply personal loss, with only her comic books to give her quiet comfort. But thanks to her forum-lurking, she now knows that the guy she’s been crushing on for years is single again. What’s that called, when she might actually have a chance with him but senior high school just ended and they’re heading off on separate paths forever and ever? It’s called a long shot. Right. Only heroes take a risk with those odds and still win.But when Grayson walks into the hobby shop she works for and asks Raya for a comic book recommendation, Raya realizes that superheroes can come in all shapes and sizes. And as they bond over the summer on all things caped and geeky, Raya discovers that maybe—just maybe—she deserves a chance at a super-powered love story of her own.
So… This book review has been long overdue. Okay. I’m sorry. I tried to read the book as fast as I could and then proceed to writing it but tadah! Life had other plans for me. I needed to read hundreds (close to a thousand) stories in a short period of time and honestly, I just wanted to give myself a break and stop reading. Thus, the late posting of this book review. I didn’t want to give the book a half-hearted review especially when I knew that I literally wanted to stop reading any kind of story.
Now, enough about that back story.
Raya and Grayson’s Guide to Saving the World is the third book for the #romanceclass Flickr. It is also the fourth story of Cath that I was able to read. I was really excited to read this one because I know how capable Cath is in terms of writing. I knew it would be good but before I could even start, I encountered a problem. I don’t have any idea with regards to comic books and comic book conventions. As in zero. Nothing. Nada.
So why did I even bother and ask for a copy so that I could review this book? Like what I’ve said earlier, I liked what Cath has been writing for the past couple of years. Starting from her short story in Summer Feels to the one from 12 Months of Romance | 24 Reasons to Love up until her first novel, The Bookshop Back Home. I really looked forward to reading another piece from her so here I am, reading about something I didn’t know about.
Now, that’s what we call, educational. Right?
Going back to the book review…
Honestly, I don’t know where to start. I had to inhale a lot of things about this story. It tackled about comic books, comic book conventions, comic book forums, love, friendship, trust and other personal problems. It was really educational for me since I really didn’t know any of the comic books and characters that were mentioned in the story. I had to go and imagine things especially during the convention so that I would be able to relate to the characters. It was quite a challenge for me but I’m glad that I stayed all the way to the end of the story.
During the beginning of the story though, I really had some doubts on Grayson. He just got out from a break-up and I didn’t think he was that serious to Raya. It almost felt like a rebound but as the story progressed, it seemed as if they were the perfect fit for each other. They had their own little world and was happy with it. And because of that, I felt happy for them too.
But you see, Raya and Grayson both had problems from their past. But what I loved about them is that they made each other realize in the end that they are the perfect fit for each other. They helped each other out and managed to get over their own issues together.
What I loved about the story though is the fact that Cath showed how a simple support for the indie community could come a long way. I can relate to that but not in terms of comic books tho. I felt like it was that way with #romanceclass as well. What started as a small indie community turned into something big and has opened a lot of opportunities to many people. It was really touching and I really liked that idea.
rachellebelaro 