This is one hell of an amazing book. I am so happy that this was my first read for Pride month. I loved the dynamics, the concept of found family, the bravery and courage as well as the freindship ans sisterly love in this book. This book also has trigger warnings for anxiety and abuse, but it was beautiful. Please pick this book up! It's worth it.

My starred review in in School Library Journal, June 2021:
Julián “Jules” Luna is closeted gay teen pressured by his father to be a machismo, heteronormative Mexican American. He has suffered both emotional and physical abuse at the hands of his uber critical father who refuses to allow him to acknowledge his true self. One night, a reckless drunken Tweet results in Jules inadvertently outing himself to his entire school. While some other students harass him with repeated homophobic slurs and actions, his core group of friends Jordan, Itzel, Roe, and Lou support him. A Twitter flirtation evolves into a long distance relationship with Mat, a Vietnamese teen living in Los Angeles. Jules dreams of escaping Corpus Christi and going to college in L.A. and being close to Mat. When a hate crime forcibly outs Jules, his dad brutally kicks him out of the house.
Relationships with the likeable characters of his sister Xochi, Güelo, Mat, and friends provide comfort to Jules as he is vulnerable and adjusting to living his life authentically. The banter-filled conversational style of writing includes slang and Spanish terms that can be decoded via context. Although parts of the story are heartbreaking and heavy, there is definitely a balance with humor and hope, giving queer teens of color opportunities to see joy and love reflected back to them. Content warnings are advised for emotional and physical abuse, homophobia, homophobic and racist slurs, and forced outing. Readers will empathize and connect with Jules for the many reasons above, and also his love of cooking, soccer, and vegetarian representation. Tender, touching, hopeful, and hilarious; enthusiastically recommended for all collections.

-Lisa Krok, Adult and Teen Services Manager, Morley Library, Cleveland Ohio

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun opens with one of the most thoughtful author’s notes I’ve seen in a while; I truly appreciate Jonny Garza Villa’s author’s note which contains trigger warnings, and an acknowledgment that it’s okay to not read the book if you aren’t ready.

I’ve been looking forward reading FIfteen Hundred Miles from the Sun ever since I heard about it, with its One Day at Our Time meets Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda comparison titles! Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun follows Julián — or Jules, a high school senior, who accidentally comes out on the wrong twitter account while drunk. When his twitter crush Mat slides into his DMs, the two of them fall into a deep friendship, and then later, something more. As someone who admittedly spends far too much time on Twitter, I loved reading about a twitter mutuals-to-lovers relationship. Some of my closest friends are people I’ve met through twitter, and friends of mine have found love through twitter too. That being said, I did spend a little time being like “Oh dear!! Internet Safety!!” during this book, but that’s neither here nor there.

The overall tone of Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is hurt/comfort, and that bleeds through into every sentence. It’s a balanced mix of hurt, and comfort, although there were some heavier scenes to the point that I had to put the book down for a little bit. Despite all the hurt that’s displayed, I think it’s important to note that their culture is never once villainized, which I really appreciated. While the main synopsis of the book is centered around Jules-and-Mat, this book is unequivocally Jules’ story.

Through a first-person POV, we’re given insight into how Jules is thinking and feeling at any given moment, making some of the scenes with his father that much more difficult to read. I repeatedly wanted to wrap Jules in a big hug, and tell him that everything would be okay. That he’d be able to make it out, and that things would be better. Because of this, it was also incredibly easy to put myself in his shoes, and to root for his happy ending. His character arc was wonderful to read about; to watch him grow and settle into his identity, to stand up for himself, and for him to find joy despite everything.

If you love hurt/comfort and the found family trope (and you’re in the right mindspace to read), Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is one you can’t miss. The found family trope is so strong, with Jules’ strong friend group being there for him every step of the way. I loved every single one of them; Jordan, Itzel, Lou, Piña, and Rolie were such supportive friends, and eerily reminiscent of my own friend group.

I would be remiss if I also didn’t talk about Jules’ relationship with his sister, Xo, and his relationship with his grandfather, who he calls Güelo. Jules’ relationship with his sister and Güelo were one of my favorite parts of the book. It was evident how much love and support flowed between them; how much they both cared about him.

One of my favorite things about Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is how the author doesn’t stop to explain cultural references, or translate Spanish. As a reader of color, who grew up reading about countless white people things (I still have so many questions), it makes me so happy to see characters of color being their true, authentic selves without any translations — and for authors of color to be able to write that authenticity. Also, Google is free, and readers should be able to do their own research.

Mat, the love interest, was an interesting character for me. I couldn’t really connect with him, but I did love how much he truly cared about Jules, and was willing to give Jules space when he needed it. I think overall, I just struggled with the lack of character development he went through. Which is fine; it’s Jules’ story, not his. I also thought it was surprising how quickly Mat and Jules’ relationship developed, and think I would’ve enjoyed it more if we’d gotten to read about their relationship, rather than being given a montage/highlights reel of how they fell for each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, and would recommend it to readers who are fans of found family, hurt/comfort, and in a headspace where they’re able to read something a little heavier.

This was so sweet! I left my parent’s house as a senior and had to navigate financial aid, relationships, and finishing high school, so that part of Jules’ story really hit me hard. I’m glad he had such a great support group when dealing with his homophobic father, it warmed my heart to see his sister step up and his friends surround him.

This book was everything and more!!!! As a coming out story, I loved how most of the plot followed the aftermath of Jules coming out since rarely do YA books get into that as much as the lead up to it. And as a Latina myself, I love how integrated Spanish/Spanglish was in the dialogue to give a real sense of Tejano culture, especially as Mat and Jules' romance develops and they started using terms of affection from each other's cultures. The heart of the book was truly the concept of family in relation to queer identity, since Jules finds his deepest sense of belonging and acceptance among his friends, Mat's family, and his sister and abuelo. Jules' relationship with his father was heartbreaking but showed a reality all too familiar to many queer people, so the book's ability to convey their dynamic authentically and without rose-tinted glass while still affirming Jules' identity and the importance of some form of family in your life was marvelous. This was a phenomenal book, especially as a debut novel, and I couldn't be more excited to read more of Jonny's books in the future. My truest hope is for this book to be solidified in the growing esteemed canon of coming out/of age YA stories, particularly because of how nuanced it was regarding queerness in relation to culture, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, religion, region, family, and age. Truly an incredible reading experience.

A wonderfully well done story. I really enjoyed Mat and Julian and liked how the relationship between the two of them unfurled. I also really like how the author handled Julian accidentally coming out and the differing reactions from people. I'm glad that it wasn't portrayed as all smooth sailing because when is it ever? I look forward to reading more from Jonny Garza Villa in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This book...whew. Immediately became a favorite of mine. The characters are charming, the writing style is uber-realistic, and the story will make you feel literally everything.

My favorite aspect of this story is that this is the first young adult book I've read where the characters are entrenched in stan culture that /actually gets it right./ The main character is on gay wwitter and literally everything about how it was written was just... so accurate? As a gay twit alum.. I felt obscenely seen.

The main couple in this story is also... just my favorite couple ever??? They meet over twitter, and get to talking more and more frequently over text and FaceTime. They have amazing chemistry, and their relationship was *such* a joy to watch play out throughout the book.

A HUGE aspect of this book is the main character's Latinx identity, and how that intersects with his queerness. I strongly recommend looking at ownvoices reviews for how this was handled; there are a ton already, and I don't feel comfortable going into depth about my thoughts because this book was very clearly written for those readers. All I will say in this review on the subject is that it is an ownvoices novel, and there's a note in the beginning of the book where the author writes about how there's a lot of them in this story; that authenticity definitely came across throughout the book for me.

Overall.. this was just the best book. Like, I'm not going to stop thinking about this book for a long time. I absolutely loved it, and I stayed up until 4am to finish it. I can't wait to see people reading this book when it comes out next week!

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun was a gut-wrenching yet hopeful story about a young man who just wanted to be himself. Falling in love with his Twitter crush, Mat, was out of Jules’s expectations. Having a homophobic and abusive father, Jules has always feared anyone finding out that he’s gay. This shaped Jules’s mindset about the world and himself.

In essence, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is an adorable long-distance relationship between a Mexican-American and a Vietnamese-American that started with a slide in the DMs. The yearning to close that fifteen hundred miles distance is painful and worsened every time something bad happened. If you’re wondering if they ever met, don’t you worry, they do and it’s amazing. The romance is tender and soft and fluffy. Jules found solace and comfort from Mat even though the latter is on the other side of the country.

Jonny Garza Villa captured the foundations and mindsets of the teens really well. The group of friends is a hilarious bunch. When Jules came out, his friends showered him with love but also, gave him space when he needed it. I loved that for Jules.

More than just a romance contemporary, it’s about teenagers grappling with moving on to the next phase of their lives even when that meant putting distance between one another. The worries that they had were real and earnest. But there’s a hint of excitement that lingers in the air when they talk about their future.

As for family relationships, I loved Mat’s. With his older siblings identifying as LGBT, it was hilarious whenever they shoved them a bag of condoms knowing what will happen when they leave two teenage boys together. Mat’s parents warmly welcomed Jules with open arms as well. Despite not having his father’s support, Jules finds that with Xochi, his older sister. Though Xo was absent for almost a decade in Jules’s life, the things that Xo sacrificed and her unconditional love showed comforted him a lot.

Follow Jules’s journey in facing one of the most daunting moments of his life, meeting and falling for an awesome person on the Internet, and exploring who he wants to be in Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun. The Mexican culture is prevalent and deeply incorporated in the book through the writing and the food! Jonny Garza Villa writes simplistically but within is packed with lots of feelings.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review.
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is an extremely special book that came to me at a very vulnerable time, when like the protagonist, Jules, I was grappling with my own queerness and my family’s (albeit unknowing) lack of understanding and acceptance.

While the book deals with the heavy topics of coming out and familial rejection, it’s balanced by the presence of a sweet love story and great friends who become found family. The relationship between Jules and Mat is sweet, adding a softness that makes up for the darkness of Jules’ bigoted father.

I also really liked seeing an unapologetically Latinx approach to language and culture. Spanish is used throughout the dialogue without translating for the convenience of non-speakers, demonstrating that the story is written primarily for Latinx queer kids, and while others can read the book, they shouldn’t expect the author to go out of their way to accommodate them.

This book has everything I’m looking for in a great queer love story. I’d absolutely recommend it to other readers who are also looking for a new queer romance to read.

I received an advanced copy of Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun through NetGalley so I could share my review with you!

Content Warning: Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun contains scenes of parental abuse, homophobia, parental abandonment, bullying, and non-explicit sex.

Julián Luna has an escape plan. His route to a life where he can be his true self with no more hiding or lies. But, to get to that beautiful future, Julián will have to finish high school, get into his dream school (UCLA), and get far away from Corpus Christi, Texas. If he can just lay low for the next nine months, he’ll be on the fast track to the life he’s always dreamed of. But, when an impulsive tweet outs him to the world, Julián’s plans fall apart. Now he has to brace for rejection, even though this should be a happy occasion. Things aren’t all bad for him, though, because his tweet has had one unexpected upside: a dreamy twitter crush who seems to really like Julián for who he is. So, when Julián’s fears of rejection become more and more a reality, he knows he has at least one person to stand by him, even if they are fifteen hundred miles apart.

You can get your copy of Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun on June 8th from Skyscape!

Though Julián faces plenty of trials in this story, I was delighted by the ending he was given. The world needs more stories with queer happy endings, especially ones featuring queer People of Color! Jonny Garza Villa established an extremely strong narrative voice, making this book quite an enjoyable read. I will be excited to see what they write next, after this incredible debut!

My Recommendation-
If you are a fan of Adam Silvera or Gabby Rivera, you need to pick up a copy of Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun! This story would be great for anyone needing a queer happily-ever-after this pride month!

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a slice of life YA contemporary where you follow Julián, a Latin boy who's struggling to embrace who he is. After a drunken night of partying with friends where Julián accidentally comes out as gay online, he receives a DM from his Twitter crush, Mat. As weeks go on, Julián learns more about himself, connects deeply with his friends, and gets to know his crush.

At its core, this story is about how you can find your family in people you'd not expect, and even some that aren't blood. Julián has a strained relationship with his father, who doesn't accept the possibility of his son being gay. So Julián finds the support he needs to deal with homophobic incidents in his friends and sister.

The characters and relationships are what mainly sold me to this book. The plot is a coming-of-age, straightforward story. But the way the characters feel natural to the point where I could picture them clearly in my mind is what made this story stand out. Especially Julián's friends, who are so lovely and accepting but still with their struggles. I loved to follow them, truly.

Most of the characters are Latinx, so there's a big highlight into Latin culture in the US. There are also many Spanish expressions throughout the book. Personally, I understand Spanish, so it was okay, but you may struggle with it a bit.

Last but not least, the center of this story is the budding romance between Julián and Mat. I mean, it's a romance book after all. They start their relationship online, which is one of my favorite tropes. It could feel cheap and unexplored, but it's so well written, and you can see their development even if it's only through calls and text messages. They're so cute and supportive of each other. The way they overcome their problems by communicating openly with each other is so important to read nowadays.

There isn't much more to discuss about this book. There are no major plot twists, the story is a typical cute YA self-discovering coming-of-age, and it would have everything to be generic. However, the way characters and relationships flourish make it something you will genuinely care about. It's way too special, and I will never forget how close to my heart this book became.

What a sweet read. This book is especially cute to publish during pride month. I loved the entire book and I couldn't put it down. The writing was excellent.

An absolutely stunning read. It was definitely a little heart wrenching and I can see how this will appear to people. It was quite emotional and the characters are so well written. I will definitely be recommending this quick read to people.

This book was just everything! I got to read this through NetGalley, and I have to say this is probably one of my top reads of 2021! It may even be the top! The relationship between Jules and Mat is everything I would dream of as a kid growing up! I loved that Jonny Garza Villa was able to capture so well that try ideal of what first love should be like and more like soul mates really! I enjoyed the depiction of the online romance! So often you hear with online stuff that it’s about sex but I enjoyed reading about two characters who were more interested in getting to know each other and falling in love! Plus Jules as such an amazing support team! I love that he has all these straight friends who are so unbothered by him coming and an being gay, even the ones who struggle are open and honest about it and able to get to a place where they realize it doesn’t matter! Xo and his Guelo are also, I think, every young LGBTQ+ kids dream of how family supports you after coming out! Jules also has his struggles to deal with but with a strong support team he makes it through! I can’t wait to get this book when it comes out and read it again!

I have wanted to read Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun since Jonny Garza Villa tweeted that it’s perfect for fans of Selena’s “Dreaming of You.” How could I not be obsessed?

If that for some reason doesn’t convince you to read it, it’s also great if you enjoyed Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I Wish You All the Best.

This was a super quick although very emotional read. At some points the story is laugh out loud funny, at some points it’s adorable and romantic, and sometimes it punches you in the gut with all the feels. This one was a roller coaster ride.

While this book is all about living your dreams, discovering who you are and finding your joy, it is also super heavy, so I recommend checking out the trigger warnings on the author’s website (that are also included in the author’s note at the beginning of the book).

This was one of my most anticipated reads and I can’t wait to read Jonny Garza Villa’s next book, Ander and Santi Were Here! I will also be complaining for Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun to become a Netflix series.

Thanks to Jonny Garza Villa for this ARC!

Release date: June 8, 2021

After multiple attempts to get into this book, I have finally finished a good majority of it, and can write a somewhat comprehensive review. A lot of my thoughts may be representative more of the beginning of the book, solely because I continuously found myself zoning out near the end.

This book, while cute in premise, is not for me- which is not a bad thing in the slightest! I think this book suits the young adult audience it is intended for, not for a longtime reader. There are some young adult books that are good no matter what age, but a lot of this book is one that fits better for a young young adult. Which is odd, given the choice to make the main character come out when he's drunk and being going off to college.

One thing I loved about the book- the very bilingual, blended way of speaking. I recently read a translated novel that italicized the word "ramen" as a foreign word, and I have to say, Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun was a breath of fresh air where that was concerned. Though I wasn't immediately able to get all of the words as I am not a Spanish speaker, I was able to use context clues and look up things if needed- but I don't feel that any of that took from the book. I think it's a massive strength, and I know that for this reason this book has a lot of opportunity to be impactful for young kids who are bilingual and think in phrases from both languages. It feels authentic to the author's experience, and I love that a lot.

I think that the one issue with the writing was the choice of what was written on the page- moments in which the main character looks at himself in the mirror seem to get more description than the drunken night that leads to his coming out and other more important moments. There's a lot of telling and not seeing, a lot of the narrator explaining who he is without us getting the chance to experience it. The actual dialogue itself doesn't help this, always feeling very stilted and unnatural.

The plot does not feel immediate. Even with his coming out, I feel no stress for him, despite the situation being one of high stress. I find it odd that the narrative played with this idea of fear of parental reaction to coming out, then seems not to spend much time actually working through this, at least not in a way that was immediately recognizable.

I thought a lot of references were funny and sweet- the scene in which the two boys interact over twitter talking about their undying love of Michael Cimino made me not just smile, but beam, because it was so sweet and authentic. Michael Cimino is a powerful force that brings together hearts across the globe. I hope the author has seen the Love, Victor season 2 trailer and is just as excited as I and my friends are. I have no doubt that the friend group from this book is preparing a release party or something else as wonderful.

I also want to note that I really loved the author's note. It's such an important thing to add to books, and really enhanced my experience of the book. Though I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped to, the author's note connected me to the book and made me feel seen. Being warned of potential triggering content beforehand has a lot of power, and I'm grateful to Jonny Garza Villa for taking the time to write that out. It shows a lot of heart.

I hope for the best with Jonny Garza Villa, and truly believe that he has a lot to come. It's a solid debut, and I will be watching for his name to see what he does next.

This book is absolutely beautiful, and I am so glad it was written and this story is being told! It is so full of heartbreak, hope, joy, growth, realness, and love. You can tell how personal this is, and it's the kind of book I wish was around when I was younger. Absolutely be sure to read the author's note and the content warnings before beginning. Those are always appreciated, but in this case, also help you feel all of the genuine love that was poured into writing this story.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is going to mean so much to so many readers, and I'm so happy it's out for the world to read!

***ARC Review***

This book is so good for so many reasons I don’t even know how to articulate so get ready for a chaotic review with a lot of love!

First off, Julián. He’s a truly incredible main character who’s strong and inspiring and unique but also relatable and absolutely hilarious. It’s super easy to connect with the characters in this book and the arcs are impeccable. The side characters are also amazing. One of my favorite things is the found family trope and Villa pulls it off perfectly.

Secondly, the romance. *squeals into pillow* ITS SO CUTE. Ok I mean they literally call each other “my moon” and “my sun” and nothing can ever get more adorable than that istg. More seriously though, my least favorite thing in terms of bookish ships is imbalances in relationships and I think that Mat and Jules really do have a near-perfect balance between the two of them considering all the hard things they go through. The way they lean on each other is beautiful.

The pacing in this book was surprisingly good as well considering the plot spanned almost an entire year and I have definitely seen books written like that go way south, so I was impressed with this.

The themes in this book are super powerful and this book was really important for me to have read at all. It’s extremely emotional I terms of both the good and the bad because while there is a huge amount of joy present there is also a huge amount of pain. I’d say that while you should definitely read the author’s note and pay attention to content warnings, if you can read this book, you should, it’s important.

Given the emotionality, the fun yet intense plot, and the absolute hilariousness of this story, I read it in three days and couldn’t put it down. All the important rom-com elements are there (funny, cute, and meaningful) and it even has The Quintessential Karaoke Scene while also being unique and refreshing. I was intrigued on the first page and in love with the story by the last.

In conclusion, read this book.

I want to preface this by saying I’m a México-based Mexican.

I wanted to love this book, I love representation of queer Mexicans. I went in wanting to love it. I did not come here as a hater.

If you’re looking for a book for representation, this is it. It’s *chefs kiss*.

I think this book will be vastly important to many latinx teens. It depicts the reality of living in a machista culture when gay. The language the father used is accurate and the fear is real.

Julian is a well written teenager, he talks the way teens talk, and has interests teens have. A lot of authors have issues with this. The author dealt with it with flying colors.

I think as queer youth we dream of all encompassing, soul crushing romances, and that a lot of the times ends up being someone who lives kilometers away. This was a book that has the love story a lot of us wish we had. That’s important. I was in a long distance relationship once, so I found myself cringing at the similarities between my relationship and theirs.

One of my issues, as a Mexican who was born and raised here in Mexico, is that you don’t need to include 3 different “latinx” (most of them were Mexican, it’s okay to call them Mexican rather than Latinx) things the character is doing/consuming in order to prove they’re latinx. I’ve seen a lot of authors do this, and I get why. But it feels like they’re saying “This is how latinos act!” and it makes me wonder who the book is for; is it for latinos, or for non-latinos who want to see an example of our “culture” (another reviewer mentioned this, but I have an issue with the phrase “Latinx aesthetic”, it makes it seem like our cultures are a monolith, which is something we’re constantly fighting against. Perpetuating this in a book that will be read by non-latinos is harmful and I hope it’s not on the finished copy).

Another issue, unrelated to my Mexican background, is that the stream of consciousness narration leads to repetitive thoughts and ideas. We get a lot of jumps in time and teased about future events that end up being frankly underwhelming.

Overall, I’m glad this book exists. It’s cute, real, and queer Mexicans deserve love stories too, I just expected more.

You know those gay books, young adult ones especially, that make it very clear with every single plot-point, that they’re written for the LGBT audience? Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is like that.

This is not to say that nothing bad ever happens to the gay characters in the book, quite the opposite, but there’s balance: for every painful, hurtful thing there are three beautiful ones. I’m sure it was a deliberate choice, this structuring of the book around gay happiness, without shying away from describing the hardships a lot of the community still struggles with.

Julián has an abusive, homophobic father. That’s a major part of the story; it shapes the way he thinks of himself, the way he navigates the world, it shapes the literal course of his life. And that unfortunately rings true for so many of us. But still, Julián is never once shamed for keeping secrets when he’s keeping them to stay safe, he’s never questioned on whether that’s reasonable. The people around him understand, and that makes the reader’s heart grow with hope despite the abuse.

But keep in mind the aforementioned balance: Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun isn’t a book about gay pain, it’s not a tragedy porn. It’s actually a super sappy & fun book, about two boys who fell in love over the inter webs. It truly does have the meet-cute of our age, and that one situation (with the hilarity of it but also the friends’ reactions) should tell you all you need to know about the tone of this novel.

Garza Villa nails the voice of teenagers, and it makes the whole book just flow, makes it so very smooth. That realness of teen emotions is just one among all the ways in which this book is fundamentally true. (Also, being able to write dialogues between your characters in a young adult book in a believable way is arguably the most important part of writing any YA story. So, kudos.)

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a joyful, love-ful book about & for gay teens. It will break your heart, but it will also tenderly put it back together & leave you with an overwhelming feeling of hope. It’s like a poet has said, “Cut me open and the light streams out. / Stitch me up and the light keeps streaming out between the stitches.”