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findingriley's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Wasn't horrible but could have been better, still enjoyed it though
evilgiraffe's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars (audiobook)
Cute and sweet story. The Grease premise was fun. Storyline with the aunt made me tear up a few times. Only real gripe is that towards the end it felt very, ah yes, gotta make sure our protagonist learned a lesson and let's tie up those loose ends. (Don't get me wrong, it was a good lesson to learn, it just felt very *this is the part of the story where...*)
Cute and sweet story. The Grease premise was fun. Storyline with the aunt made me tear up a few times. Only real gripe is that towards the end it felt very, ah yes, gotta make sure our protagonist learned a lesson and let's tie up those loose ends. (Don't get me wrong, it was a good lesson to learn, it just felt very *this is the part of the story where...*)
milomarkle's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so cute! I loved the development of the characters and the romance throughout the story, and I loved that it was a queer Grease retelling!
brookeisbusyreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Okay but I DEVOURED this book? I would’ve read it in one night if I didn’t have to get up for work today. When I say I flew through it - hook, line, sinker, and any other fishing lingo necessary - I mean I FLEW THROUGH IT.
It was nice to feel like I could see both sides of the fence Oliver and Will were on. Plus, their interactions were fucking adorable, COME ONNN!!
Where the book started was refreshing from other queer romances, and I certainly appreciated it. It also turns out that I have If This Gets Out, which Sophie and Cale Dietrich co-authored, on my shelf so I’m excited to read that one too! I enjoyed Only Mostly Devastated and Sophie’s writing style and will be keeping an eye on future novels!
It was nice to feel like I could see both sides of the fence Oliver and Will were on. Plus, their interactions were fucking adorable, COME ONNN!!
Where the book started was refreshing from other queer romances, and I certainly appreciated it. It also turns out that I have If This Gets Out, which Sophie and Cale Dietrich co-authored, on my shelf so I’m excited to read that one too! I enjoyed Only Mostly Devastated and Sophie’s writing style and will be keeping an eye on future novels!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death
mayo_bucket's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nai777's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
isabelbrieler's review against another edition
4.0
Grease, but make it good
I was a little torn going into this because it has a weird combination of things I like and things I don't. Retellings? Love em. Grease the musical? Keep it away from me. High school contemporaries? Sometimes, maybe, if you do it well.
Suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised by Only Mostly Devastated.
The story follows Ollie as he spends the summer in North Carolina with his family to be there for a terminally ill Aunt, and ends up staying there for the year. After their summer fling, Will ghosts him as soon as the two separate, but the two soon reconnect as Ollie starts senior year at a new school.
This book was a charming, quick read that left me absolutely satisfied. Gonzales took all of the parts of Grease that I hated and, in modernizing the story, smoothed them over and allowed me to enjoy myself. Ollie and Will's relationship isn't necessarily ~cute~ in the way you might expect from a contemporary romance, but it feels real, and the development of that relationship (and consequently of the two as people) was engaging and, of course, heartwarming in the end.
So much of Grease is about, obviously, these two messy, entangled friend groups, which I think Gonzales did pretty well. In sticking only with Ollie's perspective we focus significantly more on his friends rather than Will's which I did not mind one bit since all of Will's friends were pretty obnoxious. By focusing on just one friend group, though, those relationships and characters were explored more deeply, and I really enjoyed them. Lana, in particular, was probably my favorite character (although that's definitely just because I related to her the most).
All in all, Only Mostly Devastated succeeded in everything it set out to do. I was never frustrated or bored while reading, and in fact, rushed through a few aspects of my day today in order to finish it sooner.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
I was a little torn going into this because it has a weird combination of things I like and things I don't. Retellings? Love em. Grease the musical? Keep it away from me. High school contemporaries? Sometimes, maybe, if you do it well.
Suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised by Only Mostly Devastated.
The story follows Ollie as he spends the summer in North Carolina with his family to be there for a terminally ill Aunt, and ends up staying there for the year. After their summer fling, Will ghosts him as soon as the two separate, but the two soon reconnect as Ollie starts senior year at a new school.
This book was a charming, quick read that left me absolutely satisfied. Gonzales took all of the parts of Grease that I hated and, in modernizing the story, smoothed them over and allowed me to enjoy myself. Ollie and Will's relationship isn't necessarily ~cute~ in the way you might expect from a contemporary romance, but it feels real, and the development of that relationship (and consequently of the two as people) was engaging and, of course, heartwarming in the end.
So much of Grease is about, obviously, these two messy, entangled friend groups, which I think Gonzales did pretty well. In sticking only with Ollie's perspective we focus significantly more on his friends rather than Will's which I did not mind one bit since all of Will's friends were pretty obnoxious. By focusing on just one friend group, though, those relationships and characters were explored more deeply, and I really enjoyed them. Lana, in particular, was probably my favorite character (although that's definitely just because I related to her the most).
All in all, Only Mostly Devastated succeeded in everything it set out to do. I was never frustrated or bored while reading, and in fact, rushed through a few aspects of my day today in order to finish it sooner.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley