After reading my first Jonny Garza Villa book earlier this year, they quickly became one of my favorite authors out there. They have a way to be unapologetic and heart-aching at the same time, and I really enjoy that in books.

For CANTO CONTIGO, I knew I'd have a blast reading, and I was right. The way grief was dealt was something special. It was real, brutal, ugly, and cathartic. Rafie dealing with that heavy, gray cloud and pushing through to let in his loved ones and step up to be himself was the true heart of this story, and it was incredible to read about.

As for plot, I think the story was phenomenal. I didn't have any issue with the pacing since everything seemed to flow seamlessly. The cast of characters were so interesting as well--from Rafie's family to his new friends in San Antonio. And of course, Rey was one of my favorite characters, though part of me will always feel like he deserved so much more. (Also, I still can't wrap my head around him having dated that one hateful trumpet guy???)

My only little issue is with Rafie's overall voice--it reminded me of Ander's voice in ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE. As I was reading this book, I had to remind myself that these were two different characters. I was able to separate them after about half of the story, but the beginning was jarring because it felt like reading Ander's pov once more.

Overall, a really enjoyable book!

4.25 stars!

The writing REALLY draws you in, unfortunately I was not in the right space mentally to read a story about a deceased grandparent. Will pick this back up again eventually though.

This book was a beautiful read. Incredibly emotional but with a payoff that make the heartache along the way worthwhile.

Over the last year I have had the privilege to read all of Garza Villa’s books. They have quickly become one of my favorite authors. While I am not a part of the Mexican community they so largely write about the other topics in their books are close to my heart. Cantó Contigo is no exception. Rafí is a struggling teen who is lost without his grandfather and trying to figure out who he is and attempting to not let his family/friends down. Who didn’t go through that in their formative years? This book truly made my heart hurt in the best of ways, at times. I cannot wait to see what Garza Villa writes next.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Another heartbreaking and heartwarming masterpiece from Jonny Garza Villa! Rafie has one the last three Extravaganza’s for mariachi but last year he lost someone very close to him and his parents decided to move away. Now starting a new school with a mariachi group that has never one first place, he’s frustrated and heartbroken. But surely his new maestra will know that Rafie is a star and put him in lead. To his dismay she does the opposite and puts him as backup to Rey, who just happens to be the beautiful boy Rafie almost hooked up with before last year’s Extravaganza. Now he’ll have to fight for that lead spot but will he be able to fight his heart as well? And can he win with a group that has never one a first place before? Can he make his family proud and be the best he’s determined to be? I loved Rafie’s journey! Often arrogant characters frustrate me but with Rafie his talent backs him up and the reasoning and logic he’s dealing with makes sense. I loved that Rey stood up for himself and the crushes to rivals to it’s complicated of the story! Filled with incredibly touching moments that had me crying and also hilarity! A wonderful look at grief and how that can mess with one’s way of looking at things! Tender, sweet, and wonderful! I can’t wait to read this again!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press/ Wednesday books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
I will not publicly be sharing my rating.
This story fully immersed me in the world of Mexican-American culture, specifically mariachi, a subject I knew every little about. The author does an incredible job showing the passion and cultural importance it has for the main characters as well as other Mexican customs. Spanish words and phrases were blended in with the English ones and at first made the reading alittle difficult but over time it became seamless to read and figure out most phrases. The instant translations through the kindle version were also super helpful. I also was able to put my out of practice 3 yrs of high school Spanish to use. It was a refreshing challenge.
I also appreciated the representation of LGBTQA+ community and how those conversations and experiences can be navigated at the high school level. It felt very modern and inclusive and really revealed some of the challenges members of that community face simply for being themselves.
Ralfie embodies the persona of the cocky teenage boy who thinks he’s the best in the room and it made him difficult to like for me. His character growth and ability to be vulnerable toward the end really did wonders for the story and his personal progression. His budding relationship with Rey was so precious and reminded me of nostalgia and giddy butterflies of young love.
Lastly, one thing that was palpable through the pages was the passion and love for mariachi and the importance it was within the Mexican culture. I loved looking up each mariachi song that was referenced on Spotify to get a feel for the moments they’re mentioned and I found myself more connected with the story.
I chose to request this ARC because I was looking for something completely different than my usual selections and a new perspective on an area I didn’t know much about and this served that for me by presenting a story I really enjoyed and also learned so much from.

4.25
i *absolutely* loved this! i’ve now read all three of jonny garza villa’s books and i can confidently say that they are a new favorite author of mine, and i need more of their books. they’re an author i’d recommend to literally everyone i know (and especially the audiobook versions!)

i loved the writing style as always, it’s one that works really well for me! i loved the characters, though i feel like they were more well-built in their previous books. i do have to say that rafie was annoying for a very good part of the book, and i wanted to yell at him constantly to not do all the dumb things he was doing but there was some *huge* character development, at least. and also, his bad and characteristics actually had some meaningful reason behind them rather than just being there for the character development at the end and they actually made sense! i loved rey, he deserves the world. i feel like the side characters could’ve been better-developed but they were still good. the book’s message was so meaningful to me, and i have to admit almost cried at some parts towards the end, but no spoilers. i loved learning about mariachi, and it inspired me to play the piano for the first time in probably a year. i don’t really know how to express my love for this book, but i might come back and add to this review when i do know!

thank you to the publisher st.martin’s press and netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Jonny Garza Villa, though I'm not exactly his target audience. This book stays in his wheelhouse (queer Latinx youth falls in love), this time under the blanket of a high school mariachi contest. The familiar backdrop allows the author's strengths to shine- the guy really gets teenagers, their outsized emotions, narcissism and all. The plot might be low stakes to an adult audience, but not to his characters; Villa conveys this with ease.

My one critique would be that the plot involving the main character's grief over losing his grandfather lacks impact because the reader is brought in as the grandfather dies. An extra chapter or two would add more depth to this relationship, giving more depth to that plot and to the shadow the death has over the rest of the book.

Canto Contigo is a beautiful novel with blossoming, rivals to lovers high school romance with Rafie and Rey, a heartbreaking illustration of grief, and themes of community, identity, and healing. Many of characters I was able to visualize and love. Rafie's family, his younger brothers were absolutely precious. Rafie's grief was a journey and showed how grief can come in waves, it doesn't matter how long it's been. The mariachi calavera on Rafie's nightstand coming alive throughout the book as a voice of reason, a piece of his grandfather, was one of my favorite parts. The magical realism was giving!

Although culture, art, music & representation are very much present throughout the book, I wish that Rey had been developed a little more. We know who he is ( the absolute sweetest but not a pushover) and get a sense of his community, but there was something missing outside of him being a love interest & catalyst for Rafie's healing. Maybe as a Black reader, I wanted to see more of Rey's dual identity as an Afro-Latino, I'm not sure. Or showing a conversation with his parents, since they are in high school.

Overall, this book grabbed my attention from start to finish, and had me fully invested the characters, their development, and had me rooting for their success at every moment. I'm so grateful to read a work with unapologetic queer characters, and through this YA novel, young people can learn, and see themselves. JGV writes beautifully, pulls you into their story everytime!

Thanks to St Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for this digital ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday's books for an ARC of Canto Contigo.

I really enjoyed this one, and found it to be Jonny Garza Villa's best work!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of Canto Contigo.

I really enjoyed this one, and found it to be Jonny Garza Villa's best! I was more than attached to this book, I was addicted! I AM ADDICTED! Johnny Garza Villa has become one of my all time favorite authors and I can’t wait for his next works!

Call me a fan and it’s guaranteed this author is an auto buy.

Three for three, Jonny Garza Villa does it again!!!

Something I always really appreciate with Jonny's YA books is that they always write very sex positive stories that show that, yes, teens have sex, and it's healthy and normal. I think positive queer sex representation like this can be very helpful for young queer people.

As always, I'm excited to read what Jonny writes next :)

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the digital arc!I absolutely loved the first book I read from Johnny Garza Villa (JGV), Ander and Santi Were Here, so I knew I had to get my hands on the follow-up Canto Contigo. And let me tell you, he did not disappoint! JGV's books are full of love and passion for queer boys, gay coming-of-age stories, artistic expression, Mexican culture, and tight family relationships!

Canto Contigo is a love letter to the art of Mariachi and the passion there, as well as a mediation on grief. I think a lot of people's first loss in their life is that of a grandparent, and it tends to have a huge impact on who you become and how you evolve; when you lose someone, especially an older family member, especially ESPECIALLY in childhood, you do wonder as you grow on without them, Would this person be proud of who I've become? Would they still recognize me? Still be proud of me? Or would they reject who I am now? Grief can be an absolute mindfuck.

Canto Contigo introduces us to Rafie and Rey; two teen singers whose missed connection leads to them reconnecting eight months later...only to discover they're competing for the same lead vocalist spot in their school's official mariachi band.

Cut the most adorable, hilarious enemies-to-lovers I have read in a long, long time. It's more like rivals-to-lovers than anything. I've got to say, between his near-delusional levels of confidence and some hilariously audacious moments, Rafie genuinely reminded me of a male Rachel Berry from Glee. Just determined to take the top spot and succeed in showbiz to any degree, to the point where he's not even a little bit shy of reminding everyone he's not there to make friends.

Rey on the other hand is our adorable, patient, cinnamon roll character who is there to Rafie he actually has a soul, under all that competitiveness, grief, and bravado. Rey is a less developed love interest than Santi was in Ander and Santi Were Here, however, he was still a pleasant character, and while he exists here more for Rafie's benefit than his own, he still has some nice moments and character-defining traits that allow him to stand apart.

I would say this is a great take on trans representation as well; being trans is firmly part of his identity and shapes who he is, it's something he has conversations about and it plays into who he is, but at the same time it's not the sole defining trait of his person. Rey is a talented artist, a friend, son, and those things define him just as much as his transness does. I love that JGV allowed there to be a balance where there's a focus on queer identity that feels measured and intentional, without it eclipsing other important character tidbits.

It's become a heated debate how to write a good queer character: should their queerness be inconsequential and not the focus? A lot of people seem to think so, and yet I think that underestimates how important queer narratives are to a lot of LGBT folk and makes the assumption that these stories should cater to straight audiences rather than focusing on LGBT readers. At the end of the day I don't know a single queer person who never acknowledges they're queer and for whom their queerness isn't something they talk about and that has no bearing on their lives. Our experience is about us and not outsiders, and in our personal lives we don't censor ourselves to be palatable for a cis or het audience.

I think when LGBT characters are held to this infinitely higher standard where so many people want them to be identical to and indistinguishable from cishet narratives and characters, and so many other people only want 100% authentic ownvoices stories, it can feel impossible to write something 'the right way.'

Here I think JGV manages that by showing a balance in Rey's life and identity where being a trans guy absolutely plays into his daily life and his experience and identity, as it should; he's got to take T shots and he briefly discusses how being trans plays into his dating experience. However he's also allowed to be an individual in his own right with a big group of friends, musical talent, and his own sense of determination and ambition to match Rafie's.

The actual rivals section of the plot takes up around 30% to 40% of the book and is the most hilarious section for sure. The way Rafe and Rey's relationship evolves and goes through several phases as they keep getting used to each other in new contexts and redetermining their dynamic is magnetic to read. There are several laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of snappy arguments for folks who love this trope.

I also adore the way JGV centers family in his works. Big, loving, accepting, playful families are a focus in a way that resonates with me greatly. People, especially teens, are products of their families, and a lot of romance novels ignore this a little too much for my liking. I enjoy that JGV places importance on family relationships and platonic friendships and portrays his worlds in a place where romance is important and romantic love is special and beautiful, but where it isn't the be-all-end-all and that other types of relationships are also crucial for emotional health and life value.

Rafie's parents and kid brothers are a very cute, supportive presence in this novel. I especially liked his dad. And of course the relationship with his grandfather which we see him grieving so deeply, with the thread of art and music connecting them across time and memories.

Mexican culture is also celebrated here much the same way it was in his previous book; family, food, and art. I love the focus on how food brings people closer and is so important for family and friend bonding, as well as how art is a sum of history, linage, tradition, remembering and honoring the past while also creating a path to the future as each new generation evolves and puts their spin on the classics!

While I related to Ander's painting and being a visual artist more, I still greatly enjoyed seeing inside Rafie's musical mind, his obsession, perfectionism, the rush of his performances, his musical opinions, etc. His Omar Apollo jokes were really funny. (Stream Tamagotchi if you love yourself tbh.)

Xope, Xolo, and Erik were all fun characters for me, especially Xolo, the evil twin to Xope's good twin. I also adored Sra. Pena and Angel and Migs, although for me Xolo just stole the show with his attitude, threats, and chaos gremlin energy.

All in all this book has everything I expected from JGV and while it didn't hit the highs of Ander and Santi Were Here, which made me cry multiple times, I did adore it to bits. I think we can all expect great things from Johnny Garza Villa in the future if he continues down this path, and I'm so glad I got the chance to read this early and highly recommend it to everybody who loves rivals-to-lovers, rom-coms, great gay and trans rep, a loving homage to music and Mariachi, and a book full of pure, wholesome vibes.

JGV stories radiate love, passion, and appreciation for life, love, and Mexican culture, as well as queer male identity and experience. If you want all that with a ribbon tied around it, Canto Contigo is the book for you!

I am withholding my review of this title and all SMP umbrella titles in solidarity with the St. Martin’s Press boycott that is ongoing. Please respond to your readers.

Great gay representation. Very sweet and heartwarming. I was rooting for their relationship since the very beginning and was glad they got their happily ever after.

Rafie is a talented mariachi musician... and he knows it. Trained by his grandfather, he's won national competitions for his school for the past few years. Rafie NEEDS to be the best to honor his grandfather's legacy. But senior year, his parents decide to move to San Antonio, and Rafie is forced to join the second-placed mariachi band, and not even as lead singer. That spot has been given to Rey, a trans boy who Rafie had a brief hookup with a year ago, and who's dominated his thoughts ever since.
This story was rich with culture and diversity. It beautifully shows familial love and acceptance. It addressed homophobia and transphobia within the culture of mariachi. All the secondary characters were wonderful. And Rey was dreamy! So thoughtful and honest and compassionate. But I really didnt like Rafie for 85% of the story. While his grief was real and the obvious catalyst for his desire to be the best, he was a pompous jerk to everyone, especially Rey. Ultimately, he does grow and redeem himself, accepting his mistakes and finding a love for the music (and Rey) again.
In my opinion, Garza Villa's previous book, Ander and Santi Were Here was better, but this one still carried a lot of weight and was worth the read.
*****
I received this eARC from @netgalley and publisher St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Canto Contigo will be released April 9, 2024.

In tune with Jonny Garza Villa's previous books, CANTO CONTIGO is another richly realized exploration of identity, love, and belonging. The rivals-to-lovers romance was so fun and fit perfectly with Rafael's broader journey of figuring out how he fits in with his family. The author's style is a breeze to read.

At its heart, this is a story about grief and love and all of the things that happen when those two emotions are so tangled up with one another. Our main character was one of the most frustrating people to follow, and was often a bully, but the way this author approached his character and the REASONS behind his actions was so well done. This is a true character study in unlikable, deeply flawed characters and as much as I found myself yelling at our main character's actions, I held such a deep love for him as well. The final third of this story was where we were able to finally get that closure and have the discussions we were NEEDING from the character and as much as those were well done and worth the wait, I do wish Rafie had more of a realization earlier in the book about how atrociously he was treating the people around him. As much as his bullying was never justified or without criticism, it was frustrating personally to read about how many chances he was being given by the people he was hurting. And although these apologies happened and the trauma was delved into and we understood why Rafie was acting this way, I will say it was difficult to read. In the end, though, I do believe that the writing of this book really helped me root for the main character despite it all, and the plotting (although comfortably predictable) was incredibly engaging. My only complaint is, perhaps, how drawn out the "bullying" sections were and how forgiving especially Rey was to him in the beginning. I understand that Rey saw something no one else did in him, but I struggled to believe WHAT he saw when he was barely shown any kindness from Rafie until well into the second half. That being said, as soon as characters started to communicate and reasonings behind actions were explored, I was absolutely obsessed with all the characters and the growth we see from Rafie especially is incredibly heartwarming. In the end, this was a beautiful story, I only wish Rafie experienced remorse for some of the ways he acted earlier on, and that the narrative would have given readers more of a reason to understand why so many characters were giving him so much grace, at least in the beginning.

This book was emotional and lovely. I expected nothing less from JGV, to be clear--their characters are so full, their worlds are so detailed. The ways that they create a full cast of characters without detracting from the MCs and their growth is really beautiful. I cared about all of them--literally like 10 other people!--but never got off track. The use of single-POV really deepened the story also. I really liked this book.

It should be in high school libraries.

I absolutely loved this book! It was incredible. Jonny Garza Villa is an auto buy author for me. This book is about grief, loss & all the expectations we have for ourselves but I absolutely devoured it. I cannot recommend this book enough