In The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, Yamilet, or Yami, is a high school student who is trying to make the best of high school. This is interrupted when she mistakenly comes out to her best friend, Bianca, who ultimately betrays her by outing her. Yami is also trying to steer her younger brother, Cesar, from trouble as he keeps getting jumped by his peers. Yami and Cesar begin a new chapter at a new catholic school to hopefully escape their turbulent pasts. At their new school, they may be able to meet new friends and a potential love interest for Yami – except she already committed to acting as straight as possible to avoid any new complications. She constantly asks herself WWASGD: what would a straight girl do?
Reyes does a spectacular job unraveling the complexity of an identity as a young adult through multiple characters. Though the book’s main focus is Yami’s coming to terms with her sexuality, she also discusses her Mexican heritage and the macro and microaggressions she experiences by her new white schoolmates. Yami refuses to be silenced about the racism she experiences, which attracts other like minded friends.
In addition, Reyes expands this conversation to other characters. One of my favorites is Bo, Yami’s new love interest. Bo is a proud lesbian with a Chinese background. Her two parents are white but celebrate Bo’s background by frequently dining at authentic Chinese restaurants and decorating their home with Chinese furniture and decor. One of my favorite moments was when Bo confided in Yami and expressed how even though she loves her adopted parents and their enthusiasm to celebrate Bo’s ethnicity, she still questions their authenticity and if it is performative. This is an relatable train of thought as I often question this from my peers. It’s easy to throw up some decorations or rave about the cuisine of a culture but it’s rarer to have someone genuinely interested in the culture for the right reasons. It also highlights how one’s identity has many components to it. While one might be more comfortable and confident in one component, there are others that can still cause insecurity and discomfort. I absolutely loved Reyes’ discussion about this topic and know many BIPOC readers will also relate to it.
I found the writing to be so captivating. The writing style combined with the fully developed characters made the book impossible to put down. There were numerous moments where I wanted to hug many of the characters as they struggled with common high school problems, and Reyes allowed me as a reader to be proud of them when they emerged from their journeys. Reyes did a fantastic job embedding absolutely adorable high school romantic moments in the book that made me gush. Being able to gush like this is one of my favorite feelings when I read young adult and I’m impressed Reyes was able to invoke a wide range of emotions in her readers. This was my top anticipated release for 2022 and it certainly did not disappoint. In fact, it has become a new favorite that I will be recommending to everyone!
Content Warning: racism, homophobia, immigration, suicide ideation, and hospitalization of a character.
Mariana Felix-Kim (she/her) lives in Washington, D.C. with her lovely cat, Leo. When she is not working in the environmental science field, Mariana is constantly reading. Her favorite genres include non-fiction, thrillers, and contemporary romances. Mariana is half Mexican and half Korean. You can find her on Instagram: @mariana.reads.books
