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

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? No

4.5

After reading and loving The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School last year, I had high expectations for this book. And I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed! This book deals with difficult issues, especially surrounding sexual assault, rape, and consent, but it does it in such a way that deals with these topics in a delicate and well-thought out way.

Part of this book is about Ari finding the courage to stand up for herself, about her making connections with her peers, and a little about feeling a home with herself. The friends she makes while getting revenge on Luis are such a supportive group and I loved them. They were all there for each other throughout, and even though they were side characters, I felt like they were all well fleshed out as well.

The conversations about consent in this book are so important, especially because Ari is autistic and is nonverbal quite a lot of the time. The way this is discussed in relation to her rape is dealt with so eloquently, and important for teens that might be in similar situations to see that representation. Just be warned, if that's something that's triggering for you, the rape happens off page and is onlyl discussed in small details throughout the book.

All in all, another great book by Reyes and I can't wait to see what she does next.
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