Queerceanera

by Alex Crespo, André Santana (reader)

This irresistible and hilarious rom-com from acclaimed author Alex Crespo is a whirlwind of telenovela-level drama and hijinks when Joaquin Zoido finds himself fake-dating his childhood crush and newly minted date to his queerceañera.

Joaquin Zoido is out and proud of it. And while he knew his dad and sister, Carmen, would be super supportive, he wasn’t quite ready for them to surprise him with a queerceañera, a coming out party to celebrate him. Between all the talks of tastings and venues, and the chirping of his family’s RSVP texts, the question of who will be his chambelán is on everyone’s minds.

What Joaquin is decidedly trying to not think about is whether his mom is going attend or if she’s finally replaced him with her favorite godson, Felix—the boy who made Joaquin realize he was gay and who was his first kiss. But when an impromptu lie snowballs into a full-fledged family-group-chat rumor, every Zoido from Texas to Mexico starts believing that Felix is not only Joaquin’s chambelán but also his brand-new boyfriend.

To avoid the pity and sympathies of an ill-timed breakup, Joaquin and Felix strike a deal—they’ll stay fake boyfriends until the party. Yet, as the day draws nearer and old feelings spark anew, Joaquin will have to decide whether a picture-perfect queerceañera with a fake boyfriend is worth giving up the chance of something real.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer, Audiobook, Fiction

1 pages, Audio CD

First published May 7, 2024

About the author

Born and raised by the Great Lakes, Alex Crespo writes about queer love, magic, and all the ways they intersect. When not writing, you can find him making art or daydreaming about Mothman. He currently lives in Chicago with an endless anime watchlist and his black cat Hex. You can find him on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram as @byalexcrespo.

Reviews

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really sweet young adult rom-com. This would definitely be a great read for Pride month (or honestly any time, because queer ought to be year round!). Joaquin is trying to have a normal summer day when an anti-queer post his mother made on social meeting freezes him because it feels like a personal attack. His sister notices and she and his father decide to compensate by planning a “Queerceanera” to celebrate Joaquin and show their support. Joaquin is kind of shy but reluctantly agrees. His childhood crush Felix (and first kiss) is staying with his mother and after an awkward lunch everyone believes he and Felix are dating. What can go wrong? I love fake dating/fake relationship so it’s no surprise I loved this one. I thought Joaquin and Felix had great chemistry and were sweet. The obstacle to their relationship (cause let’s face it, it’s a part of the formula) was a little weak, but overall the story definitely worked. I also really liked the family drama piece and loved that Joaquin found his voice his mother. I also liked that piece didn’t get one percent resolved as I think that’s realistic. Overall I gave this one 4.5 stars rounded up for the cute, cultural, original idea of a queerceanera.

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on audio and absolutely flew through it, and I had such a good time. It reminded me a lot of One Day At a Time, especially in seeing how most of Joaquin's family was really supportive, but his relationship with his mother is more complicated, like when Elena came out to her family and her dad struggled to accept her. I loved the concept of the queerceañera, especially because it showed so much love and support, and I thought the romance was super cute.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a moving YA queer summer romance that sees Joaquin fake dating his childhood crush, Felix, who is back in town for the summer after suddenly moving away years ago. Funny with telenovella level drama and a complicated mother-son relationship and a heartbreaking amount of homophobia. This was good on audio and would make a perfect Pride month read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Marybeth Buskirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED Joaquin and his found family/biological family dynamics, it was so beautiful to witness such a heartfelt build up and watch Joaquin flourish because of the love he received and also gives out. I wish we had more time between Felix and Joaquin because I couldn’t always feel the chemistry there especially with an ex being involved and I struggled with the semi redemption arc of J’s mom, but overall really enjoyed this one!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute!

I'm going to be so honest and say I don't remember like super specific details but I do remember loving it and I remember the side character aoace rep which was amazing. Like phenomenal. I of course want queer books that have aromantic and asexual characters as main characters but I also think it is so vital that more mainstream queer books with main characters who are not aspec, have an aspec person in their lives. Normalizing and showcasing that we are here and we are everywhere is revolutionary. Maybe someone won't pick up a book with an asexual or aromantic lead but they might pick up one with a gay lead who has an aroace best friend and learn something.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25-4.5/5

[Chris G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it’s not a traditional Quinceañera. Joaquin is almost done with high school and has come out as gay; Dad and sister Carmen want to encourage Joaquin and surround him with the love and approval of his family in a formal ceremony before he heads off to college. Initially hesitant, Joaquin warms to the idea and cooks up a fake dating scheme with first crush Felix, who is unexpectedly in town and willing to be Joaquin’s escort. Traditional romcom tropes cheerfully excecutrd. EARC from Edelweiss.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute. A low-angst, joyful comfort read.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of a book tour through Storygram Tours.

Hii it’s me, back again with another queer, ya book with fake dating that you need to read. Why? Because I said so (there are other reasons don’t worry).

Joaquin is kind of newly out of the closet as gay and while his dad and older sister have been super supportive, that hasn’t exactly been the case for everybody. Okay it’s mostly just his mom but we’ll talk about her in a second. Joaquin’s dad decides that to celebrate not just his birthday but also his coming out that he’s gonna throw a queerceañera. Which is basically like a quince but super gay. Joaquin feels like this might be a little overboard but if there’s one thing that his dad is really good at it’s these grand gestures to show how much he loves his son.

We get a little second chance romance/fake dating scheme with Felix, who is Joaquin’s childhood best friend and kinda first love. He agrees to be Joaquin’s chambelan for the queerceañera and figures the fake boyfriend thing will also help get people to leave him alone about his recentish breakup. These two really just work well together. They’re both so supportive of each other and Joaquin’s grand romantic gesture is one for the books (literally).

One point that the author made throughout the book is this idea that family is what we make it and someone being blood doesn’t mean that you have to associate with them.

Now I said I’d mention Joaquin’s mom so let’s talk about her. If I could fight one book character in a Waffle House parking lot it’s gonna be her. She’s made it pretty known that she’s homophobic and takes every opportunity that she can get to remind her son that she’s a homophobic asshole. Oh and when she’s not she’s belittling his passions and career aspirations. Overall she sucks (but she was written really well).

The tl;dr is queerceañeras need to be a thing, my friends need to throw one so I can attend. Please and thank you.

[llamallamacallurmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers and general tags. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**

4

Audio (André Santana)

* Summary: Joaquin finds himself caught up in family plans to celebrate his 18th birthday and support his sexual identity with a gender-bent and somewhat delayed “Queerceañera.” A tense moment with his conservative and homophobic mother leads to a fake relationship with her favourite godson, Felix.

* Stats: CR/YA, MM, kisses only, stand alone.

* Notes: I enjoyed this. Apart from spending most of the book wanting to scream at the mother and at everyone else who let her continue her BS for so long… Even that though felt like a very realistic struggle for Joaquin and the family. It’s sweet, Joaquin is sensitive but thoughtful, and the kids act like kids. Felix is cute and kind, the relationship between them is nice - but the book does lean more towards a coming of age type story than a heavily romance-y romance.

OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:
Divorced parents, parent child estrangement, homophobic parent(outright and microaggressions), artist mmc, 17-18mmc/18mmc, Latino mmc, biracial mmc, gay mmc, mmc has a nose piercing, toxic parent, fake dating, mmcs are former childhood best friends, depression (mc, in the past, mentioned), alcohol, underage drinking, homophobia from others (microaggressions), invasive family, other man drama, controlling ex

[Courtney Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one so much 🥺 I expected to enjoy it but it exceeded my expectations! It made me feel a lot like Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun did and that is a huge compliment because I adore that book! The whole concept of a queerceañera is so beautiful and I loved getting to see Joaquin be so loved and celebrated! I also really really loved the progression between Joaquin & Felix! Them being childhood friends to estranged to fake dating to friends to lovers just transitioned so smoothly (even though there were a lot of emotions along the way) and I was just fully invested in the all the way through! I also really really loved April & her friendship with Joaquin! As a fellow aroace, her being insecure about the future of her friendships because of them getting into relationships/starting families and leaving her behind was so relatable and I loved that Joaquin understood that she needed reassurance from him! Also really loved Joaquin’s sister and dad!! Just a very wonderful queer coming of age story that I very much recommend!! ♥️

[Rowan's Bookshelf (Carleigh) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a comfort read. A recently-out gay Mexican teen realizes that he won't be going to any Quinces soon because most of his family is past the age, so his family throws him a coming out/birthday/Queerceanera to show their love and support for him. Plus there's some fake dating thrown in, which is a super cute romance with great chemistry between them. I just LOVED seeing this huge Mexican family be so supportive of Joaquin, the love literally overflows from this book. There is some tension with his estranged fairly homophobic mother that is handled well and realistically. I kind of had low expectations for this one because it seemed gimmicky, but I ended up loving the characters, relationships, and familial love throughout!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear queer YA is healing me, one book at a time.

Reading Queerceañera I was constantly swinging between “mother wound” and “oh to be loved like that”. The way Joaquin’s friends and family show up for him was a beautiful reminder of how important it is to be part of a village, and that we shouldn’t have to change ourselves to be accepted by those meant to love us. I loved the way the book ended, reinforcing this theme.

All in all I had a great time and I highly recommend.

[Bant · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so cute. There are supportive adults which I love. And the non-supportive adult, semi-supportive?, doesn’t get a redemption arc. But she also isn’t villainized and shows her own growth, takes responsibility for being shitty. But she is never let off the hook. Still this is J and Felix’s story and I love it so much.

[Itunuoluwa Olawore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It was pretty fast pased in my opinion, which I enjoy. I loved the descriptions of the characters and the overall way the author wrote this book.🩷

[maeveshelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and wholesome

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

there was a lot happening in this book! like a lot! and then sort of nothing! and then a lot again!

[Jenn McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joaquin and Felix forever and ever and ever

[Cleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars.

Super cute YA m/m romance. Once I relaxed into the ridiculous set up, I really enjoyed it.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cute!

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! No notes! Joaquin’s relationship with his dad and dad was so sweet, same as with his best friend, completely true representation of las tías and the rest of a Mexican family, how some moms’ actions do not show the love they say they feel and make you feel judged, and Joaquin and Felix relationship was sweet and realistic for teenagers.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Prepare to experience all the feels with Joaquin and his titular queerceanera!

Joaquin, the m.c. of this charming young adult contemporary novel, has a mixed bag in terms of family support. While his dad and sister are extremely supportive of who he is, Joaquin's mom is fully gross in terms of her behavior and lacking support of Joaquin. Her attempts to shame and silence Joaquin and to hide behind biased institutional beliefs are upsetting but also important. After all, unfortunately, Joaquin's experience is a fictional version of many people's real lives. Various other family members - due to cultural mores, their ages, and other factors - share a range of energizing to demoralizing responses. These details set the stage for the titular event, which Joaquin's dad has the wild idea to host.

On top of Joaquin's challenging family relationships and exploration of his identity, Joaquin is quite preoccupied by his relationship with an important person from his past. The romantic subplot is definitely age appropriate (drama, third parties, poor communication, etc.), but it's sweet to read.

This is my first novel from this author, and it won't be the last. I really enjoyed this addition to the queer prom/coming out/celebration of me subgenre in YA and will look forward to recommending it to students (especially those looking for nuanced family responses to this issue).

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Aυѕтιη · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot - it's not a romance in the same way that DARKHEARTS isn't a romance but has romantic elements. Very character-driven, very community-oriented, crossover appeal for fellow gays healing childhood trauma but would not recommend for an adult het audience as it's really truly YA.

Full review on Booklist.

[Laney Tapusoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

-cute story but poor writing
-really hard to stick with

[Martyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a story it is quite engaging and does stir up the emotions and could, on one level, easily get four stars. But . . . while reading it it often left me feeling rather critical, like I just wasn't buying into it, and now, almost twenty four hours after I finished reading it, it's kind of faded into the background like an inconsequential book I have lost interest in.

While quite sweet in its way, the story didn't really resonate on a personal level because it's not about my world, about my culture. The author (so far as noticed) didn't take the time to interpret all foreign words employed, though sometimes they were fairly easy to guess the meaning of. And neither were all the American terms explained for a British readership.

As with most books written these days, I also grumble about the swearing. It might be reflective of 'real life' for many people, but it needn't be that way and I don't see why it has to pervade everything. Why people should be subjected to it in school, at work, in public places, on TV, and even in books? Where are you meant to escape from it all except by retreating into your own head? If books like Lord of the Rings (with no swearing at all) and Harry Potter (with comparatively little) can be so popular, clearly swearing isn't a requisite to engage a reader's attention and boost sales. It would be nice to have books which showed young people that it is possible to converse without it instead of normalising it.

Now to some frustrations with the characters. Joacquin's mum just didn't feel like a very believable character to me. She just didn't make sense in the way she behaved, in the way she thought, in the things she said and wrote. Occasionally it was presented that she had just acted thoughtlessly without realising the hurt that she was causing, but it is impossible to believe that. She sometimes seemed to defend her actions on the ground that she was trying to protect Joacquin in the eyes of the world to make his life easier (which is a fair enough concern) - but take the instance of the Facebook photo for example. If she had had any concern to protect Joacquin in that instance she would have either sent a private message to his father recommending he take down the photo and giving reasons why, or she would have looked at all the 'likes' and read through all the supportive messages and seen that her fears were totally unfounded. And even if she had still disappproved on a personal level, she would have kept her thoughts to herself. But she would hardly have publicly expressed the very disgust she professed she was trying to protect her son from, especially not as a lone voice in the face of all the other messages of love and support he was receiving. And surely Joacquin's father should have deleted her offensive message as soon as he saw it instead of leaving it there for Joacquin to see. It just doesn't make sense - except as a plot device to add a bit of tension.

Likewise the different ways the mother treated Felix and Joacquin. She certainly came across as an obnoxious and repulsive character (which made it hard to understand why Joacquin should have been trying so hard to win her support), but she certainly didn't come ascross as a believable and credible character. There was no consistency to her.

And yet again, as in so many books of this kind, what's with the lack of communication? Yes, it adds to the tension if you have one character stressing out for half the book about some perceived hurt in the past, but surely in real life Joacquin would have asked Felix at the very first opportunity why Felix had ghosted him all those years ago instead of stewing over it silently.

And then, finally, there is Joacquin's dad. But this isn't a fault with the book in itself, or with the author. It's just that the character, in the way I envisaged him - his appearance and personality - reminded me too much of someone in my own life who I would rather forget (or who I wish had never existed), who has molested me and caused me much distress. In the book he is of course a good guy, but I brought my own personally baggage to the situation, and right from the outset I just couldn't see him, I couldn't hear him speak, without cringing and wanting to pull away from him, being repulsed by him with every fibre of my being. But obviously (or hopefully) few other people are likely to run up against this same issue. But anyhow, it's not a book I want to spend any more time thinking about, so goodbye.

[annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fav quotes:

“If I could show her I’m happy, that I’m proud of myself, then it might make her more comfortable with the idea that I’m gay.”
“Maybe. Or maybe you can just be happy and proud without having to change anyone’s mind,” she says. When I don’t reply right away, she bumps her shoulder gently against mine. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to shrink yourself down for small-minded people, even your own mom. You deserve to take up all the space you want.”
I’m not exactly sure what to say in response, so I drop my head onto her shoulder, and she presses a warm hand to my curls. As I feel the sun thawing out the last stretch of cool skin chilled by the AC, I have a hard time picturing myself taking up any space at all in a life that feels so cramped.

- p. 21

“There was a class we took you to where the teacher was always trying to ‘fix’ your drawings,” he says. “Then we transferred you to another class, and the new teacher said they had never seen someone so young develop their own personal style like you had.”
“Well, yeah. Art is subjective.”
“Life is subjective,” Dad says warmly. “What one person thinks is a problem could be your greatest gift. That’s the kind of thing that makes you special. And, for the record, I always thought you were brilliant.”

- p 25

Sometimes, you have to put yourself out there to see what comes back,” she says. “People can’t meet you halfway unless you let them. 

- p. 53

“This is my ideal dating scenario,” April beams as she pulls off the highway. “You get romanced and I hear all the juicy details secondhand.”
“Except we’re not really dating, and I’m not going to get romanced. We hardly know each other now. We’re just old friends.”
“Yeah, that’s what historians would say. But I’ll call it what it really is: gay.”

- p. 72

There’s something really insidious about the type of homophobia that lives in the silences and awkward pauses of conversations, where it’s not what someone says, but what they don’t say.

- p. 150

But I can’t deny that something shifted between us, and I can’t decide what scares me more—that Felix might have felt it too, or that it was all in my head.

- p. 151

“I’m never going to have a partner that’s going to split my attention. I don’t have a sister or cousins like you, so my friendships are always going to be my priority. It’s kind of hard realizing that might not be the case for other people in my life, and I don’t want to get left behind.”

- p. 211

“It hasn’t been easy to stand in my identity, and I’m realizing it’s not something you do once, but something you have to learn to do over and over again. And for a long time, I thought I would have to fight that battle on my own. I couldn’t imagine a world where people would stand by me as a gay, Mexican teen living in Texas. That’s why this matters so much to me. You showing up today means it’s not me against the world like I’d thought, and I’m going to cherish that forever.”

- p. 275

[Robert Kukla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know we are only 2 weeks into the new year but the way this book made me cry happy tears puts into my favorite books I read this year.

It’s a young adult romcom about a gay Mexican boy turning 18, and his family decides to throw him a coming out/birthday celebration in the style of a quinceñera. He reconnects with a childhood friend and they form a fake dating scheme to convince his religious mom to hopefully accept his queer identity, and along the way real feelings start to blossom.

I don’t read a lot of romcoms but I loved the way everything developed throughout the book and the romance in this book had me smiling to the point where my face hurt.

It was a really cute story but it also touched on some important themes, mainly the main character no longer feeling the need to apologize for who he is or who he chooses to love, and the importance of found family. There are some beautiful passages that talk about how you don’t get to choose your blood relatives but you do get to choose who is in your life and a part of your support system.

This book is not only unapologetically queer but it is also unapologetically Mexican and found myself relating to all the depictions of Mexican celebrations, culture and other nuances. I felt seen by this book and everything the main character went through and it’s one of those books I wish existed when I was figuring myself out and going through my coming out journey.

There are some weird time jumps mid paragraph in some spots of the book which bothered me a little, and we don’t get a major resolution to a minor subplot that I wanted to get closure on, but the way this book had me in tears (happy ones), these issues didn’t make me love it any less.

This is a bit longer than my usual reviews but I loved this book and I definitely recommend it if you enjoy young adult books. This is one of those books that will stick with me permanently and I’m going to need a physical copy for my collection.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joaquin is about to celebrate his eighteenth birthday. His dad and his sister had the best idea to celebrate with a bang by doing a Queerceanera! But not everyone is happy about it, especially his religious mother. And his childhood best friend, Felix, who just came back for the summer, is not making things easier when he mentions he's Jaoquin's chamberland and boyfriend. They just have to fake it 'til they make it, right?

I did not finish this in one sitting but I did finish this book in a day! It just shows that the pace of the book is pretty good, and the writing is interesting through out that it holds my attention for so long. So, well done to the author. It was pretty good and the plot was adorable.

The family aspects of this book made me miss my extended family. Majority are in a different country, and I definitely loved those parts of the book. And the gossip within the family was definitely realistic. I loved that the book touches different family members in the book and how those relationships pan out.

Friendships are also part of this book, and I love how it managed to navigate that fragile relationship. That's the best thing that I loved in this book, the relationships. Whether they were bad or good relationships, I really like how the author did it. But I also do think they went too well that it was leading to a happy ending whether we like it or not.

Finally, the romance. I'm honestly not a fan of it... I loved the fake dating troupe out of all the romance troupes, but this was not the best for me. I'll leave it at that so I won't spoil anything.

Overall, it was good. As much as I love the family aspects of the book, there were things that didn't land for me. This was a definite feel-good, and quick book to read that a lot of people will enjoy.

*I received an eARC of this book

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A wonderfully charming story! Joaquin wakes up to find that his mother has posted an Instagram photo with some micro aggression towards the queer community. He can’t help but feel it’s directed at him. When his dad and sister find out they decide they want to through him a coming out party, even though he’s already out, a party to celebrate him and show him that he has love and support. They’re calling in a Queerceanera! He doesn’t love attention but decides to go through with it anyone. Of course when his mom finds out she wants to discuss it and suggests lunch. Only problem is she wants to bring Felix, his childhood friend who ghosted him. Felix is also his mother’s godson and gay, but it doesn’t seem to bother her like it does with Joaquin. Things are a little weird but go from bad to worse when Felix announces he’s going to be Joaquin’s chambelán. All the sudden his mother sees the idea in a new light. But when the rest of his family find out and the rumor has moved Felix to his boyfriend instead of just his chambelán, the two come to an understanding about fake dating. Can they keep it up until the Queerceanera? Will Joaquin be able to approach Felix about why he ghosted him? Will his mother support him? And what if his feelings about Felix start to resurface? A quick read that will have you consuming the book! Sweet, charming, and will give you all the warm and fuzzies! If you’re like me there will be a few tears in there too! Highly recommend to all who like feel good romance stories! Especially queer ones!

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joaquin recently came out as gay, and while his dad and older sister have been incredibly supportive, his relationship with his mom is strained due to her homophobia. To celebrate both his birthday and coming out, Joaquin's dad throws a "queerceañera," a grand gesture that showcases his love. While Joaquin feels it might be a bit over the top, he appreciates his dad’s enthusiastic support.

Joaquin’s childhood best friend, Felix—who also happens to be his first love—agrees to be his chambelan for the event. The two enter into a fake dating scheme to ward off unwanted attention after Felix’s recent breakup. Their bond remains strong, and their chemistry makes for a heartwarming second-chance romance.

Throughout the story, the theme of chosen family is emphasized. Blood relations don't always define family, as Joaquin’s mom repeatedly shows through her critical and dismissive behavior toward his identity and dreams. In contrast, his dad, sister, Felix, and others show up for him with unconditional love.

This emotional, heartwarming story touches on themes of societal and familial homophobia, self-acceptance, and the importance of embracing who you are. Alex’s writing shines with warmth, sincerity, and authenticity, skillfully weaving the fake dating trope into Joaquin’s journey of self-discovery. The well-developed characters each bring unique messages about love, growth, and what it means to surround yourself with those who truly support you.