I loved this book! Honestly, who wouldn’t love a boom full of hilarious chapter titles like “Thou Shalt Step on Legos, Bitch?” In The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, author Sonora Reyes (they/them) hits on issues like immigration, deportation, queerness, religion, mental health, and suicide. I loved the main character Yamilet and rooted for her the whole time! The addition of Mexican Indigenous culture was unexpected and lovely. I wish something like this had been around earlier than 2022, but I’m so happy that teens can see themselves in it now. I can’t wait to read more by Reyes in the future!

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Yamilet Flores could use a fresh start after being outed by her crush/best friend at her previous school. Along with her brother (who has been kicked out for fighting), the two begin at Slayton Catholic, a mostly white, very rich, religious school. No one at Slayton knows that Yami is gay, and she intends to keep it that way. What if word gets back to her super religious mother? And how can she be friends with perfect Bo, the only openly queer student at school without raising suspicion?

TW: homophobia, depression, suicide

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School was phenomenal. A great look into the life of a teenager who is just trying to fit in and avoid the homophobia that is literally around every corner. Relatable, funny, heartwarming, all in all a great read.

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!

I must preface this review by stating that I am neither Mexican, nor a lesbian. I've also never been to Catholic school. That being said, I found Yamilet, the protagonist of Sonora Reyes's debut novel, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School, to be completely and utterly relatable.

The story begins with Yamilet and her brother Cesar preparing to start their first year at Catholic school, after having only gone to public school previously. Cesar got in with a scholarship, but Yamilet must work to pay her tuition. She's primarily going to keep an eye on him, as Cesar got in quite a few fights at their previous school. At least, that's the reason she gives everyone. Her real reason for switching schools is because last school year she finally felt brave enough to come out to her best friend, for whom she then admitted to having feelings. It did not go well. Not only did it destroy their friendship, but her ex-best friend outed Yamilet to her friend group. Starting at a new school is a chance for Yamilet to have a fresh start. She can pretend to be straight until she's done with high school, she thinks.

That is until she meets the only out lesbian at the Catholic school, Bo. Bo is everything Yamilet wishes she could be. She is outspoken and opinionated, especially when it comes to issues of social justice that she feels the Catholic church is on the wrong side of. She is also proud of her queer identity, wearing rainbow colored sneakers, and a pin on her backpack that says "Homophobia is GAY." Yamilet quickly becomes friends with Bo, and that friendship leads to Yamilet majorly crushing on Bo. However, Yamilet is trying desperately to stick to her guns and be "straight," because if she comes out and her Mami catches wind of it, she is sure she will be kicked out of the house. Mami has never been subtle about her disdain for queer people.

I'm going to quit with the summarizing now, because this is starting to feel like a book report. Plus, there are too many plot threads in this novel for me to cover here--which is a good thing. The Lesbiana's Guide is deliciously complex, and all the plot elements weave together elegantly to form the whole. I know that this is Sonora Reyes's debut novel, but it doesn't read like a debut. I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.

Big thank you to Balzer + Bray for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

When this novel came across my timeline on Twitter, I knew I wanted to read. So naturally, when I saw it up for request on Netgalley, I couldn't help myself.
Little did I know it would make me cry as much as it did.

Yami carried so much on her shoulders, so much fear, so much pain that it was hard not to feel everything with her.

While Yami and I didn't have the same experience when I was her age (I was very out and loud without a care of what my classmates and family thought), it didn't stop homophobia from reaching me. There were moments I was told I wouldn't be accepted by God, a time when my mother took me to every church for a summer to see if one stuck (what a coincidence this happened shortly after I came out to her), and family members who changed towards me once I came out. Though I told myself I didn't care, that didn't make any of the things above hurt any less.

This novel has adorable moments, but it's mostly very hurtful and real fears a closeted teen goes through. Add in the religious aspect and it makes it even more difficult to read at times.

Please keep in mind that this novel deals with issues of racism, homophobia, immigration, and suicidal ideation along with the hospitalization of an important character. In the homophobia depiction, also keep in mind that it will come from an important figure in Yami's life.

I'm very glad I read this novel, it adds the third one where Queerness and Religion are interwoven, which is a touchy thing for me. I can totally see this helping a Brown Queer teen, now more than ever. It can help them feel less alone.

⭐️ 4 STARS⭐️

I absolutely adore this book! It's an amazing triple threat with a compelling plot, brilliant characters, and a narrative voice that's to die for. The combination of serious topics interspersed with cute romance and lots of humor really help cushion the blow without lessening the value. All in all, an exemplary YA contemporary that pulls no punches but still makes lots of room for having a good time.

I really enjoyed this. Yamilet is a very likable character and I loved the sibling relationship. I’m so happy with the amount of diverse queer novels coming out and I know this will be a staple once it is published. A few relationships and situations felt unfinished but it didn’t completely deter me from the plot.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Second, this book was... Amazing! I really enjoyed it! The only thing I would say is read the trigger warnings associated with it before diving in. Now on to the book.

Sonora Reyes has done beautifully here; I loved every minute of it, even the painful parts. I really loved the main cast characters, especially the narrator, Yamilet, as she grapples with who she is and how honest she wants to be with the people around her. Or even how honest she CAN be. There are so many things here about communities, families, friends, etc., that resonate somewhere deep in my bones.

It's definitely a book that can rip your heart out, but the way Reyes writes makes it so easy to keep reading, to keep going. It's paced well, the characters are relatable and understandable (two big things for me when reading novels), it's written well, and it has a nice ending. It felt... honest in a way that's sometimes hard to get from books. It felt more real to me than many other things I've read lately. I think that's why I enjoyed this novel so much.

It was so good that I'm going to read anything and everything by Sonora Reyes in the future!

5/5

This book was one of my favorites of the year. It dealt with such heavy topics in such an amazing and important way. Topics like deportation, homophobic parents, being outted, suicidal ideation, racism, micro aggressions were handled with care. This representation is so important. Reyes was able to tackle mental health struggles so well. Reyes really captured how traumatizing being closeted, coming out and being outted can be, especially for BIPOC folks.

I felt so connected to Yami and Caesar as well as Bo. Reyes makes some amazing, emotionally complex characters. There are some badass characters in here that really stand up for what they believe no matter the opposition. I also related to the guilt that religious trauma can imbed in queer youth. This book was a great mix of angst as well as joy and I'm so glad these characters were able to experience both.

Thank you to Books Forward and Sonora Reyes for letting me read this beautiful book ahead of its release in exchange for an honest review.

Sixteen year old, Yamilet is outed by her best friend, Bianca. Thankfully it’s the end of the school year and her mom wants to transfer her brother, Cesar to a Catholic school. She opts to pay her half of tuition since her mom can’t pay for both of them, so she can go as well. She wants to escape being outed by her best friend and keep an eye on her younger brother who keeps on getting in fights.
At her new school Slayton, she is determined to be as straight as possible, she even throws in a fake boyfriend. That is until she meets Bo, the school’s out lesbian.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, I loved it so much. I loved the characters, I feel like I knew them, like Yami and Cesar were family. This book covers serious topics such as race, depression, and sexual orientation that was very relatable yet humorous. You won’t regret giving this a read.

Such an amazing YA read. A story of self discovery, love, bravery, and standing up for what's right. There are plenty of queer folx in this story. Now, the pace did slow down a bit midway but it picks back up. In fact, it actually helps build an important relationship of the MC.

The cover is spot on and reminds me my hometown, San Antonio. The chanclas (and all the culture) were a nod to the Mexican American of home. I kept waiting on Umbros to show up!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

Also, major TW for homophobia and religious trauma and minor TW for self-harm.

I can see a lot of my students connecting to this novel, whether is be from religious trauma with Catholicism or with the Latinx element, or a combination of it and LGBTQ+. This wasn't always an easy read, though, especially with Yami and her mother and the struggle of LGBTQ acceptance from her mom. I really like Yami as a character though, and she felt very relatable and well developed in her personality and her struggle with her identity. I also think Bo provided a good character for Yami to pair with. The elements of culture tied in with LGBT discussions were also fantastic.

Cesar's story, Yami's brother, was equally as good, and it tugged at my heart strings. This is a good book and an eye-opening read into religious trauma, catholicism, and lgbt rights.

This was a wonderful debut from an author that I am excited to read more from. Reyes creates characters that are multifaceted and loveable. Through Yamilet, her family, community, and classmates Reyes explores themes of identity, loyalty, grief, and acceptance in a way that feel authentic and doesn't tip into melodramatic. I was impressed with the restraint used to show realistic character growth that leaves room for more change and remains hopeful for those don't change. I loved how sweet the relationship was between Yami and Bo, how they came to know and understand one another felt very age appropriate and despite some heavy moments, that relationship adds levity and reprieve that balances the book. I can see this book being important for many teens who are discovering their identity. I can't wait to see what Reyes follows this with. Thank you to NetGalley and Blazer & Bray for providing me with an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

There's a lot to love about this book, and it has a lot of strong elements. Overall though, I found it a little rough around the edges; it felt a little unfinished to me. Especially in the first half, the book felt like it missed direction. The second half proved a better experience for me, because it felt more focused, but I still felt like it could have been structured better. I just felt like a lot of the big emotional moments were a little rushed and could have gotten a little more attention. I did however love the sibling relationship especially!

DNF

Writing style really turned me off of this book. I tried for a few chapters but it read choppy and I wasn’t enjoying it

Y'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

I don't know if my review on this will do the justice it deserves. But I HIGHLY recommend this to EVERYONE. I swear on my sleeping schedule that this is WORTH IT. It speaks about the feeling of being separated from your culture: it's diverse, makes you feel like you have butterflies in your stomach, and will make you smile, laugh, and love each beautiful and heartbreakingly flawed important character with your whole heart. This instantly had the potential to become my NUMBER 1 favourite just from reading the content page; it had me dying of laughter. And guess what? IT IS MY NUMBER 1 FAVOURITE OF ALL TIME NOW. I feel happy crying because I am so glad to have read this. Thank you to the author, Sonora Reyes, and Books Forward for the advance reader copy (ARC).

I literally cried for Yamilet. The fear of people you love leaving after finding out a part of you hurts. This hits home. I didn't expect such a happy book is going to make me cry. I love this with my ENTIRE BEING. How can a book I adore make me do a short review?! I used to write an essay review for a book I love. The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes is making me speechless. I love how it doesn't solely revolve around romance. IT IS SOO MUCH MORE. I don't want to spoil so this is where my review ends...FOR NOW. I'll be rereading this and will post in my story of my reactions and add it to my highlights (I'll add a caution warning before proceeding don't worry).

CW: Side characters' stereotyping of races/racism, mentions of immigration stories, Caucacity, Past Toxic Friendships, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Religious People's Bias and Prejudice, Panic Attack, Insomnia, Forced Outing of Sexuality, Depression, Grief, Deportation, Police Trauma, Attempted Car Accident, Suicidal Ideation, and Bullying (search it up for more specifics or correct CW as mine is what I thought is TW while I read it)

With her debut novel, Sonora Reyes has crafted an incredibly touching and funny teen/YA tale about sixteen-year-old Yamilet, a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school while also learning how to love herself and the world around her.

Yamilet has recently transferred to Slayton Catholic after being outed at her previous school by a former crush and ex-best friend, a transfer also inspired by her brother's repeated behavioral concerns and her mother's desire for both of them to have better opportunities.

Tasked by her mother with keeping her brother out of trouble, Yamilet is determined to not making the mistake of falling in love again and tries her best to fit into this majority white school where the only obvious lesbian is Bo, an openly out and outspoken girl who's perfect to Yamilet in just about every way possible.

Reyes is an age-appropriate yet no holds barred writer with acknowledged trigger warnings appropriate for racism, homophobia, suicidal ideation, immigration, deportation, and mental health concerns. You shouldn't be surprised that "The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" is LGBTQ+ friendly and language can occasionally be a bit raw. While there's likely nothing in here not seen or heard in your average high school, that may prove surprising to some.

"The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" does tackle a variety of difficult subjects and does so with refreshing honesty and candor. While I at times found the narrative threads stretched a tad thin, Reyes writes through such a wonderfully culturally aware lens and with such natural dialogue that it was easy to surrender to the book anyway.

I especially admired Reyes's ability to write relational dialogue. This was particularly vibrant between Yamilet and her brother Cesar. The two have a relationship that travels broadly over the course of the book and yet Reyes' ear for dialogue remains strong throughout.

I also adored, especially as their friendship developed, the natural dialogue between Yamilet and Bo. It's dialogue that travels between sweet innocence to flirty to richly emotional and more. It's a wonderful relationship that comes to life in these pages.

Reyes packs a lot into "The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" - perhaps too much, however, she does a nice job of tying up narrative loose ends even if doing so is done somewhat cleanly. While I loved scenes toward the end between Yamilet and her mother, the dialogue around religion didn't quite click as strongly in terms of feeling honest. However, this is definitely a minor concern.

"The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" is simultaneously funny and sweet, emotionally honest and occasionally heartbreaking. These are characters you can't help but enjoy spending time with and it's pretty remarkable to think that this is a debut novel.

For those who appreciate vital LGBTQ storytelling in the teen/YA genre or those who simply appreciate rich, honest storytelling, "The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" brings the appearance of a gifted new voice whom one definitely hopes will find the audience she so deserves here.

"The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" serves up refreshingly empathetic queer storytelling devoid of the usual stereotypes and caricatures. These characters feel like any number of people I've known in my own life and I look forward to reading the works of Sonora Reyes for years to come.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School is a wonderful debut novel that unpacks the struggle of being a queer Mexican-American teen growing up within a Catholic, largely white environment. It’s very much rooted in personal trauma, but there’s a balance between unpacking that trauma and providing a sense of hope for the characters and any readers who might be in a similar situation.
Yami is incredibly relatable in her desire to do well in her prestigious school, despite the obstacles she faces, in order to make her mom proud of her. But the way she chafes at these obstacles is also relatable, from incidents of combined racism and homophobia in relation to social issues to feeling compelled to hide her sexuality, in spite of being drawn to her queer classmate, Bo, as she fears her mom’s reaction.
Ultimately, this is a story about love in its many forms, and how affirming they are, from the budding romance between Yami and Bo, to the friendships Yami forms with a few other sympathetic classmates, and, most crucially, parental and familial love. Late in the book, there’s a key moment where it reinforces one of the most important concepts of the Bible and true Christianity the that is often ignored by bigoted people: to lead with love, not hate and judgment.
With that in mind, almost all of the cast of family and friends are absolute gems…Yami’s mother is wonderful and unconditionally loving, and she has the sweetest sibling relationship with her brother, Cesar. The friend group is also colorful and fun, and I loved the subtle cultural nuances exploring their different backgrounds, as well as believable interactions among LGBTQ+ teens.
I really enjoyed this book, and I am eager to keep up with Reyes’ future projects. If you’re looking for a compassionate depiction of queerness and religion, and the relation between the two, I would strongly recommend this one.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eArc of The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School. All opinions are mine!

Being a queer adult that survived going to a Catholic high school myself, I was instantly drawn to this book by the beautiful title. And if you were raised Catholic, or even went to any religious schools, you'll relate instantly to Yamilet Flores's dilemma—how can be you be yourself where the messaging from everywhere (school, home, family) is not only that you can't be, that that it's completely and utterly wrong and immoral?

Turns out, allies are everywhere—but so are enemies. Yamilet and her brother, Cesar, start a new year at a new school. Both driven out of their old school due to fighting (Cesar) and under the guise of protecting her younger brother (Yamilet), both Yamilet and Cesar try to have a fresh start. But Catholic school isn't exactly the most forgiving place. Finding the people, classes, and teachers rigid and unforgiving, Yamilet is defensive and miserable—especially when someone she thought was her new friend turns on her in an instant. But, like Cesar, she finds her place and finds her people. Both Yamilet and Cesar have secrets weighing them down, and they'll need their new friends—and each other—to navigate the tricky waters of not just their religious high school, but living with their ultra-Catholic mother as well in order to be their true, authentic selves.

I think this book would've been five stars for me if the author had considered making it a dual narration with Yamilet's brother, Cesar—he is such a great character, and his struggles are just as important in the book as Yamilet's. At times, I found the book to be much too narrative (so much Yamilet freaking out or spinning out of control!)—but then again, what else is YA but an exploration of the inner crises of a teenager? I think that teens and adults alike can relate to many of the characters' struggles in this book, not just being a queer teenager, but also being a student of color in a majority-white school, being a scholarship kid at a relatively wealthy school, and having to struggle in secret with mental illness. I also loved how the titles of the chapters were a cheeky nod to the Ten Commandments (for example: "Honor Thy Liner and Hoops" and "Thou Shalt Confess Thy Sins—Selectively). Very clever.

One of the best MCs I've read in awhile and reading this was such a good intro to a new voice! And I love the character interactions too. Hoping to see more books from this author in the future!