Simone is a sixteen-year-old high school student with a secret...

She was born with HIV, which means that unlike most her age, she has to take medication everyday and make frequent hospital visits to keep her viral load under control. She's also unsure about her sexual identity, believing that she's bi, but in equal measure not bi enough. As Simone navigates the harsh, punishing terrain of high school, she comes to the realisation that her illness does not define her.

I loved the sweetness of this story as well as the way it confronts people's ignorance about HIV and who can get it and it's redemptively bright ending. It celebrates multiple sidelined identities in a way that was so refreshing to read about.

The story itself, the writing and the progression of the plot followed the same formula as practically every other teen romance/coming-out story I've ever read, just with a different premise. Also, the identity of Simone's main antagonist when it was revealed towards the end the book was so predictable, I literally rolled my eyes at its obviousness.

But in and of itself, I thought this was a fantastic, imperative debut and would wholly recommend.