2023 Pride Picks
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Start giftingAnder & Santi Were Here
A Novel
Bookseller recommendation
“Meticulously crafted, Ander & Santi Were Here left me without words but with so much to say. You will fall in love with these characters as they fall for each other, and you'll laugh with them, fear for them, and hope for them to find a way through a situation that is all too real. As always, Avi Roque's narration enhances the reading experience, truly bringing the story to life. ”
Miriasha,
Phoenix Books
Bookseller recommendation
“An absolutely gorgeous, heart-wrenching, warmly funny book. Ander is a nonbinary artist taking a gap year to paint murals around their hometown of San Antonio through a fellowship at a non-profit. When their parents fire them from the family's taqueria so they can focus on their art, Ander ends up falling for their replacement, Santi. What Ander doesn't know is that Santi is undocumented, and the world seems hell bent on keeping them apart. Ander's voice is strong and smart. I cried and laughed throughout, and the cover is a gorgeous depiction of Ander's art. I loved every second of this book, for all the pain, love, and joy it depicts perfectly. ”
Tildy,
Belmont Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This book was filled with so much queer love and most importantly, sheer queer JOY! I dare you not to fall in love with Ander and Santi as you root for their love as it unfolds. ”
Belmont Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Sometimes, you pick up a book, not knowing much about it, and are caught up in the characters' lives, hoping and wishing for the best for them. Ander & Santi was that way for me (especially on audio; Avi Roque is fantastic narrator) - I found I cared about both Ander and Santi, and was invested in their future together. Which, for me, is all the hallmarks of an excellent story, well-told. ”
Melissa,
Watermark Books
"[Avi] Roque's warm and musical narration is utter perfection. They capture Ander and Santi's fear with vivid immediacy and also infuse their voices with bubbly happiness. In moments of tenderness, their breath catches. They switch easily between Spanish and English and use a half-dozen unique accents for different characters. This audiobook is a heartbreaking, joyful love letter to queer Latinx communities."- AudioFile
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets The Sun is Also a Star in this YA contemporary love story from Jonny Garza Villa, Ander & Santi Were Here, about a nonbinary Mexican American teen falling for the shy new waiter at their family’s taqueria.
Finding home. Falling in love. Fighting to belong.
The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Martínez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce. The mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially their job at their family's taquería. It's the place that has inspired Ander as a muralist, and, as they get ready to leave for art school, it's all of these things that give them hesitancy. That give them the thought, are they ready to leave it all behind?
To keep Ander from becoming complacent during their gap year, their family "fires" them so they can transition from restaurant life to focusing on their murals and prepare for college. That is, until they meet Santiago López Alvarado, the hot new waiter. Falling for each other becomes as natural as breathing. Through Santi's eyes, Ander starts to understand who they are and want to be as an artist, and Ander becomes Santi's first steps toward making Santos Vista and the United States feel like home.
Until ICE agents come for Santi, and Ander realizes how fragile that sense of home is. How love can only hold on so long when the whole world is against them. And when, eventually, the world starts to win.
A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.
JONNY GARZA VILLA (they/them) is an author of contemporary young adult literature with characters and settings inspired by their own Tejane, Chicane, and queer identities. Whatever the storyline, Jonny ultimately hopes Latines, and, more specifically, queer Mexican American young people will feel seen in their writing. Their debut YA novel Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun was a Pura Belpré Honor Book and a Kirkus Best YA Fiction of 2021 selection. When not writing, Jonny enjoys reading, playing Dungeons and Dragons, visiting taquerías, listening to Selena, and caring for their many cacti children. They live in San Antonio.