book was archived before I could get to it. Rating is based on the blurb, and the cover. I will be getting this from the library though.

This story felt so special, I really empathized and felt seen by the journey of self discovery and loss. The author writes the characters grief in a really powerful way that I felt was truly heartbreaking but also beautiful to see. The narrator did a wonderful job with this audiobook really making the emotions both good and bad come alive.

Rafael’s family has moved to a new town right before his senior year, leaving him to start again at a new school and crushing his dreams of another first-place win in the Mariachi Extravaganza. To make things worse, he loses lead vocalist at his new school to Rey, the cute boy Rafie made out with at last year’s extravaganza. Yet even with their rivalry and competition, Rafie can’t shake his attraction to Rey.

THere was so much incredible Mexican culture that left my heart so happy - from the mariachi competition to the many references to Selena, my little Mexican heart was bursting with love. Rafie is a bit of an asshole, and I say that in the most loving of ways, so I can see where many people might not connect with him as a character. However, I had a soft spot in my heart for him and his heartbroken self. Rey is a literal ray of sunshine and balances Rafie so well. I adored Rey and how he lived to be his authentic self so boldly and with so much pride. This book didn’t rip my heart out in quite the same way Jonny Garza Villa’s other books have and I appreciated not ugly crying in this case. They have such a way with words and the writing was so beautiful and immersing.

The audio was narrated by Alejandro Antonio Ruiz. I adored the audio and found it was easy to get lost in the story - the only thing that could have made it better would be mariachi music within the story.

Thanks to Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Jonny Garza Villa just has a way with characters and words that grabs your heart and doesn't let go. I loved Ander & Santi and I loved this one just as much if not more. It was also really nice reading a queer music book immediately after a music book and a queer theatre book. It made my queer artist music & theatre loving heart very happy.

Rafie is difficult and kind of a jerk because of his ego (but also kind and sweet). Rey is a ray of sunshine. Their back and forth lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers relationship was a lot of fun. Watching them try and out-sing and out-perform one another was hilarious. Watching them learn to work together was inspiring.

Mexican culture plays a huge role in the book, and I loved learning about it. The Spanish dialogue sprinkled throughout the text isn't translated, which I kind of love. I know just enough to get the gist of what they were saying and the rest is filled in by context.

I love the way mental health is treated in this book. I also love the way queerness is treated. It's just so affirming and heartwarming and real.

We have a queer Mexican lead, a trans Black Mexican love interest, and a whole cast of dynamic, authentic supporting queer characters. And being queer is just part of who they are - it has nothing to do with the conflict of the story.

That's something that Jonny Garza Villa is fantastic at and a big part of why they have jumped directly onto my must-read list in the past couple years. They know how to inject so much love and queer joy into their stories and characters and make them feel vibrant and real.

The audiobook was performed brilliantly. The narrator's choice of voices and rhythms made it so easy to get lost in the story and feel that the characters were real.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

I really enjoyed this story! As a queer latine individual, it is refreshing to find representation in the book community. The audiobook was great. I loved the narrator a lot. He made the story come alive. I love a rivals to lovers trope! And being from South Texas and going to college in San Antone, this book was a reminiscent of home for me. Absolutely adored!

After reading Jonny Garza Villa’s Ander and Santi last year, I was very excited to read Canto Contigo!

Rafie is a big fish in a small pond as the lead in his high school mariachi band until the opportunity for his family to move and him to enter the elite arts Academy where he expects to step in as the new lead…

Not happy about the move, but excited about the mariachi opportunity with all the funding at his new school, Rafie is devastated to find out that the band already has a lead and it’s the devastatingly cute competitor, Rey that he met last year at the big Mariachi Extravaganza Nacional!

Cue the rivals to lovers storyline!!!

Rafie and Rey are both so talented and stubborn as the fight for the lead, until they finally figure out and discover that the music they make together is above and beyond what they have on their own!

Full of what I have come to expect when I read a Jonny Garza Villa book, full of great Latin and Mexican culture, beautiful and vibrant queer and trans characters and plenty of teenage angst! I absolutely loved both Raffi and Ray and found myself cheering them on as they learned to make beautiful music together!

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook by Alejandro Antonio Ruiz and found myself absolutely absorbed with his reading. He brought the characters and the culture to life, and added another dimension to the story. As a non-Spanish-speaking person, I found that the narration was beautiful to listen to and helped me read the story more than I would on my own.

Even if you’re not a big YA reader, I highly recommend stepping out of your genre and giving this book a read. Romance and mariachi, what can I say they go hand-in-hand! Also, I’d like to add for readers who did read Ander and Santi, CC is a much more lighthearted story, even though it does deal with underlying difficult issues.

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa is available now! Thanks to Wednesday Books for the gifted books and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Loved this audiobook so far!! the narrator was good and I loved the main characters. Will read anything this author writes!

I'm not sure if it was a download error or something else, but unfortunately, I only had the first four tracks of this one in my NetGalley Shelf app.

From what I did hear, I really enjoyed the narration. Alejandro Antonio Ruiz seems to capture the youthfulness and earnestness of the characters well.

I put in a library request for the audiobook.

4.5 stars. Jonny Garza Villa's storytelling is captivating. I will read anything he writes.

I really enjoyed the love story between Rafie and Rey. The love they shared gave me goosebumps and made me believe that there is someone out there who will never give up on you. I can't wait to go back and read this again.

So far, Jonny Garza Villa has failed to write a novel that I didn't absolutely adore.

What I love most about Jonny's stories is the effortless and natural inclusion of different trans and queer identities. Canto Contigo was an absolute gem of a story. I love the family dynamics between Rafi and his parents and brothers, and Rafi and Rey had such excellent banter.

The build up to their relationship and romantic rekindling was an absolute treat. I love enemies to lovers, but enemies to frenemies to lovers is even better!

I felt like throughout the novel I learned so much about mariachi music and even spent some time on youtube watching high school mariachi competitions to really get the full effect. I feel so lucky to have been able to learn so much about this beautiful genre of music while also being able to get lost in Rafi and Rey's story.

This utterly charming romance with a love of mariachi at its core is one of my favorite reads of the year thus far. Jonny Garza Villa weaves emotion masterfully in these pages and I'll read anything they write.

Ok…does Rafie come off as kind of a selfish, self-aggrandizing jerk for most of the book? Yes…he really does. BUT…at the same time you know it’s because there’s grief/trauma driving his actions, not that he’s actually an asshole. I just wish there had been more exploration of it throughout the story instead of dancing around it for so long. But once you get there, it’s a very poignant and relatable portrayal of grief and all the ways we can put devastating pressure on ourselves to be something more than just our inherent selves for other people.

The queer rep is *chefs kiss* as per usual from Jonny, I really love their writing style and the vivid characters they bring to such vibrant life. I hope to see many more stories from them in the future!

The audiobook was very enjoyable to listen to and the narrator really helped bring the story and characters to life!

I fell in love with Garza Villa's writing last year with Ander & Santi Were Here, so when I saw Canto Contigo, I immediately downloaded!

Canto Contigo follows Rafie, a high schooler, lead Mariachi vocalist, and his abuelo's best buddy. Rafie's entire life is upended following the loss of his beloved abuelo, and a subsequent move to San Antonio, leaving behind his award winning mariachi band. He assumes he'll be a shoe-in for lead vocalist position at his new high school's mariachi band... after all, he has 11 wins under his belt,,, but someone from his recent past already holds that position - and isn't willing to give it up.

This rivals-to-lovers YA romance is just as delightful as the last. Garza Villa blends heavier themes of loss and grief with humor and touching moments of angsty young love. I'm such a sucker for the incorporation of grandparent relationships, and though abuelo passes at the beginning of the book his memory and legacy is a presence throughout the book.

Alejandro Antonio RuizI narrates just brilliantly, portraying a variety of voices and genders. Well done!

Thank you for the gifted copy Macmillan Audio 💕

4.5 rounded up!

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa (Romance)
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒆."

This open-hearted coming-of-age novel about rivals-to-lover high school Mariachi stars is out now!

Read this for:
🪇 an OwnVoices love letter to the art of Mariachi, Tejano, and Mexican culture
🎺 beautiful reflections on grief, loss, anxiety, pressure, family, community and identity
🎤 the most warm, uplifting, delightful love story between complex, dynamic, always-growing characters

From the opening lines of this novel, the raw grief and the joy are palpable. After the loss of his beloved abuelo, Rafie is more determined than ever to continue his winning streak at the Mariachi Extravaganza de Nacional. And he’s the happiest he’s been in a while when, after leading North Amistad to another first-place win, he makes out with the cutest guy he’s ever seen.

What he doesn’t anticipate is that, eight months later, gearing up for his final win as a senior, his family moves to San Antonio. He most certainly does not anticipate that at his new school, The Selena Quintanilla-Perez Academy’s Mariachi Todos Colores already has a lead vocalist, Rey Chavez—the boy Rafie made out with eight months ago.

Rafie and Rey are both so loveable in completely different ways. Rafie is headstrong and proud, often self-centered and insufferable. We are frustrated by him and cheering for him as he grows and makes mistakes on his journey of grief, self-discovery, and forging his own path. Rey is a perfect, sweet, lovely cinnamon roll that is impossible not to love.

I can’t wait to check out more from this author! (The narration of this audiobook was truly excellent, performed beautifully by Alejandro Antonio Ruiz! I highly recommend listening to this one.)

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

as someone who's mexican, queer AND a fan of mariachi this was such a refreshing read! jonny garza villa was able to put the connection that you grow up having with your family in such a comforting way, i could see myself and my own family in the story so well. the biggest downside to this was that i just didn't stay connected to either of the mc's. they were nice to read about but i wasn't able to stay fully invested in them. but despite the issue with staying invested, i still enjoyed this read and will definitely be recommending it to others! plus the narrator for the audiobook did a FANTASTIC job, i may not have been 100% invested in this story but the narration definitely kept me hooked.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️+ ⭐️

CAWPILE: 10s all around

Canto Contigo hit me at my core. This is the first book I have read from Jonny Garza Villa, and I am confident it will certainly not be my last. I listened to this audiobook in one day and would have stayed up until 5am if I had to. Canto Contigo follows Rafael whose grandfather recently passed. Rafael's abuelo was his hero — he taught him to sing and introduced him to his forever love, mariachi. Rafie transfers schools senior year and is now forced to co-lead the Mariachi band with Rey, a boy he just so happened to have had a steamy make out sesh with several months prior to his transfer.

I love, love, loved this story. Rafie's character development within this story was so amazing to witness. I found myself screaming at the book when he backtracked but, fear not dear reader, this is a romance. This rivals to lovers romance was absolutely beautiful. There is something so touching about a coming of age love story and this love was even furthered by its queer representation. As a woman who constantly has the little girl within her praying she is making her grandfather proud, I boohoo'd through several chapters. I could relate to Rafi so deeply and that just made him that much more loveable.

The narrator for the audiobook absolutely elevated this story for me. I felt the heartbreak and hurt in ways that other audiobooks have missed the mark. The story truthfully is a love story to mexican culture and music. I found myself enjoying how Jonny intentionally worked in the Spanish language and latine cultural references. They not only highlighted them exquisitely, but also made it clear enough for those who may not be aware of the references. I would definitely say this leans more toward the young ADULT, based on some of the scenes, but have read other YA novels that are more explicit.

All in all, I know this will be in the top books of the year for me.

ne is my favorite and I didn’t go in expecting it to be! The relationship between Rafie & Rey was so raw and beautiful and messy and real from the beginning of them just meeting to being rivals for the lead spot in the mariachi band to them being vulnerable with each other and falling in love, falling apart, and finding their way back to each other. I think the emotions of these two boys made everything feel so much more heightened and I really think that’s what made it so special! They both had so much to prove, not only to the world but also to themselves, and watching them hurt and be hurt was heart wrenching but it was so honest. In the beginning it was so hard to like Rafie but as the story unfolds, you can really see the pain that he’s in and how much he struggling with and it leads to him being harsh and determined but you can really see his heart and kindness shining through in the quiet moments with Rey and with his family as well as when he’s standing up for what’s right, unapologetically. I just really loved this so so much!!

Canto Contigo - I sing with you…
This book had me in tears. Ugly cry tears. A beautiful, angsty story about learning to appreciate and love those around you and forgiving yourself for being just you. I thoroughly enjoyed the celebration of mariachi music mixed with rivals and love. Not to mention a little magical realism and LGBTQIA rep. Whew, just a gem all around!

The audiobook read by Alejandro Antonio Ruiz added to the feels immensely! The seamless mix of character voices and languages kept me involved and the story was easily understood at a faster speed.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and author Jonny Garza Villa for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to MacMillan Audio for the gifted ALC*

I've somehow never seen Mariachi live, and that needs to change. This book felt like such an experience and the audio only added to that. The singing, the Spanish, the interludes of music, my heart! It isn't as hard hitting as Ander and Santi Were Here (thankfully so, my heart couldn't take another one like that right now), but does touch on some issues the LGBTQIA+ community faces. More than that though, it's a story about trying to reach unrealistic expectations you've set on yourself and how your chosen family will love you in spite of that. I really enjoyed how supportive Rafi's family was of him and how he grows throughout the story. He goes from a cocky frontman to a sensitive team player and I loved that journey for him.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for this audio!

Jonny Garza Villa has done it again. This story was amazing!!!! What a great coming of age book!
Lovers to enemies to lovers!! So good!! Also add some Mariachi groups/music and this book has me hooked!! This story was so good. Rafie did piss me off a few times because he really is a jerk but in the best way lol. Queer first love, Latine representation, humor, drama, mariachi, grief, joy,all of the above!! This was a great read!!