Full Disclosure: 09/12/21

In Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett, Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting at a new high school. She wants to fall in love and have a normal teenage experience but she's HIV positive. While she's careful and her levels are low enough to not be detectable she knows disclosing her status will cause problems at school. At the same time, she knows she will have to disclose the truth to any future boyfriends or girlfriends.

On the representation front, Full Disclosure has a lot going for it. Simone is Black and queer and adopted. She's being raised by a pair of married men. Her friend group at school is also diverse.

For YA readers — the intended audience — there's a lot of information that they might not otherwise have access to. There's information on safe sex, masturbation, living with HIV, pregnancy with HIV, gynecological exams. It's mostly provided through dialogue.

But all this info-dumping gets in the way of the rest of the plot. There isn't a smooth blending of useful information and plot.

Aside from the HIV handbook aspect, the novel is about Simone directing RENT at her high school, falling in love with a boy, and having someone sending her threatening notes that promise to reveal her HIV status. This basic three part structure of creative project, falling in love, and the potential of blackmail brings to mind Felix Ever After (2020).

Three stars

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