I will admit, the badass title drew me in to this book, but the content definitely lived up to it!! It's a great, snarky read, though it also deals with strict parents, poverty, homophobia, and lots of trauma (it's by no means a BREEZY read). It's a fabulous YA contemporary that doesn't wallow in pain but keeps an even balance between the fun and the intense.

What a debut! The author has such a great command of their craft--Yami's voice is vivid, the character arc resonating throughout the read, with great details sprinkled throughout and emotional moments that stick out to me. Would highly recommend this to everyone and ordered it as soon as I finished!

This was a solid YA read with some important discussions about sexuality. At times it felt a bit silly and Yamilet could be a bit much (and a bit dense) but I enjoyed the small bit of romance and the overarching message.

I really enjoyed this YA novel and thought that it did a really good job developing complicated characters who struggle and navigate a true high school experience. You want to root for them and watch them grow and I loved that.

really good, just didn't think the main character was particularly well developed :/ otherwise i liked this! and the title is unmatched for real

2022 is truly a banner year for debut YA -- I absolutely adored THE LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL and would've gladly read another couple hundred pages. Yamilet is a charmingly frustrating protagonist: her determination (and complete inability, ha) to 'play straight' at her new Catholic school while also keeping her younger brother Cesar out of trouble provides just the right amount of intrigue to what could have been a run-of-the-mill 'New Kid' or 'Coming Out' novel. Instead, Reyes piles on the surprises and keeps the reader guessing, with even the most tertiary of characters getting lovely story arcs and development. I particularly loved the familial relationships depicted in the novel, as well as Yami's sharp assessments of race, gender, class, and sexuality. I can't think of a teen in my life who wouldn't benefit from reading this fabulous novel--or who wouldn't love it!

Content Warning: homophobia,suicide attempt, biphobia, religious bullshit all around
My main complaint is that the author's note should be at the front or at least some type of small warning of these contents. If I had known about these suicide mentions ahead of time I would've been able to pace shit better and scrolled past some stuff ; this book shouldn't be read while you're sick and on your period and tired and slightly depressed as I was while reading it. Im also going to complain that the cliffhanger of Ceaser's relationship at the end made me a bit upset ; he went through so much that I would've liked to see him so happy!! He seemed like he needs a sequel to see if he ever fully accepts himself and possibly dates or at least is able to say he loves himself. Otherwise very well written and beautiful ; a story of a mother's love.

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School is, at turns, hilarious and heartbreaking as MC Yamilet Flores struggles to appear very, very NOT GAY at a conservative, predominantly white, Catholic school in Arizona, where her her single mother is working overtime to send her and her brother after bullying incidents at their previous school. The problem: Bo, an out-and-proud queer classmate with whom Yami is instantly smitten. Wearing Pride pins and rainbow Vans — and boldly standing up to homophobic teachers and administrators — Bo is a shining example of what Yami could be if only her community and her own parents didn’t make her feel so ashamed. When the strain of concealing a hidden identity take a tragic toll on her younger brother, Yami is forced to be true to herself or live in the shadows forever. Author Sonora Reyes perfectly captures the anxiety, fear, and exhilaration that come with exposing your vulnerability in order to live an authentic life. A captivating and brutally honest debut. Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this. It was funny, cute, heartwarming... I loved the characters, and how real it felt.

Sometimes books about kids in high school can feel overly flat and simplistic, like the author is dumbing down their analysis of the experience they are portraying. Thankfully, there was none of that here... high school felt like real, complicated, heartbreaking and joyful real life, just like it felt many years ago back when I was in high school.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC; all opinions are my own.

This one hit hard - and I mean HARD - for me, but in the best way possible.

Tensions between religion and sexuality within a family and surprise queer siblings are both within my persona; experience, and Reyes' added examination of racism and themes of belonging were just so good. The character voice of Yami was excellent and I loved how her struggles were shown so boldly, especially the pressure to "behave" for the white girls at the Catholic school who tried to coopt her into their friendship group. This is a stand-out queer YA that I expect to be on many lists and is probably one of my favorite reads of the year so far (I know, I know, it's only February, but I don't expect Guide to Catholic School to be bumped off the list.)

Trigger warnings for racism, homophobia (including a pre-story forced outing and parental rejection), and a suicidal character.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Great ground breaking read! 5⭐

A beautiful story about a sister and a brother struggling through upheavals and revelations and finding strength in each other. While featuring a romance for the main character (and some nice secondary character romances, as well), the central relationship of this novel is the one between the Flores siblings, and their love for each other is so powerful. Though they're at the brink of disaster in many ways, these kids are tenacious in the face of levels of adversity that no children should have to deal with—but lots of LGBTQIA children, in fact, do.

Love, love, love. Yamilet is the perfect storm of super relatable yet complex emotions:

-Utter embarrassment after being rejected by her straight best friend
-Mama-bear levels of protectiveness for her younger brother;
-Guilt tripped and emotionally manipulated by a well-meaning mother
-Nostalgia and pain over her father, who was deported when she was 10 but still in contact
-Terror at being outed and disowned by said superconservative mother, and therefore obsessed with having financial backup plans in case she were to get kicked out of the house
-Exhaustion from micro aggressions and blatant racism as one of the few POC at her school
-oh, and a burning crush on an out-and-proud classmate while trying to remain in the closet!!!

…and all of that in just the first few chapters!

The Lesbiana’s Guide is far more than a teen romance. It is nuanced and intersectional and near impossible to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review..

I wanted to like this book but I had to DNF 60% in because it was so repetitive and boring.

A novel full of heart, humor, and hope, this debut will make you laugh out loud one moment and cry the next. A must-read book of 2022.

Such a good book. Sonora Reyes captures the family dynamics of many young adults and addresses issues like sexuality, depression, suicide, deportation, homophobia, and fitting in a wonderful story. The reader easily gets lost in this story of growing up.

This was a deep and beautiful read about a girl struggling to come to terms with who she is and how she fits that into her current life. The style of writing took a while to grow on me but eventually it felt natural and the story flowed well. All characters were well developed and the story kept me guessing as time went on. I liked the ending and felt like it was a great read. I would caution those who are sensitive about certain subjects that there were plenty of different moments. Ultimately, it was a beautiful and realistic look at coming into one’s own self and proudly living that truth. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a great read.

This is a book that's just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

This book is great for a lot of reasons. There are many funny moments, the characters are relatable, and the romance is really cute. But where this book stood out to me was the main character, Yamilet. It's common in YA novels for main characters to be overshadowed by side supporting characters, but this book did not have that problem. Yamilet is a total powerhouse. Most of the plot is driven by her decisions; she's guarded and cares a lot about her family; she tries to think things through, but she also relies heavily on her emotions. Her emotions make her impulsive, and that's what made the story so engaging to me. [ (Like when she instinctively told Bo she was straight, and then immediately after accidentally told Hunter she was gay. That part had me rolling.) (hide spoiler)] While I did know some baseline plot points had to happen to keep the story going [ (i.e. she had to come out) (hide spoiler)] I was never sure what decisions she was going to make next. She's just so utterly human. I felt like I was sixteen again, reading from her point of view. It was impossible not to fall in love with her.

Of course, I still loved all the supporting characters too. I loved Ceasar in particular, and the sibling dynamic between him and Yamilet was spot-on. Bo is a cutie and Jamal is a total sweetheart. The diversity of representation was great to see as well. Reyes definitely took care in how she portrayed the struggles of dealing with racism, homophobia, mental health, having immigrant parents, living in a low-class household, and struggling with religious guilt.

Over the course of reading The Lesbiana's Guide, it's become one of my favorite sapphic books. I will definitely be rereading it at some point, but for now, I'm just going to revel in that post-read high.

As always, check Content Warnings because there are some pretty heavy topics throughout this book. CW: (view spoiler)

Thank you, NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh dear lord, I loved this book so much. I knew I’d relate, being a Catholic School veteran (and reject) as well as bisexual, but it was so much more than that. From page one, Yamilet grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. Her struggle between wanting so badly to be true to herself, and living in this world that doesn’t value what that is, was palpable. This is a beautifully written, incredibly raw, and thought-provoking work that just might stay with you forever.

Even aside from all this, and with many darker subjects (suicide, immigration and deportation, homophobia, and racism are all dealt with and presented thoughtfully by Reyes, in text and in an Author’s note) I had a lot of fun with this book! The homecoming party felt like parties I’ve actually been to, and when Yamilet flattened that creep Connor, I cheered. But I’ve been talking about Yamilet this whole time! Let’s get into side characters. CESAR. Oh, man, my mama bear senses went into overdrive with that one. I loved that boy so much. And Bo. BO. Heart eyes forever.

I feel like I’m very prone to just gushing for the rest of this review, so I’ll wrap this up for now. Books don’t come along like this for me often: the ones that make me cry, laugh, and think. This book hits all three for me and then some. This is a book that my bi Italian/Catholic heart could have sorely used at sixteen, and I’m very happy it’s in the world this year. Suffice it to say, this is 5 stars from me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this fantastic book.
Trigger Warnings: homophobia, suicidal ideation, outing, religious trauma, mental illness (depression), forced hospitilization, xenophobia, deportation, self-harm.
In Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School we begin with Yamilet following her brother Cesar to catholic school to keep him out of trouble. After a her best friend abandons her for being gay and outs her at school she can’t wait to begin with a fresh slate at a school where no one knows she’s gay. Somewhere she can stay safely in the closet until she can afford to move out if her religious mother disowns her. This gets more and more difficult however as she develops a crush on the only out lesbian at her new school, Bo. At first terrified that being friends with the only out queer person will throw suspicion onto her own sexuality she attempts to keep her distance in those first few days. She quickly realizes that Bo and her friends are going to be her best chance at real friends in this school. For a while she walks the line between desperately wanting the people in her life who care about her to know who she is and her fear of what could happen if she does come out. She yearns for safety and support. We watch Bo and Yamilet’s friendship grow closer and stronger as they begin to fall in love. It is such a sweet and loving representation of falling in love for the first time when you’re so unsure about everything else in your life.
Yamilet and Cesar’s relationship especially is fantastically written. The dynamic between the youngest that has the burden of being the ‘gifted one’ placed upon him and the eldest who takes on the problems of everyone around her. There is so much love in their sibling dynamic even in their arguments. Cesar and Yamilet each look out for the other in their own way.
Yamilet is such an amazing character to read from, I loved her so much. I loved seeing her relationship with her mother as she strives both to make her mother proud and to get enough money for an apartment if her mother kicks her out as she believes she will. I loved that the author made it clear that being out is not the only way to be queer, that one does not have to come out in order to be gay and that safety is always the most important thing. This was such an emotional read and I cannot wait to put it in the hands of so many readers.