This was the cutest! But WOW the heavy weight of grief that’s threaded through this book.

When Rafie’s family moves a few months after his grandfather passes away, he not only has to transfer schools, but mariachi groups, going from the winning group to second place. Throw in going from lead vocalist to co-lead with Rey, teen angst, drama, and hormones and you get an enemies to lovers where you go from “oh lord, this kid’s ego 🙄” to all the big teenage feelings, all the grief, and the omg just kiss already! 😂

There’s humor, heartwarming family moments, and so much growth with our main character. It’s a highly recommend from me!

Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I am not normally a rivals to lovers fan because usually the rivals part is not done right but man this book? this book does it Right.

I really loved how it addresses grief and mental health in a way that feels so real and natural and accurate.

This one deserves absolutely all the attention and adoration it has received, and more honestly. But don't take my word for it - pick it up and let yourself get swept away in Garza Villa's masterful writing.

I requested this book because I loved the previous book I read by the author, Ander and Santi Were Here. I was looking forward to this one. As always the author mixes joy and sadness, layers grief and experience into the story. It is easy to see the love the author pours into the story. The moments of grief were visceral. The writing is lyrical, the story well paced, the POV immediate and engaging.
Raphael and Rey certainly clicked and their interactions were well written. I enjoyed learning more about Mariachi and so appreciated that insight and the setting of competition. The character diversity was a definite plus.

I think this is a great LGBTQIA+ book with engaging characters and story. I think I didn't connect as much with Raphael as I did with Ander and Santi but that I a me thing, not a book thing. I loved Rey.

I appreciate this book. I appreciate the amount of love this author puts into these characters, I love the real grief they go through and the real life problems. I appreciate the references to beautiful music (amor eterno referenced had me tearing up). I appreciate everything this books is and I believe it is truly done beautifully!
But I hated Rafie. His character was so insufferable, and I get it. He’s a teenager dealing with grief and feeling like the whole world will end if he doesn’t make his grandfather proud but man he is horrible. That’s the main reason I had to give this book three stars. I cannot say that I really liked this when I hated that guy so much.

Jonny Garza Villa is such a force. Having delighted in reading Ander & Santi Were Here, I was delighted to read Canto Contigo, and it did not disappoint. The book is a love letter of sorts to Mexican culture, and I learned a good bit about mariachi.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Beautiful. Innocent. Lovely.

This gave me joy in some parts. It gave me sadness in others. It was just a wonderful stories. I always love how Jonny can make these beautiful romance stories that have all the layers of the toxicity in the latine community but make it so beautiful. It makes you hopeful for a more accepting and beautiful Latine community, and if it does not have it, then you make your own family.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Book and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel.

Rafael has recently moved to San Antonio, where he has to start a new high school. Leaving behind his mariachi group and his beloved late grandmother, he tries to join his new high school's band, where there is already a lead vocalist, a boy with whom he's had a romantic past with.

Canto Contigo is a fun but important read about staying true to your culture and more importantly true to yourself. It also had a fun love story and captures high school life very well.

After loving Ander and Santi Were Here, I was so excited to pick this one up and it did not disappoint! I love Johnny's writing style! They visited my book club last year for Ander and Santi and as soon as they gave us the blurb of this book I was sold!

Rafie is spiraling after losing his grandfather and to honor his grandfather he feels like he must win the Mariachi competition but his family decides to move and he has to start over at a new school that already has a lead singer. Rafie is a very flawed character (which I appreciated) and it was easy to get frustrated with him at some points but Garza Villa writes him in a way where you understand how much he is struggling and that he world is falling apart and making him do these things.

The story overall is warm and uplifting even though it's a story about grief and loss and the expectation that we put on ourselves. Garza Villa truly brought the world of Mariachi and Mexican culture to life. I loved seeing the intersection of Mexican culture with the LGBTQIA+ community and seeing how they fit together. The trans representation was fantastic and should be read by all ages!

This was an easy 5 stars for me and I can’t wait to see what Garza Villa does next!

Sometimes you just pick up the right book at the right time. As the one year anniversary of the passing of Rafie's abuelo approaches, Rafie is weighed down with grief while also trying to navigate being part of a new mariachi squad. And I read this right as the one year anniversary of the passing of my papi was coming up, so it just hit different. This is a YA novel and I'm 36 so I'm clearly not the target audience, but there was still so much I connected with. My papi's family is from Mexico, and he loved mariachi. He was a big influence on my life and I miss him dearly. Rafie's relationship with his abuelo and the grief over losing him just really resonated with me.

Rafie's personal growth over the course of the year is also very satisfying. He drove me absolutely nuts getting there but it was worth it. His obsession with being "perfect" and somehow tying that perfection to making his abuelo proud made me so crazy. And he really digs in deep with this attitude before learning his lesson.

The romance in this book is also great. Rivals to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and it's done really well here. Rafie and Rey have chemistry right from the start. Rey is so sweet and patient, and I was definitely reading for him for a bit while Rafie was being a messy egotistical idiot.

Thanks to Jonny Garza Villa, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the advance copy. As always, opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how Raphael and Rey met. I liked how they interacted. I did think Raphael was too full of himself. He knew he was good but he came off as too high and mighty. Made me not like him at times.
I did like how he helps out Rey at one point. And how he changes. Raphael is dealing with the loss of someone he loved very much and he listens to those he shouldn’t.
I like that Raphael was accepted by his parents and loved just the way he was.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy of this book!
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Holy cow. This book taught me more about grief and handling it then basically anything else I've read. Rafie is spiraling after losing his grandfather, and he finds himself with the absolute need to win the Mariachi competition, but his family has moved and now he has to start over at a new school that already has a lead singer. Rafie is a very flawed character; it is easy to hate the way he treats Rey and the other Todos Colores, but I think there is grace to be given to a teen who's whole world is falling apart and he can't find something solid to grasp.
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Garza Villa brings the world of Mariachi and Mexican culture to life, while also exploring where the LGBTQIA+ community fits within it. The boys are forced to confront what it means to be gay and how they want to be perceived by their friends and teammates. The exploration of being trans in high school and the effect that has when finding romance is done beautifully, and should be read by those of all ages. I can't recommend giving this book a read enough!

This was a truly enjoyable read from start to finish! I hope to read more from this author soon.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

This beautifully written story explores the power of music, love, and the journey of self-discovery in a way that truly resonates.

Garza Villa’s lyrical prose pulls you in, creating a vivid world filled with rich emotions and relatable characters. I loved how the themes of family and identity are woven throughout, making the narrative feel both personal and universal. Like always Jonny delivers such beautiful and intentional queer and latinx representation.

The connection between the characters is so authentic, filled with heartfelt moments that made me laugh and cry. The exploration of the healing power of music added an extra layer of depth that I absolutely adored.

This book was so heartfelt. I also loved learning more about mariachi through this story. This was a beautiful story of love, grief and music. The two main characters were dynamic and well written. The plot was easy to follow and this story felt effortless to get through even though some tougher topics were handled. I really loved this one

Jonny Garza Villa's book is excellent as usual! Canto Contigo made me laugh and cry and more, and I adored getting to know its delightful cast of characters and learning more about mariachi music. Really amazing work, and I can't wait to see what they have in store.

After reading this book, the title truly hits. This is probably the most lighthearted of Jonny Garza Villa's books, even though it does have its serious themes, like grief. I loved Rafie and Rey together from their first meeting, and I loved seeing their rivalry turn into romance. In both their rivalry and their romance, they had so much chemistry, and it made me feel so soft reading about them.

i loved this one! the characters were so complex and nuanced, to the point where they almost felt real, like they were about to come off the page. the romance was also really good, the characters had a lot of chemistry. i also really enjoyed the exploration of familial loss.

thank you netgalley and wednesday books for the arc.

This is one of those books where you want to yell at a character to get out of their own way. That being said Rafael has a lot going on with losing his grandfather, moving, and starting a new school his senior year. Grief affects everyone differently and Rafie's emotions felt authentic. There's no right way to grieve and the pressure we put on ourselves to do it right is pretty ridiculous. I enjoyed the banter between Rafie and Rey. There's great LGBTQIA+ rep throughout and some great examples of allies as well. Ander & Santi Were Here was a pretty high bar for me for this author and this book did a pretty good job of meeting expectations.

4.5 stars
I loved this book. Jonny writes such beautiful characters with so much depth and emotion. Rafie is going through a lot and you can truly feel what he’s going through.
I didn’t know much about mariachi and learning about it in this book was so fun and I loved it. Highly recommend this book.

*Thank you Wednesday books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.