To be honest, this book’s cover is what caught my eye and made me request it. And I’m so glad I did. I didn’t know just how important this book is. I almost feel wrong for not giving it a higher rating because I truly believe it’s very important but I have to consider the writing and the storyline as well as the subject matter.

Like I said, I believe this is a book everybody should read. What I liked about it the most and at the same time annoyed me the most was the way the story’s told. I love how this story gives an insight into what it was like during that time, something I feel like is not talked about enough. The entire time you could feel the fear of the characters. Even if the fear and the AIDS crisis weren’t always in the foreground of the story, it never disappeared. It was always there. In the background of Michael (the main character) and the reader’s minds. And that’s what I imagine it was like being gay in NYC in the early 80s. So in this respect, Dunbar did an outstanding job, in my opinion.

What I didn’t like so much was the lack of quotation marks. I was never sure whether I was reading the character talking out loud, the thoughts inside his head, another character talking, or something else entirely. It takes some getting used to. At first it pulled me out of the story a few times but after a while, I didn’t mind it so much. Apart from this, I enjoyed Dunbar’s writing. Everything comes full circle.

Although there is somewhat a central storyline (with Michael, Becky and James), this could have been about any gay teenager in early 80s NYC. This might sound like an issue but it really isn’t. In fact, this was perfect for this subject matter. The characters are there to help you navigate through that time, the fear, the confusion, the anger. And yes, you feel for them. However, I think the important thing to take away from this book is what happened, not the characters. I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts into words here. You don’t read this book for the characters but for the story, if that makes sense. The story isn’t because of the characters but the characters are because of the story. They help you understand what it was like back then, as far as one can try to understand.

The synopsis compares We Are Lost and Found to The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I have to say it’s a pretty good comparison. If you liked that book, definitely read this.

I would like to add that the afterwords are also worth the read!

I read practically all of this book in one sitting. I really enjoyed it. I understand how it might not be for everybody but it’s a book I’m glad I took the time to read.

No surprise here, I recommend reading this book when it comes out!

I am genuinely disappointed that I didn’t like this book as I think it is an extremely important topic and I feel like very few other young adult books (or even many fiction books) have tackled this topic before. We Are Lost and Found follows Michael’s story in 1983 as a young gay man at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. There is very little information being provided to the public on this disease and it is leading to fear among the community and prejudice against the community. Michael must deal with this fear and prejudice as he is falling in love, trying to piece his family back together, and freeing himself.

Right from the start, I struggled with two big writing choices. There were no transitions for time or even between scenes. In one page alone Michael was in five different places and there was nothing to show how he got from one place to the next. This just made the book feel all over the place and interrupted the flow of the story. The other thing that really bugged me was the dialogue was not in quotation marks. The sentences would still include the dialogue tags like he said or she said but no quotation marks. Maybe this is a really small thing but I struggled to get past it and was annoyed any time someone said something throughout the book.

Writing complaints aside, there were still some issues for me with the plot. This is one of the craziest books I’ve read as it simultaneously had so much going on in the story, yet felt like nothing happened in the plot. Every character had so much going on with their home life and their interests but that meant that none of the things could be fully fleshed out. For example, the serious relationship Michael is getting into feels rushed and, therefore, I wasn’t rooting for them. I wish the author had picked a few things are really fleshed them out as it would have made the characters more agreeable.

I did learn quite a bit from this book which I think is something it has going for it, but overall, I just really wanted more.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Our kiss was a secret we didn’t want to keep.
But we had no choice.”

Set in the 80’s, at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, We Are Lost and Found follows Michael’s year-long journey to love, friendship and discovering, at least partially, who he is and what his place in the world is.

Michael lives his sexuality quietly, constantly lying to his homophobic father and his repressed mother in fear of getting the same treatment they reserved to his older brother Connor. He spends his days between school, trying to create music on his guitar, hanging out with his best friends Becky and James and going dancing at the Echo.

What I find most interesting about this book is the setting: the early days of the virus. I’ve watched movies and read books about it and I don’t ever want to stop seeing this part of our community’s history portrayed, as it is extremely important and affecting.

The author, Helene Dunbar, excellently depicts the fear that surges through Michael because of the new and hopeless disease that threatens his future and that of everyone like him.
Michael wants to fall in love and he wants to have sex like everyone else, but he’s scared of what he may contract if he does. He’s scared for his brother unbridled life style and his precarious living situation. He’s scared about his parents discovering about who he truly is. He’s scared for his friend James who seems less and less himself as time goes on and he’s scared for Becky’s family problems and her complicated relationship with Andy.

We Are Lost and Found is overall a welcome read: it has an easy plot line narrated in an uncharacteristic, but nevertheless intriguing writing style and charismatic and loveable characters. It is certainly recommended to everyone!

A compelling story of being gay in the 80s. Heartbreaking and real, Michael is written in such a way that you can’t help but love him and want him to come out on top.

This was so exceptionally beautiful and haunting. I read half of it in one sitting and then just made myself stop so I could absorb the emotions (plus I didn't want it to be over so fast?!) It definitely gave me Perks of Being a Wallflower vibes, but it was still unique and it's own whole self. It's so deeply about anxiety and being lost to it, but also about healing. And those are the kind of books that just make my heart swell.

It's set in the '80s when the AIDS crisis was beginning:
Technically the crisis was in full swing, but without internet access like we have today it wasn't that easy just to KNOW what was happening. You mostly had to hear it from people and read the papers etc. (And I literally just saw someone posting on twitter this newspaper article clipping from the '90s talking about eugenics for gay people being a "possible hope" so. Excuse me while I vomit. But also we know papers also oppress minorities.) Mostly, we have this story of queer teens who are scared.

that is so the crux of this story too: fear. The unknown. Wanting and straining towards something, wanting your whole life to stretch before you so you can own it -- but being afraid of a disease no one knows much about. I felt the book captured it hauntingly and really made me feel the ache on every page.

I also want to say this never felt like queer pain porn. Never. There is pain and the messiness of falling in love secretly because you're queer and your parents would throw you out if they knew, and wanting to have sex but being terrified of AIDS, and knowing people are dying. And it was all so heartfelt and respectfully done.

I also SO appreciated the afterwards from the queer activists!! I don't know much about this time period tbh, and just hearing people speak about it with 1st hand accounts was amazing and so important.

The characters:
Ok here is where I always fall in love with books!!! Characters are my #1, my heart, and constantly the book's soul. So pls meet my new loves: Michale, James and Becky (with shout outs to Connor and Gabriel too!!)

Michael: He narrates and he was just everything. I love that moment when you connect with what a character feels, with their fears and dreams, so reading Michael was so special to me. He's gay and super closeted but he doesn't want to be. His parents threw his older brother Connor out when he announced (loudly; in public) that he was gay. And ok it doesn't look like abuse? But he's literally cowed into silence, to fear, so he can stay home. He's 16. I ached for him and his voice is so raw and real.
James: he's such a theatre kid and dramatic and pretentious and dresses wildly and I LOVED HIM. He's also super gay and his anxiety over AIDS honestly has driven him into such deep fear. Like, you just want to immediately fite anyone who gives James a hard time. He and Michael are super close, maybe Michael has a little crush on him, but their dynamics are this deep entwined friendship and I really love books that say how valuable friendship is.
Becky: they out right say it, Becky is their heart. She's simultaneously sweet and no-nonsense and she massively looks out for Michael and James, as well as has her own problems and life and ambitious.

I loved them all together, how easily they fit. Like super tight friendship squads are my heart.

And also Michael's older brother Connor had one of the best arcs. And then there's Gabriel, Michael's crush he meets at a club. Idk how he managed to be so sweet in just a few sentences but there we go. (I seriously wanted to know more about him though!!)

The writing:
So it is formatted differently and I think it's good to be aware of that! It's done in vignettes, no chapters, and there are no quotation marks! At first I was: oh the no-quotation marks are gonna kill me. But then I loved it?! It just flowed so seamlessly and the style really clicked for me. I like to appreciate the different ways books tell their stories.


This is the kind of story that reads raw and bleeding with heartache and hope and I couldn't love it more.
The vivid NY setting, the styles, the music, the timelessness of kids just wanting to understand themselves and love and make their lives mean something despite anxiety -- it was beautifully captured. It made me want to CRY. Several times. Ahhh. It meant a lot to me, both personally with some of the feels and just also solidly as an incredibly good read.

This is a difficult book for me to review, while I was not over the top as I expected it did capture my attention. I always look for a great, well told Y/A coming of age book. This story had so much involved, real emotions, connections and all the spectrum of emotion. The writing was interesting constantly being in Michael's thoughts could be over the top at times.

I don’t really know how to start this review, because I feel like I just have so many things I want to say, so I’m just going to go for it and hope that it doesn’t look like a mess of words.



We Are Lost and Found follows Michael, a high school student in the early 1980’s. It’s a coming of age story, a slice of life, and a bit of historical fiction all rolled up into one. The book is told through Michael’s perspective as he navigates the year of 1983. He’s hiding the fact that he’s gay from his parents to avoid getting kicked out of the house like his older brother Connor, he’s trying to figure out how to love someone amidst the AID’s crisis that’s sweeping the nation, and he’s figuring out his music, his passion, and who he is.



There is a lot that goes on in this book, but the way that it was written makes it come across in a way that isn’t overwhelming. The book is narrated from Michael’s perspective in a series of vignettes. The whole book is very stream of consciousness, there is not a single quotation mark used to signify dialogue used throughout the entire book.

Personally, I loved this way of storytelling. It was refreshing and I felt like it worked really well with the plot and the characters. I think it gave us another way to understand Michael’s character, and I really enjoyed that.

I loved that Michael had a little community supporting him throughout the book. Michael’s gay, and though he’s not out to his parents and in his school, he does have the support of his two best friends and his brother.

Michael’s brother Connor, who was kicked out of the house after high school when his father found out that he was gay, regularly keeps in touch with Michael. From meeting up for dinner, or going to the club together, they always keep in touch even though Connor is estranged from the rest of his family. Throughout the book, they always had each other’s backs, so if you’re looking for some A+ sibling representation, this is the book for you.

Another major plotline of the book follows the AID’s crisis. Throughout the book, you really get a sense of what it was like to live during that time period, from the specific news articles to the educational pamphlets mentioned. The book was written in a way that really gives you a window into what it was like to live back then. I wasn’t alive in the ’80s, but I still feel that I got a really good grasp of what the climate of the time was like.

At the end of this book, there were two fantastic afterwords by people who experienced what is described in the book firsthand, and who were (and still are) involved in the AID’s movement.

Everything I have to say about this book is 100% positive. I had a great time reading it, I loved the characters, the plot, and how the book so masterfully transported the reader to another time period.

This book was one of the most interesting books i've read in a very long time. Not only it develops the characters not just based on their love interests, but as people in a very critical time as it was. Though the book has only one pov each character comes to life in a very special way and it's impossible not to love them.
I really liked that it also opened a conversation with my parents about the aids panic back in the 80s and i find this a very great and interesting way of talking about this important topic.
I'll be posting a review for the book in my blog when it's released.

DNF, and I hate to say it.

I think this will be an amazing story, however the writing style and I don't mesh at all

* star raring not indicative, I just can't post without one*

Giving this three stars because it was good, but nowhere near great. It also had a lot of issues, but it wasn’t bad. But mostly I want to say this is meant for teens (14-18yrs) & so what I didn’t “like” about is probably irrelevant.

PROs: this book is set in 1983 NYC, at the cusp of the AIDS crisis, from the perspective of a 17 year old gay boy. I was very hesitant when I started because I thought “is this Dunbar’s” story to tell? But after reading the book, reading the afterwords, and reading her acknowledgements, it’s clear that Dunbar did her research & did her best to faithfully tell A (as in one) story of this time period. So I think for teens who are looking to learn more about the lgbtq history this could be a decent introductory book. And I think Dunbar captured parts of being a teenager really well: those moments of bone-crushing loneliness & feeling so misunderstood; the abstract ness of the future; the invincibility of being young.

CONs: the writing style did not work for me. There are no quotation marks, so sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between internal thoughts & dialogue. The plot also happens in little vignettes, which get annoying and choppy. And the characters felt more like sketches than people, especially James & Becky, the best friends.* For me, this read like an “issues” book. And while I’m glad that people are writing about queer teens & AIDS, I don’t think you have to sacrifice good plot & writing for it.

But like I said — I think this will work well for teens.

I got an ARC of this book.

I have been looking forward to this book for weeks. This sounded like the exact sort of book for me. Intense emotions should be everywhere. 

Nope.

I just don't get it.

What is the appeal of this book?

First, I didn't like the way it was written. There were not quotation marks so there were multiple times I couldn't tell who was saying what or when the speaker would switch. So It was hard to even get to know the characters. The story is ridiculously repetitive. This is one of those books that if a drinking game was invented for it, it would kill people. If I had to hear one more time that his mother was not facing reality I would scream. If I heard one more time that someone was scared, I would throw my kindle. Seriously. If you have to tell me every five seconds what the characters are doing or feeling, then you have not done your job of making me feel those emotions. I can tell the mother has checked out of reality, saying it a dozen times is just patronizing and/or bad writing. 

The actual story was also really shallow and I couldn't get invested. I didn't like or care about a single character. They were all flat. The older brother was the party gay. The best friend was the beauty queen that everyone wanted to me. The MC was misunderstood and hiding a secret. The female best friend's only real plot seemed to be what her boyfriend was doing. The dad was angry. The mom didn't face reality. Everyone was scared of AIDS. Boom, there you have it. The entire book in a nutshell. 

Sorry, I forgot tons of underage drinking. That of course is a standard in YA fiction at this point. 

I had to force myself to read and force myself to stay focused. This wasn't the book for me.

When I was approved for this book from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley, I had really great expectations about it: I’m always looking for a good young adult which develops deep, serious topics in a smart way, allowing me to widen my knowledge while following the story of interesting, relatable characters.
Furthermore, this book is set in the early 80s and I loved it too, since I’m a sucker for historical fiction.
Sadly, however, “We Are Lost And Found” didn’t live up to my expectations: I just couldn’t relate with any of the characters, they just didn’t stand out for me, there was nothing about them and the way their experiences, thoughts and emotions were expressed that made me think “This book has something special and it will stay with me long after I’ve read it”.
And this was such a pity, because I need to “feel” the characters to be completely invested in their story.
The style isn’t a strong point of the book either; it was so generic, with short sentences that, instead of helping the pace of the narration, made it empty and undistinguished.
I’m sorry, but apparently this just wasn’t the right book for me.
I’d still like to thank Sourcebooks Fire for their kindness and the commendable passion they put into their work -I really enjoyed their premise about books that can change a reader’s life- and NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

I should start by saying I'm fascinated by New York in the 80's and all things music.

This book reads like a excerpts from a diary. It lacks clear markers for quotes and can skip a day or week from one paragraph to the next. Some people on goodreads found that off putting but I rather enjoyed it. It made the book more intimate. And I think that's what the book needs.

This book isn't all rose petals and sunshine, but man is it beautiful and complete. It does remind me what I image NYC in the 80's to have been like: destruction, danger, death but also, hope, energy and intimacy. I think the author does a great job of exploring what life as a gay youth must have been like in the 80's. Here you are awash in hormones and lust, but you are in a city being ravaged by death. You were ignored and despised, but you were there vocal and making people see you.

This book does have a cheesy-ish ending but I forgave it for the way the author talks about the freedom of coming into your own and being able to lose yourself completely on the dancefloor.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for approving my request and sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
You have to know English isn’t my first language, so feel free to correct me if I make some mistakes while writing this review.


Real rating: 3,5 stars.

This book reminded me of "Skyscraping" by Cordelia Jensen and "Two Boys Kissing" by David Levithan and its message is so important - I think the author did a wonderful job. She described New York in 1983 - its violence among the streets, the fear, the anxiety, the panic caused by the beginning of the AIDS crisis. That paralyzing fear of something still unknown, an illness causing death that nobody knew exactly how to prevent.
How can you hope to love someone and be loved by them when this love - this desire to touch and being with someone - can kill you along the way?

I loved the friendship between Michael, James and Becky - I especially cared about James, I seriously wanted to hug him. Michael is the main character, trying to understand who he is and navigating among the desire to come clean about his sexuality with his parents but afraid to be kicked out like his brother Connor.
Enter Gabriel - a boy that seems to really like Michael. Is it safe to love him?

I didn't mind the story being narrated through vignettes, moments of Michael's life often scattered without a tie with the previous moment like a diary. But the absence of quotation marks made it difficult to me to really connect with the characters because not always I was able to tell when someone (or who) was speaking or simply thinking something to themselves.

Still, it's a great book with a great message - the two afterwords were really touching and they made me shed a tear or two.

I enjoyed this book, but I found it somewhat difficult to follow. There is little narrative flow, which made it difficult to grasp the characters or plot.

I received an eARC of We Are Lost and Found from Netgalley in exchange for a review, and must say I found it to be quite an engaging read!

We are Lost and Found, by Helene Dunbar, is set in 1983, at the dawn of the aids crisis. The story is told from the eyes of a closeted high school student, Michael, who struggles with a desire to keep himself safe from this “mystery disease,” and a need to chase his chance at love. Michael faces struggles that are seemingly universal for queer children even today, but must also worry about his and his friends’ health. Michael, along with his best friends James and Becky, must decide if finding love is worth paying the price the world demands.

Author Helene Dunbar did a fantastic job of creating a historical fiction novel that focuses on a neglected period of history. Particularly, her ability to show an epidemic through the eyes of someone who could be affected at any moment creates a compelling story.

You can get your copy of We Are Lost and Found from Source Fire Books on September 3rd!

My Recommendation-
I would recommend this book to queer and non-queer folks alike, who have a desire to learn more about what living during the aids crisis was like. Additionally, if you liked Like A Love Story, then this book is for you!

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

Although I could not relate to these characters I felt like they were well developed and unique. I appreciated the time specific references and the clothing descriptions were vivid. However, I didn't find myself hooked into the story until more than half way through and felt like the emotional weight of the book was heavier toward the end. I would have loved to see less paranoia and more about the characters educating themselves. I was not a fan of Gabriel returning at the end and felt that Michael should have been more cautious and or asked questions before walking off happily into the sunset.

This book took place at 80s where the issue of AIDS affects so many lives at this time. People are really scared to open up who they really are and it’s really scary way back 80s. I… I really don’t know what to say completely to this book, it’s okay for me. It’s not bad nor good, but I can see the author’s view of point for the characters and to the point where the author is I think knowledgeable to this kind of matter. LGBTQ in 80s are having a really hard time especially to their families and these characters are scared how they’ll open it up to family and friends. Michael, James and Betty – I love this trio, ugh! Super love them. I like how they blend in together as bestfriends. They’ve been really supportive to each other and they always understands each other in every different way. They’re perfectly written.

There’s just a downfall while reading this book: one issue is there is no quotation marks. This is my first time to read a book without quotation marks and it’s harder for me to read. I really don’t know whose talking and which is dialog is that. It’s really confusing and I felt that I’m lacking of emotions while reading this book.

Overall, it’s okay for me. The ending I think satisfied me and I’m so happy that the author wrote in a very detailed matter where the young readers will understand more about LGBTQ community.

We Are Lost and Found has been presented as a sort of 1980s set, LGBT version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The latter book was a favorite of mine, as it was for many others, when I was in high school. It was relatable to me, as someone misfit and sad, to follow a character who seemed to get what it was like to be lonely, to have anxiety, but to be surrounded by amazing people.

WALAF didn’t really achieve that for me. In fact, it read more like a fantasy than it did a realistic portrayal of youth. It wasn’t my or my friends’ experience dealing with our own families, sexualities, or friendships. It was kind of the story I would write after I was home alone and imagining what someone else, someone aspirational, might be doing. The characters’ thoughts, feelings, and choice didn’t ever feel realistic.

I also kept grappling with how twee everything felt. Aside from the cutesy group of misfit friends, I was reminded a little of Ready Player One with the bombardment of '80s pop culture references seemingly put in for their own sake and not for the story’s. For these reasons, I was never really able to connect with the book.

3 stars⭐


This book is about:

A sixteen-year old boy named Michael who is trying to deal with the fact that his older brother was kicked out of their house for coming out as he himself is also gay.

To pass the time, Michael hangs out at The Echo where he can forget about his problems and where he meets Gabriel who he can't seem to get off his mind.

Then, Michael is forced to decide what he's willing to risk to be himself.


Trigger warnings: queerphobia, talk of AIDS, mention of death of a loved one, being kicked out of one's home.


Pros:

This novel touches on an important, but not often spoken about topic: AIDS and it realistically portrays what it was like leaving with the fear of it in the 1980s in NY as well as the struggles of living with a homophobic parent.

I liked the friendship between Michael, James and Becky, particularly how much they supported and cared for each other.

I also appreciate how kind Michael's brother is to him when he needs a place to stay.


Cons:

I didn't like how it was written: there are no quotation marks and the story jumps from scene to scene without any notice (without a chapter change, for instance).

For that reason, I couldn't connect to the characters like I wanted to.


Final thoughts:

All in all, "We Are Lost and Found" was an enjoyable and very fast read for me. I can definitely see why it is compared to "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" as it also follows a trio of teens/young adults trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Although I didn't love it, I can see why a lot of people would and I would recommend it if the synopsis sounds appealing to you.