Meet Clay Brown

by Christina Milliner

After losing her mother, Clay thinks nothing good will ever happen to her again and her life is over. Her only friend, Mimi, and her father are both drug addicts. Clay is lost and hopeless. She decides to do one last thing—go to an HIV support group at a local church. There, she meets the Reverend and a group of people around her age who understand what it’s like to live with HIV. Each member of the group has their own struggles, but they are creative, make her feel like she belongs, and encourage her to be what she wants to be. They give her hope for a future. But her old life doesn’t want to let go just yet; the one promise she made her dying mother stands in her way.

Clay wants more than anything to break her promise and live the life she is meant to live. Will Clay let her promise hold her back, tied to dysfunction? In Meet Clay Brown, Clay faces her struggle to finally accept herself as she is and understand she is worthy of unconditional love.

222 pages, Paperback

Published March 2, 2023

About the author

Christina Milliner was born in Queens, N.Y. and raised in Brooklyn, where she still resides. She holds an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and running. Meet Clay Brown is Christina's first novel.

Reviews

[Danielle Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy read, blew through it! While I really enjoyed the premise, the actual plot was more about the characters painting this mural, and that wasn’t even wrapped up by the end of the book! The wasnt much character development at all, and it felt very repetitive. Just wished there was more development with her and her friend in the HIV support group.

[Nicole Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. Clay, the main character, was incredibly lovable, and I couldn’t help but root for things to finally turn around for her. In some ways they did, but I still walked away feeling like her story was underdeveloped and incomplete.

This book tackled so many important topics, including HIV, which isn’t something I often see represented in the fiction I read. It also explored grief, faith, and support groups, all subjects that are near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, despite its strong themes, the execution fell short.

We were introduced to so many interesting characters, but it felt like making new friends, growing close to them, and then having to leave without saying goodbye. You’re left spending the rest of your life wondering whatever happened to them.

Overall, this was a good story with a compelling premise, but the ending left me feeling like the journey wasn’t worth the investment. I genuinely hope the author has it in her heart to write a sequel that provides some much-needed closure, further develops both the characters and her storytelling, and solidifies her place in the literary community.

For a debut novel, this was certainly captivating and showed a lot of promise. However, if this author’s style is to leave readers with so many unanswered questions, I don’t think I’d pick up another one of her books.

[Stephanie | PaperbackswithSteph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay Brown was born with HIV and lost her mother to same at the age of 10. As she gets older, she feels lost in the world and completely alone as her father and her only “friend”, Mimi, are both drug addicts. Clay Brown decides to join an HIV support group at a local church, where she meets Reverend and a group of people around her age who know what it’s like to live with HIV. Everyone has their own struggles, but Clay slowly learns that she does not have to live her life alone and can hope for a better future.

I finished this book in less than a day! I could not put it down. While this is a fiction, it felt real. I had so many different emotions reading this book and kept rooting for Clay. The author does a great job of incorporating really intense issues that you do not see often. This was a debut novel and I really enjoyed it 😊 AND how gorgeous is this cover ?!?

[Kina C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read this book in a few days. We have Clay who has HIV all her life. Unfortunately, her mom has passed away from it. Her dad, Jimmy has it too but doesn't give a care in the world who he affects. He's a drug addict and has lost all hope. If it was not for Clay, he would not take his meds. Clay have to make some life decisions, to better her life. So glad she had the Reverend and HIV support group at the local church to help guide her and encourage her to get her GED. I would love to know the outcome of the mural and the wall. Overall, a very good book to read.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a life perspective I've never been exposed to before--HIV-positive-since-birth teen trying to figure out her life and future. I could feel for all the characters, partiulcarly Clay - her life one disappointment after another. I'm so happy she found a "created family" (my favorite trope!).

[Dominique Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fluidity of the writers prose was enjoyable!

The characters felt a little under developed…we really didn’t learn much about them, including the main character.

Although I was emotionally stimulated by what I was reading another part of me was a bit tired at what seemed to be a repetitiveness in the character’s narrative.

I also was a bit confused by the ending.

Overall it was a good read and an excellent effort by the author!