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

- THE LESBIANA’S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL deserves all the praise I’ve seen for it. Everything you’ve heard is right - it’s funny and sad and so wonderful.
- Yamilet is a great character with a unique voice, and you will root for her even when she’s making mistakes.
- Nearly everyone makes mistakes - both big and small - in this book, and that’s part of what makes it great. Everyone is just trying to get through all the hard things happening to them, and no one is doing it perfectly but they figure out how to love each other regardless.

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yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? No

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age story and am grateful, again, that stories like this exist for today's teens. The short chapters and first-person narration make this a fast-paced read, and I enjoyed the irreverent, sincere and self-deprecating voice of our main character, Yamilet. Reyes explores the complex intersections in identity for Yamilet, who comes out as a lesbian, and her younger brother, Cesar, who comes out as bisexual, within their deeply Catholic, Mexican-American household. We can see the layered obstacles for this family as they fight to stay afloat independently years after the deportation of their father (leaving their mother as the family's sole source of income) and thrive in a world that feels fractured along too many religious, cultural and familial fault lines.

Most compelling in this story is Reyes' look at mental health crises for queer teens. We know statistically that queer teens face disproportionately high rates of bullying and harassment, physical and sexual abuse, depression, and suicidal ideation, and we see these themes explicitly played out in Yamilet and Cesar's storylines. Readers who like to see on-page discussions of mental health care and intervention (akin to Heartstopper) will appreciate how these conflicts are managed by Reyes - particularly how they evidence the ways in which racism and classism within healthcare further complicate crisis care and long-term support for marginalized youth.

I found myself more drawn to the family dynamics and interpersonal relationships (outside of the romances) in this story (the sibling dynamic between Yami + Cesar meant the world to me), so I was only disappointed that the final 20% centered romance to the degree that it did for Yamilet - that said, this was just personal preference.

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beaky's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

this book is beautiful. I would recommend it to every queer kid (especially those who struggle with mental health). it's funny and heartbreaking and oh so sweet. Yami is such a reina and I love her. the side characters are fab too and the plot moves quickly in just the right way. TLGTCS is so deep and yet keeps it light and funny. PLEASE READ IT

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belle123reads's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

Overall a very good book

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

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warlocksarecool21's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

this book healed something in me that I didn’t know needed to be healed 😂😭 I laughed and cried so much reading this book. I adore Yami so much, she was such a fun MC. Yami and Bo were so sweet and cute, I really enjoyed their relationship.

I loved Cesar so much and how he and Yami always had each other’s backs. And the arc about Cesar’s mental health was devastating and I just want to give him a hug 😭😭. The situation with Yami’s parents was heartbreaking but it made me so happy to see their mom come around in the end. The emphasis on love and family despite what they were all taught was really special to me.

This book deals with heavy subjects but it has the right amount of levity and comic relief. I honestly could not put this down and read it in one sitting. I’m so glad that there are more books about all kinds of queer experiences now that teens have access to. And to anyone that struggled with their identity or queerphobia in school I think this book is also for you.

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meheehee's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

It made me punch my mattress but also smile and blush and gasp, and I loved it so much :)

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jessicamdawn's review

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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? Yes

5.0

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