Where We Go From Here Review

I was provided Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha as an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and thanks is extended to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

Ian has just been diagnosed with HIV.

Victor, to his great relief, has tested negative.

Henrique has been living with HIV for the past three years.

When Victor finds himself getting tested for HIV for the first time, he can’t help but question his entire relationship with Henrique, the guy he has-had-been dating. See, Henrique didn’t disclose his positive HIV status to Victor until after they had sex, and even though Henrique insisted on using every possible precaution, Victor is livid.

That’s when Victor meets Ian, a guy who’s also getting tested for HIV. But Ian’s test comes back positive, and his world is about to change forever. Though Victor is loath to think about Henrique, he offers to put the two of them in touch, hoping that perhaps Henrique can help Ian navigate his new life. In the process, the lives of Ian, Victor, and Henrique will become intertwined in a story of friendship, love, and stigma-a story about hitting what you think is rock bottom, but finding the courage and support to keep moving forward.

Set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this utterly engrossing debut by Brazilian author Lucas Rocha calls back to Alex Sanchez’s Rainbow Boys series, bringing attention to how far we’ve come with HIV, while shining a harsh light on just how far we have yet to go.

If you haven’t read this book then it needs to be added to you TBR pile instantly. Where We Go From Here is an incredibly heart-warming story about friendship, the families that can be found and overcoming fears. It is a very important novel that is highly informative about HIV and aims to dispel the stigma that still surrounds it to this day.

The writing style is amazing and although the narrative consists of different point of views from each of the characters it is very easy to follow and adds so much depth to the story. The story is both heart-breaking and light-hearted at times but it is done perfectly in both instances and at exactly the right moments, I laughed, I cried and I hoped and that is a testament to how good an author Rocha is.

There were several things I loved about this book, the first is that it was very educational through the main characters having many conversations around the theme of HIV. I have a lot of experience with HIV through my career and this was executed perfectly and I saw a lot of my clients within the narrative of this novel, it was obviously very well researched and extremely well thought out. The second thing that I loved were the characters themselves and how well you get to know them as a reader and how easily you feel their emotions alongside them.

This is a new favourite of mine and one of the best books I have read so far in 2021 and so for that reason it is a 5 star read for me.

Son of the Storm Review

I was provided Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa as an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and thanks is extended to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—only he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy.

But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.

First off, I want to give props to whoever designed the cover for this book – I mean dammnnnnn- it is simply stunning.

The Son of the Storm is an intensely compelling fantasy tale with incredible world building and a wonderfully diverse character base all living out an extremely addictive narrative. I simply couldn’t put this book down and practically devoured it in one sitting.

The author delivered such an engaging and vibrant piece of storytelling that infused the cultural, social and political background of the world perfectly and I totally enjoyed being along for the ride in this incredible good vs evil tale.

I was so disappointed when this book ended as I could have kept on reading and reading. I look forward to instalment number two. A totally deserved 5 star read.