The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

              

Title: The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Author: Sonora Reyes

Publisher: HarperCollins, May 17, 2022

Pages: 400

Genre: YA LGBT Fiction

Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. 

After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don’t fall in love. Granted, she’s never been great at any of those things, but that’s a problem for Future Yami. 

The thing is, it’s hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn’t going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she’ll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do? 

Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud.

Another book that you really have to watch your trigger warnings on. If you've ever dealt with bullying, this one might hit close to home. This made me feel a little grateful that I was oblivious to my feelings when I was in high school. Kids are brutal, especially when they're confused. 

Then you have the friends who are brutal because they're scared. Yami is so scared of being outed that she loses herself for a bit. I won't say her fears were totally unfounded, but I'm glad that she had it just a little wrong. All told, this was joyful and heart wrenching by turns. And man, did this book exactly capture the anxiety before and during coming out. Every time. No matter how you think someone will react. Or how much you think you do or don't care how someone will react.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5