The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes follows Yamilet (Yami) Flores, a Mexican American high school student, as she navigates her identity as a queer girl in a Catholic school while dealing with family expectations. Sixteen-year-old Yami would prefer to be known as the girl with the cool eyeliner, rather than being one of the few Mexican students at her predominantly rich and white Catholic school. However, she’d rather have that reputation than for her classmates to discover the other secret she’s hiding.
Yami is gay, but she doesn’t want anyone to know. After being outed by her ex-best friend and crush, she had to transfer schools. Her main priorities now are to keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, avoid falling in love, and save up enough money for an apartment. Despite her best efforts, trouble seems to follow her.
Things get even more complicated when she becomes friends with Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, and Yami feels herself drawn to her. Bo is smart, talented, cute, and outspoken, but Yami is scared. After what happened at her last school, she’s terrified of anyone finding out she’s gay, especially her mother, and fears how her mom might react.
The book is a straightforward read with no unexpected twists or turns. However, it is a heartwarming story about a young woman struggling to find her path and place in the world. I enjoyed reading it, though at times, I found myself frustrated with the characters. I felt Yami’s mother placed too much pressure on her to look out for her brother, and Yami could be so absorbed in her own problems that she didn’t always consider how her actions affected others. Despite these frustrations, I’d definitely be open to reading more books by this author.
No comments:
Post a Comment