Synopsis : Julián Luna has had his life mapped out for as long as he can remember. Gradate high school. Get into UCLA. And finally begin to live his most authentic self. The only thing left for him to do now is fly under the radar for another nine months. Things were going according to plan until one reckless night and a single tweet that forced Julián’s secrets quite literally out of the closet. Now that his secret is out in the
open, Julián’s hope for smooth sailing through graduation is down the toilet, but at least he can be his true self. He even managed to bag his twitter crush, Mat along the way. Too that he happens to live fifteen hundred miles away

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review: I absolutely enjoyed this book! It was a little out of my comfort zone, but overall it was definitely a book I would recommend (and read over and over)! This book is also perfect for fans of Simon V. the Homosapien Agenda and great for all readers 9th grade and up. There are mentions of sex and sexual situation but there is nothing graphic (more insinuation than anything).

I will say that this book contains a lot of Spanish, as a majority of the characters are latinx. This was a struggle for me to comprehend since I am absolutely awful at Spanish. Luckily, I had the ebook so it was very easy to translate.

This book also deals with some heavy topics (homophobia and abuse) but does it in a way that is not harmful (at least in my perspective). I will also add the trigger warnings at the end of this review. Please keep yourself safe and skip this read may be hurtful to you!

Like I said, I believe this book to be quite different and diverse than what you typically see on the YA market. I do feel as though you should be up on current internet trends because it makes the book all together better!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: this book deals with topics of parental abuse and includes topics of mental illness, forced outing and homophobic language.

#fifteenhundredmilesfromthesun #netgalley

4.5/5 stars.

I immensely enjoyed this book so much and I'm so grateful to have been able to read it. This is a wonderful coming of age novel that really speaks to the experience of coming out in a non-accepting household and leaning on your friends for support. With beautiful and honest writing, Jonny creates a wonderful story that has me on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout, and I loved every bit of it.

This is an excellent #Ownvoices and debut novel by Jonny Garza Villa.

Julian Luna is a senior in high school, who resides in Texas and identifies as homosexual, and has yet to come out to his friends and family. He is a soccer star and plays on the team with his best friend, Jordan. There is a history of physical abuse by his father, who often hints that he is aware of Julian (aka Luna)’s sexuality, even though he is not out yet. The two have a tense relationship. His mother died when he was an infant, and he has an older sister named Xo, who is seven years older than him. His sister is typically a buffer between him and his father. The only time that he really gets along with his father is when they watch movies, or when he does well in his soccer matches. His father puts a lot of pressure on him to do well in soccer, “be a man”, and date his female best friend Itzel.

I loved how the author so accurately tackled themes of sexuality and homophobia. It felt as if I was reading his memoir in a way because the experiences were so real and raw. I loved the group of friends that Julian had and the support and love they had for him. I also enjoyed relieving some fun parts of high school like prom, graduation, and getting those college acceptances and finally picking your college.

There is some triggering content of homophobia and physical abuse by a parent. This story will break your heart and make you swoon at the same time. It is a fun experience watching Julian find himself and embrace his sexuality, along with support from his friends, as he falls in love with Mat in Los Angeles. You can tell that the author has personally experienced some of the events that happen in this book, and it just makes the story that much better..

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a really good mix of queer fluff and realistic queer struggling. I absolutely loved how it managed to be this really cutesy romance while also tackling a lot of the potentially negative reproductions of coming out because a lot of books tend to land firmly on one side of that spectrum leading to either a really heavy, soul-crushing read, or an unrealistic one.

Was this cliche? Of course. But was is also adorable? Definitely.

Jonny's story is AMAZING!!!!!! I loved every minute of it! Emotionally raw. Relatable characters. True stakes. How far will one go? You'll have to find out! I highly recommend!

First, I want to thank the publisher for the arc provided through NetGalley!

A very cute story although not without some heavy content. Characters were likable and the romance was adorable!

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun has a lot of heart. The MC , Julián Luna and the LI have a meetcute online. In the Dm's after an online fiasco. Garza Villa writes in a way that is easy to read and invites you to read further. The characters They write are well defined and full of life. 1500 miles is about friendship and bonding with a fellow queer person . In this story the growing relationship between Julián and Mat. This book tackles the machismo and it's toxicity in the latine community and culture but it does not demonizes latine culture. Garza Villa writes the scenes with tact and they scenes are not there for being edgy. But the book is at the end of the day full with joy, proud Queer and latine. I can't wait for others to connect and enjoy this story



Be prepared for cw : homophobic slurs, homophobia, n word(pejorative), anti-black racism, internalized homophobia, abusive family member(physically and emotionally) and gaslighting.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is about Julián Luna, a Mexican, closeted gay teen living in Texas. His plan is to stay in the closed, get through high school, graduate, and then move out of state to study at UCLA where he can be his authentic self. This all goes south overnight when he gets drunk at a party and accidentally outs himself on twitter.

This leads to his twitter crush, Mat, sliding into his DMs. As time goes on, they form a strong relationship, but still Jules has to face the consequences of his coming out alone, with Mat being fifteen hundred miles away.

This book was so easy to read and to get into, the characters were amazing and so well written (main and side characters alike), and the book never differed away from what it was presented as. There’s a lot of heavy themes in this book that I feel were handled very well, and in the end, despite the heaviness of the themes, the book was hopeful.

Jules was such a sweet character and I loved to watch him grow and learn. Something I particularly noticed was that when he was arguing about his sexuality, he continuously stood up from himself, and let the person know that they were the ones in the wrong. It’s such a small thing, but it made me really happy to read that he knew he was worthy, and that he got a chance to say it.

Mat might just be my favorite love interest ever. He is so funny and caring, and really makes an effort to understand Jules’s struggles, without pretending to relate. At the start of the book, he was such a flirt and I was instantly smitten, but that’s not his whole character. Throughout the book you learn more about him and I’m just in awe of how well he was written for a love interest. I really cared for him as much as I did Jules.

I loved how this book showed how easy it was to find people like you online, in comparison to in real life and especially how they can come to mean so much to you in so little time. Another thing I loved about this book was how inclusive it was to different cultures, and the familiarity that came from reading about Mat’s Vietnamese family.

Despite all that I loved about this book there were a few small things that threw me off. First off, something I noticed right away was the text formatting and how difficult it was to distinguish who texted what, especially in a group chat.
And second, the constant use of mainstream references, like to specific memes or artists and songs. E.g., when Mat “replies with a GIF of SpongeBob lifting a barbell with teddy bears attached to the ends” this kind of threw me off a few times, especially since there’s so much of it, but I did understand most of the references so for me it wasn’t catastrophic.

Mat, the love interest, isn’t once used as a point of drama in this book, which was so refreshing to see. There also wasn’t a point in this book that could count as tragedy porn, Jules always had a strong network of amazing friends that would do anything for him, including Mat. We love to see it.
I’m so happy that in the end, the person that couldn’t accept Jules and who caused him so much pain, didn’t get a redemption arc. This might just be me being petty, but I’m so tired of people doing horrible things and still getting a happy ending. I’m so happy that Jules knew what was best for him, and realized that he deserved better, because he does.

I’m so happy that I got to read an early version of this story, and I can’t wait to scream about it until it comes out in June and I get hand on a physical copy.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa – A Vulnerable, Comforting, and Warmly Funny Story about First Love, Coming Out, and Loving Oneself
Somewhere, sometime, a queer teen will read Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, hold this story to their close to their chest, and find a home in their heart. What an illuminating and poignant book Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is; a book that deftly balances the softness and joy of first love and steadfast friendship but also the sharp and painful edges of heteronormativity and anti-gay prejudice. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is soft, beautiful, triumphant, painful, heart-aching, and bittersweet – and I suppose it’s a little like life, isn’t it?

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun follows Julián, a Chicano teen who accidentally outs himself after a drunken and fun night spent with friends. While he grapples with being out to his friends, his homophobic father, and college in the horizon, Jules finds himself falling hard and fast for his Twitter crush, Mat, who lives on the other side of the country.

I struggle to properly articulate how Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun makes me feel – except that when I think about it, my heart feels overwhelmed with so much love for this book. This is the kind of book that will save a reader’s life; will make a reader out there feel seen, loved, and understood. Not only is it written with humour and a charming narrative voice, it is so evident while reading Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun that this is a book of Jonny’s heart. I felt the love and empathy and vulnerability flowing through this book, which made my reading experience of this book all the more special and tender.

There are many things that I love about Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun but I have to say, the romance in this melted my heart, filled with moments that had me grinning like a love-struck fool. There was so much chemistry between Jules and Mat – and being in a long-distance relationship, I also loved the yearning, the teasing, the banter, and the challenges of not being able to be next to the person you love when they are hurting. Above all, I just loved that Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun gives us to queer kids of colour who are happy and discover the joy of falling in love with someone.

I also enjoyed how authentic and unapologetic the representation in this book was. By that, I mean that this book has plenty of code-switching (between English and Spanish), and I really enjoyed reading this. I don’t understand Spanish, but I reflected on how I talk with my family and friends; that I don’t just speak just English with them, but mix English with a sprinkle of other languages when I speak. This felt like a beautiful homage to culture and being part of diaspora; that when Jules speaks Spanish with his friends and family, he also speaks that with love, trust, and comfort. In addition, I also loved that Jules, being Chicano, and Mat, being Vietnamese, were able to share their languages, their food, and their heritage with each other.

The friendships in this book were also absolutely gorgeous. I loved that Jules had a friend group that loved him and cherished him fiercely; friends that - even when things get tough, when you disagree, or when you might argue - will have your back at the end of the day. The way the friendships in this book were portrayed, developed, and how they intertwined with the storyline was wonderful. With all the banter and the excellent comedy that had me laughing too, by the end of the book, I felt that Jules friends were my friends as well. I think the friendships in Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun may be some of the best friendships I have seen in young adult fiction.

Whilst there is a lot of softness, joy, and love in Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, it also depicts the sharp and fraught reality of being a queer teen living in the same household with an unaccepting and bigoted parent. Jules’s father embodies machismo and heteronormative patriarchy, suffocating Jules living his authentic self. And yet, we also see that Jules and his father have moments of quiet happiness together as well, which makes their relationship more complicated. The scenes with Jules’s father can be difficult to read, but the scenes were handled with sensitivity and care. Rather than a ‘pain narrative’, this aspect of Jules’s life is vulnerable, honest, and so raw.

MY CONCLUSION: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

With its immaculate storytelling and great humour, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a tender love letter about first love, friendship, and what it means to live for yourself. I love this book with my whole being – and I feel like this has set the bar for contemporary romances at an astronomical level. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun may be just a book, but it’s also a candle of joy and hope for queer readers everywhere.

“You deserve a lover who makes you feel safe.”

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a heartwarming coming-of-age debut by Jonny Garza Villa that follows 18 year old queer Latinx Julián Luna as he navigates through the waters of senior year after accidentally coming out on Twitter. Jonny perfectly captures the insecurities and challenges that come with long distance relationships and what it means to follow your heart into the sun (pun intended). Paired with a beautiful cast of culturally-diverse characters/identities and mouth-watering food descriptions, Jonny has written the perfect Gen Z rom-com that will leave you smiling until the very last page.*

*Be right back, I’m going to go get myself a bánh mì sandwich.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Skyscape in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun follows the story of Jules as he navigates his senior year of high school. He is determined to move from Texas to LA and after he impulsively (accidentally?) comes out, he is forced to navigate that experience in a way other than he intended. The book does an amazing job of addressing the relationships Jules has with his family, his friends, and Mat - a guy he meets online from LA.

I really appreciated this book, and I would recommend to anyone, especially YA. It is such an honest and compassionate story of love, devastation, and hope. The teenage characters in particular are amazing examples of patience and loyalty that anyone would benefit from getting to know.

Well, this book was great!! It was extremely cute at times, sad at others, and had everything I’d expect of a YA queer coming-of-age story. And while this novel brings up various topics and moved me in more ways than one, to me this was mostly a story about growing up and growing into the person you want to be.

Jonny Garza Villa's writing is truly lovely. It felt true and honest in the most personal and emotional parts of the novel. They did an amazing job in creating scenery and developing a few aspects of the main characters’ cultures. We got to meet their families, got some mouth-watering food descriptions, traveled a bit, and I found myself smiling more than once while I was reading and getting to know the characters. This book made me want to go outside and meet people, eat sweet food and discover new places. Among other things, I also loved that this was such a positive and cute portrayal of an online and long-distance relationship.

I loved the cute parts and the raw ones, Julián’s complex relationship with his father being beautifully written and explored. The novel had much to say about abuse and how important it is to be surrounded by people who love you. But also about the fact that even though love can’t cure, support makes things more bearable! In Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun, there is the idea of community, of heritage and of creating your own little community. The idea of belonging.

I enjoyed this a lot, even though I did get a little bored sometimes. This is a character-driven novel, and I felt like I would’ve loved to see a bit more plot, which really is more a matter of personal taste.

I am aware that I’m not exactly the target audience for this but I am thrilled to see that younger readers found something in this novel that represents them, based on a few other reviews. There is something special about reading this type of YA when you’re in your 20s and out of college. It is comforting, sometimes bittersweet. Reading about these young adults planning their future fills me with nostalgia but has me rooting for them so hard. On these pages, there are thoughts that I remember having when I was their age, and now that I am older, I can put some things into perspective and simply look at this and be proud of how things turned out. Or realize that at that moment of my life, I was wrong about a few things but that it’s okay because this is part of growing up!

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to teenagers and young adults who are still growing up and looking for their place in the world! This is cute and comforting, manages to explore the dark parts of life and still be incredibly hopeful. A lovely book.

Trigger warnings: homophobia, forced outing, racism, abusive family member (physical and emotional), suicidal ideation, death of a parent (happened in the past).

Julián Luna, also known as Jules, has his future planned out: graduate. Go to LA. MOve away from his hometown. One reckless decision whilst drunk changes everything. Now he is in survival mode. But then this nice boy from LA, named Mat slides into his DM’s. What to do when the person you love and need is fifteen hundred miles away from you?

First, I want to thank Netgalley and Skyscape for allowing me to read this e-ARC. It has been a fabulous journey. I think I can say that Jonny Garza Villa did an amazing job. They probably created my new favorite queer book. This is definitely a book perfect for all the queer POC. This story was needed. This book will be out on the 8th of June, 2021.

I want to start with my favorite quote if the book:
“But I have to be cautious about it. One wrong thumb glide and I’m liking a picture from 2016. Like a closeted, gay basura raccoon dumpster diving.”
I mean, this describes the vibe of this entire book. This quote shows it is funny, but the story has a very serious tone as well. It’s just perfectly combined.

The characters are so likable and realistic. You really get to understand Jules. His friends and their friendships just show what friendship is like in the real world, It is not always perfect, and that’s okay, as long as there is communication. I also really loved the sibling bond in this book. It was not perfect, and that is the same way it is in real life!

The coming out had me in tears… TWICE! First, coming out to his friends and school, was the start of a nightmare. But the reaction of his friends was so sweet and supportive. But then the coming out to his father, this is likely every queer person’s biggest fear. It really hurt me to read this. But this is the reality for so many people. The emotions were just so real. It really shows that not everything can be sunshine and flowers. And that’s okay, we just need to try to focus on the good stuff.

Jules is Mexican, and I absolutely loved that there was frequent Spanish spoken in the book. Did I have to translate it because my Spanish is nonexistent? Yes! Did I mind? NO, because we love putting effort into understanding and appreciating a book!

I also can’t tell you how amazing the ending of the book was. It felt so real. Some people are just not meant to be in your life but you have to cherish the ones you love!

This book is beautiful, am so glad that I got the ARC.
Since long time ago wasn't so deeply into a reading. This was so good and obviously I cried to almost every cute part and also the only i think I wanted was that the characters will get a happy ending.
A absolutely adored this book.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is emblematic of the of the excellent diverse LGBT representation that 2021 is offering the Young Adult literature scene. With praises from other up and coming authors such as Aiden Thomas, I am delighted to report that the praise for Jonny Garza Villa's debut is well-deserved. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is emotionally gripping and still manages to tell the joyful and optimistic story of two boys across the United States who love each other.

In this novel, we focus on a Latino boy named Julian (or "Jules" for short) who is an excellent student, friend, and is coming to terms with his gay identity as someone who is also Latino. Jules father, following traditional views of masculinity from Hispanic culture, believes that being gay is a personal weakness rather than something to accept or celebrate. When Jules accidently comes out via Twitter, he struggles to remain in the closet with his father. This becomes especially true after Jules online crush, Mat reaches out to him. Mat and Jules begin to grow closer and closer, and Jules must decide who he is and what he wants from his life.

This novel handles LGBT and cultural identities with nuance and care. Other than Jules and his family members, there are other people of color represented proudly in the novel. For instance, Mat is a Vietnamese-American boy living in California. Languages (both Spanish and Vietnamese) are interwoven into the narrative, and food is also central to many cultural indicators throughout the narrative. I loved how culture was casually shared with the reader. I'm sure this narrative could reach any audience, but especially students who are criminally underrepresented in YA LGBT literature. When I realized how diverse this book was (and how respectful and nuanced it was) I smiled.

The message of this novel (separate from the romantic love story) is a very poignant one for young readers today. With colleges growing more expensive and more competitive, students have to think more and more about where they're going to end up attending university. Jules dream school is UCLA, and he longs for the days he can leave Texas behind and attend a prestigious university. This novel takes you down Jules worries and joys, and then poses a question for young readers. What happens if your plans don't go exactly as planned? What is it that you truly need from a university? I'm overjoyed to share that this book ends very happily, but I also appreciated the honest college conversations which made a formidable aspect of the book.

Overall, this book is a must-read for 2021 releases. The fact this book is Villa's debut means that I'm excited to have a new favorite YA novelist join my bookshelf. While I'm waiting for new books from Villa to release, I'll be glancing at some of my favorite lines from Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun over and over again. I'm not expecting to tire from reading it anytime soon.

I would like to start by saying this book is an absolute rollercoaster. I screamed out of happiness after sobbing for thirty minutes straight.

Everything about this book took me from the comfort of my room to the character’s shoes. When Julián got called those unspeakable words, I felt like they were directed at me. When he told his dad about who he really is and got thrown out, I got thrown out, too.

The great thing about this book was that I could even connect with the author through the text. After reading the acknowledgments, it was confirmed, but when I was reading Julián’s inner monologues and how he sees what happened to him, I knew I was reading this from the author. Because Julián felt so real to be completely fictional.

Julián is a normal teen. He is a soccer player, has this tight friend group, and is actually quite ‘cool’. He isn’t one of the underdogs, as mostly seen in YA LGBTQ+ novels. His grades are good, he has a decent relationship with his father and a great one with his sister, even though it took a while to get there.

It all starts when he sees this cute stranger on Twitter. And you know what, that is so relatable! I know I have been heart-eyes for strangers. And when they are actually so fun to talk, it doubles the little crush.

As a closeted person, I felt the riskiness of the second account and the texts with Mat and all. I felt the riskiness of Julián’s second account’s content, even though it had nothing explicit that screamed ‘hello, I am gay’.

And Mat’s character… Even though he had a very supportive family and environment, he never talked to Julián like he didn’t know what he was going through. He always tried to understand, as a good boyfriend should.

Julián and Mat’s relationship was so perfect. They were of course struggling with the problems of being long-distance, and even when they felt like they were ruining everything, I loved that they had each other. This part also made me think that they didn’t want so much from each other, they just wanted the presence of comfort. — “He kisses me and then moves down to my neck. The front and back of my shoulders. My arms. Wrists. All the places that have known pain and bruising and hurt. I know that Mat can't heal me. That he can't erase it all with his lips. But he can make me feel not alone in this world. He can replace those memories with moments like these. He can be my person, and I can be his.”

The relationships in the book were nerve-wracking. Julián’s relationship with his sister, Xochi, which I saw so much of me and my own sister in, Julián’s relationship with Jordan and with Itzel, his relationship with Lou… It made me feel as Julián wasn’t the main character, but his relationships with the people he loved were. And I absolutely loved that.

This book was all I could ever wish for.

An honest, explorative book about first love and long-distance relationships that paints a hopeful picture of gayness and teen romance. This book doesn't pull punches around the heavy elements, but it leans into a happy angle, giving gay teens of color a chance to see themselves in a story that ultimately shows the love that they deserve. With a cast of fun, unique, and vibrant characters and easy but heartfelt narration, this is definitely one of the best books I've picked up in a long time!

This book was so incredibly heartfelt!! Oh my goodness. Part way through tears were streaming down my face. I felt immense sadness and joy. It was so amazing. The relationship was so sweet. The story of Julian was just...heart wrenching and beautiful. I love this book. I love it.

This book was so incredibly heartfelt!! Oh my goodness. Part way through tears were streaming down my face. I felt immense sadness and joy. It was so amazing. The relationship was so sweet. The story of Julian was just...heart wrenching and beautiful. I love this book. I love it.

This was a pretty cute book. Great characters. Some moments where I could have punched out a certain character (you know who you are)
I'm rating this 3 and a half stars but I obviously can't actually do that star system on here.
This didn't hit me that hard or make me feel like I needed to read this again. But I know it's going to be the perfect book for some people out there.
It was a nice read and I'm happy I got the chance to.

I got a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review.