Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa ISBN 9781542027052, 1542027055, B08FJ35C7C instant download

Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa ISBN 9781542027052, 1542027055, B08FJ35C7C instant download

A poignant, funny, openhearted novel about coming out, first love, and being your one and only best and true self.

Julián Luna has a plan for his life: Graduate. Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life.

Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown―literally―out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self.

Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone.

Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he’s always dreamed of. And now that he’s in control of it, what he does next is up to him.

Gr 9 Up—Julián "Jules" Luna is a closeted gay teen pressured by his father to be a machismo, heteronormative Mexican American. He has endured both emotional and physical abuse at the hands of his father, who refuses to allow him to acknowledge his true self. One night, a drunken tweet results in Jules inadvertently outing himself to his entire school. While some students harass him, his core group of friends supports him, and a Twitter flirtation evolves into a long-distance relationship with Mat, a Vietnamese American teen living in Los Angeles. Jules dreams of escaping Corpus Christi, TX and going to college in L.A. and being close to Mat. When a hate crime forcibly outs Jules, his dad kicks him out of the house. Relationships with the likable characters of his sister Xochi, grandfather Güelo, Mat, and friends provide comfort to Jules as he is vulnerable and adjusts to living his life authentically. Readers will empathize and connect with Jules as a well-rounded character who loves cooking, soccer, and is a vegetarian. The banter-filled, amusing, conversational writing style includes slang and Spanish terms that can be understood via context. Although parts of the story are heartbreaking and heavy, they are balanced with humor and hope, giving queer teens of color opportunities to see joy and love reflected back to them. Content warnings are advised for emotional and physical abuse, homophobia, homophobic and racist slurs, and forced outing. VERDICT Tender, touching, hopeful, and hilarious; enthusiastically recommended for all collections.—Lisa Krok, Morley Lib., Cleveland, OH

Pura Belpré Honor Book

“Garza Villa’s debut is buoyed by tenderness and humor amid moments of deep pain…An open-hearted expression of love in its many forms.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Although parts of the story are heartbreaking and heavy, they are balanced with humor and hope, giving queer teens of color opportunities to see joy and love reflected back to them. Tender, touching, hopeful, and hilarious; enthusiastically recommended for all collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Deeply moving, Villa’s debut fills a longstanding need in LGBTQ+ literature for more Latinx characters and a love story between two BIPOC characters. A lovely, important book that deserves a wide readership.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Offering accessible prose that impeccably interweaves Spanish and English, Garza Villa’s tender debut is sex-positive and romantic, balancing humor and heartfelt relationships even as it shows the joys and pains of one person’s experience coming out.” — Publishers Weekly

“Emotional, heartfelt, and at times heartbreaking, this vulnerable and ultimately hopeful story is healing. Jonny writes with clear care and intention for their younger readers. Beautifully done.” —Kacen Callender, author of Felix Ever After and This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story

“ Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is the gay happily-ever-after romance I longed for as a teen! With its fun and refreshing voice, the book depicts a long-distance relationship that is sweet and incredibly authentic for teens nowadays. This book tackles the intense, nuanced struggles queer Latinx kids face with care and compassion. It’s a story of love, hope, and healing that we all need right now.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

“This book is a revelation. It’s like Jonny Garza Villa wrote a book for seventeen-year-old me just as much as they wrote it for the person I am today. Told in a wildly entertaining, conversational style, it’s equal parts heartbreak and joy, and it centers queer people of color in all their brilliant glory. It’s the Whataburger to my In-N-Out, and I can’t wait for the world to lose their shit over it.” —Mark Oshiro, author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert

“ Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun perfectly captures everything bittersweet about digital dating and long-term long-distance relationships without sacrificing an ounce of romance. Jonny Garza Villa lights up the sky in a debut that’s equal parts heartbreaking and healing, sincere and snarky, with a cast of teens you will want to fight for.” —Anna Meriano, author of This Is How We Fly

“ Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun shines like a supernova. A heartfelt debut that sings with its authentic moments of discovery, pain, triumph, humor, and tender romance. Julián Luna’s journey is universally relatable and deeply needed.” —Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running with Lions

“An emotionally honest book that captures both sides of coming out as a gay teen: the light, laughter, and joy, and the difficulties and devastation.” —Adiba Jaigirdar, author of The Henna Wars

“A stunning debut about first love, longing, and loving yourself.” —Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best and The Ghosts We Keep

“A refreshing addition to LGBTQ literature, Garza Villa’s Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun authentically reminds us of the power of love, the strength of friendships (near and far), and most importantly, the complexities of living as our true selves. A book I wish I had when I was a teen, and a must read by all those, no matter their ages, working to define themselves in this messed-up, complicated, beautiful world.” —Kosoko Jackson, author of Yesterday Is History

“ Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa is definitely the book I wish I’d had when I was younger! It’s a sweet rom-com with a Latino main character who falls for his Twitter crush after messily coming out to the internet. It’s the first time I saw a character going through similar experiences I had growing up as both Latinx and queer, and how complicated those intersections can be…” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

Jonny Garza Villa is a product of the great state of Texas, born and raised along the Gulf Coast, and a decade-long resident of San Antonio. Jonny is an author of contemporary young adult fiction that maintains a brand of being proudly Latinx, and the most queer, and embracing the power and beauty of the chaotic gay. Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is their debut novel. For more information, visit www.jonnygarzavilla.com.