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

THIS BOOK!!!

If you've ever been a closeted teen, if you grew up in a religious family or an immigrant family, if you've ever been worried about your financial situation to the point of that anxiety starting to run your life, if you went to private school and have complicated feelings about that, if you have really conflicted feelings about certain family members, or if you just want a really adorable yet heartfelt queer coming-of-age story, this novel is for you.

Yamilet is such a hilarious and relatable and heartbreaking protagonist and narrator. I loved her relationship with her brother and how important that relationship was to the plot. I loved Bo as a love interest and how Yami and Bo found similarities and differences in their experiences as two of the only queer people of color at their Catholic high school.

Honestly one of the most accurate representations of being a queer teenager that I've ever read.

It's hard to describe how lovely this book is. Just read it if you think it sounds interesting.

Please check the content warnings, as this book handles a lot of heavy topics, but it handles them all sensitively and delicately.

Content Warnings

kaynova's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

I hate saying goodbye to these characters because I connected with every single one of them, from Yami to Bo to Cesar to Jamal, they all mean so much to me and at the end, I felt like I was giving them a big hug and saying, 'it's going to continue to be okay'. The author made such lovable, flawed characters where you want to be there for every single one of them (except the father, you know what you did). Each queer character here can speak to a queer adult/teenager who has went through the same experiences, thoughts, or feelings. A lot of the times I resonated with Bo, but then it'll switch and I felt like I saw a lot of myself in Cesar. You get involved with the characters and their support systems and you only want them to be happy. Spoiler, there's going to be moments of sadness and hurt because this is a BIPOC book of coming out especially with religion involved (which was also great involvement on the author's end) and you're going to stop for a moment to tear up, especially if you're a queer BIPOC person as well. This story will always be within me and I can't wait to find myself rereading these characters and feeling all those emotions again.

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cecerosa's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

3.5

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bella_cavicchi's review

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emotional funny reflective 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

Oh, a good young adult contemporary novel is such a joy. The strength of this one is the character dynamics, developed with impressive craft and showcasing the power of trust and forgiveness. My only complaint really is its length; I felt like we were existing in the world of the story without it progressing forward, particularly in the latter third.

That said, a book I know so many teenage readers will enjoy and I hope it reaches them!

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