e-Audio, 12:34:33
Narrated by: Avi Roque
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Read from: March 22-25, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Underage drinking, immigration/ICE, transphobia, negative self talk, marijuana, sex off page, cursing, racism, vomit, racial profiling, interaction with police
For Readers Interested In: Romance, LGBTQIA+ (Transgender), Realistic Fiction, YA, Sparkly Covers, Sex in YAAristotle and Dante meets The Hate U Give meets The Sun Is Also A Star: A stunning YA contemporary love story about a Mexican-American teen who falls in love with an undocumented Mexican boy.
Finding home. Falling in love. Fighting to belong.
The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Martínez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce. The mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially their job at their family’s taquería. It’s the place that has inspired Ander as a muralist, and, as they get ready to leave for art school, it’s all of these things that give them hesitancy. That give them the thought, are they ready to leave it all behind?
To keep Ander from becoming complacent during their gap year, their family “fires” them so they can transition from restaurant life to focusing on their murals and prepare for college. That is, until they meet Santiago López Alvarado, the hot new waiter. Falling for each other becomes as natural as breathing. Through Santi’s eyes, Ander starts to understand who they are and want to be as an artist, and Ander becomes Santi’s first steps toward making Santos Vista and the United States feel like home.
Until ICE agents come for Santi, and Ander realizes how fragile that sense of home is. How love can only hold on so long when the whole world is against them. And when, eventually, the world starts to win.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I had this sitting in my Netgalley list and was planning to read it closer to the release date. But then the Trans Rights Readathon happened and I took it and ran with it lol I was hyped to read this and when I got the chance to read it early, I was like welp! And Lordt this was the best book I could have cheated on my TBR with. I think this was my favorite book of March!
Ok so starting with the individuals like I always do with romances. Ander was a joy to get to know. They were funny, smart, and just everything. It’s really hard to describe them because how does it sound when you say, “they just had some of the best qualities about them.” It sounds so cliche. But it’s 1,000% true. Ander just seemed to be the ideal partner, ideal friend, ideal kid, just everything. I loved being in their head. And then there was Santi. He was the sweetest and he did not deserve any of the stuff that was happening to him. The saying “bad things always happen to good people” was never more true than when they were talking about him. I DID wish we had gotten some chapters from his POV, but I also think that would have ruined me lol I was already an emotional wreck reading this, I don’t think I could have handled an inside look at how all that b.s. made him feel.
As for the plot, this was much more than a romance. And the way it tackled things that are happening in today’s society. And I really applaud Garza for not being afraid to not go with the tied up with a bow, neat ending that everyone might have been expecting. This was more sad, but it was also more realistic. I hated that, but it’s true. Just know that I spent the last 30% of this audio crying real tears because this seemed so real. Now when it got to that big decision, I think it was a bit rushed. A decision like that can’t be taken that lightly. But I do applaud them for taking that chance. They deserved that chance.
The romance in this was so tender and so sweet. I felt the love radiating off the pages. (Out of my earphones? lol) And it happened so fast! I thought it was like a teen thing, but the more I read and the more they interacted with each other, I saw they headed towards each other like a freight train and then BAM everything changed. I knew it was going to be heavy when Ander’s mom tried warning them from getting with Santi. But it couldn’t be helped. But unfortunately, everything worked out just like their mom said it would. But there’s still a happy ending. It just looks very different than I was expecting.
Although this book is a romance, the theme and elements make it pretty heavy. Please have tissue on hand when reading. Since I read this so early no one warned me and I was listening to the audio while trying to get my toddler to sleep lol He kept patting my face and looking at me cry lol I also had to take some breaks because there’s some interactions with the police. And although I don’t have any personal memories of interacting with the branch in this book, as a Black person I know what it’s like to be accosted by the police. Just reading it was scary and I needed a minute. I hate them and what they were doing. To teens no less. I also had to take a break because I knew what was going to happen from the moment it was introduced. My anxiety knew it was a matter of when it was happening so my heart kept speeding up. It’s that type of book y’all. I was INVESTED.
And lastly, I wouldn’t be a foodie if I didn’t talk about the food that was also in this. Like LORDT by the halfway mark I was craving agua fresca and by the end I need the elote, the tacos, and the agua fresca. I needed it all. I don’t think it was as good as the book’s restaurant, but it was good enough for my craving. I remember finishing this book at like 3 am and by 3pm the next day I had put in an order at my local taqueria lol So basically, if you’re like me, make sure you have an idea on where you’re going to get these things because you will need it.
And the audio of this was superb! Avi Roque did amazing. There were points where Ander was scared and Roque portrayed that in thier voice. And they were able to make the teens have two very distinct voices and I was never wondering who was who. It was just a great performance and I loved every second of it.
This book explores so much more than just a romance between two teens. I know I have no say in this, but in my mind it really needs to be looked at for the Pura Belpre award. I was hooked while getting to know Santi and Ander and I really think everyone reading this will also be. I really hope we give Garza their flowers because this book (and they) deserves the recognition.
Overall, I give this
Will you read this? Did you participate in the Trans Rights Readathon? Do you crave foods after you read about them? Do you ever get emotional like this from books? Let me know in the comments!