The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Written by Sonora Reyes

Narrated by Karla Serrato

Sonora Reyes' debut YA novel is a knockout-a sharply funny and incredibly moving portrait of a queer Mexican American girl learning to celebrate who she is at her very core.

Seventeen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers drawing attention 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 confident. And cute. So cute. But Yami isn't sure if she likes Bo or if she's just jealous of her unapologetic nature. Either way, she isn't ready to make the same mistake again. If word got to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. WWJD? No. WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?

By turns hilarious, poignant, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of stepping into your full truth in a world that, too often, tells queer people of color not to be too much of themselves.

AWARDS
Shortlisted for the National Book Awards for Young People's Literature (US)
Finalist for the William C Morris Award for debut authors writing for teens (US)

PRAISE

""The portrayal of found family and the threads of love and acceptance woven into this story make it a satisfying read with a hopeful ending. A textured and gratifying novel.""
- Kirkus Review

""Author Sonora Reyes gives the reader insight into being at war with yourself. This heartbreakingly honest and funny novel explores the joys and turmoil many queer teenagers experience.""
- Kids' Book Review

""With off the charts heart and humor, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School is an immediate favorite. Sonora's voice is one to watch!""
- Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Dumplin'

""This book is a warm, protective hug for teens who are fighting to be seen as themselves in a world that wants them to hide.""
- Aiden Thomas, New York Times–bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

""Full of heart, humor, and a swoon-worthy romance, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School is the recovering Catholic school student's road to healing. Balancing themes of self-advocacy and self-discovery with comedy and romance tropes, this is a must-read for queer teens growing into their own.""
- Emery Lee, author of Meet Cute Diary

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781460741788

Sonora Reyes

Sonora Reyes is a queer second-generation immigrant who attended a Catholic high school. They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres. Sonora is also the creator and host of #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building Twitter chat for queer writers of color. They currently live in Arizona in a multigenerational family home with a small pack of dogs, who run the place.

Reviews for The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

[Stefanie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The absolute best book I have read in 2021 but warning, have the tissues ready.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

teen fiction - queer romance, mental health. TW: suicidal thoughts, racism, homophobia, police interactions as a Brown person (note: there are some serious issues in here and also some serious language).11th grader (indigenous/Mexican-American) Yamilet and her younger brother Cesar are the new kids at Slayton Catholic School in Scottsdale, Arizona, after Cesar has gotten into too many fights at their previous school. She'll have to spend all her spare time working to pay for it plus there's the fact that her mom is constantly saying homophobic things, but at least she has a new friend Bo (who is cute and queer and an Asian American girl adopted by white parents) to distract her from her ex-BFF Bianca.I loved spending time with these complex characters as they tried to figure a way out of the messes they created, and learned to stick up for themselves and each other. This was a book I didn't want to put down, and which is developing a long waitlist at my library. More, please!

[bibliovermis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful story about a sister and a brother struggling through upheavals and revelations and finding strength in each other. While featuring a romance for the main character (and some nice secondary character romances, as well), the central relationship of this novel is the one between the Flores siblings, and their love for each other is so powerful. Though they're at the brink of disaster in many ways, these kids are tenacious in the face of levels of adversity that no children should have to deal with—but lots of LGBTQIA children, in fact, do.