The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar

In full transparency, when I first started “The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar” I didn’t expect it to be 100% as good as its predecessor. I LOVED “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School.” How could you possibly top one of my favorite books, and one of my favorite protagonists in Yamo (the lesbiana herself)? Well…Sonora Reyes did just that! This book was such a beautiful and heartbreaking depiction of identity and mental illness that I found myself tearing up at multiple points. I was reading out paragraphs to my girlfriend. I will be thinking about this book for SO long. I loved Cesar’s story, even in the parts that were a bit more upsetting and difficult to read. We see him grapple with his sexuality and how it is impacted by his religious views, particularly when he starts to go off of his medication and experiences both manic and depressive symptoms. There are a few trigger warnings I would highlight for potential readers (especially for mental health and illness) though I never felt overwhelmed myself while reading. Overall, a without-a-doubt 5 star book for me! Huge thanks to the publishers for an ARC of one of my most anticipated reads of the year (in exchange for my honest and unfiltered review). “The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar” releases on September 16, and I will absolutely be buying a physical copy for my bookshelves!