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A review by dhwani
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
it's difficult to write a review for The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School. it's like,, i feel this book so deeply, but i've never experienced anything like it. i've fallen in love many times, but i've never felt a kiss like this, and i'm not sure where to begin or how to talk about it.
i'll probably start with this: we often forget that the world is still not queer-friendly outside of social media, and sometimes not even here. yet we continue to love, be ourselves, live as a community, and live as this incredibly huge family despite not knowing every queer person out here. that, i believe, is one of my favorite parts of being queer.
the book is the journey of Yamilet (Yami) Flores when she joins a catholic school to keep an eye on her brother Cesar who always seemed to be getting into fights in their previous school and run away from Bianca, her ex-bestfriend who outed her and made her first coming-out experience living hell
Yami's only goal in the new school is to stay closeted and never make the same mistake of coming out again, until she meets Bo. Bo who stands up for herself, is charming, compassionate, friendly, kind and gorgeous.
she's the only openly gay person at school and Yami finds herself getting drawn towards her. but mission stay closeted remember??😭
this book has everything you expect from a queer YA book: the messy teen characters as well as the queer joy from using the word “lesbian” for the first time. it's the freedom that comes with wearing rainbow socks and putting pride pins on your schoolbag.
i have a younger brother and every Yami-Cesar scene made me think of my love for him; their duo was so beautiful and their love was written so intricately like they were the only two jigsaw pieces that made up a puzzle and nothing else mattered and no other pattern fit other than them, beside each other always, making a whole together. it is very rare to see familial bond being given a greater importance in front of romantic love in YA books, but reading about Yami and Cesar brought tears to my eyes.
it was my favourite part <3
the book depicts the life of a Mexican person at white-dominated spaces, the unconditional love of a parent for their children, the power that comes with putting your feelings first, the first love that comes with butterflies and looks like a field full of roses as well as the accurately portrayed importance of mental health and well-being.
in conclusion, i highly recommend this book but please check tws before reading please!!
i'll probably start with this: we often forget that the world is still not queer-friendly outside of social media, and sometimes not even here. yet we continue to love, be ourselves, live as a community, and live as this incredibly huge family despite not knowing every queer person out here. that, i believe, is one of my favorite parts of being queer.
the book is the journey of Yamilet (Yami) Flores when she joins a catholic school to keep an eye on her brother Cesar who always seemed to be getting into fights in their previous school and run away from Bianca, her ex-bestfriend who outed her and made her first coming-out experience living hell
Yami's only goal in the new school is to stay closeted and never make the same mistake of coming out again, until she meets Bo. Bo who stands up for herself, is charming, compassionate, friendly, kind and gorgeous.
she's the only openly gay person at school and Yami finds herself getting drawn towards her. but mission stay closeted remember??😭
this book has everything you expect from a queer YA book: the messy teen characters as well as the queer joy from using the word “lesbian” for the first time. it's the freedom that comes with wearing rainbow socks and putting pride pins on your schoolbag.
i have a younger brother and every Yami-Cesar scene made me think of my love for him; their duo was so beautiful and their love was written so intricately like they were the only two jigsaw pieces that made up a puzzle and nothing else mattered and no other pattern fit other than them, beside each other always, making a whole together. it is very rare to see familial bond being given a greater importance in front of romantic love in YA books, but reading about Yami and Cesar brought tears to my eyes.
it was my favourite part <3
the book depicts the life of a Mexican person at white-dominated spaces, the unconditional love of a parent for their children, the power that comes with putting your feelings first, the first love that comes with butterflies and looks like a field full of roses as well as the accurately portrayed importance of mental health and well-being.
in conclusion, i highly recommend this book but please check tws before reading please!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Deportation