NetGallery provided me an advanced copy of this book for review.
I fell in love with Saturday--Jon, Reuben, Zach, and Angel. I loved all the characters in this book. The authors knocked it out of the park with how well-rounded all the band members were. Although we only have two narrators, I would have loved to see Jon and Angel's POV. Maybe the next book, huh? There is definitely more story to tell. I screamed at the ending because I wanted to see how it played out, but it was a great stopping point. Especially since we have to get another entry.
I have dedicated 2021 to queer stories. This is one of my personal favorites.
There were so many topics that were touched on. There was potential to address eating disorders, drug addiction, mistreatment, religion, several different ethnic and cultural lifestyles...there were SO many seeds planted in this first book. So many things to address in a second book. 😜
This entry primarily focused on Reuben and Zach and their secret relationship and how it affects those around them. It was heart-warming and funny. I felt such frustration for these characters...a sign of any good book when you experience the characters' emotions.
One particular thing that stands out to me as a member of the queer community is the mention of PreP. Kudos to both authors for including this and helping to get the message about PreP out there to younger people in our community.
I have read books from both authors separately. This was just a phenomenal mashup of talent. I can't wait to read a sequel.

Review coming soon. Thanks to Sophie Gonzales, Caleb Dietrich, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; the opinions are mine.

Pub Date 12.7.21

Opening the initial pages of this was like wandering back into the beginning of I Was Born For This from Jimmy Kaga-Ricci's point of view. The band in that book and in this one are very similar, largely because they are both pop sensations with stars who are a similar late teen age.

The main difference at that point was that this was an American band. However, shortly after the beginning of the story sets up, they are heading out on the European leg of their tour.

The other difference? Although this too has a dual point of view story, it is between two of the band mates, and one of them is already established to be very gay.

Once this novel got started, I absolutely couldn't put it down. Yes, Zach and Ruben were the main- and viewpoint characters, but part of what made this so compelling were the relationships and struggles they went through with their other band mates, Angel and Jon.

Ruben has known he was gay since before the band started, however he's been encouraged not to come out publicly since the band was put together by Jon's dad. This is more or less okay, up until he and Zach start their relationship. This, amongst other things, signals the beginnings of even more of the band's freedoms being cut down.

I just... this novel was so claustrophobic at parts, but that was what made it so mesmerising. And, although at the end, the band gets their happily ever after, it's hard won and with a lot of shakey stuff that goes on to get them there.

The only thing that I would say is a little bit of a downside to this book is that, even though the two viewpoints were written by different people, the characters read very similarly a lot of the time.

This is the perfect book to pick up when you just want to get lost in someone else's romance story. I read this book one sitting-it is that fast paced.

The Good: The boy band-c'mon, it brought me all the way back to 1999 and I am HERE FOR IT. The romance and coming to terms with who you really are...loved the themes here. I loved that Reuben was unapologetically himself and would've come out at 16 if he was "allowed". The pace of the read-I COULD NOT get enough. I LOVED that the author made a quick mention of PrEP and condoms in the book-we often times glance over the safety in LGBTQ and the strides our medical community has made in regards to HIV prevention, so I was really happy to see PrEP mentioned.

The Bad: There were some characters *cough* Erin *cough*, that are just miserable. It contributes to the plot and plays a purpose, but that doesn't make it easier to read. If there was any more of Erin in the book, I just don't know how I could've dealt. There are some heavy topics discussed and although they are eventually dealt with-I just really struggled with the fact that the adults(some) are not the ones that were willing to help solve them.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc.

I loved this book!! a romcom about two members of a band? I LOVE TO SEE IT!! its very different from what i usually read but i really enjoyed it and cant wait for others to get a chance to read as well!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was everything. I basically read the entire book in one day, I simply couldn’t stop.

I love that we got to be in the head of both Ruben and Zach every other chapter. Following both of their journeys in the boy-band, Saturday, and with their other band mates, Angel, and Jon, was a pleasure and extremely emotional at times.

Ruben dealing with pressure from management to stay in the closet, Zach in the middle of figuring out his sexuality and what they could mean to each other…it was intense, I cried at times, and would read it again in a heartbeat.

December can’t get here fast enough. I need to chatter about this book with everyone I can.

Highly recommended. 5 stars.

I loved this book. It was everything I was hoping it would be and have already recommended it to friends for when it is published. As a fan of the 90s boy bands craze I loved this book even more and could see how the controlling nature of the management company could (and did) actually happen. I loved every member of Saturday and was rooting for Zach and Ruben's relationship the entire time.

There were a few grammatical errors that hopefully will be fixed before publication but nothing terrible

If This Gets Out is a fabulous young adult romance by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich.

Ruben and Zach are band members and long time friends. Zack is straight, until a kiss changes everything.

I love boy bands so this book definitely had me intrigued.

This is a sexual awakening as suddenly Zach is questioning his sexuality and dealing with his new feelings for his best friend.

Their tale includes the pitfalls of a boy band. Music they don't relate to. Being molded into a certain persona. Being the opposite of their public persona. Photo shoots. Fan signings. A troubled bandmember and drugs. I enjoy it all.

Their story is full of tension, awkwardness, chemistry and emotional first times, and fade to black scenes.

The writing is great, with two well developed characters and plenty of contributing side characters. The emotions are well explored and the story had me happy overall.

If This Gets Out is a great choice when you're in the mood for a boy band romance. These authors wonderfully bring the atmosphere surrounding this band to life, including all the troubling issues involved. I love all the feelings throughout.

this book is so much fun! it's every bit of the cute boyband romance you'd expect, but it also isn't afraid to tackle more of the serious topics like coming out/coming to terms with sexuality and the pressure of being forced to keep up a "straight" appearance while in public. i loved all 4 of the main characters so much and while i am a little bit biased because i'm a huge fan of all different kinds of bands and attend concerts all the time, i all around really enjoy the emotion and reality of a surreal situation that is brought to life.

pros:
- the relationships between all 4 of the band members is so much fun to read! they have hilarious interactions and go through all the ups and downs that people in close friendships do. the process of them working together through the unique pressures being put on each of them is handled well.
- i can feel zach's realization of his bisexuality in my soul. the struggle of figuring out who he is and what he wants in life despite being so young is something i connect with. i'm glad that realization is drawn out and fully explored rather than just briefly addressed.
- ruben and zach's relationship, while strained at times, felt natural and i love that they really stick together throughout everything they go through. (i do wish there was more anjon though!!)

cons:
- the ending fell flat for me and it feels like the wrap up is a little rushed. i just wish there was more!
- while i do love ruben and zach's relationship, i wish there were more romantic moments. i mean while it is pretty clear, they don't even say they love each other and i think it was just briefly mentioned in a thought. the amount of pressure put on them to stay quiet by their management team is a huge part of the story, but at times feels like it overpowers their romance.

thank you to netgalley as well as the authors and publisher for providing me an eARC copy of this book!

This book is everything anyone could ever want in a SLOW BURN romance. The eternal smile of a swooning love sick human walking through a desert type of romance. That romance that starts as butterflies in your stomach, shy smiles, secret glances, and leaves you screaming JUST LISS ALREADY!

But when that romance peaks at just the right time your left feeling like a melted pool of goo. The warmest, happiest pool of goo in the whole world.

This queer boyband romance is literally what my soul needed. The embodiment of LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE! The truest most intimate most beautiful encapsulation of that perfect love we all hope we will find.

This book is for all romance readers. Not just queer romance readers but ALL readers! I can not wait for the physical copy to come out so I can buy it for my daughters and their schools and my friends and of course MYSELF!

Sophie Gonzales has done it again. In this dual-narrative co-authored by Cole Dietrich, we see two sides of a “coming-out” narrative, and how every person has their own experience. I loved both Ruben and Zach, and felt that they fit so well together, complementing each other in such a perfect way. Even the supporting characters were dynamic and had well-developed personalities. It’s rare to feel such a connection to so many characters in one book. The story itself was simple straight-forward, yet kept me engaged throughout. There were so many ups and downs, not only following a developing and heartwarming romance, but also diving deep into the reality of the “life-behind-the-scenes” of the pop-star lifestyle, and what those boys must sacrifice for their dreams. A must-read for everyone, but especially anyone who once loved (or admit it, still love) a boy-band and wondered if there was ever romance among the members!

This book blew me away. Coming out vs not, navigating first love and family relationships, managing stardom and the public, and figuring out what you want out of life are wrapped up in an untidy bow of what many public figures face on a daily basis.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a wonderful break from reading heavy material. I can picture this as a fabulous summer beach read, an escape from the hum drums or just to read because you love boy bands! I loved following the behind the scenes world of the band. Each guy has his own demons to work through and the struggles of trying to do it while the whole world is watching, living in a fish bowl. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good story. It was a lovely world to escape to for awhile.

The story follows Ruben and Zach (plus two other band members) who are both members of a boy band. Ruben has openly come out as queer and has been forced by the record label to stay quiet about his sexuality. As Ruben and Zach realize their relationship is more than band mates-they risk their jobs and record deal if their secret gets out. This was a great quick read that I know my students will love.

This is maybe a bit closer to a 4.5 star read, but I have to give it a 5 purely because of how much it meant to me. I haven't felt this seen in such a long time and I didn't really expect it to be in a book about a boyband, but alas, it was. The bi rep in this book is absolutely fantastic and I related to so much to Zach's character and his discovery of his sexuality. I just really, really love the way it was handled and the way the story so delicately handled coming out. While Zach and Ruben were on different pages on how/when they wanted to come out, the narrative never pushed one over the other and it never had that trope where the "out" person forced the other one to come out so they weren't keeping a secret (although, neither characters were fully out at the beginning of the novel anyway).

I did find the miscommunication at the beginning of the novel a bit bothersome, but once they finally figured out what was going on between them, I really enjoyed the plot. I appreciated that the focus was not so much on the two of them getting together/romantic drama and instead was on critiquing the music industry for forcing artists to stay in the closet and was about the band's struggle with their management team. It was a totally different perspective on fame than I was expecting and I'm very appreciative of it! It was super interesting to me and made me really, really angry at times (for the right reasons! it's messed up!).

I absolutely adored how the book ended and I just...I don't have enough words to express how uplifting this book was while still being raw and honest and sad at times. I've never read a book by Cale Dietrich before (but may now), but I have read Sophie Gonzales's backlist and absolutely love her books and trust her to write the best bi rep in the world (though she did take on Ruben's character in this one and he's gay so kudos to Cale for the fantastic rep in Zach here).

Again, I cannot recommend this book enough. I feel like YA contemporaries are hit or miss for me lately, but this was such a hit for me. I absolutely adored it.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a arc of this book. Let me just say this was probably one of my favorite books of the year. I don’t want to give spoilers but I loved how the perspectives of the two main characters (Zach and Ruben) were clear, you could tell the difference between them easily and overall I really enjoyed the book and I recommended you read the their story when it comes out on December 7th. :)

Okay am I immediately rereading this book because I love it so much? Hell YES! Also spoiler free review!

As I’ve mentioned before, this book is like reading a fanfiction but 1000% better because its not a fanfic (though I would DIE if there was a fanfic or sequel or bonus chapter or something because heckkkk) I absolutely loved the friendships and music and DRAMA!! Though, I do wish there was more musicy stuff involved (would I die if all of Saturday’s songs came to life? Maybe? Very possibly? 😂 if I were given lyrics would I give songwriting a good hot go again? Also very possibly??)

I absolutely adore the writing style, it’s fun to read and the perfect mix of descriptive but not too prose-y, and also lots of comedy too!

I feel like this book is perfectly suited to me because I LOVE music and performing and touring and all the behind the scenes stuff about being in a band (if only our school ensembles were famous 😂) and it’s all the things I wanted in my life (thanks COVID for cancelling our trips 😭) so I found myself relating to a lot of it! And also a weird thing I loved about this book is the fact that if felt like it was never ending, because I definitely didn’t want it to end! I remember getting up to around 60% done, thinking I was almost at the end, but seeing I had more to go was the GREATEST feeling ever!

Maybe it’s the eBook phone style I’m not too used to, but probably the only criticism I have is that it took me far too long to remember who’s who, and who’s supposed to act like what and have what style and all that jazz. And also sometimes I had to go back and figure out who was narrating when 🙈

Anyways if you guys haven’t figured it out yet, 5 stars with a bonus twinkle! ✨

This book was magnificent. I actually ended up reading it two times before writing this review simply because I could not get enough of it. The plot was compelling, the romance adorable and yet still well-developed and multi-dimensional, and the characters were so lovable. I think this book will end up becoming one of favorites due to the fact that it is incredible and enduring - the exploitation of celebrities, specifically teenagers, is something that will forever effect society and be at the forefront of our minds due to our over saturation of celebrity gossip and culture. Then plot of this book reminded me very heavily of various celebrities’ careers and rumors about what happened to them behind scenes. I thought this book was very well-written, perfectly paced, and so funny and just plain enjoyable. I cannot wait to buy a copy of it when it comes out.

I received an ARC of this title from Net Galley, and I didn't expect the book to be as good as it is. The blurb led me to believe I'd be getting a very long One Direction fanfic with the Larry Stylinson names changed. But the co-authors created significant differences and, because they write well, it's an engaging read.

Of course, you can expect two of the band members to develop a deep romantic connection based on a long-term friendship. Of course, they get the HEA. Of course, these young men still struggle with their sexuality and what it means. Well, one of them does. Ruben is openly gay, out to everyone but the general public. He isn't ashamed nor is he particularly worried about the impact coming out will have on his career. It's management that keeps him in the glass closet. His best friend Zach is the one who experiences the process on the page. Zach learns that he's bisexual, a fact he likely would've continued to ignore or repress except that his feelings for his best friend force him to answer his questions about himself. He doesn't want to use his best friend for experimentation. He doesn't know if what he wants is what he wants to want. He overthinks. He under communicates. Ruben flails about trying to read Zach, and angst ensues. Ironically, it's the other two members of the band that fans have decided have something going on, yet neither of them are fazed by this. When Zach and Ruben do come out, their band mates are supportive as are most of the fans. It's management that doesn't seem to realize most of society has moved beyond stigma and needs a better read on the public.

Fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue will especially enjoy this book for the glimpses it provides into the esoteric world of fame and privilege, and the demands of that life. The "boys in the band" are late YA/ New Adult age, so I'd also categorize the novel as such; however, for older readers who grew up with NKTOB and 1D, there's appeal and relatability in the nostalgia. (I see you giving one of the LGBTQ characters the last name "Knight.") In fact, it's that nod to Jonathan Knight of NKOTB that drives home during this Pride month just how far acceptance has come. None of us dreamed back in the day that one of the New Kids could be gay. He was just shy or had an anxiety disorder. I don't think he was really out until middle age with new hits far behind him. This book shows what a difference thirty years can make in a society.

I really liked this book! The story was so fun to read! I really enjoyed the characters in the boy band and I thought this was a super cute book!