Life and Other Complications by Heather Mullaly
Published July 5, 2021 by Favored Oak Press
Book Length: 266 Pages
Rating of 4/5 Stars
Tagging this book as read for review, YA, contemporary, and chronic illness rep.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Lola's Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Okay let me just say that I went into this book as someone with multiple chronic autoimmune diseases, and that I've been dealing with them since I was a young child. Because of this, I have always been drawn to books where chronic illness is a big part of the plot. It's relatable to me. However, I had yet to read a book that had HIV+ representation, and I think that this book did an absolutely wonderful job of showing the anxieties that come with a highly stigmatized illness.
In this book we follow Aly, a teenager in high school who is HIV+. While people in town know that she is HIV+, only a few people know of how she contracted HIV. This book highlights Aly's growth and development, along with throwing in some romance (and who doesn't love a good romance).
There were so many things about this book that I enjoyed. I thought that the friendship that Aly had with Luke and Caroline was just joy educing. I had so much fun reading their interactions (especially when Luke was trying to get Aly to go to prom). But I also thought that their friendship highlighted a lot of the harsh realities of living with a chronic illness. I had such a high appreciation for the support group scenes because characters would say somethings and I would think "oh my god I feel that." This novel has the perfect mix of relatable chronic illness life and story line that it made it such a joy to read and connect with. I flew through this one, and I would so highly recommend it to those who have chronic health battles.
