A review by jayisreading
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

This queer coming-of-age novel was so full of love, even if the overall tone was one of sadness. It really warmed my heart to know that the protagonist, Daniel, who is a young gay Mexican American, received so much support from his loved ones. Whether it was while he was trying to find his footing at an elite Northeast US university as a first-gen scholarship student, or in México where he reflected further on his identity and family history, he always had a support system brimming with love. I found it refreshing that Ordorica leaned into writing this novel from a place of tenderness as a way to frame Daniel’s journey of self-acceptance. One way this was shown was through Daniel’s friendship with his roommate, Sam, which became something more as time passed. I really appreciated seeing such gentle acts of care between these two young men, and my heart ached when it became clear that Sam wasn’t fully ready to accept this change in their friendship. A second form of tender love that moved me was Daniel’s relationship with his family, particularly his abuelo. It was wonderful to see how often Daniel’s family said “te amo” to him, to know that they would always be there for him. I think this particularly struck me because, as a queer person of color from an immigrant family like the protagonist, I feel that “I love you” is something many of us rarely hear, so it made me happy that Daniel’s life was filled with te amos.

Structurally, I found it effective that we not only got Daniel’s first-person perspective for this novel, but that it was done in a journal-like form that was being written to Sam (who was addressed as “you” throughout). I thought it really brought Daniel’s introspective personality to the forefront, allowing the reader to really understand what he’s going through. As a result, all the intimate moments that Daniel had (especially with Sam) were especially powerful and heartbreaking.

I did feel the ending was a little abrupt, but overall, this was a beautiful debut novel from Ordorica that made me long for more coming-of-age novels that centered care and gentle love for QTBIPOC.

Note: I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an ARC. 
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