Full Disclosure

July 29, 2019
New school, new friends, new crush, same old secret. Simone Garcia-Hampton, a black 17-year-old, is HIV-positive. And though she’s healthy, she knows how people react when they find out; bullying and other negative reactions are why she left her old school. But just as she’s settling in, directing the school play—the apposite Rent—and maybe starting a relationship, she starts getting notes threatening to reveal her HIV status. College-age author Garrett portrays an authentic sense of young adult sexuality in Simone, who is both knowledgeable about sex (masturbation and vibrators are both frankly discussed) and unsure about it. She also creates strong characters in Simone’s nontraditional family: her supportive, loving fathers (Pops is black; Dad is Latino) adopted her at birth. The plot mechanics grow a bit heavy-handed toward the book’s conclusion, and love interest Miles, always willing to listen to musical theater trivia and unafraid to show his feelings, can seem a bit too perfect. But the idea that even purportedly open-minded Bay Area parents freak out about the presence of an HIV-positive student feels all too believable, and readers will root for sympathetic Simone in this frankly sex-positive debut. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House.

August 15, 2019
Garrett's debut novel not only successfully tackles discrimination through the lenses of race, sexuality, and having HIV, but also shows the possibility of living a full life despite it all. Simone Garcia-Hampton is perfectly ordinary in many ways--she gets embarrassed by her Pops and her Dad, obsesses over her dream of directing musicals on Broadway, tries to figure out if she's bisexual, crushes on a boy in drama club, and thinks about having sex. But the San Francisco teen, who was adopted by her two gay dads, also has to consider her inherited HIV-positive status along with the threatening notes she starts to receive after she starts dating Miles. She knows what could happen if everyone at her new school found out about her status, but she also doesn't want to give up what she's got with Miles. Lydia and Claudia are her two best friends and, along with her fathers, her fiercest supporters. Simone will have to take a chance on trusting those closest to her with her secret before she can truly take back her power. Simone's story will educate readers about the intricacies of living fully with HIV and controlling your narrative. The primary and most secondary characters are well developed, and the pace is spot-on. Simone, her Pops, and Miles are black; her Dad is Latinx; Lydia is Taiwanese and bisexual; and tan-skinned Claudia is an asexual lesbian. A story about telling your truth, your way. (Fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from September 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Meet Simone. Simone loves musicals. She loves watching reruns of A Different World. She is a teenager who is curious about sex and she has a crush on Miles, a cute lacrosse player from her school. She's a typical teen, except she has a secret-she is living with HIV. She had to leave her previous school when someone she trusted outed her, but things finally seem to be looking up at her new school. She is learning how to navigate her world with the love and support of her friends, her two dads, and an HIV support group. She is even directing the school musical, Rent. But when someone from her school leaves an anonymous note threatening to expose her, Simone must make a decision. Should she share her secret and risk losing her friends and newfound love, Miles? Or keep her secret and miss out on exploring her new relationship? This book sheds light on a group that is hidden in the shadows, and on a serious issue in America and across the world. Everyone can learn something from this debut novel. Garrett debunks several myths about people living with HIV and also shows a girl living and loving a life that is not tragic because she is living with HIV. VERDICT Readers will fall in love with Simone's two dads and zany best friends. Add this to all collections today.-Cicely Lewis, Meadowcreek High School

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