A review by nibs
The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

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

4.5

I really like this one. A story of friendship, community, solidarity and having to try and find your own form of justice in corrupt systems. The author handled heavy topics (rape, trauma) in a way that didn't feel retraumatising, with many details occuring 'off screen'. It really shows that you don't need to have gratuitous violence and show all these graphic details to explore these topics well. 

I love that the characters feel like teenagers. I enjoyed looking back to the cover and having the reference images for Ari, Shawni, Nina and Jasmine. 

It was cool to see Ari as a fleshed out autistic person. The journey of self-identified autistic people doesn't get seen much in books, so it was cool to see it explored in this one. Not having access to other resources, Ari researches herself to figure out why she can't talk a lot of the time and to better understand and support herself. 
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