Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for an arc of this book

This was the fluffy and cozy queer romance I've been needing! I loved Jules and Mat so much, seeing their relationship develop and bloom when they finally meet in person was just lovely to read. The author breathed so much life into all of his characters, even the side characters, that all of their dynamics were so great to witness. The rep in the book is beautiful as well, and Ioved the inclusion of spanish phrases throughout. Jonny Garza Villa put his whole heart into this novel and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cute and diverse romance! ( )

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me angry and then put a smile on my face. A story of a young man coming to terms with learning that it’s OK to be yourself regardless of what others think. That friends are your true family and that sometimes you have to let go of your “real“ family. That there are people that will stand by you no matter what. ( )

Jonny Garza Villa has pulled no punches with their debut novel, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun. While some of those punches come while the characters deal with hard issues like anxiety and homophobia, some of them are happy punches - the romance in this book is fantastic from start to finish. A reader may read a description of the novel and think it's just another coming-out, queer teen YA romance, but you could not be more wrong. Everything in the book, from the characters to the language to the romance tropes, have the unique touch I hope Villa continues in their future works. Everything from the way the main character comes out to the way his friends handle it is new and refreshing. The cultures Villa depicts feel authentic and integral to the story without feeling shoehorned in. The drama is appropriately melodramatic without feeling over the top, and the stakes feel sufficiently high without feeling artificially inflated. Overall, I have nothing but compliments for the book. The characters are amazing, the plot is exciting, and the writing is fantastic. 5/5 stars. ( )

teen fiction, queer interest, Latinx non-binary author (closeted Latinx gay boy from Corpus Christi TX meets Vietnamese gay boy from Los Angeles on Twitter, and they are just about the cutest long-distance couple ever)
I received an egalley of this from netgalley but wasn't able to download/open it, so had to wait a couple extra months for my library to receive it from the vendor. So this was a long-anticipated read, and I am so glad I finally got to read it!

The characters are instantly likeable and they provide a welcome dose of humor and sarcasm throughout. Parts of the story are partly drawn from the author's own experience (according to the preface), and all of it feels very real, especially the trauma of coming out to a (sometimes violent) father who will not accept that his son is gay.

Very sweet story full of (thankfully) very supportive friends. Recommended. ( )