Everything about this book is special: the characters, the plot and the writing all come together to create a moving, perceptive and intense read. The concept revolves around living with HIV, a topic not discussed enough in the media and fiction in my opinion. I don't read a lot of contemporary young adult but when it introduces a much-maligned topic my curiosity is piqued. If you are interested in diverse fiction then this is a must-read. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.

Although I think this is an important subject which should be more widely tackled, I felt a slight disconnect with the characters.  I really wanted to be fully engaged but felt I was viewing them through opaque glass.  Having said that I learned a lot.  I was a little disappointed by the ending as it seemed to wrap things up too well.

So, I’m not a Young Adult, but I’m an adult young at heart, so that’s my reasoning on choosing a YA book sometimes that catch my eye.

Simone has two dads. 
She’s adopted.
She also has HIV.

With HIV she has had a troubled life, hospital care visits, stigma, diversity problems and a best friend revealing her status on HIV to an entire bunch of school pupils with results of her having to find a new placement in another school.

Is it happening again?
She and Miles strike up a good relationship. She needs to tell him.
Now she’s getting threatening notes in her school.
Who are they from?

I adored her two dads. Supportive, and at times like any parent wanting to protect their child from harm.

Simone has two really good best friends but that hit its troubles.

The relationship between Miles and Simone is so dam cute. I loved it.

It’s difficult enough growing up, becoming an adult without all that Simone has to deal with. I felt her pain often.

The authors writing is so good. Enough narrative and a nice lot of dialogue which I love. 

This sensitive subject matter was handled so well I thought.

This is issue based, contemporary YA with a difference. Simone is a strong character with a wonderfully authentic voice, as are her best friends and a vividly written supporting cast. Simone has been HIV positive her whole life, she knows her condition better than anyone, but she also knows the risks to her own well-being if everyone finds out – she’s been there before. 
Her dad’s are brilliant characters, an inspired move by the author to slip in details of the ‘traditional’ HIV/AIDS from the 80’s. At times their open and honest policy is deeply uncomfortable, such as when one of them insists on being in the doctors office with Simone while she asks questions about sex, but it also gives us some beautiful, sincere family moments. 

One of the most relatable difficulties that Simone faces is that she’s almost eighteen and is thinking a lot about potentially having sex. Of course, this is a bigger issue for someone with HIV than someone without and everyone has an opinion, especially now that there’s an irresistible boy on the scene. Miles is an interesting character, he’s imperfect, like a real teenage boy, but he’s doing his best. Their relationship was never going to be easy, with or without contagious viruses. 

There are other subplots at play here too, about trust, what makes a family, sexual identity and how it affects our overall identity. These strands and themes are deftly handled and brought together beautifully. I recommend this book highly, to older teens, to adults, everyone who has an interest in sex-positive, diverse literature.

This was a bit disappointing, I liked the idea of the story but the writing wasn’t for me, it felt dull and heavy. I don’t think any of the characters were that likeable either.

This was a smart, funny, impactful read with a gutsy and relatable heroine in Simone and a supporting cast of believable characters. I also learned a lot but it didn't feel like an 'issue book' because of Garrett's sense of humour and skill with dialogue. I'd recommend it to teens and their parents too.

A book with such a variety of themes that everyone is sure to feel included. It was so refreshing to read a book that didn’t shy away from the topic of HIV or gloss over it. It really highlighted the stigma and shame associated with the virus. There was so much representation I don’t know where to start. I feel like this book is needed for society to start understanding individuals better. Loved the writing and the romance aspect.

This is an incredibly poignant and full-on piece of writing. Garrett doesn't flinch before laying the cold bare truth on the table or pull any punches. She says it how it is and she wants you to hear it. This story about a young teenage girl who wants a boyfriends and to experience the sexual side of a relationship, although her parents would prefer she stay abstinent. That way she can't accidentally pass on her acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

I have to note that I found the level of scrutiny and lack of privacy Simone's parents give her is extreme, regardless of how worried they are about her. It is difficult enough to navigate the world of teenage angst without the added burden of a health condition everyone is scared of and parents who think it's okay to suffocate instead of empower their child.

I found the level of research into the topic of living with AIDS admirable both overall and in the context of the main character, a young teenage girl. It's described meticulously and in a way that makes sense to a layman and perhaps especially to a young reader.

Garrett confronts the invisible and yet very alive and kicking discrimination against people with AIDS and HIV. The fear that was sown and grown in the 80s, during the frightening pandemic which took many lives. Since those times medical research has come so far that an HIV or AIDS diagnosis isn't automatically a death sentence, as it once was. A very fixed and rigid regime of medication will allow a person with said diagnosis to live a long life.

The author takes readers into the world of white privilege and the institutionalised racism Simone is confronted with, and her world of secrecy. She is torn between staying under the radar and knowing that embarking upon a sexual relationship means disclosing her condition.

It's a YA read, but it's also one I recommend for readers of any age, mainly because this book will do a lot to allay irrational fears that still exist when it comes to this condition. Garrett has a strong voice she isn't afraid to use and I look forward to reading more by her.

This is an amazing YA book, full of diverse characters and great representation, I think it’s so good because the author herself is a YA so it felt real, but beyond her age meaning she could relate obviously well to the genre I am totally blown away by how well written this is, it’s a pleasure to read her writing. I feel this would be a wonderful vehicle to educate about HIV (and not just teens) it’s so well done, watching Simone juggle her illness with normal teenage life. This is an inspiring and heartwarming read that will leave you full of hope and one of my favourite books of 2019.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Considering the author is just 17, this is an extremely accomplished and thought-provoking novel, dealing with subject matter not often found in YA. It deals with the experiences of 17-year-old Simone, a black, HIV-positive high school student who is learning about her sexuality and thinking about relationships, which with her diagnosis is even more complicated than for a regular teen. Definitely one for slightly older teens as it deals (alongside HIV) with sexuality, masturbation, lots of conversations about sex, plus a very amusing visit to a sex shop to buy vibrators.
The book is full of diverse characters: Simone has two dads (Dad and Pops), her two best friends are bisexual and ace (I loved how matter-of-factly people’s sexualities are spoken about), and many of the main characters are racially diverse. The book feels really honestly written, with very realistic teen dialogue, as one would expect from a teen author.
My only gripes are that I didn’t always find the characters quite as clear cut in their personalities as they could be, and that occasionally the dialogue seemed to jump a little meaning I sometimes struggled slightly to follow it, but this could be due to a number of factors: I’m not a teen, not black, and not American, so there could be an element of ‘lost in translation’ here (my fault, not the author’s!), plus also I’m reading a pre-publication version, so it’s likely to be tightened up for the final version too.
Overall, this was a really good book leaving me with lots to think about, and I’m sure that Camryn Garrett has a very bright future as an author ahead of her. 
I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this as I had never read of (or heard of!) a YA book with an HIV positive character, and I am glad I chose to read it! Throughout the story the main character Simone grapples with the implications of her illness whilst also living a typical teenage life full of embarrassing families, first relationships, and friendships. This sex positive and diverse book is a great read and would be a fantastic way to educate teens about HIV.

One of my favourite things about YA literature is that subjects that are often seen as taboo or scary to talk about are presented to a young, impressionable audience and allows the reader (presumably but not always of young adult age) to make their own mind up rather than relying on the hand me down beliefs of older – and not necessarily wiser – generations.

It is for that reason that we should all be thankful for writers such as Camryn Garrett who has written Full Disclosure: a book about – but not limited to – the discussion of HIV. Her protagonist, Simone, is HIV positive. For Simone, it is one aspect of who she is. Besides that, she is a young girl who is trying to navigate her way into becoming an adult. She is dealing with the everyday worries of being a teenager, and a girl, and a student, and a friend, and a girlfriend. Whilst these things may seem like run-of-the-mill things for most, Simone has to deal with them with the added pressure of a chronic illness that has so little understanding and a history of scaremongering. 

Full Disclosure is a fantastic story about the brutality of high school and reminds us firstly, how difficult being a teenager can be but more importantly it reminds us to be kind to one another. You never know what another person is going through and you will invariably never know unless you forget your own prejudices. 

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett is available now.

For more information regarding Camryn Garrett (@dancingofpens) please visit www.camryngarrett.com.

For more information regarding Penguin (@PenguinUKBooks) please visit www.penguin.co.uk.

Full Disclosure is Camryn Garrett’s début novel and the story revolves around Simone Hampton-Garcia, an HIV-positive teenager. Simone has lived with HIV her whole life but she’s determined that it won’t define her as a person, and although Simone knows that celibacy is the only sure-fire way to stay safe, she doesn’t want her positive status to define her relationships either. So, when she starts going out with Miles Austin, an intelligent, funny and kind boy from her school, Simone becomes nervous about how to talk about her HIV status. Her classmates don’t know that she’s HIV-positive but, in the wrong hands, what is this truth worth?

Camryn Garrett’s Full Disclosure is an eye-opening and honest exposure of what it might be like to grow up black and HIV-positive. Throughout Simone’s narrative, Garrett tackles many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding HIV and AIDs. She writes about the often-overlooked science of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) which states that someone with an undectectable HIV viral load cannot transmit the virus. Garrett also writes about the medication that HIV-positive people take daily and the medication their negative partners can take, Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which again can lower their chances of infection. 

Through the voice of an everyday teenager, facing many of the same issues all teenagers face such as friendships, relationships and sexuality, Garrett’s novel starts to breakdown the stigma surrounding HIV by showing readers that HIV-positive people are just like everyone else. 

Full Disclosure not only examines the fear surrounding HIV but is it also extremely intersectional and fiercely feminist in its diverse representation of people that allow all readers to see themselves on the pages of this book. The novel features a whole range of characters who allow the author to portray various intersections of social and political identities. Simone’s adoptive fathers, who play a large part in this book, are a gay couple, one of whom is black like Simone and the other who has a Latinx heritage. Miles Austin who is also black and plays lacrosse allows the author to tackle racism in sports. 

The author also portrays teenage sexual exploration as young people begin to find their own sexuality and gender expression in a modern era, Garrett does this through Simone’s own exploration of her sexuality, her best friends Lydia and Claudia one of whom is asexual in a relationship with a girl and the other who identifies as bisexual and is in a relationship with a boy, and a whole cast of other supporting characters many of whom are part of the GSA (Gay and Straight Alliance) at school and represent various gender orientations and sexualities. 

Camryn Garrett’s Full Disclosure is a heart-warming, romantic, funny and hopeful coming-of-age novel about friendship, trust, and finding your own identity during adolescence. Brilliantly written, Garrett perfectly balances between the humour of teenage life and shedding some light on what it’s like to be HIV-positive in contemporary America. Full Disclosure is a brave, emotive and necessary novel which is unapologetically sex-positive while successfully tackling discrimination, prejudice and stigma.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for review consideration. I will not be reviewing this book.

Wow. Simply wow. 
I am super honoured to have receive this ARC from Penguin Random House UK. I initially requested this book out of curiosity. The premise seemed intriguing but the HIV element definitely won me over. I continuously seek to read more diverse books, not only in race or gender but specially when it comes to illnesses. Unfortunately most YA tends to gloss over illnesses, or simply portray the most talked about or even "trendy" illnesses; therefore seeing a YA book discuss openly such a misconceived disease was truly a breath of fresh air. 

Our main character Simone was born with the HIV virus and was adopted by two loving parents who have welcomed her in with open arms. After a traumatic experience at a past school, Simone is hoping to stay under the radar and simply blend in, which she had been doing brilliantly until she started crushing on Miles. 

This was a beautiful coming of age story filled with awareness and inclusion. Our main character is a black HIV positive teenager, has 2 dads, one of them is black, the other one is Latino, one of her best friends is Asian and Ace, and her other best friend is bisexual. Truly, how much more diversity could you ask for. It definitely ticked all the boxes when it came to portraying a believable and accurate world. 
Simone's' journey in discovering her body and her sexuality was so incredibly done. The author did a fantastic job at giving us the prospective of a young hormonal teenage girl while still keeping the reader aware and informed about HIV. All of the characters were so well fleshed out and were very well developed throughout the whole story. 

I was immersed in the story all the way through, laughing along with the characters, and crying with them too. This was definitely one of my favourite reads of 2019, and possibly one of my favourite YA contemporary novels.
All in all I recommend this book to literally everyone because this is a story that needs to be read!

This was a powerful debut- exploring a HIV positive character in a way that’s unique and something that I hadn’t really thought about- it is also a story of someone finding herself - the story is heavy in places but that’s the beauty of it- highly recommend

Honest and unflinching, a must read for any teen today,
Camryn hits it out of the park with this thought provoking look at life as a teen with HIV, the stigma and how people are treated. The themes touched upon in this book are very current, and this book is something I think many who read it will relate to it in some form. A very powerful read.

Simone is HIV positive and is ambivalent about sharing this fact. Last time she did so, it all went horribly wrong. But neither is she happy to keep secrets. While she was a young teenager, needing to tell a future sexual partner was not a problem. Now she is 17 and catches the eye of another student she wants to be prepared. Her life is otherwise transparent- living with two gay Dads, and her two female friends share the usual secrets of young women. This novel covers a multitude of ‘issues’. Social media shaming, LGBT, race, HIV - so prejudice in every sense. Simone’s worries are authentic, as are most characters. There are some gaps in the narrative but this doesn’t detract too much from the flow. The novel has students and adults wrongly assuming they know the full story when they don’t. It is a book for today’s audience of young adults.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett, was an absolute pleasure to read. Firstly, would like to thank NetGally and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book, very thankful for it. 

I'll be honest, at first I didn't think that I would enjoy it, boy was I wrong! The whole story is so important, it focuses on a topic that in some ways I still don't think it's very talked about, I can even say that I learnt quite a bit from this book and I'm happy and more mindful that I did.  

The way that Garrett has portrayed every character was magnificent. This is such a powerful, meaningful, heartfelt and overall beautiful book and I will be defiantly screaming from the rooftops about this one. I will also be purchasing this when it's released as it's a book that I think everyone should read and own. If you read one more book this year, please let it be this one.

This was a great book.  Dealt with difficult issues in a really understanding way.  I loved the characters and the storyline was great.  Would love to read more by this author.  Highly recommended.