A review by sapphicacademic
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous challenging emotional tense 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

5.0

I love queer horror/dystopia so much. I started this book in December '22, got busy, put it down for a bit. Then a friend of mine wrote his final essay on it and I needed to finish the read. I loved it so much. As a former GSA president and current queer youth advocate, I could see myself and the kids I work with in so much of the ALC. You can tell the author has been involved in queer culture, it's such a realistic and casual depiction. Also I LOVE having autistic characters where the story isn't ABOUT their autism, Nick's autism is written so well. If you want to read queer stories, don't look for the cute palatable love stories. Read this.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Transphobia, Gun violence, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Classism, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Blood, Death, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Panic attacks/disorders

This book is, despite its fantastical elements, about the reality of being queer. The author has really good trigger warnings detailed on his website/goodreads.