This book absolutely owns me. It hit me in all the feels. The characters, the storyline, the writing style. I'm honestly obsessed.

“And with every touch, I am reminded that we are powerful—that our existence is powerful—that we can be both protectors and protectors. [...] ...we exist. Together. Right here and right now, with each other. And no man, government, or racist ideology can ruin this—at least, not right now.”

Ander and Santi Were Here covered many important topics, especially for young adults. This story included topics such as nonbinary, being an undocumented citizen, queerness, minority, and so much more. It was a great balance of being optimistic and hopeful while still sharing some hard truths about the world. Through Ander, we can learn so much about what it means to be an immigrant. This story so is lively and heartfelt.

Typically I'm all over LGBTQ+ novels, especially in the young adult realm. For too long, this demographic has been ignored and looked over and it's time their stories are being told.

What I Liked:
-Ander has an incredibly supportive family and I loved this for them. More of this, please.
-Ander's grandmother is incredibly endearing. She might have been my favorite character in the whole book.
-I'm so thankful books like this exist: books featuring gay/nonbinary characters and tackling the realities of ICE/deportation head on. I feel like both of these topics have been touched on in other ya literature but to have both of them present at once is still fairly revolutionary.
-Let's take a moment for that cover, please.

What I Didn't Like:
-One thing I'm not loving about ya lit right now is the number of books that are being marketed as young adult but are really geared for that new adult age (think college age characters). I love a good ya story: the agnsty teenager figuring things out while they are still restricted by their age and adults in their life. This whole new adult age group is new, and honestly, probably needed, but isn't my favorite age to read about. Would 17 and 18 year olds gravitate towards these stories? Absolutely. But they don't hit in the same way young adult does.
-I felt like the fear of deportation was not handled consistently. I fully recognize my comments come from a place of privilege. However, it felt like deportation was a fear, then went completely away, then came back full steam ahead, then went away again. It just felt.. inconsistent. I realize the characters can't spend every waking moment worrying about deportation, because how debilitating, but I also thought this could have been handled more consistently throughout the book.
-The plot was so slow. So slow. Some readers will love this but it'll take the right reader to fall in love with the slow pace of this one.
-I hated the ending. I guess I'm old and jaded now because the ending seemed to be the most unrealistic part of this whole story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Tender, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Ander and Santi's story is important and poignant. Balanced an incredibly sweet and heartwarming romance with the hard-hitting realities of undocumented immigrants in the United States.

A delicious and fascinating story that hits every emotional beat perfectly. Can't wait to read more from Garza Villa in the future!

*4.5 stars*
I have so many thoughts about this book, but it’s so hard to put them into words. I adore this book. I adore the characters. I loved the representation and themes of the story.

Ander & Santi Were Here is a touching story that had me laughing and crying. Reading a book that’s rich with Mexican culture that’s so relatable to my own experiences growing up was something so beautiful to me.

Ander and Santi were so loving and sweet with one another. I do wish Sandi’s character was a little more fleshed out. We don’t get to know much about him, which sucks, but I was still able to enjoy the relationship between him and Ander. Ander was so funny and I adored their personality.

This book deals with ICE and it really puts the experiences undocumented immigrants face into perspective. Overall, this was such a great book. I think everyone should give this book a chance. Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First of all, I knew I was going to love this book the moment I bought it because I had already loved Jonny’s debut. Secondly, book reviewers I trusted were giving glowing reviews of it.

So, it’s no surprise that this book had me in absolute shambles in the best way possible. I knew it would hurt me, there were low chances that a love story between a Mexican American and an undocumented Mexican immigrant wouldn’t, but it was such a beautiful story beyond that.

The vast majority of this book is actually full of queer and Latine joy. The love story between Ander and Santi is heartwarming and cavity inducing. They felt like a treasure I got to hold every time I opened the pages and was able to watch them awkwardly stumble towards a relationship and then be so happy once they choose to be in one.

Not only was the love story beautiful because we had such wonderfully crafted characters, it was also beautiful because I felt like I was home. The conversations between Santi and their friends felt so familiar and real. I could picture myself in their family, in their shoes, because I’ve been in similar with my friends and family. It was a perfect reminder of why these stories are so important and why I continue to pick up YA. YA Latine authors continue to write stories that feel like home. Estoy con mi familia cuando leo sus palabras.

It’s beyond what I can put to words. The gift Latine authors give me when they write with all the truth in their hearts is one I will always cherish.

As soon as I was done reading it I pre-ordered a copy for me and a copy for my friend. This was heartbreaking and honestly so unexpectedly lovely. I will probably give this one another read as I love how Garza Villa writes. I still haven't managed to get over his last book and then this one came out of nowhere to break my heart.

I have heard so many excellent things about Jonny Garza Villa’s books, and though it took me a while, I’m so glad I picked them up. Ander & Santi Were Here is such an emotional ride, but centrally it is so full of warm hug energy. I love how much family and community plays a part in Ander’s story and especially in the art they create. The way the cover art is a part of the story? Excellent! There’s a lot of emotional upheaval, especially in the last quarter or so, and so much stress about what’s going to happen to Santi, but the ending is still so happy and hopeful and continues that warm-hug energy. I’m so glad I read this book, and I cannot wait to see more from Jonny!

Ander & Santi Were Here was a fun, challenging, informative, and hopeful read. It has a balance of romance, family dynamics, social justice concerns, and provided the readers with the complexity of balancing it all. It is evident that the author did it’s worth to tie all themes together and make it informative but also fun for the reader.

One of the best contemporary YA book I have read in a long time. People reading YA now are so damn lucky!

Ander & Santi is filled with heartwarming and thought-provoking moments and is a wonderful story about the power of love, family, and community in the face of adversity.

Touches on so many themes like gender, culture, and politics. SO much angst and yearning but also so much tenderness and love.

Absolutely loved this!

Jonny Garza Villa is one of my favorite contemporary authors and this book is no exception. The romance is so tender and vital and life changing.

This was a good {not great} book, in my opinion. It's a YA novel, and while it was poignant story of two characters on the brink of adulthood, I did find it was quite slow. I enjoyed the non-binary rep, the vivid descriptions of Mexican food, and the Spanish dialogue throughout; although, admittedly it was a bit hard to follow given I don't know the language.

All in all a decent book.

Thank you to NetGalley + the publisher for an early reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a young artist who starts a relationship with an illegal immigrant and falls in love. This story did drag and seemed repetitive at times, but overall was a sweet story. The character development was a bit weak and was almost exclusively reactionary. I did like the openness of the two boys families and acceptance of them, as well as the realism of the prospects of a non-citizen in the US.

Ander & Santi was like stepping into a story about my friends at the end of high school as we tried to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives. The setting was so familiar and welcoming. I loved the way Garza Villa wove English, Spanish, and Spanglish together in a natural flow, while not bogging down the text with translations (even a non-Spanish speaker like myself easily followed along).

I loved this book.

Ander is relatable, funny, and passionate. His problems are realistic and relatable to anyone else around his age. Santi is a sweetheart who can make your heart melts my heart melt and must be protected at all costs.

I love the them of family, which is evident in AJ's family. They're very lovable, relatable, loyal, loving, but honest and are there for each other.

This is a passionate, sweet romance with real stakes. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Absolutely recommend

Due to the ongoing marketing boycott of St. Martin’s Press because of their continued failure to address an employee’s harmful and offensive remarks on social media, I will be withholding from reviewing this title. I sincerely hope the company takes action soon so I may resume promoting the diverse stories that SMP ought to stand by,

Ander & Santi Were Here is a moving book about the human impact of ICE and immigration policy. I absolutely loved the characters and listened on audiobook to my favorite narrator reading which was extra special. I loved the ways we got to know the characters. I appreciated Ander's journey with their art and trying to figure out what their path is from the micro (sometimes macro) aggressions of their art school advisor. I loved the discussion of what home is (person, place, feeling, etc.) and what it means to be who you are. I loved Ander's family and felt like I was a part of it. The personality and voice of Ander made this book extra special and I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with these main characters, especially Ander. The way the author gave immigration policy a "face" and "name" -- personalized it for the audience and made us feel it so much in my mind is what makes this book; it was one of the many things I loved about it. I would definitely recommend this because I think the discussions of immigration policy are so impactful -- however for the YA audience there are some spicy parts and mature language; I think a mature YA reader would really enjoy and appreciate this read and I think while it is technically a YA novel that every adult could benefit from reading this.

"Ander & Santi" was the perfect fast-paced page-turner to get me out of my reading slump. Their chemistry was palpable and Jonny Garza Villa had me longing for more with each sentence.

Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa is a beautiful and complex YA/new adult queer love story that explores complex and contemporary themes. It's a book that makes it feel like an honor to have read it.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.