Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
CW: Hospital Scenes, Bullying, Detailed Discussion of HIV, Blackmail, Discussion of Sex, Discrimination, Microaggressions, Racism, Homophobia, Bi-phobia, Forced Outing of HIV Status, Ableism, Discussion of Death from HIV and Aids, Doxxing, Slut Shaming
4.5/5
I learned a lot from reading Full Disclosure, especially about HIV. Although the information was not surprising to me, it was still important to learn. I mostly put this book on my TBR list because of the ace representation, but the HIV representation was a factor as well. Garrett does not have HIV, but she spent a lot of time researching for the story. She also allowed those living with positive HIV to read it before publishing and provided a plethora of resources on HIV at the end of the book. Seeing as I do not have HIV, I cannot say if this is enough. The book however, did not give off a negative or exploitative vibe.
Simone is a black high schooler living in San Francisco who is HIV positive. She has two dads, is questioning her own sexuality, and is directing a school musical for the first time. After she left her previous school due to bullying, she thought she was making a good start for herself at her new one. She has two new best friends, a guy she's crushing on, and no one at her new school knows about her HIV status. That all comes crashing down when she starts receiving anonymous blackmail notes. She has until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with her crush or the person will tell her secret.
The main objective of the book seems to be validation and the reminder that we can ask for help. Throughout the book, Simone fretted about what would happen if she took action against her blackmailer. She worried about people overhearing at school, worried about those she loves rejecting her, and worried about being moved to yet another new school. I will not spoil how it plays out by the end of the story, but it is clear that if she had asked for help from her support system, things would have been much easier for her.
The theme of validation is incorporated into the book in many ways. One of these ways is showing that you don't have to be with your own gender to know that you are bisexual. Another way is by saying that you're allowed to follow your dreams. There's a wonderful line in the book about failing at what you love that is a great example of this. Full Disclosure also validates not holding back from asking the questions you need to about your condition, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. The only thing I wish the book would have put more effort into was validating those that contract HIV. It stays very neutral about those that got it from drug use or through sex. Having Simone be born with HIV shows that you can be, but it always gives her an out from it being her "fault". Drug users and those who are sexually active should not be seen as having brought it upon themselves. While I don't think Garrett intentionally or even implicitly left that message, it wasn't explicitly spoken against.
If you do not know much about HIV or simply would like to see more positive representation for it, I recommend Full Disclosure. You'll get a sweet romance, lots of musical love, sex positivity without explicit sex scenes, queer friendships, and San Francisco scenery. The book has lots of good representation and quality content. The pacing works very well, the twists are unexpected, and the characters are consistent and well developed. If you choose to read it via audiobook, you'll be graced with one of my favorite audio-readers, Adenrele Ojo (also the reader of Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann)! Either way, this book is worth the read!
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