Julián Luna, also known as Jules, has his future planned out: graduate. Go to LA. MOve away from his hometown. One reckless decision whilst drunk changes everything. Now he is in survival mode. But then this nice boy from LA, named Mat slides into his DM’s. What to do when the person you love and need is fifteen hundred miles away from you?

First, I want to thank Netgalley and Skyscape for allowing me to read this e-ARC. It has been a fabulous journey. I think I can say that Jonny Garza Villa did an amazing job. They probably created my new favorite queer book. This is definitely a book perfect for all the queer POC. This story was needed. This book will be out on the 8th of June, 2021.

I want to start with my favorite quote if the book:
“But I have to be cautious about it. One wrong thumb glide and I’m liking a picture from 2016. Like a closeted, gay basura raccoon dumpster diving.”
I mean, this describes the vibe of this entire book. This quote shows it is funny, but the story has a very serious tone as well. It’s just perfectly combined.

The characters are so likable and realistic. You really get to understand Jules. His friends and their friendships just show what friendship is like in the real world, It is not always perfect, and that’s okay, as long as there is communication. I also really loved the sibling bond in this book. It was not perfect, and that is the same way it is in real life!

The coming out had me in tears… TWICE! First, coming out to his friends and school, was the start of a nightmare. But the reaction of his friends was so sweet and supportive. But then the coming out to his father, this is likely every queer person’s biggest fear. It really hurt me to read this. But this is the reality for so many people. The emotions were just so real. It really shows that not everything can be sunshine and flowers. And that’s okay, we just need to try to focus on the good stuff.

Jules is Mexican, and I absolutely loved that there was frequent Spanish spoken in the book. Did I have to translate it because my Spanish is nonexistent? Yes! Did I mind? NO, because we love putting effort into understanding and appreciating a book!

I also can’t tell you how amazing the ending of the book was. It felt so real. Some people are just not meant to be in your life but you have to cherish the ones you love!

This book is beautiful, am so glad that I got the ARC.
Since long time ago wasn't so deeply into a reading. This was so good and obviously I cried to almost every cute part and also the only i think I wanted was that the characters will get a happy ending.
A absolutely adored this book.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is emblematic of the of the excellent diverse LGBT representation that 2021 is offering the Young Adult literature scene. With praises from other up and coming authors such as Aiden Thomas, I am delighted to report that the praise for Jonny Garza Villa's debut is well-deserved. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is emotionally gripping and still manages to tell the joyful and optimistic story of two boys across the United States who love each other.

In this novel, we focus on a Latino boy named Julian (or "Jules" for short) who is an excellent student, friend, and is coming to terms with his gay identity as someone who is also Latino. Jules father, following traditional views of masculinity from Hispanic culture, believes that being gay is a personal weakness rather than something to accept or celebrate. When Jules accidently comes out via Twitter, he struggles to remain in the closet with his father. This becomes especially true after Jules online crush, Mat reaches out to him. Mat and Jules begin to grow closer and closer, and Jules must decide who he is and what he wants from his life.

This novel handles LGBT and cultural identities with nuance and care. Other than Jules and his family members, there are other people of color represented proudly in the novel. For instance, Mat is a Vietnamese-American boy living in California. Languages (both Spanish and Vietnamese) are interwoven into the narrative, and food is also central to many cultural indicators throughout the narrative. I loved how culture was casually shared with the reader. I'm sure this narrative could reach any audience, but especially students who are criminally underrepresented in YA LGBT literature. When I realized how diverse this book was (and how respectful and nuanced it was) I smiled.

The message of this novel (separate from the romantic love story) is a very poignant one for young readers today. With colleges growing more expensive and more competitive, students have to think more and more about where they're going to end up attending university. Jules dream school is UCLA, and he longs for the days he can leave Texas behind and attend a prestigious university. This novel takes you down Jules worries and joys, and then poses a question for young readers. What happens if your plans don't go exactly as planned? What is it that you truly need from a university? I'm overjoyed to share that this book ends very happily, but I also appreciated the honest college conversations which made a formidable aspect of the book.

Overall, this book is a must-read for 2021 releases. The fact this book is Villa's debut means that I'm excited to have a new favorite YA novelist join my bookshelf. While I'm waiting for new books from Villa to release, I'll be glancing at some of my favorite lines from Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun over and over again. I'm not expecting to tire from reading it anytime soon.

I would like to start by saying this book is an absolute rollercoaster. I screamed out of happiness after sobbing for thirty minutes straight.

Everything about this book took me from the comfort of my room to the character’s shoes. When Julián got called those unspeakable words, I felt like they were directed at me. When he told his dad about who he really is and got thrown out, I got thrown out, too.

The great thing about this book was that I could even connect with the author through the text. After reading the acknowledgments, it was confirmed, but when I was reading Julián’s inner monologues and how he sees what happened to him, I knew I was reading this from the author. Because Julián felt so real to be completely fictional.

Julián is a normal teen. He is a soccer player, has this tight friend group, and is actually quite ‘cool’. He isn’t one of the underdogs, as mostly seen in YA LGBTQ+ novels. His grades are good, he has a decent relationship with his father and a great one with his sister, even though it took a while to get there.

It all starts when he sees this cute stranger on Twitter. And you know what, that is so relatable! I know I have been heart-eyes for strangers. And when they are actually so fun to talk, it doubles the little crush.

As a closeted person, I felt the riskiness of the second account and the texts with Mat and all. I felt the riskiness of Julián’s second account’s content, even though it had nothing explicit that screamed ‘hello, I am gay’.

And Mat’s character… Even though he had a very supportive family and environment, he never talked to Julián like he didn’t know what he was going through. He always tried to understand, as a good boyfriend should.

Julián and Mat’s relationship was so perfect. They were of course struggling with the problems of being long-distance, and even when they felt like they were ruining everything, I loved that they had each other. This part also made me think that they didn’t want so much from each other, they just wanted the presence of comfort. — “He kisses me and then moves down to my neck. The front and back of my shoulders. My arms. Wrists. All the places that have known pain and bruising and hurt. I know that Mat can't heal me. That he can't erase it all with his lips. But he can make me feel not alone in this world. He can replace those memories with moments like these. He can be my person, and I can be his.”

The relationships in the book were nerve-wracking. Julián’s relationship with his sister, Xochi, which I saw so much of me and my own sister in, Julián’s relationship with Jordan and with Itzel, his relationship with Lou… It made me feel as Julián wasn’t the main character, but his relationships with the people he loved were. And I absolutely loved that.

This book was all I could ever wish for.

An honest, explorative book about first love and long-distance relationships that paints a hopeful picture of gayness and teen romance. This book doesn't pull punches around the heavy elements, but it leans into a happy angle, giving gay teens of color a chance to see themselves in a story that ultimately shows the love that they deserve. With a cast of fun, unique, and vibrant characters and easy but heartfelt narration, this is definitely one of the best books I've picked up in a long time!

This book was so incredibly heartfelt!! Oh my goodness. Part way through tears were streaming down my face. I felt immense sadness and joy. It was so amazing. The relationship was so sweet. The story of Julian was just...heart wrenching and beautiful. I love this book. I love it.

This book was so incredibly heartfelt!! Oh my goodness. Part way through tears were streaming down my face. I felt immense sadness and joy. It was so amazing. The relationship was so sweet. The story of Julian was just...heart wrenching and beautiful. I love this book. I love it.

I had the immense pleasure of reading an arc of Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun. The story follows Julián Luna as he deals with being young, Latinx, and gay in America. Although I can't speak from experience on all these topics I do think that this makes a wonderful addition to Latinx literature. I knew this was going to be a great book from the first Selena reference. I couldn't have loved this more and I can't recommend it enough. 5/5 stars.

This was a pretty cute book. Great characters. Some moments where I could have punched out a certain character (you know who you are)
I'm rating this 3 and a half stars but I obviously can't actually do that star system on here.
This didn't hit me that hard or make me feel like I needed to read this again. But I know it's going to be the perfect book for some people out there.
It was a nice read and I'm happy I got the chance to.

I got a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Jonny creates a thoroughly authentic experience of Mexican and Texas culture. The experience Jules goes through coming out online is so relatable and real to today and my heart ached at how beautifully written the complicated relationship with his father was. I loved all of the supporting cast, so much so that I wish each of them had been given more room in the book with their own stories and motivations. That would have made some of the end feel like much less of a surprise and a little more earned in the context of the story (for example, what could have been introduced about Lou to lead us to her ultimate reveal?) I absolutely loved the dynamic between Mat and Jules and seeing how much they cared about one another made me emotional. Just a beautiful book that is going to speak to so many teens trying to find themselves and spread their wings.

I LOVED THIS ONE. It's been a while since I read such a cute story. Luna got my attention from the very beginnings, but the best one was Matt, he's such a perfect an understanding boyfriend and it made my heart melt. I loved this debut from Jonny Garza, and also the trigger warnings are the beginning where kind of cute and sensible. I don't know, I wasn't expecting to like this book that much, but I found all the characters very relatable, the plot was great even if it wasn't incredible, and I liked the writing becase you could feel it. It's obvious that the author put much of him in the book and that made the connection with the book bigger. I loved the ending, also that not everything worked out and it was way more realistic -not gonna say what not to make spoilers-. So glad to have read this book. Besides, It made me cry because It made me compare it with my own relationship and at times it was hard to read it but that only means that it was really well written and built up.

I will never forget this book.

Sometimes, there are stories that come into our lives and leave their mark. Stories that go beyond our expectations, that exceed them and find a place in our hearts… Well… ‘Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun’ has become one of those books for me!

‘Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun’ is a book about a long-distance relationship, those friends that become our chosen family and the journey that is coming out and trying to live your best life… trying to be your truest self.

This is a story that feels real, that shows us both light and dark, hope and struggles. Jonny Garza Villa balance those sides pretty well in Julián’s story. Because despite of all the expectations people may have over us (and how those can hurt us sometimes), ‘Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun’ is a hopeful story. A story that tries to show the light too, the hope that good things are coming, and that feeling is really important!

The relationship between Jules and Mat is beautifully written, and it shows us how sometimes strong bonds can start with something as simple as a DM.

Jules friendships’ and his relationship with sister are another key element in this story and neither of those bonds should be dismissed!

This is a book with a diverse cast of characters that isn’t afraid to show their roots and celebrate them! From Julián mixing English and Spanish words through the whole story to Mat and his family, sharing bits and pieces of their culture with Julián... That’s simply amazing!!

I’m sure there will be many people who will see themselves in this story and that will see their cultures celebrated and that’s simply amazing!!

Jonny Garza Villa has written a powerful story, a strong debut that will resonate with so many people and I can’t wait to see what they write next!!


Content Warnings: Homophobia, Domestic Abuse, Physical Abuse, Bullying, Suicidal Thoughts.

A moving story of a gay chicano teen in Texas, who accidentally outs himself on Twitter... and quickly connects with another queer boy who lives in Los Angeles. The new YA ship of your dreams: incredibly romantic, while not shying away from the difficulties of coming out.

This book definitely lived up to all the hype from the authors I’ve heard talk about it. (Julian Winters, Aiden Thomas AND Mark Oshiro wrote praise for this book and all their books are on my shelf so...)

The dialogue was natural and funny, I loved Jules’s friends, and his sister Xo, and that this beautiful found family/family mix came out of something so absolutely terrible.

Jules is such a strong character, and we go along on this emotional rollercoaster with him. I GASPED at the scene with the tweet.

You’re angry, sad, and frustrated at times, (seriously, people suck) but the scenes where Jules is able to unapologetically be himself while with his friends and with Mat, are so fantastic. I loved Mat, I loved his patience and his understanding. I loved their relationship and watching it grow. This is such a great book, and can we also agree that the cover is a delight?

I highly recommend this! I can’t wait to get my physical copy in June 💛☀️🌙 .

[CW: Physical Abuse and impact on mental health, Homophobic Language, Forced Outing]

This was so cute! It reminded me of a mix between Red, White, and Royal Blue, I Wish You All the Best, and Running With Lions! I loved all of the characters, and Julián’s relationship with all of his friends!
I can’t wait to own a copy!

This novel tells the story of Julián as he struggles coming out to his Mexican American family and deciding what he wants his life to be like after high school. With the help of Mat, who lives fifteen hundred miles away, things quickly change.

I loved the possibility of this book. The themes are excellent and the culture was so rich. The Vietnamese and Mexican food descriptions literally had my mouth mastering. And while I really, really wanted to root for Jules, I found the writing style of this book very hard to get into. It was full of stream-of-consciousness and sentence fragments that forced me to read several lines over again...not in a good way. I feel I should also mention that it is very heavy on Spanish. I love the mix of languages but because it was so prominent, I did have trouble understanding because most of the words and phrases were never translated. I feel like I lost some of the essences of the characters because I was guessing on what was being said often. I’m sure many will love seeing this representation, so no hate on it by any means, just a challenge for me as a non-speaker!

I also struggled with the relationship. I almost wish Jules and Mat had randomly met once or something before continuing their online relationship. I just couldn’t find it that believable that they would enter into a full-on relationship after only talking online for a couple of weeks. Things seemed so rushed from the I love you to intimacy to life plans. It was hard for me to see that being plausible, especially at 18.

While this book wasn’t a favorite for me, I have hopes that others will find connection with it, and I will still willingly read more from the author.

I also really appreciated the author's note preceding the story. Please read to understand possible trigger warnings and check-in with yourself!


2.5⭐️


Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

3.5 stars!

"I see all these TV shows and movies and they get hugged by their parents. They get told it doesn’t matter. I want that.” i felt that so hard

this book. this book is so important to me? reading about another qtbipoc kid with an abusive and homophobic family member who gets out? and this is done without villainizing their entire culture? I've wanted to read a book like this for so long.

the tone of the book is very hurt/comfort; it doesn't let the story get too dark but also doesn't brush off the after effects of the things Julián has to go through. It was a very personal read in many ways and I'm really really glad this exists.

The best thing though is how it captures that accute feeling of loneliness when you are a queer poc teen living in a place that's never going to accept you but it's also hopeful, the relationship between Julián and his sister and grandfather made me feel™, we always love some supportive family members. I liked the love interest and would've liked if he was more developed but good for Jules!

Another thing I liked was a background interracial relationship and how the author addressed the fact that non-black poc can still be racist, and that's a conversation we definitely need to have.

nitpicking here but Julián assuming everyone around him was cishet is so annoying to read.

Also there is a lot of social media terminology used here, it didn't bother me because I like social media fanfic but I know a lot of people don't like lol and ikr in their published books

tl;dr: if a hopeful but realistic hurt/comfort with funny dialogue, oomfs to lovers appeals to you, pick this up!

rep: gay mexican mc, gay vietnamese li, side mlm relationship, black sc, lesbian sc, pansexual sc

content warnings: homophobic slurs(pejorative), homophobia, n word(pejorative), anti-black racism, internalized homophobia, abusive family member(physically and emotionally), gaslighting, hate crime
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

All quotes are from an advanced copy and may differ in final publication

*Spoiler free, 3.75 stars*

I mean, a closeted teen drunkenly outs himself over Twitter. Truly, that's all I needed to know to want to read this book. I also knew it would be a coming of age story and soccer would be involved. I mean, all those things sound like they'd make a great combination! Plus, there has been so much love for this book online, so I was super pumped to see what I would think of it! Trigger warnings: emotional and physical abuse, suicidal ideation, homophobia

This needs to become of the THE gay coming of age books. It is simply packed full of potential to become that big and beloved.

There were a few things about this book that I did not personally love completely, but my overall feelings towards it are very positive!

First off, it felt like it was completely immersed in actual teenagerhood. It felt like the characters acted like teens, spoke like teens, and were just simply teens. I always appreciate that in YA books, and it really stood out for me here. It's about a Lantix gay teen struggling with his identity, his place in the world, and where he fits in. Sometimes this is painful, and sometimes it's messy, and that's alright, and the emotions that come along with this are completely alright as well. It felt like a book that teens need, and I really, really hope it finds them.

Along the same lines, pretty much the complete coming of age aspect of this book was amazing. It's messy and it hurts and it's angry and it's painful, but it's also full of love and hope and friendships and a ton of kissing as well. Just, I want to give Jules a hug and tell him he's doing great and his future is so bright.

This book also features a long distance relationship, and I loved how it felt so realistic. The whole romantic relationship felt so realistic really. There were times when there was strife and anger simply because it was a low point. There were times when the distance felt longer and wider than ever. But both of them wanted it to work, and they made it work. There were was so much happy along with the hard, and it made it so fantastic.

And wow, the food descriptions were freaking top notch. And coming from a picky, PICKY eater, this is a huge compliment.

While I loved Jules, and I loved all the side characters, I felt like the side characters were too much on the side. Stick with me, because I know that sounds totally weird. I felt like side characters could have been more developed, and it could've given the overall book a more rounded feel. Personally, I would have liked to see their stories just a little bit more!

And I'm closing this off with the title. BECAUSE THE FREAKING TITLE. It ripped my heart out.=

Overall, this was book was amazing. It was heartfelt, gut wrenching, and amazing. I truly did really like it.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have chosen Vaentine’s Day as the day to read this because now I’m feeling sappy and also lonely.

But anyway, this book was wonderful. It’s heavy sometimes, but inspiring in every way. I loved it.

Aw, a beautiful story, a mesmerizing cover, and ... the sweetest trigger warnings I’ve ever read. I got a lump in my throat and almost cried:
‘I want you to know that it’s okay if you’re not ready for this book yet. It’s okay if you never are. No hard feelings. Te lo prometo y te quiero.’

I got the same lump in my throat reading the acknowledgments, by the way...

Jules grapples with coming out, and when he does drunkenly, his friends are wonderful and supportive. And Mat, the guy he met on Twitter, DM’s him and becomes his anchor and his friend. But he’s fifteen hundred miles away.

At first, people are accepting, which gives Jules peace of mind. But then someone calls Jules a fagot:
‘I’ve felt vulnerable and angry all day because I couldn’t go a week without people making a joke or an insult about my sexuality.

The first part of the story was so sweet and cute and I loved to read how Jules tries to find his place in the world to be who he wants to be, although he has cloudy days, as he calls them, whereas Mat is full of sunshine. And Mat is so sweet about Jules:
‘Seeing how much you’re still fighting because being who you are is important to you. It’s bold and gutsy, and it’s attractive. Your strength is goddamn sexy.’

But dammit ... be prepared for more. The story gets harsh and sad, and I couldn’t push back the tears in my eyes. I was shaking my head saying: NO, NO, NO!!

I loved the long-distant relationship between Jules and Mat. The way they were so certain about each other and the times they met were so cute:
‘You’re my sunshine Mat Troi Pham. Since the day I met you, when I would wake up feeling scared, anxious, or alone, you’ve been my warmth and clarity.’

Thanks, Johnnie Garza Vila, for writing this wonderful story!