News & Press
Interviews, reviews, and recognition for Phillip Vega’s five-novel catalog.Awards & Honors
Death in Utopia
- 2025 Clue Awards: Short List, Suspense and Thriller Fiction. Chanticleer Reviews.
- 2025 Clue Awards: Long List, Suspense and Thriller Fiction. Chanticleer Reviews.
Fury in Her Eyes
- 2025 Independent Press Award: Winner, Multicultural Fiction.
- 2025 Florida Authors & Publishers Association: President’s Book Award, Bronze, Adult Fiction: Romance.
- 2025 Book Excellence Awards: Finalist.
- 2024 International Impact Book Award: Winner, Romance / Romantic Drama.
- 2024 Four Seasons Book Awards: Fall Finalist.
- 2024 Literary Global Book Awards: Finalist.
- 2024 Millennium Book Award: Long List. BookViral.
- 2024 The BookFest: Second Place.
- 2024 Firebird Book Award: Speak Up Talk Radio.
- 2026 Maincrest Media Book Award: Winner, Multicultural Fiction.
Searching for Sarah
- 2021 Book Excellence Award: Winner, Fiction / LGBTQ.
Last Exit to Montauk
- 2020 Manhattan Book Awards: Winner, YA / Fiction-Romance.
- 2019 TopShelf Magazine: 1st Place, Multicultural Fiction.
- 2019 American Book Fest: Award-Winning Finalist, Fiction: Multicultural.
- 2018 The Latina Book Club: Book of the Year.
- 2017 Underground Book Reviews: Pitch Perfect Pick.
The Captain & The Queen
- 2020 TopShelf Book Awards: Dual-Finalist: Fiction: Romance and Young Adult: Romance.
Author Recognition
- 2025 International Impact Book Awards: Finalist, Author of the Year.
Press & Media
- 2026 Readers’ Favorite ★★★★★: on Death in Utopia, reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds: “The setting feels alive, the characters feel real, and the unfolding conspiracy adds a layer of depth that keeps the reader fully invested.” Mini-critique: 5/5 for Plot, Development, Formatting, Marketability, and Overall.
- 2026 Readers’ Favorite ★★★★☆: on Death in Utopia, reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke: “The ending was also a surprise and a little different from many books in the genre. Perfect for a beach read or on a cold winter’s night by the fire.”
- 2026 The Prairies Book Review: on Death in Utopia: “A tropical whodunit with biblical chills and a compelling detective.”
- 2024 The Author Show: Interview with Phillip Vega on Fury in Her Eyes.
- 2024 Manhattan Book Review: on Fury in Her Eyes: “A well-connected and nuanced narrative… suspense-filled pages.”
- 2024 Independent Book Review: “A captivating, dual-timeline thriller.”
- 2020 Newsday: Interview with Daniel Bubbeo.
- 2019 Manhattan Book Review: on Last Exit to Montauk: “There is definitely an air of the kind of romantic fiction embodied by Nicholas Sparks or John Green…”
- 2019 San Francisco Book Review: on The Captain & The Queen: “If you want a fun romance filled with reminders of what it was like to be young, look no further.”
- A fair review beats a kind oneby Phillip Vega on July 31, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Someone else saw Karen Skaryd
- She Looked Me Up in the White Pagesby Phillip Vega on July 22, 2026 at 10:05 pm
Life in the 80s
Press & Rights Inquiries
Interview requests, review copies, high-resolution cover art, and author photography are available to press on request.Film, TV, streaming, audiobook, and foreign rights are available across all five titles. Rights details →