“I heard cats don’t just purr when they’re happy, but they also purr when they’re stressed as a way of self-soothing.”
― Sonora Reyes, The Luis Ortega Survival Club

The Luis Ortega Survival Club is the story of an autistic girl and her journey to revenge. Ariana Ruiz never talks, yet she still wants to be seen and noticed by the other students in her school. She is largely ignored, but when the popular and handsome Luis Ortega starts paying attention to her, Ari gets butterflies. He invites her to a party where something bad happens. She didn’t say no, but she didn’t say yes. When Ari returns to school, rumors start swirling. Ari is having trouble processing what happened and what she wants to do about it, but the rumors and the people spreading them are determined to ruin her reputation. She hears boys referring to her as someone who won’t say no, as someone who is an easy target.

At her breaking point, Ari discovers a note in her locker that leads her to believe that there are others in the school that are victims of Luis. She eventually meets up with a group of students who call themselves ‘The Luis Ortega Survival Club’. Their mission: to expose Luis as the predator they all know him to be. Ari will have to deal with the truth of what happened to her at the party and decide if she’s willing to share her story in order to take Luis down.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club is raw, gritty, and deals with heavy topics. The author isn’t afraid to call out injustices in the world, while calling readers to speak up even if it makes them feel uncomfortable. What stuck with me after finishing this young adult novel is that slowly working towards being okay is better than not doing anything. It’s okay to not be okay.

See YA Book Club

Interested in this book? The Luis Ortega Survival Club is the September See YA Book Club pick. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch.

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

September 2 – The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

October 7 – Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

November 4 – Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

December 2 – Tumble by Celia C. Perez