This was the first ever ARC I was approved for on NetGalley and my very first e-book. Let's just say I am SO happy that this was the first for me!

This book was such a great YA story about Ander, a nonbinary Mexican American and Santi, an undocumented Mexican living in San Antonio, TX. Ander is a muralist who took a year before moving to Chicago to go to art school and is working at his family's taquería while doing art projects for his fellowship throughout his hometown.

In comes Santi, the cute new worker at the taqueria hired to replace Ander so he can focus on his art. The story follows Ander and Santi falling in love while dealing with ICE agents continuously searching for undocumented immigrants in San Antonio. We get to learn just how much their love can take to protect one another and whether their love can survive a government that wants to tear them apart.

I took a lot of time reading this and using Google Translate to help understand the phrases in this book and it made it more interactive for me. To learn about culture and experiences that don't personally affect me are often the perspectives I enjoy the most cause I learn a lot.

Jonny Garza Villa takes current day issues that many Hispanic and Latin people have to endure while being in America and dealing with ICE and gives us a vulnerable, raw, and beautiful YA romance. I was rooting for Ander and Santi the entire time and immediately fell in love with them. It's heartbreaking to get a glimpse of what happens when ICE rips families and loved ones apart but this story continued to keep me enthralled and holding on to hope.

A STRONG 5 star read. I hope whoever is considering picking this book up gets the chance to fall in love with Ander and Santi like I did!

This was such a heartbreaking and moving story. I like the movement of seeing more books about separating family, friends and relationships and how hard that is. I found Ander and Santi's story so touching and eye-opening. I also enjoyed the culture, food and art that was added to the story. So well done, I loved this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Oh my god.

This book truly shows how beautiful queer love is.

I loved the intersectional representation. I loved watching Ander grow as an artist. I loved reading the descriptions of all the food made at Lupe’s and at Anders house. I also loved that the author highlighted the struggles of undocumented people in America.

Ugh this book was so good.

it was pretty good i really enjoyed it planning to buy a copy. if this auother releases anything else i'll defo read it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This is my honest review.

What a wonderful book! Ander and Santi Were Here caught my attention from the first page and kept me riveted. I loved Ander’s voice. Engaging and funny and earnest and self deprecating and proud of what they have achieved and so open about themself and their family.

The family aspect was so rich and layered—both blood and found family—and it carried through as a theme throughout the book.

Santi—what do I say about Santi—so brave and kind and vulnerable and my heart broke for him time and time again.

I really appreciated the way the narrative progressed. How we got to know the protagonists and how the nuances of the story were revealed bit by bit. I learned so much that I did not know from this book. It is chilling to come face to face with the reality and I am grateful to the author for writing this.

Ander’s art was so joyous and meaningful and such an integral part of the story and who they are. And who they are becoming.

I wasn’t sure how the story would end but I found it both unexpected and very satisfying.

Highly recommended.

First off the cover of this book is absolutely STUNNING and when we learn the meaning of it while reading the book it truly adds another layer to its beauty.

This is a very character-driven book and the pacing is a bit slow at the beginning; which made it a bit hard for me to be fully invested. Once the story picked up about halfway through I could not put this book down. And by the end, I was a crying mess!!

I think this book did a wonderful job of portraying the characters as teens falling in love so deeply. And depicting a Mexican American family in such a beautiful way. Ander's sexual and gender identity was never an issue in the book and I loved to see that Ander got to exist on the page as themselves no questions asked; which is not something we see so openly in Latine households.

Santi had my heart from the very beginning and learning more of his background only solidified the love I have for him. The moments when his immigration status was at the forefront broke my heart!! And the emotions on-page were definitely felt as I read!

Overall I did enjoy this book and highly recommend it.

“Te quiero. Through happiness and destruction.”

Ander & Santi are one of my new fav couples🥺 I was rooting for them from the very start!

This is a contemporary queer romance that follows Ander (they/them) who is an artist working for their families taqueria and painting murals around the city, when in comes Santi- the new waiter who isn’t so bad to look at. From there blooms the most beautiful relationship.

This was an emotional rollercoaster of a story because the love between both MCs was unmatched but certainly tested. One second I was lost in their bittersweet romance and then instantly snapped into stress mode. Their love is so raw and honest, and through anything it comes out on top.

“This whole neighborhood showing up for us. Fighting for us. For someone who’s always called this place home and another who deserves a place to call home.”

Read if you like:
•Amazing Rep including: Mexican-American gay non-binary MC, undocumented queer Mexican MC
•Current issues surrounding being undocumented living in America/ICE
•YA/NA Romance tempered with real life issues
•Mexican Foodies 🤤
•Found family vibes
•HEA but make it emo
•Supportive family

"And with every touch, I am reminded that we are powerful. That our existence is powerful. That we can be both protector and protected."

Thank you so so much @netgalley for the eARC, and @wednesdaybooks for the gifted hardback for my shelf🥺 I am obsessed with the artwork that was included! Thank you @jonnyinstas for writing such important and beautiful stories.

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #queerromance #queerreads #lgbtpride #readersofinstagram #pridereads #anderandsantiwerehere #jonnygarzavilla #yaqueerbooks #readreadread #readqueerallyear #nonbinary

This was such a beautiful book. I don't read a lot of YA anymore but I'm really glad I got the chance to read this book even if it's not something I would normally pick up. It felt a little slow paced but that could've just been for me personally, and honestly it worked for the story so I can't complain. The romance was beautifully written and felt so natural, but it wasn't just the love between Ander and Santi that was wonderful but the love felt through all of the characters. There was such a sense of belonging and found family that I absolutely loved. The book had a great combination of lighthearted moments and deeper moments especially when taking and dealing with the ICE, and since Santi is undocumented it played a big role in the story.
I thought everything throughout the book was handled and written so well and I was so happy with how the ending came together. It wasn't an easy ending to get to for the characters but I'm so glad at how everything worked out. Definitely an emotional read but well worth everyones time!

Enjoyable, great pacing, exciting settings kept me hooked. Fun novel that will be the perfect to lose yourself in. Thank you Net Galley for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Ander & Santi Were Here was a heartbreaking and uplifting queer love story. I loved that Ander & Santi were so different from one another, but fit like two puzzle pieces. Their relationship felt real, and the issues they faced in the book around immigration were so heartbreaking especially since this is a reality so many people face every day. The ending totally caught me off guard, and I'm so happy about that. I think this book shows that there are more than one option for this scenario, and I couldn't be happier with the ending. I will absolutely be recommending this book during Pride month and beyond. One of the best books I've read this year.

Wow, one of my favorite books I have read in 2023. This book, with a non-binary main character takes a deep look at the complexity of life while also touching on the topic of immigration. The text is well crafted and poetic at times. I hope there is another book about these characters!

sweet and heartwrenching. What especially stood out were the characters I loved them right from the first page. Ander's relationship with their friends was a delight; I love when friends are real people and not props.  
sweet and heartwrenching. 

I got a copy from Netgalley, opinions are my own.

The book was relatively enjoyable, but for an adult it is really hard to pass such a silliness of the protagonist and the language book is written in. Teens these days, I would say, but i know a lot of younger people who would relate to described "dramas", so don't want to be a monster. I'm curious where the carrier of this young author will go

This is a touching story about love amid immigration issues in the U.S. Ander has pushed back his move to Chicago for college to get more art done for his portfolio. As a result, he meets Santi, the waiter who replaced him at his family's restaurant. They fall in love despite all of the warnings of the pain this might cause them. It's a moving and touching story.

This incredibly beautiful story truly packed a punch. Reading novels like this just gives me further hope for our young queer youth. They get to see themselves and full-fledged romance without the coming-out trope.
Plus, being able to see non-white queer characters take the spotlight for once in a story is a breath of fresh air. Seeing our lead, Ander, be transparent about the micro aggressions and struggles as a Latino queer male within Texas shone through.

Ander & Santi We’re Here is a beautiful love story complicated by the cruelty of the US Immigration system. I enjoyed how the book explored being an artist and coming to terms with how the art world wants to categorize Ander narrowly while Ander must work through their voice as an artist. This theme fit nicely alongside the actions of ICE, terrorizing Latinx residents regardless of their citizenship status. At times, the pacing of this story moved a bit slowly, particularly at the start. This YA romance is a beautiful story of love, family and community.

San Antonio has always been home for Ander. It is the place they were born and raised, where they have spent days helping in their family’s taqueria, and the place that inspires their art. In the gap year Ander takes between high school and college, their family fires them to force them to focus on preparing for college. But that focus is broken as soon as Ander meets the new waiter, Santi. Santi and Ander fall for each other almost immediately and become inseparable. But when ICE comes looking for Santi, Ander begins to learn how fragile life, love, and home really can be. It begins to feel like Ander and Santi against the world.

I’m not sure I have the right words to accurately convey all of the feelings I have about this book. It is beautiful yet devastating, heart breaking yet full of hope. It is truly such a powerful story of young love. Jonny Garza Villa did a phenomenal job writing this story - the first part really brought you into their world. The taqueria, the murals, the characters - they all felt real and were so easy to imagine. In some ways this part of their story was monotonous and normal in the sense of it being a similar routine day after day, yet you could feel the connection growing as you felt a small undercurrent of tension begin to build.

But then he gets you in the second half of the book. That small spark ignites and it’s impossible to stop the drama from growing and spreading like wildfire. I had a sense of what was coming and wanted to stop it, but couldn’t, and when it did, it ripped my heart out. (Luckily by the end it was put back together again). There is so much power behind this book and the reality and messiness it depicts. Truly an incredible story.
Avi Roque did a phenomenal job with the narration of the audiobook.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copies.

4.5*

Phew, this book. It was heavy and sweet and timely and entertaining and heartbreaking. It's the first book I've read in awhile that truly brought out all the feels. I'm kind of tearing up again just thinking about it.
Ander and Santi, ugh, I love them. They were so sweet and I was completely charmed by them.
But goodness, I kept waiting for the next shoe to drop. As much as I loved this story it was tough going at times, just thinking how things could go wrong.
Ander's family was so wonderful. I loved how they were there for both Ander and Santi.
I want more! I'm picturing them living such a happy life, but I'm sad that it's over.

Stunning, emotional, and lyrical in its writing. This book cut so deep. The characters were relatable, their struggles and growth encouraging and uplifting. I loved it beyond words.

I absolutely adored this book. I am so happy that BN has chosen this as a young adult bookclub pick because it will get this story and the issues discussed out to the masses. Living in Austin, I loved reading this one based in San Antonio. The texas culture and tex-mex culture was very refreshing and interesting. Villa created unforgettable characters and a draw for teens who like art and want an artistic career. The author dealt with issues of the U.S. immigration system sensitively but did not shy away from the experiences that undocumented people actually have. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!