When I saw the cover of this book and read the synopsis, I knew right away that I had to read it, and I haven't regretted it for a moment.
FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES FROM THE SUN is Jonny Garza Villa' debut novel but it was such a pleasant read that I didn't find any major flaws in this book, other than the fact that it kept making me hungry with the descriptions of dishes that all sounded delicious.

The characters are all more or less endearing and each one has its importance in this story, whether it's Julián's group of friends or his father, his sister or Mat: I let myself be carried away by their adventures, I was afraid for them at some moments, laughed with them at others and it was with difficulty that I had to part from them at the end of the book.

The author played around with the names and their meanings quite a bit and I found it absolutely brilliant.
For Julian I could easily guess because 'luna' ('moon' in Spanish) is very close to the French 'lune' but for Mặt Trời,('sun' in Vietnamese) I only understood it afterwards.
I only remembered a few words in Vietnamese and 'sun' was not one of them, but it's always fun to learn new things.
It was as if these two were meant to be and when I think back to all the sun and moon puns, it only makes the story more adorable.
I also wanted to thank the author for creating the character of Mat, because as an asian and queer person, I haven't read many books with lgbtqi characters of asian descent so far (I may have missed out on quite a few books so if you have any recommendations I'm all ears) and it feels so good to see such a representation, especially since Mat is just adorable.


I absolutely loved this book and hope to read more about these characters (the world needs a sequel, just saying...) and I highly recommend it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Skyscape Publishing for sending me an arcbook in exchange for an honest review

Be right back, I’m in my feels.
After a rocky start to the book where I wasn’t quite sure whether this was going to be heavy or fluffy, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun turned out to be what I’d call a cleansing reading experience for anyone who’s on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a story about coming out, falling in love for the first time and acting on it, and figuring out how to be yourself when there are outside forces telling you to do everything but that. Villa captures the good and the bad about coming out and perfectly balances the sad with the fluffy content.
My favorite part of this book was, of course, what will be known as the internet romance of a lifetime. It was just so enamouring to read about this digital dating between Jules and Mat because it reminded me not only of the friends I’ve made in the LGBTQIAP+ community online, but also of that feeling when you find someone online who seems to speak your language, the way you become dependent on them and how hard it can be when they cut you off out of the blue. Jules and Mat’s relationship – from the insta-love to the slowly falling in love for real part to finally meeting officially for the first time in person – is rocky and all-encompassing, complex and deceptively easy at times and it perfectly captures first love in my opinion. Things are messy and Villa doesn’t shy away from showing the advantages and struggles that come with dating someone who lives hours away from you. Thank God for the internet, am I right?
Besides the whirlwind romance that will take readers by storm, there is also the found family trope in this book and I loved Jules’ group of friends. They’re all so diverse and have their own struggles, whether it’s about love or their plans for the future and I enjoyed how they kept teasing Jules about his relationship but also (for the most part) being supportive about it.
Also, can we take a second to talk about how supportive, genuinely kind and strong-willed Mat is? He’s basically the poster boy of what you want your first boyfriend to be. I loved all the discussions he and Jules had about coming and being out to the world, how family can both protect you and make you feel like you’re alone, and most of all, how Mat fought for Jules time and again. There are so many moments where I wanted to clutch the book to my chest and just smile at the sheer adorableness of it all. Steadfast and honest and so dreamy, I can see readers falling in love with Jules and Mat all over the world.
One of the hardest aspects of this book to stomach is the relationship between Jules and his father. For the longest time, Jules has kept being gay to himself because his father doesn’t accept “that lifestyle” and it is incredibly sad yet impactful to read about how Jules adjusts his performance around his father to escape physical and verbal abuse. When his father eventually learns about Jules and kicks him out, even going so far as blackmailing him to keep him on the straight path, my heart was breaking for Jules and any kid who has ever experienced this sort of shunning. While Jules’ and Mat’s families are largely supportive and believe that love is love, Jules’ father’s reaction was jarringly realistic and definitely not for the faint of heart. I think what I love most about this book is that Jules takes his time to come to terms with what his father’s ignorance means for their relationship in the future and that he realizes that blood does not always mean family. It’s one of the hardest decisions to make to put yourself first even at the cost of a love you thought – and hoped – to be unconditional, and Villa portrays this with such a careful hand that it stays with you even after you close the book.
An homage to finding your tribe on the interwebs, Villa’s authentically tender debut Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun brings a cleansing gay happily-ever-after to any reader who’s ever found their soulmate online – only to find out they live half a world away

MY RATING 4/5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book starts out with an author’s note that goes on to explaining the different things the book was going to talk about. Even though this book is supposed to be uplifting and has a lot of joy, we also get a warning about how it is still going to be exploring many themes that can be triggering such as physical abuse by a parent, homophobia, and how all these things are going to affect the main character Julián’s mental health.

Overall, this book was pretty realistic and sadly shows the very real struggles some people go through when they decide to come out to their family members. Even though many people today don’t think coming out is that big of a deal, we here get to see why so many people are hesitant to share that part of themselves, since they know that not everybody in their lives are going to be accepting of who they are.

It was also really hard to read about the struggles Julián went through when he had to had to hide his identity from his father, since he was, rightly, affraid of what would happen if he decided to share that part of himself. However, even though this was hard to read about, it is also super important to show these very real struggles some teens are going through, and that shouldn’t be overlooked.

I loved all the friendships in this book and how all of his friends essentially became his new found family who all accepted him for who he was. I also loved Xo, Julián’s sister, who was always there for him, and supported him in all the ways she knew how.

The relationship between Julián and Mat was also super cute and adorable, and I absolutely loved seeing their relationship evolve from the beginning when they were strangers on the internet to becoming so much more. However, I had some small problems with how Julián ghosted Mat on two different occasions, and how it was a bit glossed over with Julián just promising he wouldn’t do it again. I felt like they never really dealt with how this was affecting Mat.

Another thing that was a bit weird to me was the time jumps. The book went from each chapter being hours/days apart to the next chapter being weeks/months later. However, I also see that since this book almost stretches across a whole year, it would be hard to write it any differently.

In the end I can only say that I really enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a cute, but also hard-hitting story.

It's heartwarming and the main characters are super lovable.

I love how quiet the story started and then the progression became more and more interesting.

The group vibe is also something I definitely enjoyed because it added an appeal to the whole coming-of-age plot.

Overall, enjoyable read and recommended.

This book made me so hungry, honestly! The recipes and descriptions are absolutely amazing. Add to that an engaging main character and a lot of representation, and this book is for you!

Five stars, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun follows Julián, a gay teen living in Corpus Christi, planning to leave for college in California once he’s finished high school. While drunk, he comes out on his public twitter, and with this all of his plans for his final nine months in Texas are changed in an instant.

Julián as a character was well developed and over the course of the book I really felt I got to know him. In fact, one of the things I loved most about this book was the characters, and how Jules’ relationships with all of them were portrayed – especially those with Mat, his boyfriend, and Xochi, his sister.

Near the beginning of the book, a relationship develops between Julián and Mat, a boy he meets on twitter. Overall, I found their relationship to be really cute and comforting (and also very well paced) to read – though they were long distance, they did really care about each other and then come to love each other. Although the home lives of Julián and Mat were relatively different, Mat did try his best to support Julián, and understand as well as he could what Julián was going through.

It’s important to note that homophobia, internalised and otherwise, is a theme often present in this book. Along with this, Julián’s father is abusive towards him, and this is again a prominent theme in the narrative. While the story does not, in my opinion, get incredibly dark, it did feel very personal and did not shy away from dealing with the abuse Julián faced and how he began to tell people and eventually began to heal.

Despite the fact that some of the themes in the novel were heavy, Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun was overall a heartwarming read, with just the right amount of moments that had me laughing or crying happy tears, to balance out those moments of pain and sadness. The overall message was one of hope, of light persevering in darker times, and this was something I, as a reader, appreciated.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s certainly one that will stay with me and I will doubtlessly come to revisit it in the future. It felt like looking through a window into someone else’s life, rich and honest, and I’m so grateful to have been able to read it pre-release.

Trigger warnings: homophobic slurs, homophobia, internalised homophobia, n word, anti black racism, internalised homophobia, emotional and physical abuse by a parent, gaslighting, hate crime.

When I saw this author described as one who "embraces the chaotic gay", I knew I would love this book - I just didn't realise how much! So so beautiful - a slice of joy that the world so needs right now!

Such a great and iconic read. Loved everything about it. And to know this meant so much to the author makes it all the more amazing. Will deff read more from this author if they decide to write more.

This book is the queer brown love story I didn't know I needed. Jonny's characters feel real in a way a lot of books don't quite get right. They are full complicated people trying to live their best lives and of course those lives are messy, as lives are, especially when you are in high school. The characters are complicated and nuanced and contain so much joy and heartbreak. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a story about first love, family and friends – all my favorite things to read about. It is sweet, it is sassy and it will make you cry. My favorite kind of book.

Thanks to the Author, NetGalley & Skyscape for the eARC.

This is probably one of my favorite YA romances ever. I liked almost everything about it, but especially Julian’s friend group!

Jonny Garza Villa's debut novel, "Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun", is nothing short of beautiful. It is a heart-warming and at times heart-wrenching story of finding love and acceptance in (mostly) all of the places we all deserve.

Julián Luna doesn't mean to get drunk and out himself on social media. But it is, perhaps, the perfect opportunity to start living his life as his true self - except under his father's roof, because his ultra conservative dad will never accept his son for who he truly is.

Julián's dad aside, readers will love every single character in this novel, from Julián's amazingly supportive friends and sister, to Mat, the boy who will become Julián's long distance rock in his journey toward self-acceptance. And then there is Julián's abuelito. I wish there was more of him! The way he responds to Julián's made my heart burst.

This book is sheer perfection. I'm eagerly anticipating the publication date so that I can get my hands on a copy to add to my high school classroom library.

If you are a fan of "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe", "Simon and the Homosapien's Agenda", or "Darius the Great is Not Okay" I promise you will fall just as hard for "Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun".

Thank you to #Skyscape and #NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. #FifteenHundredMilesFromTheSun #LGBTQIA #YARomance #YAReads

This is a powerful book. Julián Luna, the main character, is entering his senior year hoping to keep his head down and head out of town for college. But then he inadvertently comes out on Twitter, and his world turns upside down, in some good ways and in other ways presenting challenges. One good aspect is that it leads to him connecting with Mat, a fellow high school student in LA and the two quickly come close as they both navigate their last year of high school and think to the future.

The main characters were authentic and multi-dimensional. And I found the story quite compelling. Highly recommend!

Oh the ending. I'm actually so emotional. I really really enjoyed this one; it just felt so welcoming and accepting of sexualities and the experience of coming out. I love how Julian forgave his father in the end, and yet still refused to let his toxicity back into his life, I feel like that really gave some peace of mind. I also hella liked how even though Julian was struggling so much with his college applications, and how it didn't all turn out as planned, it still ended happily; but still realistically. (I'm currently in the same position with applications so it was just especially comforting for me.) Overall, the writing was so good for a newbie author, I got extremely attached to the characters and everything was honestly just done so well!

Wow wow wow wow wow! Jonny Garza Villa literally had me feeling all the emotions as Julián explores the aftermath of coming out. I squealed when Cutie McCuterson, Mat, slides into Jules's DMs, and cried as he was pushed away by his father, having to learn the hard way that being openly gay can have seriously high highs and devastatingly low lows all at the same time. Garza Villa so perfectly found that balance of jubilation at being yourself after you come out that can come hand in hand with fear when we’re still in an environment that’s not safe. It’s so beautifully done, with both laugh-out-loud and heart-clutching moments, and I can't say enough that so many queer readers are going to see themselves in this story.

4.5 stars

How freaking adorable was this book?? Jules and Mat were so cute and this fun read was just what I needed to brighten my day. This is a coming of age story following Jules, a closeted Latino teenager who bonds with another boy, Mat, on social media and begins questioning whether he can be happy keeping part of himself hidden.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the realism it has. Jules' dad doesn't support him being gay and is physically and verbally abusive. Jules struggles with knowing that this isn't okay but also loving his only parent and wanting to have a relationship with him. His dad isn't just an evil person to be cast out, he raised Jules and they have had a lot of great, happy moments too. There are also some honest talks about sex, particularly gay sex and I appreciated that Jules and Mat had older siblings that wanted them to be safe and consensual.

Lou is a fantastic side character and I would read a sequel focused on her in a heartbeat. She's fun and doesn't let anyone stand in her way or attempt to put her down. She supports Jules from the beginning and has her own journey of discovering her sexuality. We could all use a friend like Lou!

I can't wait for this to be out in the world. What a fantastic debut! I'll be looking out for more books from this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for the copy.

Wow, what a great story. I've really been getting into YA books and this one didn't disappoint. I felt so much love for Julian in this book and the way his dad treated him made me cry. I felt myself rooting for him to get to California through the entire book. I don't want to give anything away about the story but I strongly recommend reading it because of the emotion I felt reading it.

I can't wait for this book to come out so I can share it with all of my friends who also enjoy YA LGBTQIA books.

Home is where the heart is. And the home in question is titled, "Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun." I found home in a form of book and called it my comfort book. I have read this book in no more less than 15 days. It took me long enough to finish reading this because I never wanted this to end.

"You're my moonlight, Julián Luna. A brightness in the dark. I knew if I kept trying, one day I'd reach out and you'd be there. You'd be here." AHHHHH. I just can't seem to chill down after reading this beautifully written book. If I was asked to list out the things that I liked about this book, this review would probably end on 5k word count. But in short summary, I loved everything about this book.

First, let me point out the characters. Luna. My sweet boy. I couldn't have asked for a better MC than Luna. His voice is very interesting and relatable, that has helped factor in me loving this book more. Luna's actions are very much teenager and sensible that makes it justifiable to not hate him. He doesn't deserve any hate. Ever. Julian Luna never did and can never do anything wrong in his life, and I will die on that grave.

Now that I'm done tackling our MC, let's move on to his 'emotional support group'.

My parents: My child is okay
Me at 12 am: crying over a fictional friend group because they wish they had the same friend group.

And that, my friends is how I will sum up my feelings on Luna's friend group.

Another character I liked in this book is Itzel, but I don't want to further elaborate because it might be full of spoilers. However, I think we should all kneel to our Latina Queen.

Moving on from the friend group, Luna's love interest is also lovable. And I do love him too. Luna and his partner's chemistry is off the roof. I loved reading their scenes so much. I swear they're the softest gays to exist.

I enjoyed that beside the complex characters, the plot was also well-paced. There was never a dull moment in this book and the scenes was very much appropriate for coming-of-age novels, which I'm absolutely fond of. The culture embedded in this book also made the book riveting for me. I was engrossed into knowing more about the Mexican and Vietnamese culture. Its the food. The food got me weak on my knees. This book made me hungry wishing I could try out Luna's cooking.

Anyways, as I said I won't point out everything I liked about his book so that it won't be long. Everything about this book is perfect. I would yell at my friend group to buy this book as soon as it hits the shelves. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Skyscape for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Sunshine + Moonlight Stars

This was so good! YA can really go wrong for me easily so I was relieved to enjoy this. The authors’ voice for Julián is clear and compelling. As a coming-out and coming-of-age story there’s definitely some heavy topics touched on, but they were balanced well humor and love. Julián’s friends and family were well developed and nuanced. The romance between Julián and Mat had all the passion and whimsy of first love without being completely fantastical.

“But it’s because I love you. Even if I’m not ready to tell you yet. Even if I’m not sure you’d be ready to tell me you love me back yet.”

An emotional and engaging read for sure!

Content Warnings - Homophobia (Multi-lingual slurs), accidental outing, queer kid kicked out of home, emotionally and physically abusive parent, past suicide ideations (mentioned)

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa is a wonderful Young Adult contemporary that is equal parts heart-wrenching and heart-warming and packed with a healthy dose of yearning. If you’re a fan of queer books with enormous amounts of love, friendship and self-found strength then this is the next read you’re going to want to pick up (once it releases in June - thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!).
One of the most refreshing and interesting aspects that makes FHMftS stand out in comparison to other Queer Contemporaries is the fact that it follows Jules and his friends as they plan their next steps in life and apply to universities. The story spans nearly an entire year and as a result it never feels static or stuck in time as some YA contemporaries can.
Speaking of Jules’ friends, they were all stand-out characters and such a wonderful found family for Jules when he needed them most. His connection with them all was so significant in his story. Jordan was particularly memorable for me and he and Jules’ dynamic was so much fun. Their final scene had me weeping happy tears, they were a wonderful platonic duo.
Just as important in Jules’ story was his relationship with his family. From the heart-wrenching scenes with Jules’ deceased mother to the blood-curdling anger I felt whenever his father was on-page to the wonderful ball of teasing that was his sister Xo, Villa demonstrates just how complicated families can be. Jules’ final remarks to his father are so important and portray the important message that queer people owe nothing to those who want them to suppress themselves.
Of course, central to the story is Jules’ relationship with Mat. And, oh my, is it just wonderful. Long distances relationships are hardly ever (This was my first time reading about one) portrayed in YA books despite being such a real and staple of the queer experience - particularly in rural areas. As a result, this story felt so special. The yearning and the feeling of missing someone so deeply resonated with me and felt highly authentic. Mat himself was the perfect mix of flirty, smitten and adorable to play opposite Jules’ awkwardness. Their coming together and every scene they share make this book truly shine and provide for such a special and earned reading experience.
Voice is so important in this book: Jules’ voice is so clear and so funny. Villa has such a clear craft of this that truly shapes the story and makes every chapter and every decision feel real. The way Villa has his characters speak in different languages (most of the time while cursing) is such a wonderful touch and something that needs to continue to be normalised particularly in YA.
Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun is a five-star read for me as it blends so many of my favourite things - found family, complicated family dynamics, long distance pining, yearning and queer men - into a wonderfully queer story that tells the reader that their strength is within themself and that they never have to be ashamed about who they are.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Guys. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun was freaking adorable. It was seriously filled with so many cute ass moments. I'm pretty sure I fell in love with these pages, characters, and the overall story instantly. I will admit that I did cringe at a few moments but other than that - I really enjoyed this one.

In it, you will meet Jules and Mat. Oh lord, these two had undeniable chemistry. They also had a lot of moments when they were vulnerable. Either way, I loved watching these two go through their own ups and downs. Life is never easy - especially for anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community but I couldn't help but cheering for these two once something great came their way.

I will admit that this took me on an emotional roller coaster that I wasn't fully prepared for. Which was great, really, because it just kept me turning the pages due to falling in love with everything. Every little thing.

All in all, the ending was adorable and it just made me smile. Definitely happy that I got the chance to dive into this book before it came out. I can't wait for it to be published so everyone can enjoy it's awesomeness!