Canto Contigo

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.