Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - Where We Go From Here

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.

Content Warnings

robyn_fenix's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I picked this up on impulse and wish I had read more about it first, I didn’t realise it was a young adult book. I’ve definitely outgrown the genre and it’s just not for me.

Outside of that though this is a good book. It covers an important topic that I wish I had known more about when I was younger, and it even taught me a couple of things today. It’s also a really nice story, covering three different perspectives.

I wish there was more development of their friendship. A lot of the narration was devoted to irrelevant descriptions and the pacing was a bit off at times. Furthermore the Henrique/Victor romance felt “rushed” just because most of it happened before the book started so we don’t really see them interact much which lead me to not be invested in the romance. It has a bit of a “tell not show” issue as well and I felt that the moral of the story was a bit heavyhanded but I understand that these are often standard characteristics of young adult books.

I’d recommend it for fans of YA.

Content Warnings

mirelg6's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.25

I really love this book and all the information that it have gave to me. Also i enjoy so much the way that the characters are driven in a realist and human way whit all their flaws and good things. I think that is a book that everyone have to read at least 1 time.

Content Warnings

melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

This is such a well-written book with an in-depth look at what it might look like to be diagnosed HIV-positive. This is told from 3 alternating viewpoints of young gay men in Brazil--1 who has been positive for years, 1 who is dating someone HIV-positive, and 1 who is newly diagnosed.

I really liked the journeys all three went with and seeing these points of views. This book is extremely informative about HIV and the misconceptions surrounding it! I really enjoyed it.

Content Warnings

ridleyreadsthings's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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

4.0

This was a brilliant book - honestly, as a gay man, I didn't actually know much about HIV or AIDS. I knew the basics, the horror stories that come with all the fear and hate and stigma.

This was such an enlightening read. The characters were adorable, and it was interesting to get insight into living with HIV from 3 different povs - someone who has just been diagnosed, someone who has been living with it for 3 years, and the third was dating the former, and freaked out when he found out his partner has HIV. Also all come from a background where all of their families reacted in different ways to them coming out.

Following these young men on their journey as their lives intertwined was such a joy - it was heartfelt and tender, and sometimes tense and heartbreaking.

It was a stunning debut - it was informative, well written and funny with a great set of characters, who had amazing support group of friends that everyone needs in their lives.

I rated it 4 stars, mainly because it felt kind of rushed towards the end, but I still enjoyed every minute of it. But other than that I can't really fault it much. I look forward to whatever books Lucas Rocha may write in the future.

This book is a reminder that hate and prejudice (of all kinds) and the stigma surrounding HIV hold no place in this world. We all have different hopes and dreams, fears and anxieties, but we are all the same. I urge everyone to go pick up a copy, and educate yourself.

Content Warnings

blynecessity's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. This book is, like... good. Really, really good. I was worried it'd be too much of a romance or try to shoehorn the HIV in, but this was a freaking beautiful read.
I think part of what caught me off guard about this book was that there were three well-developed main characters, when I was expecting two of the POV characters to carry the one MC. Another nice thing is that there were lots of feelings, but this didn't feel like two-dimensional anger or frustration or romantic affection. And! Speaking of affection, there was so much platonic, fraternal, and parental love on display here, and it was well-executed.
I think seeing things from all three MCs' points of view was honestly an amazing (if risky) decision. The delivery of the info of medications and side effects, misconceptions and stigma would have been really clunky if it had all been delivered to one MC or at one time. Instead, this book showed that it was well-written, well-edited, and well-translated by pulling on my heartstrings without being cliche, and by introducing so may memorable characters in such a short book.

Content Warnings

mezzano's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes

4.0

A few months back, I attended a virtual book promotion where Alice Oseman, Leah Johnson, and Lucas Rocha discussed the importance of positive and happy queer narratives for teenagers and young adults. While I knew the premises behind both Oseman and Johnson's works, that experience had been the first time I was introduced to Rocha and his upcoming book. While Lucas Rocha talked about his inspiration for Where We Go From Here, I found it hard to picture a story about AIDS as one which could have a realistic and uplifting message. What I realize now, months after attending the virtual event, was that I was still holding onto internalized homophobia and prejudice against HIV. The book, Where We Go From Here is an incredibly sensitive and timely story about three individuals whose stories all converge at their experiences enduring and overcoming the stigma which surrounds HIV.

Through telling the story with the perspective of three main characters, Where We Go From Here holds a level of nuance which is unmatched by other popular books surrounding HIV. All three characters are allowed to express their feelings, fears, and prejudices in order to grow into more understanding people. By having a person who has been living with HIV, a person recently diagnosed, and a character recently confirmed as HIV negative, Rocha masterfully touches on the sensitive aspects of HIV which is still largely taboo. A turning point in the story is when one of the character's says that the true curse of the disease is how society views an HIV positive person. HIV has become a manageable chronic condition, but people still reject the individual and treat their illness as a personal falling. This is seen through the heartbreak of one of the main characters.

Where there is heartbreak, there is also a deep sense of community. The comradery and support the characters have from others is uplifting. As characters learn to live with their new diagnosis, other characters serve as a support system to affirm positive messages. Characters are reminded that HIV is no longer a death sentence, and that with proper medical treatment a normal life is possible. There are details I learned about HIV that I have never learned in sexual education classes, like the fact that you can catch multiple strains of HIV. The fact that options for healthy and safe sex with HIV is discussed, such as explaining what undetectable status means and what PreP does, is so important to see in young adult literature. Knowing that there are options to practice safe sex with or without HIV is something that everyone should have some understanding of.

The only aspect of the book I wish had been better executed was the fact that many of the characters had the same voice, which made following along to each of the three perspectives difficult as I read the story as an audiobook. Had the voices been more distinct, this would have easily been a five star read for me.

Content Warnings

More...