The Santos Vista neighbourhood of San Antonio, TX is all Ander Lopez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce, the laughter of kids hitting a piñata at the park, the mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially, their job at the family’s taqueria. So as the days count down on their gap year until the day they’ll leave for art school in Chicago, their head is filled with one relentless question: am I really ready to leave it all behind?
Their family, however, has the opposite worry: to keep them from becoming complacent, they “fire” Ander so they can focus on their murals and prepare for college. That is, until they meet Santiago Garcia, the hot new waiter. Ander is immediately crushing and slides back into a few shifts, desperate to spend more time with him. A couple nights closing down the restaurant together; late night drives to drop Santi off after work; falling for each other is as natural as breathing. Through Santi’s eyes, Ander finally understands everything they are and want to be as an artist, and Ander becomes Santi’s first step toward making Santos Vista and the U.S. feel like home.
But they start to realize how fragile that sense of home is when vans are spotted following Santi on his walks to work. When ICE agents are waiting for them at Ander’s house. When they begin to feel like the entire world is against them. And when, eventually, the outside world starts to.
This was lovely. It wasn't my favorite book, but it wasn't really written for me. The story was good, the relationships were believable and lovely, and I think it tells a really important story that kids will relate to.
My KNEA RC Review:
This is a love story that is #relationshipgoals while still acknowledging some of the difficulties many young people of color face. The love story between Ander, an artist who is taking a year off between high school and college, and Santi, an undocumented immigrant working at Ander's family's restaurant, is a beautiful depiction of young love, but it's surrounded by the very real difficulties that the two boys face. Some are as banal as figuring out how to start college, while others are more intense, including racist microaggressions and avoiding ICE. While some aspects of those struggles seem to be smoothed over with the charm of fictional favor, they aren't completely eliminated. Generally, though, this is a worthy romance that is grapples with both love and life with honesty.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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31 May, 2023:
Finished reading
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31 May, 2023:
Reviewed