Reviews

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

Only show reviews with written explanations

pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Content Warnings

lezreadalot's review against another edition

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4.0

I see the moon and the sun. Together. Sharing the same sky. And I know that, no matter what, we’ll be all right.

3.5 stars. This was mad cute. I cannot deny that the entire time I was listening to this audiobook, I had a huge grin on my face. I don't gravitate towards a lot of YA these days, but I'm so glad I gave this a try. It's about a closeted Latinx teen living in Texas who finds himself in a long distance friendship/relationship with another boy in LA. This does one of my favourite things, which is the melding of slang into dialogue and prose, so I was primed to love it on that alone. Most of the emphasis in the novel is on Julián's relationships: with this family, his friends, and his new boyfriend. I loved the acknowledgment of how painful and complicated it can be when someone who's supposed to love you hurts you, but you can't bring yourself to hate them. I adored the found family vibes of the friend group. I was in love with the romance. It was just so stinking adorable. I did sometimes find the dialogue a little forced and the writing wasn't always terribly compelling, but the book had a lot of heart and soul, and that shone through.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Avi Roque, which was a great way to experience it. A book like this was meant to be listened to. I did think the pacing was a bit off in a few places; a lot of unnecessary gaps/pauses that got a bit irritating, but it was fine, mostly. Everything I don't like about this boils down to the fact that I don't often read or like YA these days, but again, I'm glad I gave this a try. Super cute, really impressive for a debut, and it's always great to see new queer authors of colour writing heart-warming and realistic fiction for younger generations. <3

Content warnings:

Spoiler

parental abuse (physical and emotional), homophobia

smolartist11's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kaisbooknook's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

katiegrrrl's review against another edition

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4.0

I thought this was a very realistic coming out and coming of age story. I love the supportive friends Julián has and his sister and grandfather.

2022 YMA Pura Belpre Young Adult Author honor book

whatbookishannahreading's review against another edition

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5.0

This book had me crying. It was a beautiful journey of self-love and acceptance. I LOVED the H‑E‑B references, the Selena love, and trashing In-N-Out. Don’t get me wrong, I love some animal style… but Whataburger is better.

I can’t even imagine the pain, fear, and complications that go along with this kind of journey, but I will always be an ally to those that do. Thank you so much to Jonny for writing this book.

“The gravest sin of all would be to keep you from experiencing the fullness of this life. As long as whoever you give your heart to is good to you and for you and doesn't put ketchup on his tamales, then bueno.”

dynamicdylan's review against another edition

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5.0

CW: Homophobia, Parental Abuse, Physical Abuse from a parent, Grief and references to loss of a parent, Bullying Homophobic Hazing, Underage Drinking, Panic Attacks and PTSD.

This book was utterly beautiful. I wept. We follow a young Mexican American boy named Jules in his last year of high school. He's coming to terms with his sexuality and falling in love with Mat, a Vietnamese American boy who lives in Los Angeles. They meet online and quickly form a friendship.
This book explores a lot of queer themes. Coming out, and all of the hardships one might face from a homophobic parent. Bullying from peers, acceptance from friends. It is a raw and emotional story. I loved every second of it. The audio book is also fantastic.

bryanhoardsbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

"There's been a lot of hugging this morning, but I'm not complaining. It reminds me that this is real. That my coming out isn't some confusing dream. And that I'll be okay." – Jonny Garza Villa

Let's talk about why Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun by Jonny Garza Villa is one of the best releases this month! Here are some of reasons why I love it:

mel_muses's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

firefox's review against another edition

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4.0

Good soup.

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