Here the Whole Time - Vitor Martins

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⭐ 8.5/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

Felipe is a fat, gay, Brazilian boy, and he is not pleased to discover that during his spring break, his neighbour, whom he's had a crush on from afar for years, is spending it with him while his family is away. Felipe is super self-conscious and doesn't know how to act around Caio, but eventually they warm up to each other again.

This is a good example of a book in translation that doesn't feel any different from what we're used to. It's just a really sweet romance between two boys, and about self-confidence and body positivity. The boys both have reasons to envy each other, and they learn that nobody's life is perfect. Although it's pretty standard fare for us, I assume it's fairly ground-breaking in Brazil. And even if it's normal for us now to see queer romance in YA books, this is really charming in and of itself, with the added international and fat representation aspects that made it stand out for me.

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