Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Luis Ortega Survival Club

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

30 reviews

mezzythedragon's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Oof. An important read for everyone, not just for teens, though they definitely need this book. I like how Reyes captures abusers and their enablers, and how they manipulate their victims and their feelings towards them.

While I’m glad Luis got his in the end, I wish I had seen his punishment in real time. First he threatens Ari, and in the next chapter, the epilogue, he’s a registered sex offender. I would have liked to see him suffer.

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danaslitlist's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sonora Reyes really is the writer that I wish I had growing up, but who I’m beyond grateful exists as an author now. This is such an important book in so many ways and I really respect them for their courage, attention and care that they put into writing a story that centers sensitive topics.

I didn't love this as much as I loved The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. Mainly because I felt as that this book is a bit too long for the amount of material inside, some moments felt too drawn out or repetitive. And while I can’t blame the characters for thinking like teenagers, because they are teens, some of the plot points really had me going “did you really think that would work?”. But those are just minor flaws in an otherwise wonderful book and I wasn’t disappointed in this sophomore novel from Sonora Reyes.

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sophiesmallhands's review

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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lingfish7's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

📖🎧This might be my new absolute favorite Latinx YA book! This is the first book by this author I’ve read, and I am so obsessed. Not only does this book explore rape and the me too movement, but it also explores autistic representation and the intersection between being different and being taken advantaged of.

⚠️TW: rape, sexual harassment, bullying, neurodivergent discrimination

The main character is a Latinx, autistic, selectively mute teenager. Ariana has a close relationship with her parents, but her parents are going through some things in their marriage that further make Ariana feel isolated. The book opens with a scene where Ariana is waiting for an Uber ride home from a party she attended. At this party, she recalls how Luis never asked her if she wanted sex, and since she is selectively mute, she couldn’t say no. After a season of loneliness and hurt, she finally finds friends - friends who have also been harmed by Luis. They form a club: the Luis Ortega survival club.

This book so beautifully captured the overstimulating experience of being autistic, as well as the gaslighting experience of being raped. The found family community made my heart sing with happiness and the revenge at Luis made everything right again. I can’t even explain how powerful this book was, it gave me all the feelings. ✨💕

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jkreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a wonderful book! I adored the relationships that formed over the course of this story, both romantic and platonic. I felt that this book handled some incredibly sensitive topics with grace and care, not dancing around them but also not falling into trauma porn.

It was so refreshing to read a book written from the perspective of an autistic person with selective mutism, I’ve read books in the past with an autistic MC but I think this is the first one I’ve read that had that added mutism/nonverbal component. I’m not part of the autistic community however I’m always looking for more stories with good rep! There was some ADHD rep and this is a community I AM a part of, I felt the small glimpse we got to see of that was pretty well done.

There were also a range of different sexualities and gender expressions represented throughout the book and I felt these were weaved in well - they didn’t feel tokenistic or forced, just realistic and representative of a typical high school and of society as a whole.

Overall I adored this book, the audio narration was a wonderful easy listen and I fell in love with the characters very quickly. The way they loved and looked out for each other was so beautiful.

Definitely be mindful of content warnings going in to this one, as I mentioned earlier it addresses some topics that may be triggering for some.

Content Warnings

skye_era_books's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Literally 5 million stars. Please note that this deals with rape/SA. I absolutely love the main characters. I’ve never read about a semi-mute autistic person so this was so interesting to read from their perspective! Such an amazing sound family trope, even if they came together for such a horrible reason. I’m so glad they all have each other and that

Luis Ortega was brought to justice!!

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guillen_reads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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_moonsongenthusiast_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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beesneysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I love it when 🥰🥰. The bond that these characters built from a shitty situation is everything. As a girl who has a similar story, I truly believe these bonds are irreplaceable. I also loved how each character changed and grew into themselves through the book.

Ari's grow, specifically, means so, so much to me.

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sundayfever's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is the YA revenge fic I needed. Wish all the real life SA stories ended in such a satisfying way. Queer and neurodivergent POC characters kick ass.

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