TW: Rape.

I’m sorry that I can’t really describe this book without a TW. It centers on Ari, an autistic girl with selective mutism who is raped at a party just before the book starts. Because she didn’t – couldn’t – say no, she thinks this is somehow her own fault, especially as she liked the boy and the attention he gave her. But as her fellow students start to hear about her “sluttiness” and rumors about her grow wild at school, Ari finds herself even more isolated – until a mysterious profile on social media reaches out to her to join a group dubbed the Luis Ortega Survival Club.

There are so many things in this story. The sexual assault, obviously – both Ari’s rape and the other types of assault perpetrated by several characters both on page and in the past. Ari’s autism and selective mutism. The strained relationship between her parents, and of her with her parents. Her growing friendship with a group of four others, and her growing feelings for one of them in particular, a girl named Shawni who is one of Luis’ exes. It’s a story about expressing oneself, and facing fears even though your way of facing them may not look like another person’s way, and learning to accept yourself for who you are. It’s about facing what happened to you, and naming it for what it is, and bringing injustice to light. It’s a hopeful story, but also a very tough story to read.

This is my third read by the author and probably my favorite of them so far. It’s such a well-written book. If you can stomach the various TWs, I highly recommend it.

Performance: The audiobook was read by Elisa Meléndez. Good read, no complaints.

Note: The book cover says Sonora Reyes, rather than reflecting the author’s current name, Sonido Reyes. I couldn’t find an updated cover to use here. Despite this, I will refer to the author by their chosen name.