This book is fantastic! The plot had me hooked and I could not stop reading it. There were a few trigger moments, such as loosing a family member and body issues, which I think some reader may feel a connection to. This book made me laugh and cry, would definitely recommend.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Finding a summer romance at the lake house seemed perfect for Ollie, but he knew it was only for those summer nights as he was heading back to LA eventually. But after his aunt grows sicker, and the family need to stay in North Carolina longer, Ollie soon finds that his summer fling is actually one of the biggest jocks, and jerks at his new school, Collinswood High. Trying to reconcile the Will in front of him with the Will Ollie met at the lake is difficult, but Ollie is only mostly devastated.

Well, this was fantastic! I read it all in two sittings, and I loved how alike it was to Grease, but it also was it's own entity too. Will and Ollie's relationship was messy, and real, and was just perfect for their story. They didn't have everything sorted, but at 17, and one of them coming to terms with their sexuality, and seeing whether they were comfortable with telling everyone, it's more than understandable. The Roses were the best group to take Ollie under their wing, and Lara's attitude was so 'Rizzo', I was in awe of her. A simply great book, which I will definitely be recommending to my students who will love this!

When Ollie spends the summer in North Carolina while his family help out his dying Aunt, he meets Will at their holiday house by the lake, and they fall fast. But when Ollie and his family end up sticking around for his Aunt, the last thing he expects is to find Will at school. But Will isn’t out, and his super popular and insensitive jock friends make it hard for Ollie to be around them. Ollie is openly gay, and Will is hesitant to be seen around him, but it seems the two can’t stay away from each other.

I really like Sophie Gonzales’ writing style. It’s fun and easy to get lost in the world and the characters. I 100% did not expect to bawl so much at this book, but the scenes with the ill Aunt were very touching and heartbreaking and really got me sobbing.

Other than that, I really liked the way the friendships were written between the three girls Ollie makes friends with. Juliette, Niamh, and Lara are all fun characters and I enjoyed the camaraderie between them

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Unfortunately I had to purchase a new Kindle device and could no longer access this book. I will come back and review if I read this in the future.

I went into this with pretty much no expectations really and while I did like it enough I didn't love it. I can sort of see the grease comparison at the start and maybe a little at the end but not massively to be honest, and for such a short book I really struggled to pick this up.

On a more positive note i did love the characters in here Ollie and Lara are my absolute favourite and they made this book so much more enjoyable, they're so likable and Lara is just so witty and fierce I loved her the most, she really made this book for me. I liked Will too but I kind of wish this had been duel POV as I would have loved to have seen it from Will's side too. The way it's written your probably not supposed to like him all that much but as he's struggling with coming out I felt like it would have been better to have had his POV.

I think it tackles the grief and illness really well in here and all the moments with Ollie and his Aunt felt really bittersweet. Definitely felt it was written and handled well.


Thank you so much to the publishers at netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An entertaining retelling of Grease with lively characters to make an easy read. It's well-written, with great representation, and perfect for fans of Young Adult fiction. I love that real life issues are tackled with a kindness and sympathy that makes them engaging to read. The book has plenty of heart-warming aspects, likeable personalities, and a coming-of-age-style plot. A great read!

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This was sold as a Queer Modern Retelling of Grease and it is. I think ten years ago, it probably would it been sold as High School Musical. Maybe that's just that the Love interest, Will is a basketball player. Oliver isn't a science quiz genius or anything. He does like music and is in a band. I guess basketball is just the modern equal of a bad boy car-obsessed gang. Yeah, that's not a thing anymore, probably because cars are no longer a novelty.

I do like that we have Queer character outside the main romantic pairing. Queer people are friends with other Queer people even when we not out. We find each other completely on accident.

This novel is completely told in Oliver's POV, which I was slightly disappointed about, cause in my mind a Grease retelling should be duo-protagonists, so you think the same it doesn't. This is Oliver's story more than Will's.

Will is not out to anyone, is major factor in how their relationship plays out. I think this was done well, consideration from both points of view, with both feelings been taken into account. Obviously, no one should be forced out but Will does go overboard in an attempt to hid their relationship.

This does deal with causal homophobia, by a causal, I mean making gay jokes while not intending target a specific gay or Queer person. Just to mock your friend because Straight boys think being gay is funny for some reason. I blame the patriarchy. This was a major problem when I was a youngling and going off the teen barter I overhear its still a problem. Hopefully, this will not be a problem anymore in the future. I think its dealt with well and realistically.

This book deals with grief and the threat of grief. Knowing that you are likely to lose someone you love soon. This was done okay. The thing is I very recently read a 5/5 star book that had someone lose their Aunt to cancer. This book felt more about the romance than anything, so I didn't like it as much. I read romance heavy contemporaries but I'm Ace so I'm not all about that. There is a lot of romantic pairing going on, it's all very cute.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Rosegold Roses. This is cute romance with attempt at depth. It's perfect for people who like cute but want something more going on than just romance. T|he relationships between all the characters were done nicely.  I will definitely read Gonzales again, Her next book sounds interesting.

Love, love, love!!! This book was so good. Highly reccomend.I have goosebumps.

A heartwarming,heartbreaking YA, LGBTQ+, Diverse, Contemporary. Only Mostly Devastated will stay with you, and leave you wanting more.

I was hooked from the start with this Grease-like, YA, high school set, M/M romance Novel.

After a short but perfect summer romance, and first love experiences. The story centres around Ollie, and moving with his family to a new town where he was meant to be just staying for the summer, to be closer to his sick Aunt. He starts enrolling at Collinswood High school, and is desperately wondering why Will, his summer fling has been ignoring his texts and appears to have forgotten about him already...

Ollie soon makes new friends at his new school but it's not all smooth sailing and problems arise. Like most high school experiences, it's not an easy ride. It's hard to be yourself, with fear of being judged by your peers, and the close knit community.

Ollie tells his new friends about his summer fling, after this moment his world is turned upside down, and he realises it might not be the end of his summer love...

Life is busy for Ollie, he babysits for his cousins nearly everyday, when he's not practising for his new band. Music and family consume most of his time, along with a boy he just can't get out of his mind.

The book is full of tough moments, grief, self discovery, new friendships, and a will -they? won't- they?, romance.

Alongside the M/M romance, I really liked the bi rep in the book, the storyline was handled well, and does reflect real life experience with biphobia, and the book also tackles prejudice and homophobia, which sadly is still very present, especially in high schools.

I had a lot of emotions during this read. The characters felt very real. I wanted to cry, hug and scream along with them. I was angry, frustrated, and sad at some of the events in the book, and the way characters were treated. I think the topics in the book are very relatable, and although the book wasn't perfect, and some things were wrapped up quite quickly, and the character behaviours were not talked about as much as I would of liked. I still think this book overall really got to my heart and I really enjoyed the story. It was a 5 star read for me.

In particular I loved the loyal friendships, the strong characters, the flawless writing. The close family connections.

The character and friendship developments made my heart so happy in this Book, and the ending left me Only Mostly Devastated...


*Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Group and Sophie for the Earc, in exchange of an honest review*

I'm loving the current spate of updated and modernised takes of familiar stories, this take on Grease is no exception! Ollie is the Sandy, having moved across the country to be closer to his ill Auntie he starts at a brand new school and is surprised to see a familiar face in the form of Will, the Danny figure. After a idyllic summer romance, Ollie is thrilled to see Will but the feeling doesn't seem to be mutual...

The result is a really sweet novel, with some lovely characters who are a real pleasure to spend time with. The key beats and character types from Grease are present, but wonderfully and seamlessly transferred to the modern day. I quickly became invested in Ollie and Will's story (yes, I did Stan them!) and couldn't wait to find out how it was all going to play out. A perfect summer read that I'll be recommending to my students.

Ollie is out. Will is not. In fact, he is beyond terrified of being outed. So when Ollie, his summer fling, transfers to his school, Will turns up the jock jokes, the mask, in an effort to deflect any possibility of their secret coming out.

This was a super cute story of falling in love with a side story of family grief. The way the warm fuzzies of Ollie and Will are intertwined with the gut-wrenching ordeal of a family member with cancer was incredibly and carefully written.

I adored this story; the “Grease” influence was subtle and adorable, everyone’s feelings were equally valid – even when Will was a right idiot – and the friendships were spot-on. The trio of girls that Ollie befriends were all amazing in their own right, and Will’s basketball buddies weren’t just meathead jocks. I mean, there were moments but the whole toxic masculinity in sports thing was handled and then dismantled, as it turns out that men have feelings too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An LGBTQ, YA inspired by Grease. What's not to like? Written with humour, care and a slow-burn romance that kept me reading until the early hours, this was a joy to read. Ollie and Will's relationship begins as a summer fling that then sees both parties attending the same school. In true Grease style, their relationship faces problems along the way and it didn't always feel as though both Ollie and Will were as invested as the other. Added to this, there is a terminal illness storyline which gives the book more depth than simply being a retelling of Grease.

This isn’t my usual genre, I admit. Romance isn’t usually my thing, particularly not in young adult novels where there is a tendency to drop into teenage angst and melodrama with an unhealthy sidetrack of love triangles. That said, I fancied a lighter read and I have to say that this is done very well indeed. I felt the contrast between Ollie and Will were done well; Ollie being comfortable in his sexuality whilst Will is very much trying to play the part of the hetero basketball player, hiding his sexuality from those around him. The novel addresses things with sensitivity, with both characters personalities and emotions on display. I liked the way she depicts Will, in that he’s just trying to keep his head above water and Ollie’s sudden re-appearance from summer fling to being at the same school as him really throws things for a loop. His actions can be hurtful, even callous, as he fumbles his way through and that isn’t glossed over, neither indeed is Ollie’s own insecurity and selfishness in expecting Will to be at the same point as he is.

The characterisations are in honesty probably what make this book, as Gonzoles captures the teenage mindset and priorities, without wallowing in the angst. There are learning moments for near enough all the characters, but they are didactic or shoved down your throat. Instead the entire thing is pulled off naturally, and so you get Ollie, all socially awkward elbows and ears, along with a group of friends who are strong and vulnerable in their own way. Each are trying to make their way and pick out their futures in the world and they all felt real and large as life. Will’s struggles with his identity didn’t overshadow Niamh’s modelling insecurities or Lara’s own confusion with her sexuality and they all come together in a wholesome and thoughtful manner. There’s humour, there’s tears and there are friendships strained and coming back together.

Whilst the focus is largely on the romance - or lack thereof at times - between Ollie and Will, there are other deeper themes woven in throughout the novel that sucker you in. The illness of Ollie’s aunt is a huge factor here, being the reason his parents moved them across the country and why Ollie finds himself in a new school so late in his education. I felt the triumphs, hurdles and outright heartbreaks of dealing with catastrophic illness were well depicted. The two young children are also depicted surprisingly well, with a real understanding of the different ways the very young deal with trauma and grief.

All in all, this is light and easy to read but it also has a very real message and delivers it well. Despite my usual lack of interest in the genre, I enjoyed reading it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free copy of this title.

Only Mostly Devastated is a warm, funny, sweet book about young love and feeling the need to hide who you truly are. The blurb describes it as a modern day telling of Grease and it couldn’t be more accurate. With our protagonist Ollie we see the story from the eyes of Sandra-Dee…except he is a little bit emo and a boy and gay.

Undercurrent to the love story you have a tale of finding your tribe. Ollie is in a new school in a completely different state and he is struggling to find his place. Throw on top of that another story of a sick relative and you really do feel that Ollie has too much going on for someone so young.

I really rate Only Mostly Devastated. It is a book that deals with difficult issues but also gives you the feel good factor. The writing style is easy and you don’t feel like you are being challenged by reading it but feel like you are one of Ollie’s gang of friends, going through things alongside him.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales is available now.

For more information regarding Sophie Gonzales (@sgonzalesauthor) please visit www.sophiegonzalesbooks.com.

For more information regarding St Martin’s Press (@StMartinsPress) please visit their Twitter page.

For more information regarding Hachette Children’s Group (@HachetteKids) please visit www.hachettechildrens.co.uk.
For more information regarding Hodder Children’s Books (@HoddereBooks) please visit their Twitter page.

This was a sweet book and a really good reimagining of Grease but queer. Full review to come on my blog soon

If you loved books like #simonvsthehomosapiensagenda and #aristotleanddantediscoverthesecretsoftheuniverse then I’m sure you will enjoy #OnlyMostlyDevastated by #SophieGonzales. It’s not a ground breaking piece of literature but it’s not intended to be and doesn’t need to be. It’s an easy, fun and an uplifting read and amidst the current world crisis offers the perfect moment to escape, breath and smile. My only slight gripe was that I struggled to find the #Grease references, but I can forgive this.

Books such as this make me so happy. When I was a teenager growing up I didn’t have any books or even media that reflected what I was feeling or represented heroes I could look up to. Being gay just seemed to be represented by stories centred around AIDS. We should never forget this period in time, but it is so refreshing that now there are so many books representing the LGBTQ community with very real stories of love and life.

Charming and romantic ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

I liked this! Vey much!!

After a summer vacation at the lake, which for Ollie involved a summer romance with a boy named Will, Ollie and his family are forced to relocate in order to help out his Aunt Linda, who is sick. When he starts at his new school, he quickly finds friends in a group of girls, and is eager to spill the details of his summer romance. Little does he know that the boy in question actually attends this school! We follow Ollie as he tries to figure out how to approach the situation, and form some kind of relationship with a boy who isn't yet out.

One thing I wish this book had offered was a little more insight into what exactly happened during the summer. We get a couple of flashbacks and some descriptions, but I'm a sucker for details and I wanted to see all those cute parts! Will doesn't come across very well at first, so it would've been nice to see the kinder, softer side of him going into this. That's more of a me thing though - I prefer being there for the beginning of a romance than being told about it later. I feel like I'm missing out!

Other than that, I pretty much loved this! It was very fun and super cute at part, but spliced in some very real, heart-breaking but impactful topics, and deals really well with grief.

I can't wait to see what else the author has to offer!

Massive thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

Thank you NetGalley for some much-needed light relief, even though that was not what I expected bearing in mind some of the subjects raised in this.
Olly has had a summer away by the lake, looking after his cousins as his aunt is terminally ill. He has what he believes to be a whirlwind romance with the perfect guy, Will. As he heads home, Will seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth and Olly has no idea what’s going on.
Then comes the shock news that Olly’s parents are uprooting them for the year to look after family. Olly has to start at a new school...and, of course, it’s the school Will attends. Only thing is, Will is not out at school.
What follows is pretty much every cliche you could think of as we watch the developing relationship. Olly lays himself open to getting his heart broken. Then he gets angry, and then Will starts to consider just what is important to him and how he’ll handle things.
We follow Olly through making some new friends and learning a little more about himself. There’s some ups and downs, but thankfully things go pretty much as you’d expect.

Only Mostly devastated by Sophie Gonzales - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

Ollie and Will have some summer loving that definitely had them a blast. When I heard this was a queer re-imagining of Grease I was excited and worried. It was nothing like I imagined it would be it was better.

Ollie was a funny and loveable character to follow, you rooted for him to get everything he wanted even when he has to move from California to North Carolina to help take care of his sick aunt. Even when he enters a new school with the boy who he had a summer romance with who isn’t out. You know things aren’t going to go smooth but your feel ready to follow him no matter what.

This book was diverse, written so well and it had a way of feeling like a Ron-com even when it wasn’t. The group of friends Ollie stumble upon end up being a great group of people. Lara probably being my favourite of them any girl who can pull of a tutu with a leather jacket is my kinda girl. Also her unapologetic way of being exactly who she is and not feeling like she needs to clarify until it unavoidable.

Will was a love interest I understood and felt sorry for in the end it works about but following him as he become more comfortable in his skin and less worried about his sexuality is great. The only thing I was a little let down by is I want more show about Will and Ollies summer together. We got some but I wanted to be shown more instead of told a little.

Surprisingly brilliant, fun and fast pasted. Can’t wait to see what the author does in the future because I will be picking up whatever it is.