Full Disclosure by Camryn Garret| A VERY Rambly Review| Bi Recs #5

 

Full Disclosure reminded me a lot of the show, Chewing Gum. Both are about stories exploring sex and how confusing it can be for someone at a young age or simply for a person who never experienced it at all.

Simone is HIV+, Black, confused about her sexuality, and starts to fall in love with a lacrosse-obsessed boy named Miles. Full Disclosure is one of the better “coming of age” books I feel like I’ve read in a while. HIV is still a taboo topic (something that still blows my mind) and I think it’s important for teens to know about HIV to de-promote the stigmas surrounding it. There were times I was frustrated at Simone because in my mind I would have done and handle things differently but then I remind myself that I do not have HIV+ and even Simone implicitly reminds the reader that they most likely will never know what it’s like to be positive. Would I react the same way? I don’t think it’s a fair question to ask.

Being HIV+, Simone goes through a lot of anxieties such as worrying about people in her school knowing (especially since she had a traumatic experience at her old school) and how it would affect her relationship with Miles who she definitely wants to have sex with. I love how educational the book was and from reading the author’s note, I can see that Camryn Garrett put in a lot of research. I also enjoyed how sex-positive this book is (buying a vibrator, having discussions about sex with parents/friends, etc) but also not straying from the fact that it can also be embarrassing.

As bisexual, I love how bisexuality was explored in the book. Simone constantly questions her sexuality because she’s afraid to be seen as “too straight” or “too queer.” I try not to speak for all bisexuals but I feel like this is a common worry as well (honestly probably anyone that’s sexuality fluid). I oddly related to Simone when she attends GSA meetings because although I went to many of them when I was in college, I still felt weird and not seen as “valid.” There’s also a lot of other side queer characters (gay, ace, etc) and valuable discussions about sex in queer relationships.

**Something that kind of bugged me was that before Simone came out to her friends, her friend Claudia legit said that Simone has no idea what it’s like to be oppressed and I side-eyed her because Simone is Black and has HIV (not even including her sexuality). This isn’t the oppressed Olympics but I can’t believe she had the nerve. I’m glad that Claudia clapped back though.

The relationship between Miles and Simone was also cute. At first, I thought it was a little insta-lovey but then I remind myself that this is legit high school and most high school relationships are pretty much insta-love. I was also surprised how they actually were very communicative with each other and was like a breath of fresh air. The ending also cracked me up.

There’s a lot of musical references (good for if you’re tired about usual YA pop cultural references) and overall just a fun book! There’s a lot more to unpack such as Simone being adopted, having two (very supportive and corny) dads, going to support group, learning to trust other people, scared about not achieving her goals such as being a broadway director, etc. I know a lot of people are tired of the force coming out ( in this case HIV) plots but I still think this book holds a lot of merit. Simone is messy at times and I wanted to shake her but I also can’t help but love and feel for her as a character. I saw myself in her such as both of us being Black and bisexual, in a multicultural family, and scared about the future.

Full Disclosure teaches you that not everyone is going to accept you for who you are but you can accept the love from others and even learn to love yourself. This was a fun and chaotic book and is worth the read!

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