Canto Contigo

“A queer love letter to mariachi music and culture.” - Kirkus, Starred Review

“In their third teen romance, Garza Villa orchestrates another masterpiece about queer youth redefining traditional customs in Texas.” - Booklist, Starred Review

“Positing that love and joy are life’s greatest experiences, Garza Villa (Ander & Santi Were Here) crafts an earnest story that is both a quiet exploration of grief and a fierce rivals-to-lovers romance that centers the intensity and importance of passion.” - Publishers Weekly“Garza Villa offers another heartfelt queer romantic drama here…Rich in cultural detail and linguistic authenticity.” - The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“With song and snark, Jonny Garza Villa has captured my heart yet again! Never have I rooted for two rivals more than with Rafie and Rey. This exploration of family, mariachi, and the difference between reputation versus expectation will stay with me for a long time.” – Jason June, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Blue“Like Rafie and Rey when they first meet, this book swept me away from the very beginning. Jonny Garza Villa vibrantly blends mariachi, magical realism, first love and grief into a story about the ways that taking time to mourn is essential to being true to ourselves in life. Also: someone please make this book into a movie asap because I need to hear these songs performed the way only Rafie and Rey could.” – Natalia Sylvester, Pura Belpré and Schneider honor-winning author of Breathe and Count Back from Ten“Canto Contigo’s explorations of first love, fresh grief, and the pressures behind building legacy sing together in perfect harmony. Another heartfelt, humorous, and healing story from Jonny Garza Villa that is guaranteed to stick in readers’ heads like their new favorite song.” -Racquel Marie, author of Ophelia After All

“Canto Contigo seamlessly blends love and hate, longing and grief, into the perfect anthem of young love that’ll leave you begging for an encore. Jonny Garza Villa’s done it again (make me cry)!” – Emery Lee, author of Café con Lychee

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.