A beautiful and heartbreaking story following three generations of a Mexican American family and their lives revolving Lucha Libre. It deals with generational trauma and has incredible character development. This is a truly beautiful book.

I enjoyed this book very much. Being Mexican, I didn't know much about lucha libre simply because I was very little when it was popular, but I remember my dad being a big fan. This book tells the story of the Vega family who have been professional wrestlers, also known as luchadores. I loved reading the context of this rising sport during the 60's through the 90's, both in Mexico and Los Angeles. I liked the queer twist even when it was very taboo in Mexico at the time (I acknowledge Mexico is not the most open minded country). Narrated by several POV's, I found each of them very interesting. I did see coming the plot twist at the end of the book, I just wish it was a bit more detailed. Overall a great reading experience.

Excellent book! I didn’t like that Elena had a POV and Mercedes didn’t. I understand the book is about the sons of El Rey but then why was Elena’s POV in there? Granted, I loved her chapters the most — I felt like they were kinda thrown in their to further the reveal of all that went down in El Rey’s day without El Rey ever having to confront it and acknowledge it himself. Almost like entitling his emotional unawareness. It’s the women who see all and know all and then eventually tell all; it’s all on them. And the men just have their hot messes to sit in. I wish that just like how we hear from grandson Julian (3rd gen) and how things pan out for him, I wish Mercedes (2nd gen) could have had her voice in here. But as for the overall story and plot-building, this book was captivating and drew me into the drama.

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

*Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of "The Sons of El Rey" by Alex Espinoza.

For me, Alex Espinoza's novel, "The Sons of El Rey," was a new look into Latinx culture — a side of it I had not yet explored. I am bilingual and lived abroad for 8 years, but in Spain, not Mexico/Central America/South America. I loved hearing and learning all about the queerness that was part of lucha libre for many men, and truly, the more I think about it, the more I realize this was and is a form of drag.

Much like another reviewer said, the book has "excellent character depth and heartbreaking, yet in ways hopeful, themes." I thought the vast majority of the book was incredibly well-written and engaging; the only part I found to drag on (and ended up skimming) was the explanation of the legend from which "lucha libre" was born or came to be.

✨ Review ✨ The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This book is a brilliantly-layered multigenerational family story that reflects on the luchador identity, family dynamics, immigration, and so much more.

The book alternates between three men - Ernesto, a man who's gone from "pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote," his son Freddy, who's struggling to save his dad's gym in East L.A., and Freddy's son Julian, who's struggling with juggling adjunct teaching, his romantic interests, and making ends meet.

The scenes we see along the way are so richly described that you are transported there. The story takes us from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City to East Los Angeles. And the story unpeels layers of the characters, just as it shows us new places and moments in the lives of these three men. From lucha libre trainers in Mexico to burlesque lucha shows of East L.A., the book traverses time and space alongside the Vega family.

The symbolism is rich around masks and fighting, and it delves deeply into topics of queer identity, families, dating and love, etc. It questions what it truly means to accept yourself and what sacrifices you might choose to make or not make for that acceptance to grow.

This was a beautiful book, and I'm excited to see what Espinoza writes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: queer fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction
Setting: Michoacán, Mexico City, East Los Angeles
Pub Date: June 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ lucha libre
⭕️ stories of queer and/or immigrant identity
⭕️ multigenerational family stories

3.5 stars. The intriguing premise and vibrant cover design (one of the best this year) found me eager to explore subject matter I'd never considered before. All I knew of lucha libre was from the awful Jack Black film "Nacho Libre," so there was nowhere to go but up. The splintered narrative device kept me on my toes, and I was immediately captivated by these three generations of proud, headstrong Vega men grappling with legacy, duty, masculinity, sexuality, and family. Ernesto's origins felt expansive in 60s/70s-era Mexico City, forging his luchador persona and fame; Alfredo struggling with early grief and keeping the family business afloat amidst a global pandemic in 2020s L.A.; and Julian negotiating career and personhood as a promiscuous, Mexican-American gay man living in the modern era. There were other voices present, including a foreboding, spectral figure that radiated menace, knowledge, and sarcasm. The female voices weren't given the same level of attention, particularly with the character I wanted to know the most about, Elena. It would have also been nice to get a few chapters from the daughter's perspective, Mercedes, but the story didn't allow for that. Some pesky tropes soon followed, including the tired "bury your gays" chestnut, which I'd hoped that a queer author would be above doing. The major plot twist was obvious early on. Rampant promiscuity. A pet peeve of mine: the constant intermingling of Spanish text with English that's immediately distancing for a nonspeaker. Sometimes I could gather meaning in context, and other times, I couldn't. That's fully on me, given my rudimentary Spanish, but I had to have Google Translate constantly open while reading the novel, and that annoyed me. An informative and entertaining read regardless that was a constant page-turner.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

This story gives us a first-hand, multigenerational look at the impact of La Lucha lifestyle and the effects it has on a family. With multiple POVs and a historical recount weaving itself together throughout, the reader is building the timeline of a Mexican family whose life revolves around La Lucha Libre.

I loved the storytelling and felt like I was getting to know each family member intricately. I especially appreciated the son's POV. The ending threw me off and felt like it was unattached in some ways to the rest of the story.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a 2.5 star read for me but I rounded up because the book itself is not bad I just don’t love the Covid parts. Which I fully realize is my own personal preference, and why I rounded up. The story was good but. Yeah.

2024 Pride Month Read #4: 3.5 stars. An inter-generational story of a Mexican-American family. I originally rounded up to 4 stars, but coming back to write a review a few days after finishing the book, I feel that the author wrote a very good story, one I recommend to a variety of readers, but just not a book that will stand out among my other 4- and 5-star reads, maybe. I'll have to think about this more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Yesss loved this unique story that has multiple points of view and so much heart. We can see how families experience each other differently, and the backstory of Mexican wrestling was so refreshing. (Plus great queer rep!) Highly recommend

Sons of El Rey captures a generational story of queerness, masculinity, and family set against the backdrop of Mexican lucha libre. Initially, the wrestling and queer drew me to this book, but it’s so much more. It’s immigration, resiliency, making a new life from nothing, and finding what truly matters.

“The Sons of El Rey” by Alex Espinoza is a captivating multi-generational saga that spans Mexico City in the 1960s to contemporary Los Angeles. It delves into the lives of a family of Luchadores, exploring forbidden love and hidden family secrets. Espinoza’s vivid storytelling weaves together different eras and locations, creating an intimate portrait of resilience and sacrifice.

A generational story of Ernesto, Freddy, and Julian Vega set in Mexico and Los Angeles, The Sons of El Rey is about immigration, lucha libres, and being a gay Mexican American man. Through alternating perspectives, Espinoza describes the complexity of father-son-grandfather relationships.

The Sons of El Rey is about a whole lot of things that I don't have much experience with - Mexican American culture, being a gay man, life in LA, and lucha libre. The honesty and rawness of all three generations of Vega men held my interest. The three stories sometimes felt very separate; I would have liked a little more about the relationships between the men. I especially appreciated seeing the intersection between gay life and lucha libre, including lucha burlesque (I had no idea that's a thing!).

This novel has just a little bit of everything - a three-generation family saga, insight into the Mexican culture and experience, badass lucha libre action, an LGBT storyline, and even a touch of pandemic ennui. I really enjoyed getting to know El Rey Coyote, El Rey Coyote Jr., their everyday counterparts, and Julian, and learning what the luchador culture meant to them. It was something that kept this family going as they experienced all the heartache, misery, and drama associated with trying to make a better life in Mexico and then in Southern California.

I usually race through books, but this read took me almost a month. I think this is because I subconsciously wanted to savor every storyline and detail. The writing was excellent, and I liked how the stories alternated between Ernesto, Freddy, and Julian. It occasionally interspersed Ernesto's luchador personality El Rey Coyote and Ernesto's wife and lover's stories as well. We got to experience Mexico in the 1950's and South Cal in 2020, so the tone was varied. This all made for shorter, more digestible chapters and overall, a more well-rounded story.

Lucha libre is fascinating. I learned a lot, including that most fighters aren't known by their actual names (they are anonymous) - but occasionally a fight takes place where the loser is unmasked and the mask is given to the winner. Sometimes the loser shaves their head! I was back and forth between this book and the Wikipedia page for lucha libre the whole time.

Thank you, Alex Espinoza, for insight into this interesting family and an incredible sport. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was very interesting about mexican society. It starts out with Man named Esther. Who lived in a small village raising pigs. His?
Wife Whose name was ELE?N?A. You had a very good friend named julian , who had to leave the village because of tragic situation. He came back and he was talking about wrestling.And he said you could make really good money if you move to mexico city. They were very close together and his wife was very jealous of the situation. So eventually they move to america where they have to struggle. The son , freddy ran the gym because his father was dying. His grandson named julian was gay With other men for money. Kept a secret from his family. About his Life.. This book has very interesting threads and tides together. And it all comes out in the end. Freddy's father was Into that lifestyle in Mexico city as a wrestl. This is really.
Important part of the book and you will find out how it all gets tied togetherer

Spanning decades and generations, The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza captures the saga of the Vega family: patriarch Ernesto, his strong wife Elena, son Alfredo "Freddy" and grandson Julian.

Going back and forth in time, we get each character's point of view, from Ernesto's and Elena's young marriage and move from the countryside to Mexico City in the 60s, to Freddy's growing up in East LA in the 80s and finally Julian's navigation through college as a writing instructor while exploring the seedier side of LA and assorted dating apps.

So, a big sprawling drama full of character development and history and secrets... told against the backdrop of the family's vocation as LUCHADORES! Well, you already know that from the cover ha ha but I'd argue that it's a ruse. At its heart, this is a big messy family story. Politics in Mexico in the 60s, immigration, gender expectations and roles, being homosexual in a culture with little tolerance for it... you get all that and then some. Sure, we talk about the costumes and the famous luchadores like El Santo, the Exoticos (check out Gael Garcia Bernal in 2023's Cassandro if you want to learn more), and of course the masks. And being luchador defines the Vega family.

We're all hiding behind masks, luchador or not.

I enjoyed this one a lot, strong writing, evocative, heartfelt.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

I’m so glad I read this because not only did it deliver the wrestling vibes I was hoping for but there’s also a deep and thought-provoking story about masking your own identity and the damage it can cause to your loved ones.

Told through multiple POVs this is an inter-generational story about a Mexican-American family of Luchadors. You hear from Ernesto and his Luchador persona “El Rey Coyote”, his wife Elena, their son Alfredo and their grandson Julian. You can see how Ernesto’s tragedies have affected his family and how they each struggle with their own battle. Racism, Covid-19, economic hardship, and being queer and afraid of love are some of the themes explored in this novel. I loved each character especially Elena and Ernesto but I especially loved the chapters of the wrestling matches themselves. If you’re a fan of Luchadors you may enjoy how it goes over Lucha Libre history and goes into full detail in describing costuming, the atmosphere of the arena, feuds between the Tecnicos (face) and Rudo’s (Heel) and goes on to describe full on matches! We’re talking fly kicks, choke holds, suplexes, suicide bombs and more!

While I feel some characters decisions didn’t match up to their values and the reveal at the end was predictable, I still enjoyed this book. I’d recommend it to those looking for LGBTQ+ Fiction about family secrets, forbidden love and how regret can haunt your every thought.

4..75 stars rounded up.

One of my favorite books of the year! Espinoza's multi-generational story tracking a family of luchadores from Mexico to Los Angeles is beautiful and complex. A must read!

I know that this was well written and is overall a good book. It just wasn’t for me. I was bored with the plot. Guessed the twists. But I did learn a lot about Luchadores, which was cool! If you liked the movie Iron Claw but wish it was less white and more gay, read this book! This is also great for anyone who loved a multi-generational story. Definitely heartwarming and emotional. I recommend!