Ratings3
Average rating4
When a Mariachi star transfers schools, he expects to be handed his new group's lead vocalist spot—what he gets instead is a tenacious current lead with a very familiar, very kissable face.
In a twenty-four-hour span, Rafael Alvarez led North Amistad High School’s Mariachi Alma de la Frontera to their eleventh consecutive first-place win in the Mariachi Extravaganza de Nacional; and met, made out with, and almost hooked up with one of the cutest guys he’s ever met.
Now eight months later, Rafie’s ready for one final win. What he didn’t plan for is his family moving to San Antonio before his senior year, forcing him to leave behind his group while dealing with the loss of the most important person in his life—his beloved abuelo. Another hitch in his plan: The Selena Quintanilla-Perez Academy’s Mariachi Todos Colores already has a lead vocalist, Rey Chavez—the boy Rafie made out with—who now stands between him winning and being the great Mariachi Rafie's abuelo always believed him to be. Despite their newfound rivalry for center stage, Rafie can’t squash his feelings for Rey. Now he must decide between the people he’s known his entire life or the one just starting to get to know the real him.
Canto Contigo is a love letter to Mexican culture, family and legacy, the people who shape us, and allowing ourselves to forge our own path. At its heart, this is one of the most glorious rivals-to-lovers romance about finding the one who challenges you in the most extraordinary ways.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars. Feeling a bit peaky today so I'm resorting to bullet points. Apologies for the lack of parallelism. Four stars because: The novel focuses on the beauty of mariachi, especially the skills that are the hallmark of a great vocalist, but acknowledges the tradition's queerphobia and racism.Trans, Afro-Latino LI is fully supported by MC (including watching LI's T injection)(not in a creepy way); conversely, MC struggles with classmates who accept him as queer only because he doesn't “act queer.” Moving portrayal of being stuck in grief and finally starting to move through itCliched but heartfelt “it doesn't matter if you're technically the best, you have to do it with love”Racially and sexually diverse secondary characters Just a touch of magical realismLoses half a star because:*MC, the single POV narrator, is a huge asshole towards the LI (who has no perceptible flaws) for fully 2/3 of the book. I don't always need likeable characters, but the MC's arrogance and anger become repetitive after a while.In Summary:Doesn't manage to top Villa's heartbreakingly beautiful [b:Ander & Santi Were Here 57884665 Ander & Santi Were Here Jonny Garza Villa https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658575149l/57884665.SY75.jpg 90682328], but still highly enjoyable, and a showcase for an art form that will likely be unfamiliar to most non-Latinx readers.