Gabriel Piña is excited to start his freshmen year, where he is one of promising recruits for his college’s soccer team. Expectations for Gabi are high, but he’s determined to succeed and stay on a path to a professional soccer career.

But Gabi begins to wonder if there is more to college, and to him, when Vale, his philosophy classmate, offers to tutor him. As Gabi and Vale spend more and more time together, Gabi starts to realize he has feelings for Vale. While Gabi can’t deny he is powerfully drawn to Vale, he struggles with what this means for his life and his future, and whether his family or fans would accept him if they knew he is not straight. As Gabi has increasing success on the field and growing feelings for Vale, Gabi has to confront whether he can reconcile what are becoming the two most important parts of his life.

This is a terrific sports romance. Both Gabi and Vale are well-crafted characters, and the author does an excellent job of depicting both their developing relationship and their struggle to navigate the challenges they face. You can’t help but cheer both for Gabi’s success on the field and their relationship.

Highly recommended.

Did I cry? Yes! Did I laugh? Yes! Was I kicking my feet like a little schoolgirl? Yes! 😂 Do I want to personally fight Barrera? Hell yes! This was such a fantastic read, and the element of self-discovery throughout the book was evident. I love how Jonny used Gabi's Intro to Philosophy class as the driving force behind Gabi's journey of self-discovery and self-awareness.

This book addressed so many topics, from machismo to the expectations we often place on ourselves. It also captured what I believe is an interesting yet important aspect of sports: the belief that it's a straight man's game, and that queerness doesn't deserve to take up space.

I appreciated that, although the breakup was messy, they ultimately found their way back to each other without any major fanfare, which I believe is more realistic than a grand gesture. Overall, this book was SO, SO GOOD.

I have read every single book from
Johnny Garza Villa so far, and I can guarantee I will continue to pick up anything they write. Their stories are always so full of heart and make me emotional in all the best ways, plus these stories are always ones I’m so glad to see out in the world.

Gabi is such a fantastic main character and I loved the way his story was contained in the first semester of college. His journey to self realization alongside the tension of his shutout streak on the football field and friends and community he builds along the way all comes together so spectacularly. I love how, like Canto Contigo, this is a book that challenges machismo in hyper masculine spaces and shows boys being soft and loved and finding ways to be their true selves. I also love and appreciate that this is a book where Gabi is realizing his bisexuality, because more stories about realizing your identity later than as a kid are so necessary and appreciated. And Vale! The romance between Gabi and Vale is so sweet and emotional and I love them together so much, especially the secondary dynamics with Leana.

This is a book that does so many amazing things and made me laugh and cry and wanna clutch these characters to my chest in adoration. I love the friendships and the romantic arc and Gabi’s personal arc so much. This is such a great story, and I continue to be a reader who will read anything Johnny Garza Villa writes!

This was a very grounded story with a sweet emotional arc for it's characters and a solid teen angst situation. I don't know anything about soccer or how it is played, but it seemed fun.

I think my favorite thing about it is how grounded it is. It feels authentic and real. Love that.

A really sweet, queer sports romance.

Gabi is the cocky and loud, but sappy soccer star while Vale is just the most supportive nerdy boyfriend ever. There was a good balance between the romance, the sport and Gabi’s road to self discovery and I loved the philosophy talk in there.

The main flaw was the mix ups in football terms, which threw me off a few times. It’s goals not points and red card rather than red flag. Also at one point Gabi corrects Vale when he says “goalie” and says it’s “goalkeeper” - the term goalie is regularly used.

Was this admittedly my first Jonny Garza Villa book? Yes. Am I obsessed with their writing and plan to check out their backlist as soon as I can now? You better believe it!

Gabi and Vale's story was so beautiful and emotional as Gabi came to terms with his queerness throughout the book and Vale stood by his side and guided him through the turmoil. I found myself rooting for Gabi to overcome the machismo stereotypes and be the football/soccer player he wanted to see represented in the world. Being brave enough to step up and embrace yourself, especially after threats from those around you, makes it hard but even more worthwhile in the end when you can fully embrace yourself and live your life the way you want to. Through Vale and
the dreaded sociology class, Gabi finds that he still has much to learn about himself despite what he had initially thought. I genuinely loved all of the characters and as someone who is from south Texas and used to have family in Corpus Christi I was able to truly connect a lot with the details of the location and a lot of other details of the story. Jonny's ability to balance emotional and heartbreaking moments with lighthearted and fun moments is incredible and I'm sure that I'll be thinking about this story of self discovery for a long time.

I certainly cannot attest to any of the football/soccer details in the story as someone who is only somewhat familiar with the sport, but I found it to be entertaining nonetheless. While not being scored on for so many games in a row does seem a tiny bit of a stretch as some others have mentioned, I can't say too much since a goalie I used to watch from my alma mater was a freshman who very rarely was scored on and was top ranked in the country with major awards.

This was such a great read and I will certainly be seeking out more Jonny Garza Villa stories in the near future!

I absolutely loved this queer sports romance! It was such a fun read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can not wait to read more from this author!

On the one hand, this was a solid romance with lovely characters. But on the other, the sheer amount of wrong details about football as a sport is comical, even I noticed as someone who hates the sport but grew up in a house that had it on constantly. You score goals, which become points in the league, no one talks about how many points they have accumulated. Its bizzare and consistently took me out of the narrative. Which is a real shame as there's a lot of potential here.

Did I read this book or did it read me!?!? Holy crap y'all Jonny Garza Villa kintsugied the crap out of me throughout Futbolista!!! I was invested from the first page. Gabi's the kind of once in a life time character that changes you at your core. He's funny and flirty and full of so much love. His story is about more than football and falling in love. It's about learning who you are, coming out while coming of age, and reconciling the fact that the world doesn't always want you to be who you are. Gabi doesn't want to be the player that changes the game, but maybe he has to.

Gabi and Vale's romance is everything I wanted— no needed— and more. It's slow, built off a genuine friendship, and not to quote the bible but it's patient, kind, protective, trusting, hopeful, and persevering. While so many awful, hateful things are happening to Gabi, Vale becomes home for him. They have tough conversations and get to know each other so deeply that their love feels inevitable in the end. If I loved someone even half as much as these two love each other, I could move mountains.

Read this if you like sports romance, Latine and queer representation, a love that heals, finally understanding philosophy (if only just a little bit), young men just trying their best, and crying (a lot).

Thank you to Netgalley and Levine Querido for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I wish I could give this book a 6 star review because the way that Jonny Garza Villa took my emotions on a roller coaster of a ride in "Futbolista" could fill an entire therapist's notebook.

There are so many incredible facets of this book that all compile together to build a highly memorable story. One of my biggest pet peeve with most college sports romances is the lack of sports content and the lack of academic content but "Futbolista" gives its readers BOTH and fully invests in fleshing out both parts of Gabi's life. The football moments embodied all the warm camaraderie of found family within a team, the high competitiveness of games, the toxic masculinity of male sports, and the immense pressure it takes to succeed as an athlete. Each of these aspects feels so thoroughly explored within Gabi's story, and it is truly a master class in writing with the way that the author ties together football and philosophy theories.

As someone who's never taken a philosophy class, I honestly can say this book firmly turns me off even the smallest inclination toward taking a class. And YET! This book approaches the allegory of the cave in such an easily digestible way, utilizing philosophy concepts to draw parallels to Gabi's life while ALSO providing a sneaky introduction of Vale to Gabi's life. I really enjoyed how the cave allegory becomes both a framework by which to why Gabi makes the choices he makes while ALSO serving to be a guideline that he follows in order to pursue his own happiness.

But my favorite part of this story is without a doubt the characterization and character arc for Gabi. His story is written in an incredibly empathetic manner, readers can immediately relate to some facet of his struggles from page one. He's a character that is just so easy to fall in love with & become incredibly attached to and as a result his highest highs become your highest highs...which also mean his lowest lows make you want to crash out and choke out some homophobes. I genuinely don't remember the last time, or if I ever, have become so upset at a character's pain that I cry in anger, but lemme just tell you this book did it for me.

To dive further, Gabi's struggles to couple his love for football with his authentic bisexual self were so raw and vulnerable. This is the first book I've read that details JUST how hard it is to be brave enough to be the "first" to break barriers, how sometimes it's easier to reject that part of yourself and return to a past version of yourself to make life easier, and how that can be a totally valid choice to make. Vale's constant support for Gabi, no matter where he was on his sexuality journey, was beyond warming, and I also loved seeing Perez and Kat be there to support Gabi throughout all his fights both internal and external. The final moment of Gabi's character arc culminated some truly tear-jerker conversations that had me sniffling (although let's be real, I was already crying by the 10% mark because of Gabi's loving relationship with his Pops!!).

Every single aspect of this book serves dual purpose within the greater story; each moment, each character, each scene is included so PURPOSEFULLY and I love how it all served to romanticize all parts of Gabi's life, making this book feel like a joyfully heart-wrenching indie film. This is truly a masterpiece of an adult debut, and I absolutely CANNOT wait to see what Jonny Garza Villa writes next!

http://booksbootsandbakeries.com/2025/02/18/futbolista-by-johnny-garza-villa/

I received Futbolista by Johnny Garza Villa as an ARC from NetGalley. This was my first time reading this author, and I figured, why not? Let’s give it a shot. Then, of course, I spiraled into the obligatory ARC panic—am I supposed to say I didn’t pay for this? Is there official wording? HELP. I think I figured it out... maybe. We’ll see if NetGalley kicks me out for not doing it right.

This book was a few solid hours of MM fun. It opens with a joke about balls (classic) and keeps that energy going throughout. This one delivers if you're into sports romances with some humour and charm. Its pacing and dynamic characters hooked me, making it an easy, enjoyable read. And it's the 'real' football, even if I would also call it soccer. I'm not going too much into the plot as it has not yet been released.

The story follows Gabi, a talented young football player. He’s disciplined yet charming and driven, and then he crosses paths with Vale at a house party. Vale challenges Gabi in unexpected ways, sparking a chemistry neither of them can ignore. Their romance unfolds through playful banter, tension-filled practices, and stolen moments, making their connection feel authentic and earned. It was a fun friends-to-lovers story, and I enjoyed it, even if it won't stay in my head a long time.

For some reason, I kept randomly renaming Gabi as Theo in my head. Why? Who knows. Maybe my brain just decided to cast a different lead. Regardless, as a non-Spanish speaker, I did have to Google some phrases, but that didn’t take away from the experience. It added to the immersion—like I was right there (probably on holiday!) trying to keep up with the banter and culture.

The story flowed well, and while it didn't crack my top-tier MM reads, it was absolutely worth the time. A solid, fun ride that made me curious about the author's other books, I will do an Insta stalk.

If you're looking for a lighthearted sports romance with queer rep and cultural depth, Futbolista is worth picking up when it releases in April. And if you see me reading more Johnny Garza Villa in the future, you’ll know this one did its job.

Brilliant, heartwarming, loved every bit of it, my first book by Jonny and it definitely wont be my last. Truly enjoyed this friends to lovers queer football romance, a heartfelt exploration of young love and identity. To be honest one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa was a book I was so excited to dive into. As someone who loves sports romance, I was especially thrilled to see a queer sports romance with a Latino lead. Representation like this is so important, and I’ve been on a mission to read stories by Hispanic and Latino authors and featuring Latino characters. So, naturally, I had high hopes for this one.

The cultural richness in the story is undeniably beautiful to experience as a Latinx person. Every page is infused with elements of the Latino experience, it makes me so happy to see my culture so warmly represented. I could feel the authenticity of the characters' backgrounds, and that was probably the part I enjoyed the most. It was a celebration of culture, family, and identity in a way that felt real and personal.

That said, the writing style didn’t quite connect with me the way I hoped. While I liked the main character and appreciated the story, I found the narrative style to be a bit distant for me personally. I struggled to immerse myself fully in the experience, and as much as I wanted to, it didn’t quite click. There was a sense of separation, and I wasn’t able to feel the emotional pull I was craving.

I think if the writing had resonated more, this could’ve been a five-star read for me. But overall, I really appreciate the representation and the heartfelt themes. I’ll be looking forward to more from Garza Villa, as his voice is so needed in the genre – I just hope the next story will align with my preferences a bit more.

A nice little college romance between a football player and the very adorable nerd that worms his way into his life and his heart. I wasn't a big fan of the writing and there were quite a few moments that were just too tropey for me or felt forced or genuinely uncomfortable (like all of Gabi's friends not only overhearing but cheering on Gabi and Vale having sex, what was that, who would enjoy that??), but I enjoyed both of Gabi as the main character and his internal struggle with who he thinks he's supposed to be and who he really is and his love interest Vale who is just an all-around cutie patoot.

<i>Futbolista</i> doesn't really add anything new to the genre and the struggles are the same ones we've read over and over again, really. But that can be comfortable to read, and the experience might be different for people who maybe haven't had an obsessive NA romance phase a few years ago that also included a plethora of queer and coming out stories. I also felt the start of the story was a bit rough and it took me some time to get into it, but I did really enjoy the representation overall.
The story itself was low stakes and even when the stakes were raised, the solution was quick and easy. The ending also felt really really rushed.
So all in all: The romance was cute, the characters were likeable, I was never fully engaged and the writing never managed to draw me in, but it was a comfy little reading experience. I'm absolutely in the minority here though so check this book out nonetheless, you might love it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Levine Querido for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please keep in mind the following content warning: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual Content.

Jonny Garza Villa is one of my favourite authors. I have read all of their books, and I haven't been disappointed even once. This book is everything I hoped for from them and more. It maintains everything I have fallen for in all their books while also outdoing everything that came before.

Seeing Piña realise that, no, you don't have all figured out by 18 and that's okay was something that I think every young adult needs before heading to adulthood. I loved how much focus this book put on the idea of change, not just as people but also how the culture around us can change as long as we challenge. Futbolista comes to challenge the machismo that comes with Mexican football (I'm not calling it s*ccer) culture while also telling us it doesn't have to stay like that. Of course, I can't speak over Mexicans, but as someone who grew up around machismo and as a football fan, this is something not so far from me. My love for football has also been bittersweet, and I even started to avoid it in recent years. However, reading this book reminded me why I loved the sport and I can't let bigots take that away from me.

Piña and Vale were also so dear to me. How they supported each other and were always ready to defend and protect each other drove me insane in the best way possible. I find more and more reasons to love this book the longer I sit here and think about it. Jonny never fails to make me laugh, sob, scream, curse them out in Spanish, and I will always love/hate them for it.

I seriously need more people to grab and read their books, and honestly, this book is perfect for people who love people and that one friend who can't shut the hell up about Red, White, and Royal Blue (it's me, hi, I'm the problem).

This book was one of my most anticipated books for the year. I have read all of the books by the author, and I have to admit I was exeptic about this one. Until I heard that the main character was Piña, who was a secondary character in “fifteen hundred miles from the sun” which I loved so much.
And futbolista doesn’t disappoint, it has this funny side that every book by the author has and also this side of sadness.
This book just made me feel like the first time I read “fifteen hundred” crying of happiness and sadness as equals parts, this one made me feel anxious at parts but I really enjoyed the whole story, and I loved the way it’s connected with the other book but without the necessity of had to read it, it’s his own story and doesn’t depend on other the other one, but having the context of it makes this one much better, because you read growth in the characters and how the backstory affected the present of the character. I really enjoyed this book so much.
Shout out to pops to make me cry.

I ended up DNFing this book which made me incredibly sad as I have read other books by Villa and highly enjoyed. I could not get past the inaccuracies with soccer/football/futbol. I am fine with some creative liberties with it being a work of fiction however, there are some things that should be correct when writing a book.

- There are not red flags in soccer. It's either a yellow card or red card.
- The entire scene when they played at Arizona. After they tie the captains meet at midfield, Barrera says "they're interested in doing penalty kicks", first, this would never happen in college soccer. Second, it doesn't appear they were taking penalty kicks at all based on the quote "It's a solid kick... goes right over my teammates' jump." and "I can tell that's a beautiful kick. A line of Arizona players jump..." That would be free kicks which are completely different than penalty kicks which are taken from the spot, kicker v. keeper.

I'm sure there are more instances of the wrong terminology used but I only got to 34% of the book, between the inaccuracies, the awkward word choices (using the word cringe/cringey etc.) and the overly weird descriptions during sex/masturbation (beating my meat, post-nut etc.) I could not continue. Additionally, the beginning of the book with the hazing made minimal sense and seemed extremely random when compared to the rest of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Levine Querido for the ARC!

What a fun read this was. Our main character has so many great people surrounding him. I loved seeing his relationship with his parents and close friends. This is a book with no backstabbing or useless fights with our two lovers, just a lot of understanding and love. There is a lot of football (real football, or american soccer) and I don't know anything about that sport so there are a few paragraphs I skim read, but it did not take away the fun of following the plot overall.

Who's squealing??!?!? I AM!!! What a fantastic, emotional, brilliant sports romance that repped bisexuality THE BEST EVER!!!!! I'm legit choking up still thinking about this endearing story about falling in love while brown and sports-ing! my heart was totally in my throat when all the toxic things went down in the 3rd act, because just remembering being 18 and vulnerable as fk emotionally damn near made me throw up from being afraid for Gabi. Jonny Garza Villa had me crying some fat ugly tears for Gabi and Vale at the end there, and that made sense because from the jump i was grinning for these boys and their instant chemistry!

I don't usually read YA/NA but Villa has made me look twice. And now more than ever I don't think my previous hang-ups were my fault. Because Futbolista was brilliant, deeply moving writing, with intelligent and compassionate messaging, and characterization that made me feel like these people were all real and i want to be friends with all of them! And because I can't stress the quality of narrative here enough, i thought Futbolista was truly outstanding, and one of the small few who stand head and shoulders above the rest!

Futbolista was a sports romance, but it's more than JUST that. It's got that hot and young summer vibe, with the best friend group and a family dynamic that made me feel safe and secure and happy! And alongside that halcyon youth flex was Gabi's very developed POV. It encompassed the above, but also "headed for the pros" career-athlete mentality, societal and team expectations...and ofc everything in between. Gabi's practices and game days read like what i would expect a sports star to be grappling with. It was rigorous and charming and heartfelt.

There was also very accessible philosophy that made me giggle thinking about infallible 18yos who assert that they're done changing. Cute. And Vale was just absolute perfection. Adorable, lovable, supportive, smart. I had big feelings for the both of them and THIS WAS THE KIND OF HEA I WANT IN MY READING LIFE ALWAYS!!!!

The narrative was VERY multidimensional, and its scope and depth was impressive, and i'm sure that i'll be thinking about these characters for a long, long time to come!

I had the best time with this stunning, wonderful book, and because i wholeheartedly NEED more Jonny Garza Villa in my brain for comfort reasons, I'm beyond ready for Canto Contigo and to lose myself in a "Mariachi rivals-to-lovers" romance! I'm already gleeful and I can't think of a more perfect sentiment to end off on than that! Can't wait!

I loved this! Gabi and Vale deserve the world. I loved the South Texas setting and super important queer Latine rep. I also loved the side characters! Pérez is everything to me 🥹 Overall, this was a really sweet, funny, well-written, and spicy story. I did feel like the pacing was a little weird, and I also felt like there was all this tension and then everything just kind of....resolved. But overall, a really great book.