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welllovedspines's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TL;DR: A translated debut about the reality of living after a diagnosis of HIV. Told in three perspectives, this book does a lot to distigmatize this diagnosis and illustrate how beautiful life can be for those impacted. Educational and heart-warming.
_____
This was an audiobook read for me, and honestly I'm not sure if I would have initially gravitated to it without this free audiobook access. That is something I've been loving recently because it's exposed me to more excellent books than I could have dreamed of.
This book is told in 3 different perspectives: from someone recently diagnosed with HIV, someone that recently tested negative after potential exposure, and someone who has been living with HIV for years. The audiobook has three different readers, which really helped with the perspective changes too!
I learned a lot about HIV and it's treatment through this book. Although set in Brazil, I believe anyone can relate to the experience these men go through. There has always been a massive amount of stigma around HIV (and AIDS), and many view this diagnosis as a death sentence. This book showed this is not the case and that life can be beautiful, fulfilling, and worthwhile in spite of being HIV positive.
Another thing I appreciated about this book was the amount of truth the author conveys about HIV. It's clear he is passionate about the topic and wants to clear the air on the many myths that are out there. The book clearly demonstrates that there is still work to be done to destigmatize HIV, and still offering hope in this possibility.
While being both informative and touching, this book definitely leaves a lasting impression. I definitely recommend it!
_____
This was an audiobook read for me, and honestly I'm not sure if I would have initially gravitated to it without this free audiobook access. That is something I've been loving recently because it's exposed me to more excellent books than I could have dreamed of.
This book is told in 3 different perspectives: from someone recently diagnosed with HIV, someone that recently tested negative after potential exposure, and someone who has been living with HIV for years. The audiobook has three different readers, which really helped with the perspective changes too!
I learned a lot about HIV and it's treatment through this book. Although set in Brazil, I believe anyone can relate to the experience these men go through. There has always been a massive amount of stigma around HIV (and AIDS), and many view this diagnosis as a death sentence. This book showed this is not the case and that life can be beautiful, fulfilling, and worthwhile in spite of being HIV positive.
Another thing I appreciated about this book was the amount of truth the author conveys about HIV. It's clear he is passionate about the topic and wants to clear the air on the many myths that are out there. The book clearly demonstrates that there is still work to be done to destigmatize HIV, and still offering hope in this possibility.
While being both informative and touching, this book definitely leaves a lasting impression. I definitely recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
Minor: Suicide
sammirosewater's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Outing, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was good! A fast-paced coming-of-age story with three unique and compelling perspectives.
I learned a lot about the modern diagnosis and treatment process of HIV/AIDS as well as the Brazilian cultural significance of queerness and HIV/AIDS.
This was an audiobook read for me and I enjoyed all the narrators and it helped me differentiate the different povs which can otherwise be a challenge in audio form.
I recommend this to fans of queer YA coming-of-age novels like Ziggy Stardust and Me and This is Kind of an Awkward Love Story.
I learned a lot about the modern diagnosis and treatment process of HIV/AIDS as well as the Brazilian cultural significance of queerness and HIV/AIDS.
This was an audiobook read for me and I enjoyed all the narrators and it helped me differentiate the different povs which can otherwise be a challenge in audio form.
I recommend this to fans of queer YA coming-of-age novels like Ziggy Stardust and Me and This is Kind of an Awkward Love Story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Outing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug use, Violence, and Blood
HIV/AIDS stigma, medical treatment and side effects of treatment/lack of treatment for HIV/AIDS.megelizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
"I hope one day HIV will be only a footnote in a life full of good stuff and nice people."
I really liked this book on the whole. It does a wonderful job of highlighting the importance of joy of friendship and found family, and of drag communities, and builds a narrative around HIV that is both educational and a good story. I personally enjoyed Ian's point of view most, and particularly loved his relationship with his sister. I liked Henrique and Victor as characters, but I struggled to feel connected to their relationship - I think it would have helped to start the story slightly earlier, prior to them meeting - and found myself becoming frustrated at the constant back-and-forth between them. Overall, though, I did like this book a lot and it's given me a lot to think about, and I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for anything else Lucas Rocha writes in the future.
I really liked this book on the whole. It does a wonderful job of highlighting the importance of joy of friendship and found family, and of drag communities, and builds a narrative around HIV that is both educational and a good story. I personally enjoyed Ian's point of view most, and particularly loved his relationship with his sister. I liked Henrique and Victor as characters, but I struggled to feel connected to their relationship - I think it would have helped to start the story slightly earlier, prior to them meeting - and found myself becoming frustrated at the constant back-and-forth between them. Overall, though, I did like this book a lot and it's given me a lot to think about, and I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for anything else Lucas Rocha writes in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
innastholiel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Sexual content
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