Review: Full Disclosure

Full Disclosure
Camryn Garrett
288 pages
Releases October 29, 2019 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
⭐⭐⭐

Look at that beautiful cover! The colors and font attracted me immediately, and the novel's description drew me in even more as the book covers a sensitive topic that I've never seen before in a YA novel... HIV. Simone was born with the virus, which she contracted through her birth mother, and is being raised by her two dads.

Simone is a character unlike any other that I've seen in a young adult novel and not just because she is HIV positive... although, imagine all the kids with HIV who are going to pick up this book and finally see themselves represented; what a happy thought. Simone is real. She thinks like a teen, acts and speaks like a teen, has insecurities and ambitions like a teen. She is probably one of the most realistic characters I've read thus far in YA.

The book does lose a couple point from me for the first half.  The first half of the book focused nearly 100% on sex. Simone and her friends talk about it, they have it with their significant others, the shop for sex accouterments... I'm not saying real teenagers don't do these things, but they do do other things! Luckily, the second half of the book focuses more on Simone's work as director of her school musical, her support group, and of course, her adorable romance with Miles, who is probably one of the top ten book boyfriends ever. Ever! If you find yourself rolling your eyes in the first half, please keep reading. The end of the book makes up for it, I promise.

Let's talk about the treatment of HIV in the book. I read a review that implied it came off flippant and this could not be farther from the truth! From the first chapter, when Simone visits the doctor for one of her regular checkups, the virus is treated seriously. It is made excruciatingly clear throughout the book by Simone's doctors and her parents what to do when it comes to sex, and that you must disclose to your partner that you are HIV positive. In addition, Simone and her support group discuss several aspects of having the virus. The book is lighthearted despite the topic and has several moments of levity and laughs, but HIV and HIV patients are always treated with the respect they deserve.

Finally, I want to add a note here about the author, Camryn Garrett. She has quite an impressive bio which is even more impressive when you take into account she sold this book to the publisher when she was only seventeen years old! This must be why her characters came across as such realistic teenagers - she still is one! I will be keeping my eyes peeled for more books by Garrett.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me the review copy of Full Disclosure. You can preorder the book now through the publisher, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore. Full Disclosure will release on October 29, 2019 and will be the perfect way to pass a sunny (or cloudy) fall day.

Review: A Wedding in December

A Wedding in December
Sarah Morgan
368 pages
Releases September 24, 2019 by Harlequin
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I discovered Sarah Morgan's books last year and fell in love with her quirky characters and genuine love stories, so when I was A Wedding in December pop up in my NetGalley, I knew I needed it my life ASAP.  This is such a cute and lovely read for winter, so you're definitely going to want to pick this up for some cozy Christmas reading this year. The book releases on September 24, 2019.

The White family is getting ready for a wedding. Rosie, the younger sister, is getting married in Aspen after a whirlwind romance and has just called her family across the pond to invite them to the wedding in a mere three weeks. A flurry of activity follows as her family gets ready to make the trek to Colorado. Rosie's parents have been going through a rough time in their marriage and in fact, now that their girls are both grown and moved out, they have decided to divorce. But how awful would it be to tell your daughter you're getting a divorce on the eve of her marriage, particularly when she uses you as an example of how to keep a marriage alive? No, they must fake it for a bit, instead.

Rosie's parents was one of the absolute highlights of this book. Her mother's frantic antics to keep up appearances were over the top and laugh-inducing. I could picture this perfectly like a movie in my head. In addition to that, the setting of Aspen in the early winter was romantic, with the treetop hotel rooms and snow, the beautiful lodge and cute town to shop in. Anyway, I loved watching her parents grow throughout the book and come to terms with their new status of married (soon to be divorced?) empty-nesters.

Speaking of growth, Rosie's older sister Katie is an emergency room physician and she is the definition of stress and burned out. She works, eats, and sleeps and is very suspicious of love. How could they even know each other well enough to decide on marriage? When Katie's therapist demands she take sabbatical, she has no excuse to miss the wedding and goes to Colorado with the intention of interrogating her sister's fiance.

I really felt for Katie. Her short career has not been easy and she doesn't deal with stress well. In addition to that, she is keeping a secret from her family that keeps her on edge. Watching her leave work and let loose (well, as loose as she can muster) in Aspen was a relief. Two weeks in the mountains was great for Katie's personal growth and helped her make some big realizations of her life... and maybe fall a little in love? It IS a romance novel, after all.

And an epic romance at that, as it encompasses three love stories over multiple generations. Each story was unique and the wove together spectacularly. If you love winter and Christmas romances, this is the book for you this year. You can pre-order a copy on Harlequin's website, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore. Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to review this book. The free e-copy did not affect my review and these opinions are all mine.