bookish_bailey 's review for:

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
4.0

LGBTQ+ Boys (and girls, and other pals) becoming themselves, becoming monsters, falling in love, fighting for their lives and livelihood in the expanse of a dead and rotting world. This novel is so unique and intriguing. It has traditional horror/monstrosity tones, with beautiful inclusivity and an intense apocalyptic setting.

I love the complexity of all the characters. They each are dealing with their own identities, coming to terms with the parts they can’t change about themselves and how to fight to be themselves. The religion and faith are definitely two different themes here and I like to see how they can coexist or be separate entities depending on the characters and their experiences.

I also really liked the underlying themes of love and acceptance. They were very strong and definitely had a big part in the ending scenes of the novel. Everyone has their “monsters”, and we have to learn to live with our own and with the ones of the people we care about if they are willing to accept it back.