proseandpucks's profile picture

proseandpucks 's review for:

Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
5.0
emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

onny garza villa, i will fight you in a whataburger parking lot

Okay, but actually:

Beautiful and devastating, Garza Villa is an expert at making their characters feel like friends I didn't know I was missing. The love and warmth of these characters shines off the page. Genuinely, this is a perfect book and it's going to be hard to top it for my favorite of the year. 

It's the perfect look into first love, the transition into adulthood and leaving behind everything you know for what you really want, and how awful and cruel the world can be for people just trying to exist. I wept the entire last 20% and I can't get over how bitingly honest this story is.

A favorite that I'll be thinking about for a long time to come.