The Luis Ortega Survival Club

Don't let the cartoony cover fool you into thinking this is some silly YA romp. In reality, this Own Voices novel deals with extremely important topics: consent, sexual assault, sexual and gender identity, friendships, and neurodiversity.

Ari is a 17-year-old neurodiverse girl who is raped while attending a high school party (that is not a spoiler as it is mentioned in the first chapter). She doesn't understand that she has been assaulted, as she believes that the boy who did it - Luis Ortega - actually likes her. She also believes that because she is selectively mute and unable to speak in front of her peers, that it was her fault because she didn't specifically say no. She soon figures out that it was rape... And that she was not Luis' first victim. Soon, she finds herself surrounded by a new friend group with a plan to take Luis down and make him accountable for his crimes.

While the assault and revenge plot are the catalyst for the events of this book, the true story is about finding your voice, both literally and figuratively, and opening yourself up to the love and support of the people around you. The best part of the story was the friendships that Ari forms along the way, with people that understand and respect her, letting her be herself and finding her own inner strength.

As difficult and heartbreaking as it was to read about the assault of Ari and the other members of the Luis Ortega Survival Club, this is an important story that needs to be told. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and would urge parents to get this into the hands of every teen.