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

dark sad 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

4.0

Hooo boy this was a book for sure!! I didn’t realize going in how intense this would be. But I liked the trial-by-fire method of forcing you to accept and get used to all the queerness. There were so many different identities and pronouns which was a little confusing at times (I had to keep a running list of who went by what) but I sincerely appreciate the authenticity. I love that the apocalypse just allowed queer kids to get queerer. And be more open about their expression.

Benji, my sweet sweet boy. I love him but his body horror was a lot for me. I had to mentally turn off my consciousness (thanks, autism!) whenever the book described the gore and horror of it because it was too much for me. But I enjoyed the full acceptance Benji had for his body, choosing not to bind despite some of his peers not understanding. It was beautiful to see all the individual unique ways that the kids of the LGBTQ+ center held and identified themselves. 

 
When he was deadnamed, I was thrown off for a bit. I had to rewind a couple times to even hear what Benji was reacting to. I liked that his deadname was so unfamiliar that it felt WRONG when used.


Nick’s autism was so well done. I really appreciated the genuine representation of his neurodivergence.
I was worried he and Benji would rush into things despite Theo being such a constant, so their ending satisfied me. Just a beginning. Not a promise of love or forever. It was sweet.
 

Speaking of Theo, he was hard for me to accept. I like people to be good or evil in fantasy novels so the complexities of him being queer and genuinely supporting Benji in his transition and then also being brainwashed was hard. His POV would perk me up a little cause he was so set on Benji being a boy that even his mind never betrayed Benji’s pronouns or identity. But life is complex and so is the life of a religious cult member raised on bigotry and genocide. In a better world, maybe Theo and Benji could’ve had a beautiful life together. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The world was well-sized for the scale and scope of the book. I do wish there were a second book to handle the trauma from after. But it was great in and of itself. Well worth the read if you’re in a place to do so.
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