Breathtakingly beautiful. I read it in one sitting. Jonny Garza Villa has a gift in creating the most tangible characters, heart-wrenching plots, and memorable scenes. I’d recommend this book to absolutely anyone.

Ander & Santi Were Here was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful YA novels I've ever read. Readers are presented with such a rich, community-based culture and characters that break the mold. It was refreshing to see a main character be so confident in their identity and outspoken. Ander used their art and activism to make a difference in their community and refused to be boxed in by stereotypes.

I appreciated how Ander never stopped fighting for Santi no matter how big the obstacles between them were. At the same time, Santi loved fiercely, but not at the expense of living life on his own terms. This is something that is commonly brushed aside in similar books of the genre.

I loved the nod to They Both Die in the End.
Jonny Garza Villa's writing style was impeccable and I look forward to reading more of their books in the future.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story but the writing style wasn't really for me. It was a little all over the place, felt like the POV was going a million miles a minute. Still a really great story though, I loved their relationship and I related very deeply to the characters.

Ander (who is nonbinary) has deferred their art school plans for a year to help their family. They're mostly known for painting murals, but they're feeling a little pigeonholed by their style. One school rejected them because of their style, thinking it too one-dimensional, and another is discouraging them from going beyond that style.

In this midst of this funk a new guy is hired to help at Ander's family's restaurant, Santi. He immediately catching Ander's eye and a tenuous flirtation begins, even though Ander's mother warned them away from starting a relationship with Santi (forbidden fruit, am I right?).

They've just made their relationship official when Ander discovers the secret reason why their mom didn't want the relationship to happen.

Now Ander has tough decisions to make about their future, their relationship and their art.

I am forever grateful for the touch option in kindles for translations and learned a lot of new Spanish words with this book. This delves deeply into the intersectionality of being Latinx, queer, and undocumented in the U.S. I admit, as an 30 something mom, a part of me thought Ander (and Santi) were being super dramatic and making huge life choices cavalierly to only be 19 years old, but I know I was the same.

I know the relationship was the primary focus of the book, but it's not the piece that resonated most deeply with me.

I struggled quite a bit with getting into this one. It took me months to get passed 10% if that’s any idea. Eventually I decided I have to DNF at least for now until maybe in the future it interests me more. It’s just that the pacing was really slow but of the story I read it was beautiful. I think it will absolutely be some people’s favorite.

Rep: non-binary Mexican MC, achillean romance

3/5 stars! I have such mixed feelings about this book. It is truly an extremely special story. Following Ander and Santi through their love story and the hurdles that injustices put between them. As a deep, heartwrenching story of this, it performs well. I think I just struggled to find a flow of the storyline besides this. It was an amazing concept and their connection was great, but I think the structure of the story could be improved.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

What a story that immediately draws you in! I love Ander and Santi, and their story really had me all kinds of emotional. This was such a beautifully told story, with gorgeous writing and well fleshed out characters. Santi's story in particular really pulled at my heartstrings and I really wish we got his POV as well.

I loved reading about the Mexican art scene in Texas and how it was such an integral part to Ander. They truly flourished with their craft and it was fascinating to see how they used art to work through complicated emotions..

The rep in this book was awesome as well. So many queer Brown characters who rooted and rallied around each other. The love they all had for each other radiated off every page.

The food descriptions in this story were mouthwatering! I now have an intense craving from some delicious Mexican cuisine lol. And I really appreciated the fact that the author never once felt the need to translate any of the phrases spoken in Spanish. Definitely made the story and the characters feel more authentic.

CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of ICE, deportation of a character, family death

This was one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful books I have read recently. I couldn’t put this book down. I truly loved ander and Santi’s relationship so much. This book felt so raw and so real. The family dynamics of Ander’s family was so great. I love how supportive they were of them and what they wanted to do. This book dealt with some really heavy topics and I felt like they were covered very well. I can’t wait for this book to be released.

This is one of the best books i’ve ever read. Jonny somehow writes so perfectly that i go from laughing to sobbing within pages. I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships in this book. I didn’t 100% love the ending but I understood why it ended the way it did.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion.*

The biggest take away from this review would be, "It might not have been for me, but it could be for you."

I don't know what to say about this book. For me, I think, this book was geared for a specific audience and I don't think I was it. It was a a good story/idea, beautiful in its attempt, but the execution could have been better.

As somebody who lives and is very close to one half of the major themes of the book, it felt exaggerated, stereotypical and a little unreal at times.

This is a moving new adult romance featuring two unforgettable young men who must find a way to be together despite the realities of border and immigration policies. Recommended.

In a powerful condemnation of the violence of borders, Jonny Garza Villa writes a soft and sweeping love story full of the beauty of art and young love while unapologetically using a Spanglish that feels just like home.

Ander & Santi touched my soul in that terrifying way that loving someone that you could lose at any moment does. Painful and beautiful.

This is a beautiful, heartfelt, raw and emotional love story!! Although the pacing is slow, we really get to focus on Ander and Santi as human beings and watch them grow into their relationship! This is a wonderful depiction of queer love and I really enjoyed my time reading this!

Gushing over the cover and the sweet characterization of Ander and Santi. I love that this book exists and the writing is tender in the best ways. As the story unfolded, the pacing was a little slow for me, knowing what the big reveal was for their relationship. In that pacing is where we get the complexity of character, but it did slow down my reading. I was curious about Ander being the MC, and the response of his family to Santi in a contemporary setting. All in all, a worthy read.

This book was amazing! I loved Jonny Garza Villa's other book and this one didn't disappoint! I'd definitely recommend it to all my friends!

Swoonworthy, gutwrenching 5 star new adult romance. I love Ander and Santi with all my heart. This book was a warm hug.

Rating;3 1/2 stars

Ander and Santi is a really cute story with a powerful message. If you love queer contemporary books then you’ll love this book. ( I’m not the biggest fan of contemporary romance)

Jonny Garza Villa does it again with this heartwarming (and heartbreaking) contemporary romance between a nonbinary Mexican American teen and the new waiter at their parent's restaurant.

When Ander meets Santi, there's an instant attraction, but Santi seems hesitant. The two have a very intimate friendship that ultimately evolves into romance, and Ander discovers that Santi is undocumented. This changes everything, the two of them constantly afraid for Santi, always worrying his life and their love will be uprooted.

I adored this book. I loved how real the characters were, how Ander struggles with how to support Santi and is an imperfect ally, despite having good intentions. I loved the ending, which I will not spoil, and I loved Ander and Santi so so so much.

More like Ander and Santi ARE Here, to stay on my mind and think about for many months to come. The family dynamic of Ander and their family reminded me of many situations from from my childhood as a Mexican born-US raised kid. The way swear words are used endearingly between them to the way of knowing how your parents are about to react just by seeing you walk in and know you’re about to tell them something. The story does feel a bit repetitive after the halfway point, but the characters are never boring and it was easy to find something to like about everyone of them.

Jonny Garza Villa’s message of how at times your dreams will change and that sometimes all the praying and hoping will not give bring a magical fairy tale ending to your problems. You have to be able to adapt, change, and follow your heart even if it goes against everything you had once planned out for your future, felt very impactful.

Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

Thanks to @stmartinspress for providing us with an eARC through NetGalley

5/5

A beautiful and diverse love story about two young people that find each other at the right time in both their lives. It makes you root for them and against any forces trying to keep them apart. It brings humanity to a subject that is often viewed from a distance.

The main character of the story Ander is the perfect blend of confident yet relatable. They’re unapologetically queer and Latinx and yet we see how other people’s perceptions of those labels and what they mean affect Ander’s expression of themselves especially through their art and the decisions they make for their future. I loved reading about their relationship with their family and friends, every one of the side characters were really fun and three-dimensional. Santi was of course a favourite. A sweetheart that gets along with Ander’s family, someone that will make fun of Ander when it’s deserved, but will support them, always. Truly the perfect man.

Their relationship was such a breath of fresh air if you’ve read books that feel like they force romance for the sake of it. Their bond as friends with obvious crushes was so cute and awkward and their development from friends to dating felt natural and sweet. We get to understand how happy they are together and how they make each other happy. Then we also see how they deal with any struggles they face in life with each other’s support. Even though they may not be able to find a solution they’re there for each other and that does help. When it comes to the struggles Santi faces there’s no blame, just the understanding that it would be better if it wasn’t a problem, but it is, and they’ll do what they can.

I loved reading about a culture that I’m not as familiar with, especially as a Canadian, from an author that comes from that culture. Although it tested my high school Spanish and I may have had to use google translate a couple times, it was great to get an insider perspective and experience even more appreciation for the multitude of different cultures that exist even just within North America. I certainly plan on reading more novels by this same author and recommend this book to those that enjoy young adult romance and coming of age stories.

-Big Sis

Review posted on instagram and book to be included in multiple TikToks/reels