Inspiring,engrossing and well-written, this book grabbed me and didn’t let go. The strength it took to persevere against this horrible man is amazing. A definite recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Diane’s story is spell bounding. She is a survivor. She is every woman looking for love, commitment and the desire to trust. Her story is heroic and remarkable. In this non fiction story of her relationship with a man who’s only purpose was to destroy her and many others.

I feel that this is a book that everyone woman should read before they make the choice to have unprotected sex. I will admit that after starting this book I wanted to slap Diane and ask her what is wrong with her for staying with this man who repeatedly cheats on her, but then I thought back to my past and I remembered being with a guy who made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. (it turns out he was cheating on me as well) Going through a break up after being with someone for more than 4 years is a huge change in your life but to then find out you have HIV is something I can't imagine. Diane did everything in her power to protect other women from this creep. This is her powerful journey through these life changing events and how she helped make sure this man would never hurt another woman.

<b>4 courageous stars to Standing Strong</b> ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I found out about Standing Strong from my friend, Susanne, and I remembered hearing about this court case in the media. I don’t even have the words to convey how much I admire Diane Reeve’s tenacity and strength, <i>once she found it</i>, to go after the man who willfully infected her, and many other women, with HIV.

That said, I would give 5 stars (10 really!) for Diane’s survival mentality and tenacity and 3.5 stars for how she told the story. This book was quite detailed, including what people ate at particular meals. Likewise, there was a ton of dialogue for a memoir. It was also frustrating at times because Diane went back to this man who had torn her heart apart, and he ended up doing the same things to her all over again.

But, <i>that</i> said, this story was very much Diane’s to tell how she chose to tell it, and I am grateful to have been inspired by (and in awe of) her strength and determination, once she found them, to not only fight for her life, but to fight for what was right for both herself and all the other women this man infected.

Thank you to Diane Reeve for bravely telling her story, as well as HCI and Netgalley.

4 Stars.

Diane Reeve is a woman with a truly fierce spirit. Her tale is a captivating and harrowing one. Diane didn’t just survive, she thrived. She also fought for justice, not just for herself, but for others as well.

In “Standing Strong” Diane Reeve tells the story of her relationship with Phillipe Padieu, who she described as her last chance at love. She was a single mother, and a business woman, who seemingly had it all, except for love, which she so desperately wanted. And then she met Phillipe. And he fulfilled that need in her. He gave her love, affection and attention. And above all he made her feel oh so special. But only three nights a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. After dating for quite a while, when Phillipe canceled on her for a special occasion, Diane questions his behavior. Finally. Though there had been several red flags beforehand. And then she discovers that on the evenings he is not with her, he sees other women. He has one other girlfriend on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the he sees lots of other women on a rotating Sundays. In short, he is a sex addict (though Diane only uses that phrase once, for it is a harsh term). She then breaks it off, of course. But she misses him, terribly, that companionship, the way he made her feel.

Then one day, Diane goes to see her Gynecologist and discovers that she has HPV and it can only have come from him. She is outraged and she confronts him. Though she is upset, she gets over it and somehow, after he promises that he has broken it off with all of the other women, stupidly, she takes him back. And it gets worse. After finding out that he is back at it with lots of other women, she finally finds the courage to break it off for good.

Yet it is too late for Diane. She has been feeling fatigued for ages, sickly, not quite right. Her doctors discover that her HPV has not gone away and worse, that Diane is HIV positive. Her world is shattered. Diane and Phillipe never used protection. He swore he was “clean.” She believed him. Diane then realized that he was with several different women and probably infected them as well and she has means to contact and warn them. And so she does. And of course, he has.

Diane’s journey begins. To fight for herself and everyone else that Phillipe infected. The bonds formed by the group of women Phillipe harmed were truly inspiring. Throughout, you feel Diane’s hurt, pain and intense rage, in addition to Susan’s, Maddie’s and Laura’s, whose friendships she values. This book highlights relationships and what it truly means to exclusive, in addition to practicing safe sex until you get tested, which is an important lesson to learn for anyone who is dating.

Diane Reeve’s story is a truly admirable one and I have the utmost respect for her. I will say however, that in reading this book parts of her story frustrated me to no end and I had to put the book down for quite a while before picking it back up to finish it. It also felt to me, like the author was rambling for most of the book, trying to tell us every single thing that happened to her from the beginning of her relationship with Phillipe, till she and her female friends and comrades took action and that is the reason for the 4 v. 5 star rating. Diane’s survival story however, surpasses all and for that I am in awe.

Thank you to NetGalley, HCI Books and Diane Reeve for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter and Instagram on 12.30.17.

Standing Strong is the perfect title for Diane Reeve’s moving memoir about acquiring HIV/AIDS from a long term partner who willfully transmitted the virus to many people. Reeve is still standing despite the devastation of finding out her significant other was cheating on her during their entire relationship. She is still standing despite receiving an HIV/AIDS diagnosis, which was later proven to be transmitted by this guy. Reeve was able to draw from her own innate strengths and gather together many of the women who acquired the virus from him. As a group, they stood strong together and charged this man criminally, endured the trial, and celebrated their win when he was convicted. (Not a spoiler—his conviction is noted on the book’s cover.)

I’ve had Standing Strong on my digital shelf for several months, but thought it would be a tough emotional read, which made me put it off. I’m glad I waited until the #MeToo movement began, and the concept of rape culture began to be discussed in the mainstream media. While the women in this book willingly had sex with this man, his intentions were the same as a rapist.

Okay, I can’t get inside his head, but he had to know what he was doing and the book will explain why that’s the case. His awareness of the “deadly weapon” in his pants is exactly why he was convicted. By the way, I honestly don’t want to name him because the book is about Reeve and the women she banded together with. Read the book or Google her name for the media accounts.

Reeve is a Hall-of-Fame martial artist, teacher, and studio owner. It’s clear from her story that she’s, as she says, “a badass bitch.” Instead of turning inwards at her moment of greatest life crisis, she started looking for her sister victims. And then together they turned the tables on the man who transmitted the disease and pursued him in the justice system. They helped gather evidence. They found more sisters for the “club no one wants to join,” and those new members were added to the strength of the criminal case. They cried, hugged, drank margaritas, and ultimately won their case.

Then Reeve decided that telling her story (some sisters joined in this too) would benefit other women. Advocacy and education are the purpose of this book, and I couldn’t admire Reeve more for putting it all out there. She bravely bares her soul in excruciating detail, but she doesn’t stop there. The last chapter of book is a list of what Reeve really learned, and also includes many resources online to education and assist people in staying safe or getting treatment. The statistics are jaw-dropping.

“In a 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, two researchers broke down how new infections are transmitted:
30% are transmitted by people who don’t know they have HIV
61% are transmitted by people who know they have HIV and are not in medical care
6% are transmitted by people who know they have HIV and are in medical care, but are not virally suppressed
2.5% are transmitted by those who are virally suppressed.
The majority of cases are transmitted by people who know they have it and are not being treated for it. It’s not a lunatic fringe. It’s not the outliers. It’s the majority.”
(The final book may have a slightly different version of this quote, but I thought it was too important not to quote.)

I hope you’ll consider tracking Reeve’s book down and reading it, especially if you are a sexually active women not currently in a monogamous relationship. But everyone should read this cautionary tale and learn from the heartbreaking yet inspiring story of strength from adversity. It’s powerful!

Thanks to NetGalley, HCI Books, and the author for the opportunity to read the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Despite losing the person she loved in a mire of lies and cheating, then learning he had made her incredibly ill, then learning he deliberately made many others incredibly ill, Diane Reeve persisted in chasing him down until he faced a court and proper justice. The women she features in her book (other conquests of her former partner) are so strong and the friendship and support of the group was genuinely inspirational to read- I'm pretty sure other people would have fallen apart and faced it with resentment and bitterness, but these women stuck together to get the outcome they needed.

Real justice doesn't come around too often. I feel sorry that these women will struggle to some extent for the rest of their lives- no sentence is long enough for a man who deliberately transmits HIV to his partners. Some of the paragraphs in the book made my heart boil with pure rage and the tension of the last few chapters gave me some understanding of how awful the entire criminal justice process is for victims. The stigma associated with HIV is also clear here and the misogyny of the perpetrator is cruel and cold hearted.

This is worth reading- the bravery on the page is understated but the courage in real life is titanic.

This is the true story of a man who recklessly infects several women with HIV and AIDS. The women are vulnerable and easily buy into his lies. Now many of them are paying a deadly price. I enjoyed the author's style of writing, it was like having a conversation with a friend.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This is possibly one of the most powerful books I have ever read. Diane's strength and desire to help others is breathtaking and she and the other women who had the misfortune to meet Philippe.
Diane's honesty shines through every page. Her willingness to take off the cloak of anonymity, something the rest of us would probably stay under for life has saved and will continue to save lives. I read a lot of memoirs and pride myself on having a good understanding of HIV and sexual health but I was really shocked by the statistics on HIV acquisition in middle aged women. I'm happily married but should I ever find myself single I would get myself tested regularly and it's not something I ever thought would apply to me. That, is why this book needed to be written.
I waited until I'd finished the book before I looked up Diane and Philippe on-line. I saw a clip of a Tv interview that Philippe did and instantly knew that every word Diane had said was true and that she hadn't exaggerated any aspect of her story. The man is clearly not of a normal personality type.
I recommend everyone read this book; the writing style is witty, warm but also keeps the drama and suspense so that it read in the same way a novel would. Any scientific information was accessible and the emotional side was genuine and without sentimentality. I cried, laughed and cheered with the women and punched the air when Philippe was given his fate.

Standing Strong by Diane Reeve had me captivated from beginning to end. The story is absolutely amazing, revealing, and well written. I love that she explained statistics and helpful information in the book.

Diane is unbelievably brave and now a prominent AIDS awareness advocate.

5*****