Reviews with content warning for Self harm - The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

69 reviews

nenaveenstra's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

I think this book has the potential to change the lives of a lot of teens, but only if they don’t get to Adam Silvera’s and Becky Albertalli’s work first.

It took a while for me to get into this book. For the first three quarters, it felt like an nth iteration of a book I’d read before: closeted queer kid doesn’t communicate with anyone, jumps to all the wrong conclusions and is surprised when things turn out differently than expected. I found the plot/character beats highly predictable, the lack of communication incredibly irritating, and the characters very flat. Especially the main character - I found myself thinking multiple times that I was much more interested in Cesar’s perspective than his sister, Yami’s.

I think my main gripe with this book is that it’s inconsistent. There’s a lot of loose ends here; story arcs that never get resolved, characters that get introduced but never get their on-screen moment, and character relationships that don’t really make sense.

Like the fact that Yami didn’t see how much Cesar was struggling, when they’re supposedly such close siblings. What happened to telepathy?

The book started off with a job hunt, the significance of which was unclear by the end of the book. Yami’s ex-best friend came to visit a couple of times, but they never got the chance to talk. Stuff like that.

That being said, the last 25% of this book was really cute.

I like that Yami obviously grew as a person, being able to stand up for herself and Bo, and that she got to have her happy ending. I’m glad she opened up to Bo about everything that happened with Bianca, and Cesar’s suicide attempt.

I wouldn’t tell anyone not to read this book, but I just don’t think it adds much to the literary landscape of queer YA.

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lemoni's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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jourdanicus's review

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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

4.5

So cute and sweet and fun, without being overly saccharine. YA at its best - yes the characters are teens with "teen" problems, but their problems are relatable and there's definitely something in this book for adults too. Almost a perfect 5⭐ read for me, but some of the conflicts were resolved in a heavy-handed and kind of corny way, which I can forgive because I do think that kind of resolution can be appropriate for teen readers.

A lot happened in this story but it didn't feel rushed or laid on too thick, more like enough to keep me engaged and motivated to keep reading. I'd definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys LGBTQ+ fiction, or who likes YA selectively because they sometimes get annoyed by immature characters.

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r34d3r's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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empirerecords1995's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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whiteflowerose's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75

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mari1532's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I checked this audiobook out of my library because I had heard great things about it on Instagram.

Brief Summary: After being outed by her ex-best friend, Yamilet follows her little brother to the local Catholic school. As Yamilet attempts to make sure her brother stays out of trouble and that she meets her mother's expectations for her, Yamilet is also trying to present as straight. However, pretending becomes difficult when she meets and develops feelings for her openly queer classmate Bo.

Thoughts: I loved this book. Writing a book that deals with so many distinct emotions, while making them feel real about how emotions are experienced must be incredibly difficult as a writer because I have not seen many do as exceptionally well as Reyes. The author's ability to convey the complicated emotions of both loving and hating someone at the same time, the confusion of falling in love, and the conflict of cultural/religious views with feelings of familial loyalty made every single person in this book feel like a real person. As the book progressed it was clear the growth that everyone went through from their experiences. Yamilet in particular was such a dynamic and lovable character. If you read this book prepare to laugh and cry right along with her.

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