Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

18 reviews

cats_and_rabbits's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely loved TLOSC!  This was such a powerful read; author Sonora Reyes very realistically depicts the complex range of thoughts and feelings following SA.
*spoiler alert*  

Protagonist & narrator Ari is autistic, has selective mutism, and experiences isolation from her peers until she is contacted by an anonymous individual who is part of a club of students who have been assaulted and wronged by the same person.  Ari forms community with other members of the club as they  process their traumas and carry out different approaches for getting justice.  

Author Reyes crafts healthy models of consensual, neurodiversity-affirming friendships and relationships among characters, making this an important read for teens and adults of all ages.  There is a wlw romance, a nonbinary character, and a neuro-inclusive pride celebration.
 I wish this book could be a series on television!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Infidelity, and Dysphoria

cloreadsbooks1364's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring fast-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

4.75

This YA contemporary fiction novel features Ari, who is r@ped by a popular, powerful boy called Luis Ortega. She is invited to join a group comprising of some of Luis's many victims, and they try to expose him as the piece of crap he is.

 The Luis Ortega Survival Club
By Sonora Reyes
4.75/5⭐️

Our protagonist, Ari, is autistic with selective mutism. This results in her social life being nonexistent, until she meets the other Club members. I found her to be a very relatable protagonist, and thought that the autism rep was very good. It took her most of the book to realise that what her article about Luis required was her own experience, but I feel like she knew internally that she'd have to tell her story eventually to have any chance of succeeding in ensuring that Luis wouldn't harm any more girls. I felt sorry for how her mother treated her like a therapist, and was very glad when everything turned out well for Ari.

Shawni, the creator of the club and the love interest of Ari, was a great character, though maybe she lacked a smidge of development? I liked how she made sure there was always paper and a pen on hand so that Ari could communicate with the group! 
Jasmine, Nina, and Angel (the other group members) were also very lovable. We learnt the least about Nina, which is unfortunate as I really enjoyed their friendly nature. 
Jasmine seemed to be a very loyal friend, and I liked how she and Angel stuck by each other no matter what.

The pacing was perfect, I actually read this book in a single day and never got tired of it. 
The ending was so happy it felt unrealistic, but I still consider it to be perfect as this is a story about hope, about naming and shaming predators, taking back control, and untwisting the narrative.

Queer rep:
Queer protagonist (unlabelled)
Bi side character
Nonbinary side character

TWs: r@pe (off-page), bullying, sexual assault, sexual harassment, infidelity, abelism, gaslighting, biphobia

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Bullying, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

kays_reading_journal's review against another edition

4.25

Official content warnings: Bullying, Rape (aftermath, not on-page), Sexual assault (a slap on the butt), sexual harassment

It says aftermath not on page, but I felt like the memories were pretty graphic. I’d also add PTSD. 

I really did enjoy this book. I loved the main character and the found family and all. 

It just felt a bit too short despite being a pretty average length. I wish that we had gotten to spend a bit more time with Ari’s parents, and some of the ending felt a bit rushed. 

(I still really enjoyed this book! It’s just easier to write about negatives than positives)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Biphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Infidelity

imstephtacular's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Abandonment

sadhbhprice's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

_moonsongenthusiast_'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Transphobia

sundayfever's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

This is the YA revenge fic I needed. Wish all the real life SA stories ended in such a satisfying way. Queer and neurodivergent POC  characters kick ass. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cursing, Racism, and Dysphoria

buttermellow's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Infidelity, and Rape

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Biphobia

motz_stick's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders