I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
Initially, I was interested in this book with the themes of HIV/Aids epidemic. However, the author lost me after the first chapter as a really unnecessary and potentially offensive event takes place which kind of puts the reader off. I didn't really enjoy this book.

This was just not my type of book. Perhaps it was the time period, or the graphic sex. Not something I'd recommend.

The blurb for this novel was so mysterious I didn't know what to expect. And honestly, the first chapters were surprisingly dark. And when I say 'dark' , I don't mean 'concerned with the HIV epidemic', I mean that a very, very disturbing thing happens in chapter one.⁠
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It made me think about content warnings--including them would mean a spoiler and the reader wouldn't feel the same shock/confusion the main character is feeling. I'm surprised the author decided to start with something so dark. I'd be afraid I'd lose readers after that.⁠
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Suffice it to say, if any content warnings apply to you, you probably shouldn't read it. If you don't mind morbid content that leads to a lot of serious drama, go ahead.⁠
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Despite the dark topics, the tone of the book remains surprisingly light. It didn't feel trivializing, but instead, it made the book somehow easier to digest and the characters more human. I think the characters were just trying to cope.⁠
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The rest of the book is an exploration of sexual identities, of a teen and of an adult. The book deals with coming outs and relationships in times when being queer in the UK was penalized. It's also about life-changing mistakes and guilt.⁠
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Each character was handling their situation differently. Danny was just a teenager figuring out who he was. Jill was concerned. Kimberly was liberated and supportive of others, but also always honest. Rex was unreasonable and borderline perverse most of the time, and his life was just one huge accident. Kenny was the voice of reason, and he literally said out loud what I was thinking as a reader.⁠
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I still don't know how to rate this book. It made me think a lot, and I was curious what would happen next--but it was the same morbid curiosity we feel watching an accident happen.⁠