Is it really a Sonora Reyes book if I don't cry?
I liked that the MC had autism. Non-white female character with autism is not a perspective that I read often and I loved how her family and friends treated her like a normal teenager, supporting her when she needs help but also backing off and letting her be independent. I liked the way her thought process was laid out whenever the story developed and how her autism is a core part of her being without being infantilising or weird about a female MC with autism. Instead of it being a 'super power' or the worst thing to ever happen to her, she just lives. Disabled people are at high risk of being SAed especially because people don't think that they have (consensual) sex, or their disability means that they can't physically get away or that they are incredibly trusting (which people take advantage of).
I liked the respect of boundaries and autonomy.

when Shawni wants to hold Ariana's hand or hug her she asks. Even during the revenge plot against Luis, the group of friends respect when Shawni gets too upset to talk about her abusive relationship or when Jasmine doesn't want to talk about her experience, the group respects her boundaries. Even when the group first messages Ariana through tumblr, they respect that at first, Ariana doesn't want revenge.

I loved the friend group and how supportive they are of each other. I loved how

they made an effort to meet up outside of their club and hang out and learn about each other. I loved the diversity within the group as it showed that trans/GNC people are also at risk of SA and I loved that Angel wanted to support someone he cares about. Jasmine and Angel's dynamic is really cute and I like that he moves at pace to make her comfortable. Shawni and Ariana are also such a cute couple, I was smiling so hard every time they talked esp in the 2nd half of the book. It made me sad to imagine what Shawni had gone through when asking permission to hang out with someone else

.
I'm glad Luis

got his comeuppance and Ed's name was cleared (though I think something can be said about how the 'revenge' was just him being held accountable socially and legally). The number of attempts it took to expose him and have it be believed made me extremely proud of the group 's resilience and determination.

Content Warnings

lingfish7's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

📖🎧This might be my new absolute favorite Latinx YA book! This is the first book by this author I’ve read, and I am so obsessed. Not only does this book explore rape and the me too movement, but it also explores autistic representation and the intersection between being different and being taken advantaged of.

⚠️TW: rape, sexual harassment, bullying, neurodivergent discrimination

The main character is a Latinx, autistic, selectively mute teenager. Ariana has a close relationship with her parents, but her parents are going through some things in their marriage that further make Ariana feel isolated. The book opens with a scene where Ariana is waiting for an Uber ride home from a party she attended. At this party, she recalls how Luis never asked her if she wanted sex, and since she is selectively mute, she couldn’t say no. After a season of loneliness and hurt, she finally finds friends - friends who have also been harmed by Luis. They form a club: the Luis Ortega survival club.

This book so beautifully captured the overstimulating experience of being autistic, as well as the gaslighting experience of being raped. The found family community made my heart sing with happiness and the revenge at Luis made everything right again. I can’t even explain how powerful this book was, it gave me all the feelings. ✨💕

Content Warnings

alreadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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jkreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a wonderful book! I adored the relationships that formed over the course of this story, both romantic and platonic. I felt that this book handled some incredibly sensitive topics with grace and care, not dancing around them but also not falling into trauma porn.

It was so refreshing to read a book written from the perspective of an autistic person with selective mutism, I’ve read books in the past with an autistic MC but I think this is the first one I’ve read that had that added mutism/nonverbal component. I’m not part of the autistic community however I’m always looking for more stories with good rep! There was some ADHD rep and this is a community I AM a part of, I felt the small glimpse we got to see of that was pretty well done.

There were also a range of different sexualities and gender expressions represented throughout the book and I felt these were weaved in well - they didn’t feel tokenistic or forced, just realistic and representative of a typical high school and of society as a whole.

Overall I adored this book, the audio narration was a wonderful easy listen and I fell in love with the characters very quickly. The way they loved and looked out for each other was so beautiful.

Definitely be mindful of content warnings going in to this one, as I mentioned earlier it addresses some topics that may be triggering for some.

Content Warnings

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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buttermellow's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

motz_stick's review against another edition

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challenging informative tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Disappointed

I picked this book up after seeing Reyes’ name attached because I had a great time reading Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. I knew this book would be fast paced considering my previous knowledge of their work, but this was too fast even for me. I absolutely loved the empowering plot and the way the characters developed overtime, but there was so much going on it became hard to keep track. I wish this book would’ve been a series that covers Ari’s family issues, exposing of Lewis, and blooming relationship in 3 different books. This would’ve allowed for so much more development in a more reasonable amount of time. The only other complaint I have is that the first half of the book feels forced. Labels are added in so frequently it begins to just feel like buzzwords.

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