Full Disclosure

Argh, where to start? I took SO many notes while I was reading this book! And none of them were positive! I’m so mad about this book because I wanted to like it but it was so cringey, the characters were childish and not likeable, and the writing wasn’t good, either. But let’s start with the main character. Simone is scared that people judge her because she has HIV yet she immediately judges everyone she met. “Miles always wants to talk about musicals.” So therefore he must be gay. Stereotyping much?! After she found out that Miles is, in fact, straight, she awkwardly asks him for a date. This must have been the second or third chapter and it was so cringey that I wanted to throw my phone through the bus. Unfortunately, I kept on reading. Apart from being awkward (and not in an adorable way!), Simone has a HORRIBLE idea of feminism. She claims that it is “feminist to be bad at cooking” and “paying for our dates can be Mile’s version of the Pink Tax, now the relationship is automatically more equal.” Um, HELLO?! No. That’s not how it works, honey. At one point, someone called a character a slut. I do not recall who it was but I marked Simone’s reaction: “It’s bad enough to call someone a slut, but at least do it in private.” NO. That does not make it better. I can’t remember when it happened but at one point, a girl told a boy about thievery and Simone’s reaction is “Scaring boys with stories of theft is a nice way to flirt; I won’t deny her that.” What the hell? Who does that and WHY is it “a nice way to flirt”?! Who’s impressed by theft?!?! This is supposed to be a YA book but there are just too many messages that teenagers shouldn’t take from this book. Apparently, the author was seventeen or eighteen when she wrote the book and I guess she never learned what feminism and equality actually means. Adding to that, Simone was unhealthily obsessed with sex. Yes, she has HIV and wonders how it’s going to be to have sex. But every time Miles did something (absolutely mundane!), her mind immediately went to having sex. At one point, she even wonders “How am I supposed to look at him and not want sex?” I hated her obsession with sex so much, especially when you consider how childish she is. At one point, she visits a sex shop with her friends. “I guess they [men] also need toys. The thought makes me snicker.” Did she assume only women use sex toys? What were her thoughts behind this? Why is this so funny? UGH. I cannot. In the last (?) chapter, Miles is in her room and “I turn back to see him holding my vibrator. […] I leave it under my pillow, but never figured he’d go snooping.” First of all, WHO hides a vibrator underneath their PILLOW ?! Secondly, after he found the vibrator, she starts throwing condoms at him. And then her parents walk in on them having this sort of condom find. The cringe . Moving on to her “best friends”, who are just as judgmental as Simone. One of them is a lesbian, as far as I remember, while the other one is bisexual. But that’s not relevant to the story since “Sarah used to say that bi girls are just straight girls with a need for attention.” The BIPHOBIA hurt me. WHY would you publish a book that says that?! And why was Simone still friends with her even though she considered herself bisexual?! Her friends were also searching for a (pointless) fight since one of them claims that “she [Simone] thinks she’s somehow oppressed because she’s straight”. Maybe they didn’t judge Simone for having HIV but they were still judgmental assholes who hated Simone for going out for lunch with her boyfriend. My last point of concern is the fact that her dads were so invasive and didn’t give Simone any privacy at all. They went to the gynecologist with her and didn’t leave the room when their daughter was undressed. The medical staff didn’t even ASK them to leave. At one point, Miles called Simone and one of her dads forced her to put him on speaker. He then continued to talk to him, too, and essentially forced his daughter to go on a date with Miles. No, no, no. I didn’t even intend to write such a long rant but, as you can see, I had my issues with this book. I am just so disappointed because I was hoping for something better.

i've never really given much thought to people who are HIV-positive and how they're living with this sickness. but this book offers an insight into how it is to live with it and particularly how a teenager does it. it's a really cute, fun and romantic book to read.

4.5 stars. Simone Garcia Hampton is a teenage black girl, born HIV positive. With her own strength, her loving adoptive fathers and her medical team she manages her condition great. But falling in love for the first time, and with it sexuality, while also navigating school with her secret brings a lot of difficulties. I feel like everybody should read this book. It deals with such an important topic and I feel the author has done a wonderful job with it. This really hit me hard. It brought tears to my eyes as well as bright smiles. I loved the portrayal of Simone, she's such a great character, she shows that one can be strong and also vulnerable at some times, and that nothing should stop you from following through with your dreams and passions. Her love and passion for musicals felt so refreshing. Simone is strong, intelligent kind and has a great heart. Something that stood out to me was how this book dealt with sexuality and everything that comes with it, especially with teenagers. To show that it's perfectly normal, and nothing to be ashamed of, something you can talk about. I think it is a topic that's much needed in YA books What hit me very hard was the friendship in this book. It shows that bad experiences with people shouldn't hold you back with new relationships. I think that this book raises awareness that is still much needed, and it will teach, not only about HIV, but general lessons of life for those who need to hear them.

"My HIV isn't a threat to you, but your ignorance is a threat to me." While this book is in many ways your typical YA romance book, I think it deserves more attention because it's incredibly sex-positive and teaches you/young people in a meaningful way about HIV and clears up stereotypes about it. Also, theater nerds.