Sonora Reyes' debut, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School, kicked me in the chest when I read it last year. It's a phenomenal queer YA debut and I highly recommend a read if you've yet to read it.

Reyes' second novel, The Luis Ortega Survival Club, also hit me in the chest, but differently. Although we follow another queer adolescent who is coming to terms with her sexuality, the plot is heavy. Seriously heavy. This book deals with the aftermath of rape and although it's dealt with sensitivity and the event is off-the-page, this left me feeling worn out and sad while reading. This does not take away from the power of this novel though and it's an important read that is executed brilliantly.

A big part of this book is about Ariana's friendships with other victims of Luis Ortega. I loved their group's dynamics and it was heartwarming to follow - particularly in the way they interact with Ariana, who is neurodivergent. If this is the stuff that young adults of today get to read, then I can only imagine how aware and compassionate this future generation will be. A fantastic novel by Reyes which I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins/Balzer + Bray for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

When we first meet 16 year-old Ariana "Ari" Ruiz, she is leaving Emmanuel "Manny" Roberts' party after just being raped by Luis Ortega, a boy she actually really liked up until then. She got home and tried as hard as she could to scrub away what happened to her, but to no avail; she still felt dirty.

Ari is neurodivergent, although she has never gotten an official diagnosis because her parents don't believe in going to psychiatrists, therapists, or doctors for certain things. She describes herself as "autistic with a heavy dose of selective mutism." She has to be very comfortable around someone in order to talk, often referring to a sea witch that holds her voice captive. Along with this, she also doesn't like to be touched without permission.

Ari gets a note one day in her locker that has "Me too" and the Tumblr handle "TLOSC" (The Luis Ortega Survival Club) written on it. She finds out that she isn't the only one Luis has hurt. Eventually, she decides to take them up on the offer to meet in room 205, discovering who else is part of the support group: Angel (an ex-friend of Luis' that is only there to support Jasmine), Jasmine Mendez, Nina De La Cruz, and Shanaya "Shawni" Rodriguez. At first, Ari has mixed feelings about the revenge the club wants to plan, but that all disappears when she overhears Luis talking to his friends about her, proud of his actions. It was then she knew she was all in on taking him down.

Despite all of this trauma, there is some romance in the air as well ;)

There is a whole side story about Ari's parents. Her mom keeps cheating on her dad with the people she works with. She uses Ari as the very therapist she doesn't believe in seeing, always wanting to hang out with her, and tells her that she is her best friend. Her father is almost never home, working late to avoid the situation at home, but in doing so also keeping himself from Ari in the process.

I really loved this one. The characters were endearing and kept me wanting to come back and read more. I will definitely be recommending my library purchase this once it comes out.

Sonora Reyes has done it again! Her sophomore novel, The Luis Ortega Support Club, is just as phenomenal as her first- perhaps even more so. I was so delighted to get an ARC copy of this from Harper Collins and NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

Ariana is a neuro diverse teenager that wants desperately to be noticed and loved, even if she is often too nervous to speak. When she gets attention from Luis, Ariana feels so happy until he uses her shy personality against her to be intimate. When the rumors start flying all over school, Ariana is devastated. But then she receives an anonymous message from someone who wants to get revenge on Luis. What should Ariana do?

As Ariana tries to learn more about the mysterious message sender, what blossoms is a beautiful and deep group friendship where everyone can be themselves. The found family in this book is one of my favorites I've ever read. I love how Reyes writes believable, loveable, flawed outcasts and brings them together to support each and themselves. I really can't put into words how beautiful Ariana's transformation through trauma is in this book.

And it's not just the sexual assault storyline, there is so much richness and so many layers to this story. Ari struggles to communicate with her mom and dad who are at a rocky point in their marriage. The other friends in the novel have their own very well developed stories and problems as well, and they receive adequate and well written attention too.

The way this novel resolves is absolutely something you have to read to experience yourself. Do they get revenge? Will Luis' pattern of sexual assault be revealed? Will Ari and her friends be silenced by people with more power and influence? What does the future look like regardless of the outcome?

Read this book and soak up Ari's story, don't miss this one friends.

Ariana Ruiz doesn't have many friends and most people pretty much ignore her. Until Luis Ortega. Luis is the most popular guy at school, so Ariana can't believe her luck. She doesn't talk but Luis doesn't mind. After a party were they have sex, Ariana feels pretty confused, she's not mad at him per se but she feels really weird about it and doesn't think she actually wanted it but it's not like he asked... Then, a rumor about it starts in the school and Ariana receives a message about getting revenge on Luis... But is it really what she wants?

I liked this book, it talked about hard subjects that are not easy for me to read about but it was done in a great way. I definitely related to Ariana in a lot of ways and I loved seeing her through her journey. The side characters were great, I loved the whole group though it took me some time to fully distinguish who was whom. I was really into the romance part and I really liked seeing this relationship evolve and grow.
I did feel like the characters read a bit young for their age but I didn't mind. I was not a fan of the parents though, especially the mother and while it did raise some interesting points, the resolution of this situation rubbed me the wrong way. That was the thing that put me off the most in this book, what kept me from giving it more stars.
Overall though, this was really good, I would definitely recommend it and I cannot wait to read more books or stories by Sonora Reyes.

3.5 stars

After loving Reyes's last YA novel, I couldn't wait to crack this one. For me, this one isn't as compelling as its predecessor, but there are still a lot of strong points.

Ari, the m.c., is a neurodivergent teen who does not speak (usually), who finds herself fairly disconnected from others, and who experiences a horrible trauma at the start of the novel. After she is raped by a classmate, Ari struggles to understand what she perceives as her role in the outcomes and how she might proceed in the aftermath. On top of this terrible assault, Ari's also facing challenges at home and at school. Ultimately, it's the thought partnering of several survivors of Luis Ortega that allows them to come together, establish unity and trust, and better understand what has happened to them.

Prospective readers need to be mindful of the various warnings Reyes outlines in the author's note, which include "bullying, slut shaming, rape culture, sexual harassment, and off-page rape." Folks who are sensitive to these topics need to know that the entire novel centers on this content. Reyes clearly brings in many important issues here, and so many readers will find the processing and discussion of these topics applicable and useful.

I did struggle with the pacing a bit for about the first third of the novel, and having not had that experience with Reyes's previous work, this surprised me to some degree. That noted, the characters and situations are compelling, and I'll be recommending this to students with all of the TWs included.

I will be withholding my review until the HarperCollins Union receives a fair contract. That being said please do however check trigger warnings for this as it includes very sensitive topics, don't go in blind like I did.

4.25/5 ⭐️

Sonora Reyes has officially become an auto-buy author for me. They did a magnificent job balancing the hard subjects of rape and SA while also having fun, uplifting moments.

I loved the friendship Ari and the others had created. They all supported each other so much and it was so sweet.

I also adored the way autism was portrayed here. It was so well done and thought out.

Ari and Shawni were so freakin adorable. I loved the way they slowly came to trust each other.

Overall, a fantastic sophomore novel and I’m so excited for it to come out.

TW: ableism, rape (off-page, past), SA (off-page, past)

Reading books about neurodivergent characters so clearly written by neurodivergent authors feels like such a comfort. Sonora Reyes's writing feels like a hug.

Poignant and incredibly authentic, it’s one that had be sobbing both happy and devastated tears. It touches a nerve. I desperately need people to read this book, cause it is that GOOD.

This book immediately caught my attention based on the title, and the premise intrigued me. I love friendship stories and taking down the people who cause harm. I wonder, though, if this is an instance where I’m too old to enjoy this as much because while I see why certain actions were taken and choices made by the characters, it’s hard to condone them. A scene that especially stands out is after Ariana is sexually harassed, the boy’s mother finds out and publicly spanks him and forces him to apologize to Ariana for what he did; I can see how that feels like justice, especially the embarrassment he’s made to feel, but all I could do was cringe. I do think this is an important story and I hope folks who need it find it and are empowered by it, but in the end this was more okay than life altering for me.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

II will not be posting my review until the HCP Union is heard by HCP and they are no longer on strike.

That said, please heed the author’s note: Please note that this book deals with issues of bullying, slut shaming, rape culture, sexual harassment, and the aftermath of an off-page rape. I have done my best to depict these topics with care and sensitivity. If these are difficult subjects for you, please take care of yourself and know that your mental and emotional well-being come first.

Ariana Ruiz is an autistic girl who struggles with selective mutism. She’s ignored by others for the most part because of how quiet she is. Until Luis starts to give her attention. Luis is a popular guy. He doesn’t care that Ariana doesn’t talk. He likes it, actually. He makes Ari feel seen, like he cares about her. They’re at a party one night where they end up having sex. She didn’t consent, exactly. She didn’t say yes, but she didn’t say no, either. And suddenly, everyone at school knows. Can she finally find her voice and speak out that yes, she was sexually assaulted by Luis? Or will she give in to his charm and let it go?

This book deals with sexual assault, nudes being leaked, people being slut-shamed, etc. If you’ve struggled with things like that in the past, it can be hard to read at times, but the author definitely handled the story with care. Real things happened in it the way they happen in real life.

I also related a lot to the main character, Ariana. I too, struggled with selective mutism when at school and was bullied a lot. It was nice to read a story that I could relate to very well. It’s a very important story to tell, as well. The main character doesn’t say no, and a lot of people seem to think that means they consented, even though they actually didn’t.

I’ve read another book by this author in the past and loved it, and this one definitely did not disappoint. I struggled in a similar situation when I was in school, and I think the author did a great job at making it feel real. I related to Ari so much while reading it. I think this is one of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time.

Thank you so much to Net Galley for sending me a free early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will be withholding my full review in support of the HarperCollins Union strike, and will share once the Union has been offered a fair contract.

This book was a really fun read. However the cheating plot line with the MC parents felt weird and out of place. Other than that I enjoyed the book.

Sonora Reyes creates another phenomenal protagonist with THE LOUIS ORTEGA SURVIVAL CLUB. I absolutely loved Reyes' first YA novel and this new book is a very strong follow-up. Ariana, the main character, is autistic with selective mutism; she's very aware of what she needs even though she can't always articulate it verbally. It's this reason that Louis Ortega seeks her out. This kicks off the story that then leads Ariana to meet and develop friendships with Shawni and several other people, all of whom has "survived" Louis. Reyes has such a talent in developing complex families and setting protagonists on a journey to building LGBTQIAP+ communities. I didn't want this book to end and would gladly follow Ari and her friends again.

Reyes has done it again. Another beautiful story. This book had such great representation and I believe many can find themselves in someway in this book. I loved seeing a group of such different people coming together. I enjoyed Ariana’s character and was intrigued with every page. I highly recommend.

This book is about an autistic teen who suffers a sexual assault, and the creation of a type of "me too" movement about the boy who raped her. I especially enjoyed this reading because of the autistic representation. As an autistic person afab, I don't see a lot of good representation of autistic women, but this book narrated the autistic, queer, latine experience really well. I could really relate to the main character.

5/5 stars! This book made the broken girl in me ugly cry. The representation in this story was incredibly moving and having an Autistic MC is so important. Reading Ari's experience and watching her build a support system and work through her trauma was EVERYTHING.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

THE LUIS ORTEGA SURVIVAL CLUB is intersectional, autistic & queer John Tucker Must Die meets Laurie Anderson's SPEAK. It's a must read that will immediately draw in readers of realistic or social justice fiction. Includes an unlikely group of friends supporting each other through hardships and successes.

When the whole school thinks they know what happened between Ariana Ruiz and Luis Ortega at that party, Ari starts receiving unwanted attention and rude comments. As an autistic girl with selective mutism, she struggles to speak her truth and struggles even more to understand what happened and who's behind it. As Ari investigates the rumors, she connects with a group of students who have their own reasons to be against Luis Ortega. As they plot their revenge, their lives will be changed forever.