If This Gets Out was exactly what I wanted it to be. The perfect blend of romance and exploring the pressures and issues faced by someone in the boys’ position: pressure from their label, hiding their identities and relationship, the stress of touring and a sudden rise to fame.

If you know anything about my taste in books you know that characters are my favourite part of a book but also what I’m most critical of. They have to be done right. They have to feel fleshed out and real. And I’m pleased to say that If This Gets Out did not disappoint on that front. Each of our narrators, Zach and Ruben, had distinct voices and personalities that informed their decisions and interactions. The rest of the band, too, were given depth and I felt that this was what made the book work so well. The characters were given agency in a way that some celebrities such as themselves are not seen to have through their label and the fan perspective. This is explored in the novel through the label’s forcing of certain personality types on the boys, even when that directly contrasts their actual personalities and the rest of the world unknowingly accepting these lies. This overall made the boys and their problems feel all the more tangible and real, as if we were getting a peek into their real lives, behind the curtains.

On that note, I loved that this book didn’t shy away from showing the truth and criticising the music industry. It explored themes of drug abuse, manipulation, exploitation and forced closeting with sensitivity. In particular, I loved that the boys got to own their coming out and it brought me so much joy. Without giving too much away, seeing everything come together in the end was just so wonderful and I flew through the second half of the book in one sitting. I also appreciated that the boys acknowledged the privilege of their position at the same time as criticising it.

I just really enjoyed all four boys’ relationship with each other. The authors did a fantastic job of conveying a years long friendship and everything that goes with that, from a shared understanding and humour to knowing exactly how to hurt one another. In particular, I loved Ruben and Zach’s relationship. I am a sucker for characters being soft with one another, particularly when they’re in as harsh and difficult an environment as in the book. Reading about them falling in love was a joy. I loved the trust and support in their relationship, and the development they underwent together.

Overall, If This Gets Out combines some of my favourite things in a book: friendship, queer romance and angst into a wonderful coming of age story. It has boyband drama, criticisms of the music industry, commentary on fandom and so much more. I had an amazing time reading this and highly recommend it!

I freaking love Sophie Gonzales and I will never stop supporting her. This was delightful. The characters were so well written, I don't think I will ever get over them.

↳ 𝟰 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀

In this queer young adult novel, we follow the dual povs of Zach and Ruben. These two are in the boy band, Saturday, along with Angel and Jon. Whilst on tour through Europe, Zack and Ruben's friendship develops into something much more than friendship.

A little side note is that while I thought this book was fabulous, I hate shipping real people so all the people comparing this to a certain ship did make me wary of reading it. I'm glad I did end up reading it anyway though!

Throughout this story, we see the struggles of the four main characters working for this industry and how this affects their lives. This faucet of the book is honestly heart-wrenching. It was interesting to read about but it seems like such a toll on your mental health and the experiences detailed throughout it reflect that.

The characters and their development were a highlight of this story. I enjoyed seeing these teens finding themselves despite all the pressure the industry had put on them. They were fun to read and very engaging. They are such raw characters that you might find yourself relating to them. Zach's arc was my favorite, all of the character arcs were incredibly well done though.

The friendship between the main four was so realistic and well done which I enjoyed a lot. They weren't always happy with each other but they all love each other and it's very clear. They had their highs and lows and supported each other along the way either way.

I wasn't quite expecting all the serious topics that are covered. This novel is much more complex than I thought it would be and just a completely different vibe than I had assumed. I liked it either way of course but it caught me slightly off guard.

Despite everything else previously mentioned, the romance is very prominent and overall takes center stage. Friends to lovers and secret relationships are both some of my favorite tropes and these are didn't disappoint. I adored reading about these two and seeing their relationship develop.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

When I first read the blurb of “If This Gets Out” I immediately wanted to read it, because it had all the tropes and topics I love. YA (check), Boy Band at that (check), best friends to lovers (check), an LGBTQ+ representation (check),...I couldn't wait to read it. The relationship among the band members was really well done., but more importantly, so was the relationship between the kids and their parents. The book took serious subjects such as fame, drug abuse, emotional abuse, and more, and covered them realistically and with respect to the characters. It was nice to see how the relationship between the two main characters was a gradual change, and not insta-love like found in so many books now days. I found myself smiling so often as I shipped those two, as if they were an actual couple and not just two fictional characters. Watching them navigate the relationship pitfalls and communicate through it all was so refreshing to read. “If This Gets Out” was an amazing book that totally live up to expectations.

Please let a Kardashian do something, anything"
Thank you netgalley
I absolutely adored this coming of age story.
I can't imagine having to hide who I am, like zach and Ruben did in this book.
There were many laugh out loud moments and many heartbreaking ones as well.
I think this is a wonderful story for anyone young still trying to find out who you are and where you belong in this crazy world of ours.

I had been looking forward to this one for a fat minute and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a quick read and left me with a happy feeling.

I loved this book from the very start, both narrating characters are rich and their emotions seep through the pages in a way that makes you want to keep them safe as they navigated their journeys. The romance was the sweetest, and at least to me, the plot was unpredictable since the characters frustrations were displayed as different scenarios and you truly didn't know how the other characters would react. It was always a surprise.
This is a feel good book for sure, and the ending is open and hopeful.

I loved this book, but the cover is so boring and doesn't convey the boy band aspect of this book at all! I love a boy band, and there aren't very many novels with boy band members as characters. Part of me wishes that this had just been pure romance instead of having the subplot about drug abuse, but I think the authors were trying to paint a larger picture of the issues with the entertainment industry.

I enjoyed this, but it felt quite predictable. It was a nice short read and I did enjoy it, but it's one I would give away after reading once.

This was so much fun! I can't say I'm aware of any boy band fandom, but hey, I'm a big fan of a lot of small fans and it was intriguing to think through the relationships the members all have with each other, and especially the way that they themselves can be marketed and sold.

While I really enjoyed the characters and the message behind this book it felt so slooooooow. While I do appreciate the slow burn romance I think this definitely had a similar fault to other books written by two authors. They just feel long as heck.

I did really love this though and ended up crying some sappy tears quite often. Reuben and Zach are the cutest and I just love John to death.

This is a really beautiful book. The story is so intriguing, and the dual POV sucks you in fast. I could easily read another 300 pages of Zach and Ruben, especially the discussion behind sexuality and labeling and defining oneself.

I wish there was a bit more of a resolution with Ruben and his toxic mother, but it also felt more realistic to have it open ended. I think a lot of teens will find it relatable to as Ruben struggles to establish boundaries, while still being a bit dependent on his parents.

Sophie Gonzales has done it again--this book completely stole my heart. (And I was not familiar with Cale Dietrich's work before reading this one, but suffice to say I will DEFINITELY be reading more of it going forward.) I never went through a boy band phase, but boy oh man was I obsessed with this fictional one; if Saturday was a real group, I feel like I would totally pay for tickets to one of their shows. I can't even handle how much I loved this story.

Ruben and Zach are both flawed characters, incredibly messy and terrible at communication, like so many of Sophie's characters (Darcy Phillips, I'm looking at you...)--and like so many actual teenage boys. I know some people hate miscommunication tropes, and they can be hit-or-miss for me but in the context of these two, I think it worked really well, and the agonizing tension prior to them getting together was enhanced by the sheer frustration of knowing that they both had strong reasons to not admit their feelings.

And once the two got together, the other overarching theme of the book--the pressures of celebrity and being a teenager in the public eye, particularly when others are dictating who you are and how you're supposed to act--was really able to shine (though it initially came up earlier!). Seeing those pressures applied to all four members of Saturday--Angel rebelling with drugs and partying, John dreading his sexualized front-man status, Ruben longing for the chance to stand out, and Zach not being able to write his own songs--really highlighted how even glamorous celebrity life can be draining and actually amplify the difficulties that all teens face. These boys are all on the cusp of adulthood and trying to navigate the growing pains of finding their identities in a world that has long ascribed other identities to them, and I appreciated that viewpoint as well.

Some other amazing things you can look forward to in this book:
- a Bisexual Disaster Boy (tm), including the "wait...am I bi???" moment
- discussion of toxic parent/child relationships (doesn't use the word "emotional abuse" but that's clearly what it is, and as someone who has had an experience with a similar--though less-severe--situation, Ruben's internal conflict over establishing boundaries was very realistic to me)
- super healthy parent-child relationships (please let Zach's mom be my mom too?)
- kissing by a canal in Europe
- so. much. banter. I literally laughed out loud multiple times.
- friends-to-lovers, an underutilized trope
- ALL THE ANGST.
- well-handled anxiety rep (again, as someone with anxiety, this was beyond relatable to me)
- solid and supportive friendships weathering even some really shitty situations
- sweet, cute, fluffy moments galore
- lawsuits???

One of my only "complaints"--if it could be called one--is that this book is a standalone. I think that, with how the many characters' issues all concluded, it would have been easy, and even advisable, to have a second book where Zuben can navigate their new relationship now that all their issues are out in the open, where Angel's new sobriety could be further explored, where Ruben's attempt at putting up boundaries with his mom could be explored, and where we could get a little more insight on John as a whole, especially how he will act now that he's out from under his father's thumb.

But honestly, that is such a negligible issue, maybe even a non-issue. I freaking loved this book, and I can't recommend it enough!

The feels. I absolutely adored this book and honestly, I was surprised with how charmed I was by this story. The characters are truly delightful and I felt an unexpected connection to a few of them. The pacing was also great and I quickly found myself swept up in these characters lives and their conflicts. The authors have also done a great job of crafting a narrative around the pressures and downsides of being in the spotlight - definitely a thought starter. A sweet romance coupled with great characters is what keeps you hooked.

This was a great read, I found it difficult to put down even though it touched on some topics that were kind of heavy.
This was my first book by either of these authors, but it certainly won't be my last.

this is a fun ya read that also deals with a lot of issues like homophobia, internalised biphobia, and forced closeting. i liked how each member of the band was easy to sympathise with (honestly - being in a boyband seems like a nightmare) and i enjoyed the way each character got their own little development arc. i think fangirls who loved one direction will totally love this, and i did find it enjoyable, but there are also some shortcomings with this book with the way it handles it’s subject matter.

had to DNF because after a certain point it felt too much like a one direction fanfiction and while that is not necessarily a bad thing I think as someone who grew up in that sphere and watched how a lot of those things affected the boys in these bands and how uncomfortable it made them when people suspected their sexualities it was weird for me to read. I think the writing is super solid and its a fun read but I was overthinking it the whole time so i feel he need to pass

I love this so much. It's really sweet, but also super angsty! It feels a bit more like a YA book for adults than for teens, but I do think a lot of teens will also enjoy it. I think it will be popular where queer YA romances are popular, especially sad ones like They Both Die at the End.

This was such a great queer read! I have read from both authors separately and didn't love their books, but this book with them as a team worked beautifully!

I preordered it as I was reading the ARC. Came out the day after my birthday, and this was everything I could have wanted from a boy band love story! Ong of my favourite reads of the year.