Standing Strong

This book was really a painful case about a woman who thought she had finally found the "one" and ended up in a battle for her life. Alone, sick and trying to sort out what had happened, Diane Reeve discovers that her recent puzzling health problems are due to being HIV positive. When she realizes with growing horror that it was her "dream man" Phillipe Padieu, that she'd just broken up with who had infected her, she became angry and outraged. She had discovered that Phillipe her ex, was a serial cheater all during their 4+ year relationship.

Despite being very ill herself, she turned stalker, investigator and more, to see to it that he wasn't able to continue going around infecting even more women. A true life horror story about destroyed trust, a sisterhood that grew out of it, and an historic court case. I found it very moving but also informative about the topic, and learned much I hadn't known about HIV and AIDS. Contains important information for women who are dating and sexually active, about what can happen when you think you don't have to worry. I was provided a download of this book to read by Goodreads and HCI in return for an honest review.

Interesting and incouraging read ; especially for anyone who is facing a serious illness. She didn't sit back and wallow in self pity-which would have been understandable. She became a warrior in the true sense of the word , by fighting and taking back her life. I would only say that I did browse thru some spots that seemed a little long winded. Otherwise worth a look.

I really enjoy true stories and biographies but rarely read them as I can't find ones that interest me very often. Reading the tagline for Standing Strong grabbed my attention and I was very pleased to receive an early copy via netgalley. What I liked about the book was Diane Reeves honesty and no nonsense writing. What could of been a 'poor me' and a depressing read was enlightened by her strength, courage and determination not to let her ex partner ruin other ladies lives by warning woman he was still getting involved with and tracing women who had already slept with this evil, vile excuse of a human being! Diane had every right to have broken down and given up on her life but I feel what she and friends did stopped them from being a victim and made them stronger. The book also suprised me because of the age group of the woman which showed me any woman who is sexual active should read this book. I also hope Diane and the women in this story stay strong and healthy x

What an inspirational story! I can only imagine what Diane Reeve went through. She's an intelligent, strong, business woman who is missing that special someone in her life to share it with. She finally meets who she thinks is her soulmate. She's blinded by his charm, lets her guard down knowing she's taking a big risk but she was protecting her heart, not her health. She's like many women of a certain age, we don't think of HIV or STD's when we haven't been in the playing field for a long time. We think that's more of a younger person concern.

Boy, her story was just mind blowing, it's so real and really heartbreaking. We can all feel the emotions that spin through her head. When she sees a red flag it's so easy to explain these little quirks away She's in love with the man, he's like her Knight in a shiny armor. He's everything she's wants and needs. So she puts her blinders on and knows that she can love him through whatever made her suspicious.

But when she gets slammed with the reality of her "exclusive relationship" and sees that her Knight's armor was tarnished beyond repair, the blinders will no longer hide the fact that she's been played. It must have been such an awful feeling. I'm amazed at how strong she is especially with everything she's lost before she even realizes she's been infected by HIV.

The camaraderie of the group of woman who brought this monster down is just so inspiring. I can't imagine learning I had contracted HIV and being able to be so supportive of the "other women". It's amazing, these women were so courageous in what they did. I can't tell you the admiration for them that I felt reading this book.

This is a must read for every woman out there married or single. I've been married for 30 yrs, but I've got friends who are dating men that they feel are "exclusive" but a few of them also see those red flags waving. It's so easy for someone on the outside of these relationships to say, "Kick him to the curb" but it's not always that easy for the person in the relationship. This book was such an eye-opener.

Diane Reeve is a total Rock Star.

I would like to thank HCI publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of this inspiring book.

This is a heartbreaking story, but it's not one you'll put down easily. I appreciate Diane's bravery in sharing her waking nightmare.

Just started this book and so far so good, Will update once completed.

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*****

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.

<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.

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.

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.

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.