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

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It tackles some very serious subjects, but handles them appropriately. I was also impressed with how accurately they created the voice of a teenage girl. I found myself annoyed, at times with Yami's flaws, but then it just reminded me how accurate it was for a person of that age. I'm sure I was similarly frustrating at that age. (And this is a good thing, in case that isn't clear.) Such a wonderful story.

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izzyreads13's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

3.0

So I, enjoyed this book, I had a few things that I didn’t quite love, but the overall story it was trying to tell did speak to me and the characters felt very very real. They were relatable to those of the LGBTQ community and I can see why people enjoyed this book so much. But here are a few things that really threw me off while reading

-> the mentions of modern day things didn’t do it for me. This book mentions tik tok, Etsy, fortnite and a bunch of modern day things that I personally didn’t enjoy. I feel like these mentions limits the books ability to last a long time just because as the internet grows some of these things are bound to be forgotten or just seen to be cringy and as someone who likes to get lost in a book and not really think of real life things, the mentions of these social media related things didn’t help that. I felt as though it kind of pulled you out of the story at times and it just wasn’t my favorite

-> while a lot of the feelings in this book feels real some of the scenarios don’t, such as the last thing that occurs in this book, it feels very book-y, as in I couldn’t imagine it happening in real life especially in a book that mentions so many real world things.

On the contrary there are a few things I did like about this book such as how LGBTQ members feel about certain things and navigating the world, the feeling you get when you’re worried of making friends uncomfortable, not knowing how to navigate your feelings, those sorts of things. There were a lot of things I found myself relating to and some of the quotes really hit close to home. However my “lower” rating for this book simply comes from the fact that I don’t see it being a book I often thing about or care for. I did enjoy reading it when I did, I did finish it rather quickly, I did like the book more then I didn’t, however it felt more like a very mild pallet cleanser and I think that’s all it was for me. Was a cute simple romance story navigating struggles, very real struggles, but I’m a reader who enjoys getting lost in more fantastical things and I think that’s why this book didn’t quite do it for me.

I do still recommend it for any member of the LGBTQ community who wants to feel heard to some extent and just wants a cute simply story that they’re going to fly by and relate to. If you do decide to read this book, happy reading!

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

Yamilet doesn't feel comfortable at her catholic school for many reasons, from being low-income to navigating her queerness. An excellent, complex read that really delves into the characters' feelings and explores a lot of issues that intersect in people's lives. I loved Yamilet and enjoyed seeing all of the directions her story takes.

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bmceleney's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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unhingedbookbitch's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

This audiobook just left me soooo happy. Like I loved the beginning and momentarily lost interest around 25% but then 30% it did a 180 for me and I GOT SUCKED IN. Like it took me 10 to listen to the first 25% then I finished the remaining 75% in one sitting. I got so into it that I downloaded the ebook of it from my library so I could finish the last 2 chapters while watching a movie. The writing felt so authentic and just easy to read and the characters were all likeable yet flawed (like they felt like real people) and the just seeing my Latine heritage celebrated in a book (especially involving a Catholic school which traumatized my high school years) was UGHH SOOOO DELICIOUS.

Just like 10s across the board - good story, lovable characters, diverse representation, and all the emotions. Just call her Inside Out 3: My Gay Awakening.

Another thing I think the author did sooo well was portray multiple life lessons and reflective situations without it being preachy or overwhelming or messy. I feel like coming of age novels try to do so much sometimes and pack a million situations that teach lessons into one book but lose the point along the way. This book was able to tackle like difficult and deep shit like religion, r@cism (especially deportation and police brutality towards POC), social classes, hømophobia, and more. It can be hard to juggle all the messages you want to send in a book without it becoming jumbled up and I just think this author did that so well with that while still making a great story.

So I can’t speak on the lesbian representation accuracy, but I can say (as a Latina myself) that the Latine rep was so accurate. Especially as an eldest daughter in a Latine family cause like that’s a whole other level my dude. I know Reyes (the author) is latine but idk if they’re an eldest child cause so much of what was placed upon Yami from her family (and expectations and responsibilities she placed on herself) and thoughts and feels she had as an eldest Latina daughter hit the nail on the head for me.

The romance UGHHHH I WAS TEEHEE GIGGLING!!! I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH!!! I WAS CRYING!!!! Such a sweet and genuine blossoming romance with a love that helped a little Latina girl stand up for herself GOD SO GOOD😫

This has easily become one of my fave reads this year. So much heart and thoughtfulness throughout this story GET ME A SPECIAL EDITON HARDCOVER VERSION TO PUT ON MY SHELF NOW!!!!

Ok this last part is a bit spoilery & discusses sųicide so proceed with caution or don’t proceed at all:

So I had a feeling someone was going to be sųicidal before I read this book based on what some people told me. I always get a little hesitant to read anything relating to sųicide cause I was sųicidal not that long ago. I’m not going to get into it but just understand that I’m healing and I could feel fine one day then the next I’m very depressed so I just tend to stay away from the subject just in case. Honestly that could’ve been why I hit a momentary lull 25% in, because I could see Cesar start displaying signs. But I continued reading this anyway and I’m glad I did. The book was able to tackle this heavy subject with grace and honesty. It actually made a small portion of the book but left an impact in a positive way. I think Reyes especially handled the aftermath of hospitalization and the start of the healing journey sooo well. It’s a bit awkward but (with the right kind of support) it slowly starts. And some days are dark days even if the day started out well. I just really appreciated the honesty, rawness, and compassion toward the subject.

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