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cosmicwillow's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
this was such a fun read! definitely harkens to a very popular 2010s fandom lol but i loved what was done with this. i love how the authors really fleshed out all the characters, and made them all really unique in their struggles. i really really enjoyed this and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet queer ya book with great depth!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Car accident
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, and Alcohol
fedoratheexplora's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Car accident
bmceleney's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Car accident
Moderate: Homophobia
nalia_danger's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Car accident
rhiannon_burden's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I found this book hard to get into and also in some areas lacking in research overall it was good but I thought it felt unfinished at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Car accident, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing
Minor: Body shaming, Vomit, and Kidnapping
jojothefool's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
SO MUCH FUN!!!!! Campy and silly and dramatic and just a fun little gay blast. I felt like the mid point conflict between the main couple was a little rushed but I overall understood the flow and why it happened. Just a super fun time overall
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, and Alcohol
caitlin_123a's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, and Alcohol
elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
Review on another edition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Car accident, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
mel_muses's review against another edition
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was addicting. I have not read so much of a book in such a short period of time in a long while. If This Gets Out follows two members — Ruben and Zach — of the boy band Saturday as their friendship changes after a kiss. The book explores the strain Ruben and Zach's relationship places on them and how this affects the band as a whole, especially as the restrictive behavior of their management becomes more and more apparent.
The writing in this book fit the style of the book perfectly. Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich did an excellent job at making the character voices distinct, yet cohesive in terms of writing. I was actually pretty surprised at how I could barely put the book down once I started reading it. No matter how late it was, once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I'll definitely be picking up more books by these authors in the future.
In terms of plot, this book was messy. Probably not any more messy than you would expect from a boy band with a romance between two of the members, but I was still surprised by it. This changed the pace of Ruben and Zach's relationship very quickly — it was one of those times in a book where I wanted to scream at the characters' lack of communication.
Personally, I never was very into boy bands, but I definitely think I'm in the minority with that (lack of) experience. I do think for other people who have had that obsession with boy bands, it could really heighten the excitement and enjoyment of this book. But, as someone who never had that obsession, If This Gets Out really did capture the frighteningly powerful sensation of fame without requiring any background.
There were a few aspects that weren't addressed that I would have really liked to have been. One was how Zach, particularly, but also the rest of the band, seemed to exhibit a lot of toxic health-related behaviors. It is important to bring up how many celebrities feel forced to look or act some specific way, but there was never any challenging of the ideas that they must always eat healthy, workout a lot, and have the "perfect" body. I would like to have seen a little addressing of the issue worked in there, though I understand that it was more of a factor than a plot point to the story.
Another topic I felt needed addressing was the stereotyping of gay men through Ruben. One of the parents in the book made a comment about Ruben hitting on another person, and while it was recognized that this was factually wrong, it wasn't challenged at all. The parent who made this comment never even brought it up again, but I really wished we could have seen that individual corrected for playing into harmful stereotypes.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was how it explored the relationship between Ruben and Zach, especially as Zach came to terms with what he wanted for himself. Each member of the boy band was supportive of each other, but also had complex, imperfect relationships with those around them. They are teenage boys, after all. And even though I'm not a teenage boy, I connected with them, especially Ruben. Though the management team was very wrong on many fronts when publicising Saturday, they did get one thing right: There's at least one person in the boy band that you'll be able to relate to — just not quite in the way they were going for.
If This Gets Out was an immersive read from start to finish. I highly recommend picking it up as soon as you get the chance!
Content Warnings: harmful eating/exercise habits, drug use, underage drinking, brief reference to neo-Nazis (in a bad light), toxic parent behavior, car accident, forced closeting
This book was addicting. I have not read so much of a book in such a short period of time in a long while. If This Gets Out follows two members — Ruben and Zach — of the boy band Saturday as their friendship changes after a kiss. The book explores the strain Ruben and Zach's relationship places on them and how this affects the band as a whole, especially as the restrictive behavior of their management becomes more and more apparent.
The writing in this book fit the style of the book perfectly. Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich did an excellent job at making the character voices distinct, yet cohesive in terms of writing. I was actually pretty surprised at how I could barely put the book down once I started reading it. No matter how late it was, once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I'll definitely be picking up more books by these authors in the future.
In terms of plot, this book was messy. Probably not any more messy than you would expect from a boy band with a romance between two of the members, but I was still surprised by it. This changed the pace of Ruben and Zach's relationship very quickly — it was one of those times in a book where I wanted to scream at the characters' lack of communication.
Personally, I never was very into boy bands, but I definitely think I'm in the minority with that (lack of) experience. I do think for other people who have had that obsession with boy bands, it could really heighten the excitement and enjoyment of this book. But, as someone who never had that obsession, If This Gets Out really did capture the frighteningly powerful sensation of fame without requiring any background.
There were a few aspects that weren't addressed that I would have really liked to have been. One was how Zach, particularly, but also the rest of the band, seemed to exhibit a lot of toxic health-related behaviors. It is important to bring up how many celebrities feel forced to look or act some specific way, but there was never any challenging of the ideas that they must always eat healthy, workout a lot, and have the "perfect" body. I would like to have seen a little addressing of the issue worked in there, though I understand that it was more of a factor than a plot point to the story.
Another topic I felt needed addressing was the stereotyping of gay men through Ruben. One of the parents in the book made a comment about Ruben hitting on another person, and while it was recognized that this was factually wrong, it wasn't challenged at all. The parent who made this comment never even brought it up again, but I really wished we could have seen that individual corrected for playing into harmful stereotypes.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was how it explored the relationship between Ruben and Zach, especially as Zach came to terms with what he wanted for himself. Each member of the boy band was supportive of each other, but also had complex, imperfect relationships with those around them. They are teenage boys, after all. And even though I'm not a teenage boy, I connected with them, especially Ruben. Though the management team was very wrong on many fronts when publicising Saturday, they did get one thing right: There's at least one person in the boy band that you'll be able to relate to — just not quite in the way they were going for.
If This Gets Out was an immersive read from start to finish. I highly recommend picking it up as soon as you get the chance!
Content Warnings: harmful eating/exercise habits, drug use, underage drinking, brief reference to neo-Nazis (in a bad light), toxic parent behavior, car accident, forced closeting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Alcohol
diana_raquel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“Once you've learned shame, it settles into your skin like a tattoo. You can cover it up, but you can't scrub off the sense of inadequacy.”
When I brought this book I didn't know what to expect. I saw it in the shelves of my local bookstore and the tittle caught my attention. Upon reading the summary, I decided to buy it because it seemed like something that I would like.
And I was right! I really like it! Look, the way that the story is structured, I can see why people may think that this is a somewhat one direction fanfic turned book. There isn't anything that tells me that one direction (and the fan theories about some members of the band having a secret relationship) were an inspiration to the book but comparisons can be made. Nonetheless, lets review the book by what it is and not what could be. And I liked it! Its cute, heartwarming and has fluff, just the sorta of thing that I was looking to read at the time that I started this book.
So, I would recommend it if you want to read something sweet, light and cute.
When I brought this book I didn't know what to expect. I saw it in the shelves of my local bookstore and the tittle caught my attention. Upon reading the summary, I decided to buy it because it seemed like something that I would like.
And I was right! I really like it! Look, the way that the story is structured, I can see why people may think that this is a somewhat one direction fanfic turned book. There isn't anything that tells me that one direction (and the fan theories about some members of the band having a secret relationship) were an inspiration to the book but comparisons can be made. Nonetheless, lets review the book by what it is and not what could be. And I liked it! Its cute, heartwarming and has fluff, just the sorta of thing that I was looking to read at the time that I started this book.
So, I would recommend it if you want to read something sweet, light and cute.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, and Outing
Minor: Racism and Sexual content