I was so intrigued and excited to read this book because I wanted to read a queer story set in 80s NYC. I was hyped for it but didn't end up loving the writing style and the pacing was a little off for me. However, and this is the important part, the story itself, its message and characters were phenomenal. I ended up really liking this book, even though it wasn't pure perfection, and still highly recommend it. 

My heart hurt so much to see the pain and struggle of LGBT teens (and people in general) coming out in the 80s. The fear they felt and the danger they put themselves in. The risks that Michael takes just to be who he is, its heartbreaking. Of course, the HIV/AIDS crisis is very much at the forefront of this story and an important part of our history for teens to learn. 

A recommended read, overall.

While reading this book, I noticed there were places where quotation marks were needed that didn't have any. I didn't really understand that, and it made it hard to tell sometimes when someone was speaking.

This book was okay for me. I would not say it was absolutely amazing, but it was definitely okay.

The writing style has the novel often skipping from scene to scene rather quickly, which was definitely a choice, but not one that I necessarily liked.

I do, however, think the friendships in the book were very sweet and believable.

It's pretty much an angsty teen novel, and if you like that, then you can definitely give this a read.

A very poignant coming of age story set in 1980s America during the AIDS epidemic. Michael thinks he's happy living his life in secret from his parents as well as in the shadow of his friend but as opportunities arise he finds himself conflicted. He knows the consequences of opening up to his family and must work out whether the consequences are worth it to live the life he loves. But as a young single gay guy living during the epidemic, Michael must also work out the risks he's willing to take to find love. 
I really liked the characters in this story and their personal growth, my only criticism is that the story seemed a little anticlimactic, it ended very suddenly. But overall I loved it.

Being transported to 1983 New York was one of the assets of this book ; I found the story quite compelling and would be happy to read more from the author!

I am always torn about books for contemporary teens set in the 1980s- as an adult reading these books, I love the nostalgia. BUT- YA books are for current teens, and some of that must be lost on them. However; I think this book did it right. The story of a young gay man living through the AIDs crisis is emotional and painful. This is perfect historical fiction of the recent past. I will definitely be adding to my collection, as this book does it right!

Edited & updated Sept. 9, 2020.

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of We Are Lost and Found through Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

How do I put this?

We Are Lost and Found is a beautiful, important, and informative story about growing up queer during the AIDS crisis. But I have some concerns.

Gabriel, Michael's love interest, is years older than the teenaged main character and frankly could have treated him better.

Maybe I’m too Gen Z for this time period, I don’t know, but I couldn’t fully invest myself in Gabriel and Michael. I think this is partly because there wasn’t any closure in the end. They just acted like their issues never happened.

And Becky was borderline creepy about wanting her two gay best friends to get together. Becky was creepy, in general. There, I said it!

I ended up ending this at 54% through it, I had lost interest in this. I wanted to love it,. I love the cover art and enjoying the lgbt rep. 

TW: being kicked out, homophobic parents

Set in New York back in 1983, this is an LGBTQ+ Young Adult contemporary that follows the story of a gay teenage boy during the AIDs epidemic. This book is pitched for fans of Perks of Being A Wallflower, but it absolutely stands on its own for a myriad of reasons, that I'll get into shortly.

We follow Micheal, who has been content to live his life from the sidelines both at home and with his friends. Micheal's father is an angry man that no one is prepared to cross. Micheal and his mother navigate his father's temper, but his older brother, Connor, has long since been kicked out of the house for being gay. Not wanting to face the same fate as Connor, Micheal keeps his sexuality hidden - but trying to find a space for your true self in a world going through an epidemic that largely affects gay men, is no easy task.

Micheal spends as much time as possible at The Echo, a club where his best friend, James performs. James is the guy that everyone wants, but no one can ever get. Their friend, Becky, sees everything they're going through, and is fiercely loyal and brutally honest no matter what. All Micheal wants is to pass the time away, so he can figure out who he is, who he's going to be, but every time he comes close there's always something standing in the way.

Micheal meets a boy who finally seems to understand, who gets the crushing pressure of everything that's going on. But with so little information on how the condition is transmitted, no real way to know you're safe, he's left wondering if he's risking his life in his pursuit of happiness. This book taught me a lot about the threat posed by HIV/AIDs specifically back in the '80s. It was very much a looming presence and threat, and in a world that was (and still is to this day) fighting for LGBTQ+ people to be seen as valid and equal, this book did an excellent job at showcasing just how isolating and dangerous life could be.

The LGBTQ+ community faces dangers and prejudice even today, in many forms, due to homophobia and bigotry. We Are Lost And Found showed many of those forms of homophobia, from physical violence, to parental abuse and abandonment, and how they cause both short and long term effects on lives. Even internalised homophobia, that so many in the broad spectrum of sexuality must unlearn, was subtly woven in and very realistically so. I have read a lot of LGBTQ+ novels over the years, but so few have a focused on the HIV/AIDs epidemic. The author did an excellent job of openly discussing how people educated and looked out for themselves during that time, and still managed to make me laugh and cry along the way.
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This book covers topics such as coming out and the risks involved. And with the flawed and wonderfully pragmatic characters in this novel, it is impossible not to think of them as real people. The relationships were all impactful in their own way, especially as mistakes were made, and there was often tough love between friends. Dunbar's storytelling felt so alive, almost like reading a real diary. 

The writing itself was beautiful - it was the perfect balance between introspective and observant of all the important things, both big and small, about the world around you. Finding yourself as a teenager in an abusive household, in a world that seems against you, is hard. Finding yourself at any age is hard. But this novel centers itself around hitting an age when you begin to question everything; all the decisions you make, and all the decisions that are made for you. The message of realising you have no choice but to start finding your place in the world is one that will resonate with you at any point in your life - maybe several times over - and We Are Lost and Found presented that message perfectly.
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Overall, this was one of the most hard-hitting but stunning books I've read in a long time. It is unforgettable. This is the kind of book you can read over and over throughout your life and it'll hit a little different every time.

I DNF'd this 36 pages in. The writing was sporadic and the characters weren't very likable. Also, there are better books about gay characters living during the AIDs epidemic that are #ownvoices.

Beautiful, nostalgic coming of age story set in 1983 New York City. As someone who is roughly the same age as the main character -- Michael -- and spent time pouring over the Village Voice and heading to NYC from the Jersey suburbs, this was especially evocative of the period. The writing is lovely and the story of a gay teen who is trying to navigate growing up and coming out in what would turn out to be the AIDS epidemic, feels like a bittersweet window into an anxious time.

This sounded like something that would suck me in, but I had trouble getting into it. It was kind of slow for me. I like a good historical coming of age story, but... This wasn't bad by any means, but it just wasn't my favorite.

I tried to read this book but I struggled with the opening chapters and decided not to continue. I may revisit at a later time.

We Are Lost and Found was the perfect follow up for the people who loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Unfortunately, between the slow narrative and characters, this book wasn't exactly for me. While I think the book will appeal to a lot of people, it isn't exactly for me. I wasn't a fan of the narrator or his friend group, and frankly, this kind of contemporary doesn't appeal to me. As important as the work is, it just didn't live up to what I thought it would be. I did like that the setting felt true to the time and era it was set in. I liked feeling transported back through time a little, even if I wasn't a huge fan of the book as a whole. The time era and issues presented in the book were true to the historical nature of their conflict, and I think to a lot of teen (the audience to which it's marketed) it's an important part of history to hold on to. So while I didn't like it myself, I can acknowledge it's important as a piece of work I think the author has a lot of potential for me to read her other works, but I wasn't the biggest fan of this one. Overall, I'm more hopeful for Helene Dunbar's other work because I do feel like I will continue to read what she writes.

4.5 stars

Michael is a sixteen-year-old boy in 1982 NYC, around the time when AIDS began gaining notice. After his older brother, Connor, is kicked out of the house for being gay, Michael realizes that he must stay silent about his own homosexuality. This book follows Michael and his best friends James and Becky as they navigate love, fear, and finding themselves.

This was a really well-written and interesting read. Helene Dunbar's writing flowed beautifully, and the story touched on so many important issues, many that current teenagers can identify with, and shed some light on what it was like to be gay in New York City at a time when people were just starting to learn about AIDS. 

A powerful read on a powerful topic that was engaging all the way through. I would absolutely recommend.

As someone who wasn't alive during the 80s, I can't speak to the authenticity of the setting, but the characters felt really genuine, especially the main character. There were a few slow points, but for the most part I found it to be a compelling story.

This book is just okay for me, mostly because there are a few things that bothered me about the book overall. Before I get into that I want to point out that the book feels well researched concerning the AIDS crisis that was occurring in the 1980s. The friendship between the characters is also sweet. However, I felt like there wasn't much plot, especially since I felt like the author jumped from one scene to another. The lack of quotation marks was annoying-I'm not sure if that's because this is an ARC or not. I further had trouble the way the author framed not coming out to a homophobic parent as "hiding." No one should feel compelled to come out if they are in an unsafe or risky situation, especially with parents/loved ones- and especially taking into consideration the era this book is set in. I also felt like there was slut shaming towards some of the men in this book as well, and I did not care for the ending either. Overall, this book is just okay to me and I wasn't especially impressed by it.

A fascinating look into what the world was like in the early 80's during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The story contained elements of true locations and information regarding that time e.g. pamphlets and music. 

Michael is a adolescent young man who had to come to terms with his own life and sexuality throughout the course of the book. Dealing with his families problems and his own, he encountered a huge struggle internally to find the true Michael. The story is a fulfilling journey of a character who just wants to be loved and not have to deal with the fear in society in that time.

I commend the Author for the accurate depiction and exploration of a trying time in the LGBTQ+ community.

I did not finish this book. I found that the author - as a cisgender straight woman - did not and could not accurately capture the queer experience.

Super amazing and beautiful! I love everything about this book! Story, characters, writing! This book goes to my favorite shelf!

2.5 stars-ish?

I'm so sad that I didn't like this. I love books following queer teens in 80s NYC. It's one of my favorite coming-of-age settings, frankly. But I don't know why I couldn't connect to any of these characters. There was something about them that felt kind of removed from the story if that makes sense, like I never really knew any of them. The plot was also fairly lackluster, and I was not a fan of the ending. And honestly, I'm really bummed about it.

<B> Trigger and Content Warnings: </B> Homophobia (physical acts of violence, violent language, disowning family members, slurs, etc), AIDS and AIDS related death, conversations about sex, but no on-page sex, brief hospitalization