was cute and made me cry ALSO I LOVE CESAR WHAT A CUTIE PATOOTIE

Gay. Catholic School. Religious Trauma.

I've never felt this seen!

The book is easy to read and feel-good. Kudos to the author that regardless of these, the book paved the way to create conversations about homophobia, racism, abortion, depression, and suicide, as well as many other relevant topics.

This book gave me comfort as the characters (especially Yami!) felt relatable as a teenager myself—blaming myself for trusting someone, being gay and studying at a Catholic school, carrying the pressure of being the good model, wanting to have a girlfriend, and thinking of ways to save money just in case I'll be sent out of the home after they find out I'm not straight.

I just hope there could be a chapter (or special chapter) showcasing more of Yami and Bo's relationship.

very very very cute !! love the characters a lot and i just really liked how it tackled different themes despite how easy-going the story was.

I had rated this as four stars, but upon reflection, I give it a full five. Any book that mentions the patron saint Selena receives my upmost respect.

Like all of this just feels like the author throwing in whatever plot they wanted and it's so disingenuous to the characters which I loved

This was very cute. One too many fortnight dances.

TW: suicide

3.5

This queer read was just ridiculously cute and feel good. It deals with acceptance, good old gay panic and some other hard more serious topics. And listen it’s YA…. But I don’t even care. It just reminds me so much of me when I was younger. I just wish I had more of these relatable stories when I was a teenager.

Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School Sonora Reyes ★★★★ BR: @amandapleaseread 💖 TW: homophobia, lgbtqia+ issues, mentions of suicide, immigration issues, and racism 🧠 pages: 385 🫀 genre: ya rom + contemp 🫁 pace: long/slow (≤400) 🐥 pov: yami ‘Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School’ is a debut novel by Reyes and it is a treat to read; Yami is a charming character in so many ways (even though she can be monotonous to read for nearly 400 pages because of the age gap, she’s 16). As a reader, I enjoyed how ‘Lesbiana's’ deals with a wide range of themes and issues that relate to the lgbtqia+ community both positively and negatively. Although the novel's dominant theme is homophobia, it also explores many other topics such as race, culture, status, and identity. It is emotionally moving to experience the culture within each narrative. ✨ The chapters are quite long, but the titles are so wonderfully humorous that I did not mind it. 👏🏾 As for the swearing and the wit that it emanates, I really enjoyed it! 🥹😭 A good balance exists between Yami's full authenticity and the seriousness of the topics discussed. There was no overbearing or forced behavior on the part of any of the characters, which was a pleasant experience. 🥰😌 Yami's ability to love herself was rejuvenating in a YA character; liking oneself is not the norm — though it should be — so that was one of the characteristics I appreciated most. 💖 Yami's constant ability to raise others' self-esteem was special. ✨ The purpose of ‘Lesbiana's’ is to offer a journey through coming out, the aftermath of being outed, and the often ambiguous (✨both positive and negative✨) path that coming out can take; it is not always 'easy,' and it rarely is. 😪😮‍💨

This book is sweet yet heartwarming. I love how vulnerable Yamilet as a person is and she realized at the near end that she loves Bo, even there's time to kiss her. I love Bo and her personality so much. Sonora Reyes really captured every moment beautifully. Really a great book and worth to read all over again. I surely will purchase a copy of this book because this book is very embracing. I love every second I read it with my book club! ^^ 4.5⭐

yami was made for me <33 this will always have a special place in my heart

i have so much to say about this book but I'll start crying so i won't. bo and yami the lomls (real)!

this is genuinely one of my favorite books i’ve ever read. reading this was a reminder of why i love to read so much. i have never in my entire almost 20 years of life ever related to characters as i have to the ones in the book. this was beautiful and real and so very incredible. i could go on about this book forever but that would definitely just be a bunch of incoherent spoilers so im just gonna shut up now.

as a lesbian who went to catholic school… relatable! / 4 stars

This is a super fun YA contemporary. There's lots of great rep in here from Indigenous Mexican/Mayan to inter-racial adoption and I really loved seeing how all those storied intertwined together. Additionally. I really loved the family relationships in this book. Bo's parents in particular and Yami's relationship with her brother. It's rare (but getting more common) to see strong parental figures in YA, but Reyes did a great job having them in the book without there being too much focus on it. The characters felt true to being teenagers. A little short sighted and reactionary, but really passionate about what's happening in their lives. Overall, I think this is a great read for teens - and especially Queer teens! Thanks to the publishers for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and then I bought my own copy of the book. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School Author: Sonora Reyes Book Series: Standalone Rating: 5/5 Diversity: Mexican characters, Indigenous Person of Mexico Lesbian MC, Indigenous Person of Mexico Bisexual character, Chinese Adopted Queer Character, Navajo Indigenous Atheist Character, Black character Recommended For...:young adult readers, contemporary, romance, LGBT Publication Date: May 17, 2022 Genre: YA Contemporary Romance Age Relevance: 15+ (language, gore, violence, religion, deportation, parentification, micro aggressions, racism, abortion, forced outing, homophobia, underage consumption of alcohol, depression, sexual content, suicide, suicide ideation, religious trauma, romance) Explanation of Above: The book has themes of religion (Catholicism), which mentioned all throughout the book, and religious trauma, which is shown, and how it influences people to be hateful towards those who don’t fit their perceived mold of how a person should be. This is especially evident in the homophobia shown in the book and the forced outtings. There is some slight gore with vomit and blood mentioned and some violence shown with punching a mirror and fist fights mentioned, as well as a lot of cursing. Suicide is mentioned, Depression is shown, and ideation is mentioned as well. Deportation is mentioned throughout the book, as well as racism (which is also shown) and micro agressions (which is also shown). Parentification, in the form of being forced to parent a younger sibling is shown in the book. Abortion is briefly mentioned, as well as sexual content (virginity), and there is a scene where underage characters consume alcohol and are drunk. There is also slight romance in this book. Publisher: Balzer and Bray Pages: 385 Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers drawing attention for her killer eyeliner, not for being the new kid at a mostly white, very rich, Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she's gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend, she could use the fresh start. At Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: make her mom proud, keep her brother out of trouble, and most importantly, don't fall in love. Granted, she's never been great at any of those things, but that’s a problem for Future Yami. The thing is, it’s hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. Either way, Yami isn’t going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she’ll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do? Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud. Review: I really liked this book! It was a sweet story about a girl who’s having to deal with the perceived notions of who she should be and what she is at heart. The book is equal parts heartbreaking as it is victorious and I found myself cheering for Yamilet everytime she had a little victory with being her genuine self. The book heavily reminds me of Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and Furia. I loved all of the twists and turns in the story, as those who I thought would be endgame was not and those who I had no hope for became more than I expected. I also loved the theme of “you should have been there” which plays a lot in Yamilet’s family and how they expected her to act, but also how she expected them to act. The character development was well done and the world building was great. The pacing was on point and the premise immediately drew me in and refused to let me go. The book is absolutely gorgeous inside and out and I highly recommend this read. The only issue I had with the book is that I wished there was more romance in the book as it did take a long time to get to that part, and I wished that there was a good conclusion with a certain character I had high hopes for. I loved what the family did to that character, but I wished that there was a tidbit at the end as to what their motives were and if they got around to accepting the situation. Verdict: It was amazing! Highly recommend!