This book is one of my favorite reads of the year so far! I loved the story, the character development in this book, the friendships, the love story, and just how relatable it all was.

There were so many things I loved about this book! The friendship between Jon, Angel, Ruben, and Zach was heartwarming and raw. It showed how different people in friend groups connect, manage challenges, fall apart, and fall together. The story highlights them all dealing with the own individual challenges and coming together when they need to support one another. I think it was a beautiful display of how friendships aren't always easy, and that is what makes them real is that at the end of the day these friends would fight for each other.

The relationship between Ruben and Zach was amazing. They start off as great friends that learn to navigate challenges and joys as their relationship changes from friendship to romantic. The pacing of the relationship felt realistic, and I loved the moments where they were cheesy and acknowledged that it was okay to feel cheesy and loving towards each other. I loved that they story followed them finding themselves and encouraging each other to be their best selves by growing within their relationship,

One of my favorite parts of this book is watching all the character navigate and find who they are as people. Yes they do it within the restrictions of an over-pressing management company, but it felt generalizable in terms of just finding out who you want to be and finding the way to be that version of yourself despite others opinions and how they view you. I loved how this story also encouraged drawing boundaries in relationships that may not be the most supportive. All in all, one of my favorite reads this year! If you are thinking about it, pick it up and read!

An incredible LGBTQ+ friendly book! When I began reading, I thought this would be a lighthearted read, and it was a quick and easy read, but I wouldn't call it lighthearted! Emotions are so high in this book, and it translates perfectly to readers.

It's hard to not see the comparisons with One Direction and Larry Stylinson, but Ruben and Zach are also their own characters and completely separate. I'm excited to read more from both authors of this book.

REVIEW TAKEN FROM MY GOODREADS:

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book exceeded all of my expectations. It's a simple plot, but it's so much more than a romcom, and that really took me by surprise.

The writers haven't shied away from all of the issues the band--especially Zach and Ruben--face from their management (and parents), but it's handled extremely well. I don't know much about the entertainment industry but it felt very believable every step of the way--even if I felt like SCREAMING from frustration at what some of the characters have to deal with.

And honestly, I think it's a marker of how well this book is written that I felt genuine anger towards a lot of the side characters.

The romance is also very believable; and even though the story centres around Ruben and Zach, all of the band members are still fleshed out well, including their relationship with each other. I was rooting for them all, even while they were making bad choices.

I really enjoyed Only Mostly Devastated, and Sophie is what drew me to this book initially, but I'll definitely be following up on Cale Dietrich after this.

I've been having a really hard time getting into books lately but I gobbled this one up in about a day. Very compelling and easy to read! I had a few issues, like I thought that some of the serious issues got resolved a little too easily, and I think that that Ruben, the character that Sophie Gonzales created, was a much more fully formed (and therefore likable/understandable) character than Zach. But overall I can't deny how wrapped up I got!

If This Gets Out follows two main perspectives of a four-person boy band called Saturday. Ruben loves theatre and performing but is worn out and guarded from years of being forced to stay in the closet by Saturday’s management team. Zach is portrayed as the bad boy of the group to the media but is really kind and puts everyone else’s needs above his own, he is newly coming to terms with his bisexuality as he starts falling for Ruben. Ruben, Zach, and the other two band members (Jon and Angel) are put under a lot of pressure by their first international tour as well as being forced to hide aspects of their lives and personalities from the world.

This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming and the same time. It is a complex look at the pressure that is put on celebrities, especially when they are young and just figuring themselves out. The relationships between all four of the band members were so well-developed and fascinating to read about. The romance between Ruben and Zach was sweet and wholesome, it wasn’t perfect but the way that they settled conflict and communicated was so beautiful. It is really refreshing to read a queer book focused on coming out that doesn’t use a tragic event forcing the couple to come out as a plot device. Ruben and Zach weren’t always in control of the narrative surrounding their relationship but the main conflict didn’t capitalize on their victimization. I couldn’t put this book down and read most of it in a one-day binge. The writing was also fantastic. Each of the main characters had very distinct personalities and voices and I felt fully immersed in both perspectives. Many times reading books written with multiple perspectives, I either favor reading one perspective over the other or reading about the same event from multiple perspectives feels repetitive. However, the balance between Ruben and Zach’s chapters was so perfect. This is the type of queer, contemporary YA romance that the world needs right now.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is one of my absolute favourite books of the year! It revolves around the romantic relationship of Ruben and Zach, two members of the biggest boyband in America, Saturday and how the band learns to cope with how famous they’ve become.
I absolutely loved the build-up of their romantic relationship. All the members of Saturday are flawed and loveable. At no point in the story did I feel it dragged or went on too long. In the best way possible, it read like fanfiction.
This book was so charming and enjoyable, and I will be recommending it everyone I know for the rest of the year.

Longer review to come!

This book. This book was everything! This had two of my favorites: boy bands & gay romance.

I have been a fan of boy bands more than half my life. I never read fan fiction and even in more recent times, I never was on board with ships of different members or fed into any conspiracies. I put those preconceived notions out of my brain (I am a firm non believer of Larry - Iykyk) while reading this.

This book is about the most popular boy band in the world, Saturday. They met as kids at camp & the rest is history. As oppose to the traditional 5 member boy band, this one is 4 members who each have been branded their own persona. We learn that the persona the public sees, does not necessarily match who they are privately.

Ruben, is gay (forced to keep it private) who has been somewhat of a prodigy which also proves to be extra pressure on him.

Jon, the manager’s son who tries to do right by not only his father, but by the band and also by his religion.

Angel, the wild child of the four. He keeps everyone on their toes & was apart of the climax part of the book where things shift.

Lastly, Zach, always identified as straight but could not deny his feelings for Ruben. Zach is a people pleaser who will often put others wants before himself.

The authors paint a picture of what it is like to be in a boy band - the ups and downs. We see what is in the surface but don’t know the layers behind the scene. And knowing what I know about boy bands and management, this is an accurate portrayal.

I do not want to give much away but the romance. Oh the romance in this hits ya right in the feels. We get to see the complicated feelings of coming out and realizing who you are. Also I love the pure friendship between the four men & their trust with one another.

I would love a sequel exploring what happens next for Saturday and of course with Zuben.

okay so before i start this review, two words: boyband romcom

bought this book yet? bc you totally should.

soooo it took me a long time even after getting an arc for this one to start it which was totally stupid of me considering how much i loved Only Mostly Devastated and what an amazing book this was.

Ruben, Zach, Jon and Angel are members of a popular boyband, Saturday. Ruben's known he was gay for a long time but was always pressured to keep it a secret by the management team of Saturday. He always kept quiet, put on a fake smile and let the media talk about the girls he was dating but then, while touring through Europe, he starts feeling for his bandmate, Zach.

Zach was more of the artsy type, he loved writing lyrics to his own songs and dance along to rock beats, but pressured by the management team, he was always pushed over and shown to the audience outside, as the broody one who loved pop.

After a drunken encounter, Zach finds out revelations about himself that are new and exhilarating. He doesn't know where he's gonna go from after this, only that whatever lays forward, he wants to go there with Ruben.

Zach and Ruben made such an adorable couple. their romance was full of sneaky touches, handholding under the blanket, sneaking off to the terrace and making out under the stars and so much more. also, their romance totally slow burn (like not mz slow burn but still)

also, Anjon (Angel and Jon) are two people I NEED A BOOK ABOUT!!! they were such cuties with their constant bickering and Jon going all mother hen over him. they were both too going through so much pressure, all put upon them by, once again, the management team.

i loved how a lot of real issues were also addressed in the book like coming out, the pressure being put upon them by the management team, always being told no for what they want, being monitored all the time, not even being able to wear what they want, and even how the boys turn to alcohol and drugs as an outlet.

overall, If This Gets Out was a wonderful read full of things i loved. the reason i cut off a star is bc i needed more from that ending and maybe a thing or two in the middle. other than that, this was one perfect read and i cannot wait for more to come!

arc generously provided by netgalley in exchange for a honest review

This was SO cute! It was the perfect amount of sweet queer romance, coming out storyline, and commentary on how celebrities are treated by their managers/management companies. It was heart-wrenchingly wonderful and kept me invested in all of the characters, even the ones not included in the romance.

This gave a lot of One Direction vibes-- fans of 1D will definitely want to get their hands on this!

I’m still screaming about this book?? I finished it in about a day in a half because I just could not put it down!! I resonated with this book on so many levels and all the characters just felt so real to me. It was fantastic reading a queer book from two points of view, one who is out and one who is just discovering what his sexuality is.

18-year-olds Zach Knight and Ruben Montez are members in a boy band named Saturday along with bandmates Angel Phan and Jon Braxton. They are a group of best friends on stage and in real life and are currently on tour for their newest album. But things start to get a bit tense when the band members feel as though their company is starting to control every aspect of their life, especially for Ruben who is being kept from coming out as gay. What’s better is that Ruben is totally in love with his bandmate and best friend, Zach. We get to see the journey that the band goes through on tour and how they all deal with the high pressure and stakes of being a picture-perfect boyband.

Along with the band drama, we get to follow Zach’s journey to discover and come to accept his sexuality. He starts off as believing he’s straight, then we see him slowly start to come with terms with the crushes that he’s felt throughout his life on boys that he’s pushed down in the past. As a queer reader, I totally loved seeing this struggle as I feel is all too common for other queer readers out there (and scarily accurate).

The two points-of-view are of Zach and Ruben, and I loved that!! I felt that at points where we wanted to know what was in Zach’s head, we got Ruben’s POV, and vice versa. I think it was a fantastic way to tell a story so that we could see how one character dealt with understanding how the other felt. We also got to see just how different the two boys’ personalities are and how deeply they care for one another (and the other band members, ofc). The romance between Zach and Ruben is just so sweet too. I really loved reading how Ruben’s “crush on his straight friend” turned into a full-fledged relationship. The two POVs really made this so exciting and impossible to put down. Also, can we talk about all the amazing rep in this book?? Gay, bi, Asian, and black. Amazing!!

**There are some heavy topics in this book like drug abuse/addiction, toxic households, and blatant homophobia, so be wary if those are triggers!

This book was complex, had so many twists that were unexpected, and was hilarious. I really found it entertaining how different the characters were in real life to how they were perceived by fans. I will forever be screaming about this book just as much as the Saturday fans are screaming for the band. So so good. 5/5 stars!

I adored this book. I want to obtain every piece of Saturday merch I can and stream their songs all night. I went into this book expecting a cute and quick read and I got so much more. I got a book that had every trope I love while tackling serious and relatable subject matter. I loved all of our characters. I scarily related to Zach's Bi panic and Ruben's relationship with his mother. I loved their relationship and the overall story. I can't find a single flaw in this book. It is going to be one of my favorites.

“Everyone wants the world to see them as they are. The truth isn’t the problem. The problem is that the world doesn’t always make the truth safe for us to share.”
This book is a boyband YA LGBTQ contemporary romance novel. It follows Zach and Ruben as they realize that maybe they have feelings beyond just a friendship. Not only did I fall for the main characters I really fell for Angel too. He made me laugh so much and was probably my favorite character. This book made me cry which I wasn’t expecting. But this book has some great messages about staying true to yourself and how sometimes your biggest supporters are not the people you are related to. I think this would be a great book for high schoolers to read and have discussions about the way the media is portrayed and the stress that is created around trying to maintain an image. This would definitely be a great conversation starter.
My favorite part about this book was the light they are shining on the way the entertainment industry treats artists. Overall I would rate it 4.5 stars.

Me being super critical there were several typos in this arc. For example- I’ve when it should be I. Back when it should be black. And us dress up when it should be dress us up. Along with a spot where I think a word was missing towards the end. If possible I think it should be gone over one more time and edited before it’s published.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very likable and retable. I connected with the main characters easily. The writing style was nice and the plot was cute. There were funny moments and I knew from the first chapter I would like this book. Overall I really liked this book.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an Honest Review
This book was so much better emotionally and mentally than I was expecting. I swear it brought me back to my youth when my life revolved around the Backstreet Boys. Maybe it’s my love of boy bands but I found the book super easy to dig into and lose myself in the story. The only complaint I have is that there is no epilogue. This only makes me want more, I mean I won’t say no to a sequel that’s for sure. The author did a phenomenal job setting the stage and really shining a light on some of the darker aspects of the entertainment industry. The stress and pressure to live up to this certain branded image can’t be easy especially when it goes against who you actually are as a person. The book does touch on quite a few touchy subjects but the author handles everything very cleanly and keeps the story more focused on the characters growth. It was sad and frustrating to see how manipulated the group was at times. It’s a lot of pressure to put on any 18 old year old let alone four young men who are still learning who they are. The romance took a bit of time to heat up and then even for the two to go passed first base. However even when the two finally take things further everything is left more up to the imagination which really worked for this book, no naughty parts were necessary. At times the angst and tension was high and I wasn’t expecting that. I just wanted them to be free and true to themselves and I’m so happy with how things worked out for them all, it makes my boy band loving heart super happy. Great coming out, coming of age, just a great YA read!

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I thought it was a fun and fast read. I really liked the friendship of the 4 characters.

This was absolutely delightful! The premise is so fun, and the story delivers. Gonzales and Dietrich keep the pace quick and the pages turning. This book is practically demanding an on-screen adaptation, and I hope it gets one.

The authors have built layered characters with complicated relationships, home lives, and senses of self. The book tackles topics ranging from homophobia to emotional abuse to substance abuse. And the characters themselves are both infuriating and lovable. I found myself really wanting to see them succeed. Angel is particularly delightful, but such a troublemaker.

I did occasionally have some difficulty telling the narrators apart, but for the most part they were distinct enough. Also, the timeline felt weird. There's a lot of "six weeks later" or "after they landed in [x city]" for most of the book, despite not needing a time jump for the story to work. At other points, tons of things happen over what I assumed was at least a few days, only for it to be a few hours. Not a huge issue, but it made the timeline feel strange to me.

TL;DR: A wonderfully fun YA contemporary about queer romance and boybands. I mean, it is what it purports to be, and it's fun as hell.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley.

This was a solid, if predictable, story of two members of a boy band who fall in love and have to deal with the pressures placed on them by their fame, their management, and their own insecurities and fears.

The story is told by the two main characters in alternating chapters. Each character has a distinct voice- as they are written by two authors- and the story unfolds naturally. The other two members of the boy band are well drawn and have some good character arcs. I would have actually liked a chapter or two from the perspective of the other characters.

All in all this was a quick, good read.

Really sweet book! Love that it explored complexities of all the characters in the band, as well as their family dynamics.

I really enjoyed this book, it brought me back to when I used to follow Kpop bands on US tours and go to all the shows. Kpop fans and One Direction fans are going to love reading this. I loved the characters and the love story between Ruben and Zach. They were both very likable characters who I enjoyed not just from the angle of watching their love story unfold, but also their interactions with their families.

My personal favorite character though was Angel and I very much enjoyed his storyline. I felt his struggle with substance abuse was a very important thing to highlight. This book shines a light on the many struggles of those in the entertainment industry and the issues they sometimes have with their management teams and labels.

My absolute favorite part about this book though was the ending. I was very glad to see that it didn't get a fairytale easy happy ending. Them getting sued by their company was very realistic to what would probably happen and getting this one last struggle for all the boys and their families to face together was great to see.

Overall I'm very excited to see this book come out in December and I will be recommending it to people!

🆀🆄🅴🅴🆁 🅱🅾🆈 🅱🅰🅽🅳 🆁🅾🅼-🅲🅾🅼.

I didn't know how much I needed one before but it was amazing. 5/ 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you @netgalley, the publisher, and the authors for allowing *ME* the privilege of reading this.
Stories of people of all genders questioning their sexuality are SO important and need to be told.
I would recommend this for anyone who read Red, White, and Royal Blue and is looking for the next LGBTQ hit. Anyone who has ever been a fan of boy bands. Really I recommend this for EVERYONE. I LOVED IT. It made me excited to keep reading. I pre-ordered my copy already- it comes out December 7th, 2021!