Aaron Aceves's Reading List

"This book is special to me because it features a Mexican bisexual character who is both ambitious and messy, and that’s funny to me. I know that being messy and ambitious aren’t cultural identities of any one marginalized group, but it’s so interesting that books can read you and show you another side of yourself as you’re diving into them. I related a lot to Alex and it was pretty inspiring to me to see that there’s a character like me out there in a book. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . My own book was out on submission when I read Red, White, and Royal Blue . I met Casey, bought the book at the event, and I thought, okay, I hope this makes it easier for me to sell This is Why. On the other hand, I wanted to talk about all of the nuances that come out when you’re a bisexual Mexican guy who is writing a bisexual Mexican guy. I wanted to engage with the things that only I knew, and to be able to speak on that as well."

"Boyfriend Material is the book that I recommend to people after they finish Red, White, and Royal Blue . It’s that very classic, traditional story of opposites attract, where you have this upstanding, attractive, and handsome guy put together with a kind of messy and chaotic character. Although classifying it that way makes it sound like Boyfriend Material and Red, White, and Royal Blue are more similar than they really are. Boyfriend Material is a fully fleshed-out story. Oliver is the put-together one, and I love that character. I loved seeing this robotic character become gently unraveled. I related heavily to Luc, although he’s a white British man. I remember when I was on a plane, and I was reading the sequel, Husband Material , and Luc’s thought process—this fear of being a bad person and whether or not those closest to you believe that you’re a bad person—I could recognize. I’ve had that same thought many times. Reading that scene in that book made me feel less alone and made me think that, actually, people probably wouldn’t prefer to not have me in their lives. That is the true power of messy characters"

"It’s romantic, and it’s funny, and it’s entertaining—but there’s a deep discussion of identity and trauma as well. What I’m learning is that romance isn’t always cotton candy; it can delve into these complex and dark topics. I was rereading the book Beach Read by Emily Henry and I thought, oh, they get into some deep shit in this, which made me feel like it was more literary fiction—but then I remembered that no, romance can talk about heavier subjects and still identify as a romance. With Felix Ever After , there’s a lot of depth in that book, and I got to learn too, which is never a bad thing. I love that book so much."

"I was anticipating this book because I knew that it was about a gay Mexican boy. When I finished it, I felt it was everything that I want in a book. Like Felix Ever After , it is funny and smart and heartbreaking. It felt so realistic, but it also has the construction of a sitcom—with the setups. I did this with my book as well, because I love teen movies. I loved writing the snappy dialogue. I knew while writing my book, I wanted the parents to be supportive. They weren’t going to get everything right or even google the questions that they wanted to ask; they were even going to maybe say some offensive and inappropriate things, but I knew that in the end, they were going to be kind and supportive to Enrique. What I really appreciated about Fifteen Hundred Miles is that there’s an ugly truth and reality that I think is also necessary. I will also explore that in future books, but I think that Jonny does that really well in this book."

"Well, it’s about two guys working on a political campaign and they eventually fall in love. The main character, Thom, is this extremely ambitious cold-hearted guy political consultant who absolutely just hates this other guy, Clay, who works in tech. Of course, over the course of the novel, Thom starts to fall for him because they have to pretend to be together for the sake of the campaign—and trouble ensues. It has some of the best sex scenes that I’ve ever read. I feel like the mechanics of it and the language that she uses is very clear and sensual. It’s also really funny and I truly enjoyed it! I haven’t read it yet, but I’m excited to read my friend James Acker’s book, The Long Run , which came out in February. He’s a screenwriter, and I’m always excited when screenwriters venture into novel writing because I really enjoy amazing, constructed scenes. I know that he’s going to do an excellent job with this. As for books that I’ve read this year, I haven’t been reading as many 2023 releases as I’d like to. I did read You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky, who is another friend of mine. At the beginning of the year, I wanted to focus more on holiday reads , so I read that one and can’t recommend it enough."