Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Canto Contigo

An absolutely beautiful book, so beyond what I expected. The subject of grief was woven throughout and felt so real. It hurt hard and I think honestly helped me through my own grief. Timing was slightly confusing sometimes but that could be how quickly I was listening to the audiobook. The narrator did a perfect job. I truly loved this book and highly highly recommend it.

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elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

This book was supposed to be a light, fluffy read based on its incredibly cute premise, but now I’m crying. Like, Jonny Garza Villa outdoes himself with Canto Contigo. It is sweet and beautifully written and so emotional and, quite frankly, I cannot do it justice even if I had all the adjectives from all the languages in the world at my disposal. Gorgeous.

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lettuce_read's review

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Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad 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? Yes

4.25

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free copy of this book.

- Jonny Garza Villa has another winner with CANTO CONTIGO. I adore their characters, these boys with soft hearts working through big events and bigger feelings.
- Rafie seems so prickly and hardheaded and first, but as we dig deeper into his experiences and feelings with him, we grow to love him just as much as Rey does.
- I loved the queering of mariachi in this book, too. I didn’t know much about the genre, but the book had me looking up songs and cheering for this super queer group of kids to live their dreams out loud.

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danaburrreads's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

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adrianas65's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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justinekorson's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Netgally for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

"You can have me if you want me."
WHAT A LINE UGH. THESE BOYS COMPLIMENTED EACH OTEHR SO WELL IT WAS UNFATHOMABLE. This is the first book I've read by Jonny Garza (though I think it's his 3rd book he's ever published) and what a great one to start with! I couldn't understand a lot of the Spanish being spoken in the book (for the very obvious reason that I don't speak the language) but I was still able to pick up the gist of what was said most of the time and there were occasional translations for particularly long sections of Spanish too which I appreciated. Raife and Rey were so much fun to read about. They were ACTUAL rivals to lovers (unlike some stories where they aren't really rivals at all they just have bad interactions). They were actively fighting for that spotlight before they decided to share it and that made the story so much sweeter when they finally came together!

My one gripe with the story is that I wish Rafie didn't actually agree to become lead vocalist (causing the catalyst of the third act breakup). Instead, I wish he'd ask to have some time to think it over. Rafie had changed so much (in my opinion) over the course of the school year and I knew he loved Rey so it hurt ME to see him pick himself over their partnership. I feel that if Rafie had asked for time instead of immediately agreeing it still could have worked. Someone could have overheard Rafie's conversation with his teacher and the principal (possibly that dick Arturo) and then Arturo could spread the rumor that Rafie was going to be lead vocalist. This could still lead to the third act breakup where Rey and Rafie have a fight and where they talk about trust and belief in one another. I think it would have been just as good but what do I know!

Regardless I love the representation that was in this book and although I know only Coco levels of things about mariachi, I really liked how this whole story centered around this really cool type of music/music competition. I'm looking forward to reading more from Jonny!

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litoreads's review against another edition

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Canto Contigo is a YA, queer, coming-of-age, enemies-to-lovers romance centered around two queer Mexican-American boys with a shared passion for mariachi. Regrettably, I had to discontinue reading this book after reaching 57%, an unusual decision for me as I rarely DNF books. It marks the second book I've ever set aside.

Amidst my reservations about certain elements, there was one aspect of the book that genuinely resonated with me: the exploration of the spiritual context and the significance we attribute to our departed loved ones. Family holds a paramount role in Latin culture, and even after their passing, we carry forward the love and reverence for their legacy, beautifully manifested in the magical tradition of Dia de Los Muertos, adorned with calavera imagery. The inclusion of the calavera mariachi, serving as Rafie's confidant and potentially embodying his grandfather's energy or spirit, struck me as a poignant and inventive concept within the narrative.

1.5 Stars.

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