Cesar is a Latinx, queer, teen recently diagnosed with BPD and not yet "out" at his school. He is seen as the charmer, "the Golden boy," with good grades and a positive attitude; he makes friends easily. Raised Catholica and attending a new Catholic school after being bullied for his queer identity, he continues to bargain with his faith, spirituality, and whether the morals impressed upon him allow him to get back together with the boy he loves, his ex-boyfriend, Jamal. A deeply emotional read that is gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and relatable for those experiencing mental illness. I absolutely loved this book, alongside The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School, I will be recommending to readers for years to come!

I’m so sad to say nothing about this was working for me which is such a shame because I really loved the first book. I’m so grateful for the chance to read this even if it didn’t work out.

I disliked the rambly prose and I found Caesar an insufferable character to be inside the head of. I get he has a lot going on and this is a pretty accurate portrayal of teenage mental illness but I dreaded picking this book up again each time until I finally DNF’d at 30%

Truly did not think I would love this as much as Lesbiana’s, because the bar was so high. But the Golden Boy’s shines in its own way, and this is a super special, super important book for teen readers today.

Ugh, I adore Sonora Reyes so much! I became a fan and her work became my favorite just last year. This book was a masterpiece that really resonated with me on different levels. All the characters were easily liked despite some discrepancies within them. This book left me feeling all sorts of emotions. Happy endings do exist. The amount of research and evidence that went into this story went unnoticed. You can tell that Reyes took her time with this one. There were parts where I have hated Cesar for how he treated others but then I simply could relate because I too have been there and done those things. This book was a great depiction of what mental health issues look like, how they manifest outside of the mind and other areas of your life. This writing piece was both reflective and wholesome. I cannot wait to get my physical copy and I cannot wait for the next writing piece Reyes drops.

This was solid! I think Cesar is a good narrator because YA so often sanitizes the reality of what struggling with a mental health disorder is actually like, but Cesar is in the depths of it and Reyes has done an extremely good job of articulating that while also not making it seem hopeless, even if Cesar believes it is in the moment. It's a frustrating read for an adult who has already made many of these mistakes and is somewhere between bored and annoyed watching someone else do it very obviously, but that also means that the teenagers who don't know it yet and need to see it will do so in a way that doesn't feel particularly preachy or condescending. I also really liked the chapter naming!

It was a little long and I wish there were less front matter -- a trend in YA I have disliked for a long time and hate even more as I see it become more common in adult books. I do not want to know an author's life story or why they wrote something before I've even gotten to read it! Leave me alone please! -- though that may also be a symptom of reading an ARC (Thanks, NetGalley! Thanks, HarperCollins!) but it was a worthwhile read nonetheless.

Hmmm, honestly no one is doing it like Sonora Reyes (in my incredibly humble biased opinion but still!).

I loved the illustration and layering that Sonora brought out in Cesar's story, and I think we need more books like this. Thank you for a heartfelt, authentic, tender story about a kid navigating this.

4.5/5 Stars.

A fantastic companion novel to the THE LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL told through Cesar's point of view as he navigates school, love, and family while working to manage his bipolar. A wonderful revisit to the world of the Flores family and handling the topic of mental illness with nuance and care, Reyes continues excel in her newest work.

Thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC.

Cesar Flores is seventeen years old and ready to win back his ex-boyfriend. Since breaking up with Jamal, trying to stay in the closet, Cesar comes out to his sister Mami, Yami, and their friends. He’s finally taking his meds faithfully, and gotten his therapist’s blessing. Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for The Thoughts - the ones that feed his internalizations and Catholic guilt. When a manic episode takes him over, convincing him that he doesn’t deserve Jamal, or anyone else. It’s a all or nothing choice for him to make now, but will he take the risk to be vulnerable or burn it all down?

This is a slice-of-life book that tries to describe what it’s like inside the mind of a person with bipolar disorder. A person who also happens to be struggling with internalized homophobia, bisexual masking gay tendencies, and family and religious traumas. It is meant to feel raw and intimate as Cesar stops his meds, pushes those who love him away, and spirals into a depressive episode despite being in therapy. I really wanted to love this one.

It is written well enough. The internal dialogues are excellent examples of what it’s like to have such an internal saboteur voice in your head. There is plenty of queer and BIPOC representation, which is fantastic. What it lacked for me was depth. There are all these negative pieces in Cesar’s life and very little he sees as positive. But somehow at the end there’s hope for him? I wanted to root for him too, but felt like the ending was slapping a bandage on a wound and thinking it will heal well. There were just too many threads being left loose for me to fully embrace the story.

Content Warnings:
Major - Ablism, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Biphobia, Outing,
Moderate - Suicide attempt, Bullying, Panic attacks/ disorders, Religiousbigotry
Minor - Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization

Rarely do I read a book that feels so real I have to put it down and walk away, but "The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar" was one of those rare instances. Cesar is a senior in high school who is dealing with family conflict, internalized homophobia, and... bipolar disorder? Cesar knows he is definitely NOT bipolar so he stopped his meds, but he is the worst person alive and people don't deserve to be friends with him and his homework can wait and he is going to hell and God sometimes talks to him and he's hungrier than usual and sometimes doesn't sleep and...

Sonora Reyes does a wonderful job creating Cesar's spiral, and readers get a glimpse of what it's like to be bipolar.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins for the ARC!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story was beautifully written. While I struggled a bit to get in the mindset of a petulant misunderstood teenager I think the author truly captured that angst and internal swirling thoughts.

Cesar is a teenager whose father was deported and raised him to think god couldn’t love him if he was queer. A mother who was doing her best to love and support 2 children. A boyfriend he’s ashamed to love who also happens to be his best friend. A sister he puts his well being before her own always. A neighbor who was like a stand in grandmother throughout his childhood. A bully who makes his life miserable and ultimately ends up threatening his continued existence. And a grandmother who reconnects and helps him discover how to manage his mental health diagnosis, manic episodes, relationship with god, and acceptance of his sexual identity.

I didn’t think I could ever truly understand what it is like for someone with bipolar disorder to go through the rollercoaster of emotions, depression, sleep deprivation, and manic episodes until getting the chance to experience it through Cesar’s point of view. I came out of this story having a bigger appreciation for this struggle not only for the person experiencing it but for the loved ones tangled in the net.

The relationship between Cesar’s mental illness, religious upbringing, estranged father, best friend/boyfriend, loving sister and mother he felt he was a burden to, and his grand mother all intertwined perfectly. Cesar has to deal with his undiagnosed mental illness while balancing his relationships with everyone and finally seeing a pathway forward when reconnecting with his grandmother who also struggled with bipolar disorder, religious upbringing, and queer identity. The parallels were drawn to help the reader experience perspectives from all angles and truly empathize with coming to terms with the choices made.

Overall I initially connected with this story because it was written by a local author who went to the same high school I did so I was interested in their perspective. By the end of this story I appreciated the journey into mental health and the honesty behind it.

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Publishing for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!!

I struggle what to write for this review because I loved this book so much. I don't know which words to use to convey the emotional journey I witnessed, but I shall try: Cesar has bipolar mood disorder and struggles with his symptoms for most of the novel. Not only that, but he is figuring out if he is ready to be out as bisexual and get back together with his ex-boyfriend Jamal. However, the catholic guilt had him rethinking everything about himself, which leads him to spiral into a manic episode.

This is an intimate portrayal of a teen boy dealing with a mental illness. Each chapter title gives the reader a heads up on what is on Cesar's mind but also correlates to a symptom of bipolar. Therefore, you can see when he starts to spiral and make many self-destructive decisions and pushing his support system away (Yami, his mother, and Jamal). Reyes does not shy away from portraying Cesar in these dark moments; however, there are pockets of hope and light throughout. Cesar does allow his support system to help him and starts to learn how to accept his mental illness, sexuality, and himself.

Overall, Reyes does not miss with their YA contemporaries! This book ends on a lighter and hopeful note for those who struggle with mental illness.

I loved the mental health rep and I enjoy Sonora Reyes world that grapples with a realistic representation of mental health struggles and teenagers existing.

This was an amazing sequel to “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School.” It follows Cesar, and explores his mental health issues in a thorough and thoughtful manner. I really enjoyed seeing things from his perspective, and overall this book was very good.

Stellar. The rep in this book is unmatched. I love that this is a continuation from book one and centered characters from the story. There is queer rep of course and also bipolar rep. Fantastic read. Thank you NetGalley for the EARC

Reyes' YA novel is a truthful and difficult look at a high-school senior struggling with bipolar disorder. As we meet Cesar, he is trying to decide if he should get back together with his ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jamal. But they broke up because Cesar went to confession and was told he would go to hell for having a same-sex relationship. So what's a bisexual boy to do?

Cesar's spiral starts quickly and while there are moments of humor, he struggles deeply with suicidal ideation and the side effects of his disease. Sent to live with his abuela for a time, he finds out why his mom and abuela are estranged and that she's more like him than he realized.

The hilarious chapter titles bring this book a light note to a heavy topic, and I think Reyes does a great job portraying a mental health struggle and healing.

The easiest 5 stars 🩷 I love The Lesbiana’s Guide To Catholic School so I was so excited to get more of this world and getting to see more of their story! Being in Cesar’s head was difficult and messy and devastating and hard but it was also brought me so much hope and joy at times! Cesar was struggling and seeing him spiral downward and try to push everyone away was heartbreaking and there were multiple times where I had to stop reading because I couldn’t see through the tears but it was so real and important to see him go through so many stages on page. I’m so glad we have books like this, especially YA books, that I think can help so many people, young and older. I’ve never dealt with bipolar disorder myself but I deal with other mental illnesses and I know how comforting it is to find those parts of myself in characters so I’m glad so many people will have that will Cesar!

There’s honestly a lot I can say about this book but I don’t think my words will ever be able to explain how much I loved it and how important it is more than just saying that I highly recommend it (heed the content warnings) and can’t wait for it to be out in the world for everyone to read 🩷

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

I LOVED both of Reyes' previous young adult novels and could not wait to read this one! I would highly recommend reading The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School before reading this title, as it is in many ways a continuation of that story, from Cesar's perspective instead of Yami's.

This book gutted me, but in a way that has helped me be a more understanding human. Readers are able to follow Cesar's struggle with bipolar disorder and really see inside his head and how he rationalized pushing people away, etc. As a teacher, it was really eye-opening to see his thought process and better understand why some of my students might act withdrawn and angry due to forces often beyond their control.

There are also several side plots that will have readers rooting for so many characters to follow their hearts and be their authentic selves--loved them all! I will definitely be adding a copy of this to my classroom library!

5 stars – This book meant a lot to me Wow. This one hit deep. The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar is raw, honest, and beautifully written. Sonora Reyes doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff, but they also bring so much warmth and hope to the story. The main character felt so real—funny, vulnerable, messy in the most relatable way.

I cried, I laughed, and I saw pieces of myself in these pages. It’s not just a book about mental health—it’s about identity, friendship, survival, and learning to love yourself even when it’s hard. I wish I had this book as a teen. I’m so glad it exists now.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar.

DNF, I know, I'm sorry, I triiiiiiied! In my defense, I read 78% of this book, and finally thought, why am I doing this to myself. I understand wanting to shape a picture of the intersection between queerness, mental health, and Christian sexual dogma, but it just didn't go anywhere, at least not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity of reading and reviewing this arc! 🩷

➩ rating: 4.25 ✰

➩ review: As soon as I saw this book on my Netgalley I knew I had to take the risk and apply for it. I read The Lesbianas Guide to Catholic School back in 2022 when I started reading and I fell in love with the way Sonora Reyes can make characters feel so real and relatable, especially as a latina woman who is queer. This book deals with so much, it talks about religion and the catholic guilt, about the struggles of mental health and learning how to accept it and ask for help, about complicated relationships with family and friends. It truly is an exploration of life in a character, you feel every emotion our main character is feeling, you see things from his point of view the way he’s seeing them and experiencing it. I loved the story and the growth, the acceptance that not everything is black and white, the complicated relationship a queer person can have with God. Also loved the romance and while that is not the main thing in this book you also get invested in it and you see all the struggles they went through. All safe to say, I really liked this and Cesar will hold a special place in my heart with his story.

Some quotes I loved:

❃ “Maybe there is something holy about loving every part of someone else, even, and especially, the parts made just like you.”

❃ “But what I do know is that you exist, Cesar. I thought we were going to lose you, but you’re still here. And I need you to know that your life is just as holy and precious as any god.”