Sonora Reyes Books in Order

Sonora Reyes is the name on the books collected here. The author now writes as Sonido Reyes, but their early novels were published under the Sonora Reyes name. They write young adult fiction and adult romance centered on queer and Mexican characters.

Born and raised in Arizona, Reyes draws on family, faith, and the particular pressures of growing up queer in places that may not feel safe. Their own Catholic-school years became an important reference point for their fiction. They have spoken about being closeted except to a few friends and about wanting to imagine a kinder ending than the one they experienced.

That personal starting point gave their first novel real emotional stakes.

Reyes made their novel debut in 2022 with The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School. The book follows Yamilet Flores, a Mexican American teen trying to keep her sexuality private at a mostly white Catholic school while falling for an openly queer classmate. It mixes family stress, school rules, friendship, and a first romance with Yami's sharp sense of humor. The novel was a National Book Award finalist and won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult.

Their next young adult novel, The Luis Ortega Survival Club, takes on a much tougher situation. Ariana Ruiz, an autistic teen who does not speak, finds herself dealing with the aftermath of a nonconsensual encounter and joins other students who want to hold Luis accountable. Reyes keeps the focus on Ariana's agency, the meaning of consent, and the slow work of trusting people again. Friendship and a new romantic connection make room for hope without making the hard parts disappear.

Reyes's teens make mistakes, crack jokes, and still deserve care.

With The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar, Reyes returned to the Flores family through Yami's brother, Cesar. Cesar is bright, funny, and used to being seen as the dependable high achiever, but he is also dealing with a bipolar diagnosis, Catholic guilt, and the fear that he has ruined his chance with Jamal. The story follows his struggle to accept support when a manic episode makes it impossible to keep everything hidden. It is a companion to The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School, and it earned a Schneider Family Book Award Honor.

The Broposal marked Reyes's move into adult romance. It follows lifelong friends and roommates Alejandro, known as Han, and Kenny, who pretend to be engaged so Han can stay in the country. The fake relationship brings buried feelings to the surface while immigration concerns, family expectations, and an intrusive ex raise the pressure. Across genres, Reyes returns to questions of home, self-acceptance, chosen family, and what it takes to let someone really know you.

Outside the novels, Reyes has contributed short fiction to Transmogrify! and For the Rest of Us. They are also vice-president of My Galvanized Friend, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ writers and artists, and co-host the Bidi Bidi Book Pod. Away from the page, they enjoy making ridiculous D&D characters and combining karaoke with enthusiastic dancing.