I'm a sucker for a boyband romance and this definitely didn't disappoint. It was a refreshing addition to the genre and I thought the romance was authentic and engaging.

This book was such a feel good read and I loved learning more about Zach and Ruben and the progression of their relationship.

I did feel that the book ended quite abruptly and it was such a long introduction to the ending, however I do feel this could be a lead up to book two.

However it was a very enjoyable read and if there is a book two I will be reading it.

Reminiscent of the very best fan fictions, you know, the ones that have you reading obsessively until 3am, this is an absolute joy! It's angsty, full of the classic tropes and just oh so good. I'm sure lots of readers will make links between the characters and members of much loved boybands but this works so well, even if you have never shipped any pairing before. It manages to balance romance with realism and had me rooting for all the characters.

This book was a fun enjoyable read. It didn't take too long to finish. I wasn't aware of what it was based on but enjoyed nonetheless.

Such an amazing lgbt+ book!! I loved the story line and the characters! I definitely recommend for everyone that wants a cute romance book to read!

Over the past few years, I have fallen down the rabbit hole that is boyband books. I never used to enjoy them very much, but ever since I discovered KPOP, I’ve been interested in reading books that focus on musical artists and fandom, both the good and ugly side of the industry. So it’s a surprise to absolutely no one that from the second I read the blurb for If This Gets Out, I was desperate to read it.

The book is a split POV between two members of the band Saturday, Ruben and Zack. Ruben is out to his family and friends, but management for the band won’t allow him to be out publicly. He’s dealing with that decision in his own way until his friendship with Zack develops into an unexpected romance, and the two of them are forced to think about their futures as public figures, and how it affects their personal lives.

My favourite character in this book switched every few chapters. I JUST LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH. I appreciated the contrast in each member’s personality and experiences. Ruben has known he’s gay for a long time and is confident in his sexuality. But Zack has always believed himself to be straight, so his story revolved more around him coming to terms with the fact that he’s attracted to Ruben and might label himself bisexual.

Our other and members, Angel and Jon, are just as loveable in their different ways. Getting to know more about Angel’s troubles and feeling increasingly worried for him was one of the more heartbreaking aspects of the story that had me dreading yet eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

This book was such an enjoyable and wholesome read, and I loved getting to know the characters. It also gave us a darker look into the industry and common problems that artists in the public eye must face. I was swept away by Saturday and I loved every second of it!

<I>Ruben and Zach are in the world’s biggest boy band.

They’re also secretly in love.</I>

A critique of the capitalist nature of the entertainment industry, especially the boyband model—the boys make a joke about the mythical concept of a ‘weekend’—it goes deeper into the pressures of public figures.

The members of Saturday are not just robbed of their true personalities, hidden behind the archetypical ones manufactured by their management and label for mass appeal, but one is given a new name due to Ruben and Reece theoretically sounding too similar. On the outside, they are fulfilling a dream outside of the reach of most people, rewarded with worldwide adoration and growing wealth. Behind the facade, cracks are growing and tension is rising. Everything is controlled: every word spoken in public, what clothes they wear, lies that are becoming more real with each passing month.

And every member of Saturday is absolutely, 100% straight. At least in public.

The stress of Ruben—and later, Zack—will be familiar to most marginalised creators. Being true to yourself versus appealing to the masses for the most success. The idea of a product extending to the creator themselves: they’re no longer a person, entitled to their own feelings, wishes, or desires.

I appreciated that both Ruben and Zach both have their own internal B-plots. Zach must figure out how to learn what he wants, fighting against years of ingrained instincts as a people pleaser, alongside the dawning realisation of the prejudice he will face as openly bi, while Ruben, having privately come out as gay years before and fighting to publicly come out, must learn to stand up to his emotionally abusive mother. (I haven’t seen a lot about this character, and I want to caution that I found that aspect of Ruben’s subplot difficult to read.) Jon and Angel, the rest of the band, while not POV characters, are equally great. There’s some fantastic character work here in the band.

This was a lovely contemporary YA queer romance. I have never read any books set in the music industry and I loved the little insights this book gave.

I am so in love with this book! The characters were just my absolute favourite and I loved how it showed the tough aspects of fame as well as how tough it can be to come out in the public eye. I love them so much.

Confession first: I've never been the boyband type in real life. Everything I know about pop music I've generally learned by accident and sometimes actively unwillingly. I don't have anything against it, it's just not generally for me; fair play to those who are into it. Having said that, it must seem strange that I requested this book in the first place, but I've got friends who rave about Sophie Gonzales in particular, and having enjoyed Alice Oseman's "I Was Born For This", I thought this might have a similar vibe when it came to balancing identity, fame, and secrecy.

It did, for sure, and I enjoyed it more than I might have expected at the start. I liked the way the authors showed that the characters have a "brand" they have to live up to that may not in the least bit represent their real personality. Their portrayal of the tension that creates, particularly for those who are unhappy with the role they're being asked to perform, was well-crafted, and I think will probably prompt a lot of younger readers to consider whether they really know what their musical heroes are like, or whether they've just bought into the image. On a similar note, the way the band stumbles onto online shipping and realises people are speculating about their relationships felt very realistic, as I've seen that happen to anyone with any sort of platform, and how that can be deeply uncomfortable for those involved.

Despite the fact that this is a story about struggling to be who you are when you're being obliged to hide it, there are a lot of joyful moments, and it's ultimately a story about victory over their management who would have kept them miserable and in the closet forever. A lot of the characters' anxieties about whether they'll be accepted by friends, family, bandmates etc prove to be unrealised, but that doesn't mean it's all smooth sailing: even the most loving family members can screw up when you come out to them.

I found the "happy in sexuality, want to come out but can't because of label's demands" character arc more compelling than the "baby queer just beginning to figure things out" character arc -- not because the latter was less well-realised or because that isn't a really important story still that will help a lot of teenagers figure themselves out, but just because I've seen it in various iterations quite often, whereas the specific story of being ready to come out and not being allowed to felt fresher and newer to me.

I took my time reading this initially, alongside some other books, but the last two days I’ve absolutely blasted through it! I really adored the characters, I think they’re all written very, very well. They all deal with their own demons so check out the trigger warnings for this one too.

I loved the storyline, I loved the relationships and I loved how strong the friendship is between the band! I loved the whole concept of this book and it was such an easy 5 stars for me!

TW: substance abuse, suicide attempts, homophobia, emotional abuse, biphobia

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

I’ve recently drifted back to YA fantasy more by accident than design, but I think it kind of helps that the focus on YA fantasy tends to be the fantasy, rather than the, uh, YA? As in the protagonists are usually dealing with, like, the end of the world or falling in love with a mass-murdering faery god which, for some reason, feel more relatable to me than … err … just being a teenager? Which is what the protagonists of non-fantasy YA tend to be dealing with. And I am old. I am just so fucking old. It feels perilously close to voyeuristic, y’know?

I will admit I got old-feels a bit with If This Gets Out, but I actually really liked it. I think it helped that the protagonists were in what you might call a hyper-real situation in that they’re members of an internationally famous boyband. Although I do think the high-stakes conflict of boyband versus management versus public persona works super well as a stand-in for the general conflicts of adolescence: feeling controlled by those around you, trying to work out who you are, navigating the boundaries between public and private selves etc. etc. It is, of course, impossible to even hover gently around the topic of “boyband” without the long shadow of One Direction, but I think the book does a really good job of creating a sense of a band that is One Direction-ish while having its own identity. I guess it helps there are four members, not five, and it’s a lot more diverse. As well as, y’know, American rather British. And they got together at some kind of … music camp thing? What even is that? Instead of a reality TV show.

Anyway, the plot here is pretty much as advertised. Two members of a boyband fall in love with each other, while navigating the pressures of fame, and their increasingly controlling management. And while that sounds simple enough on the surface, it manages to cover a lot of ground—from race and sexuality to identity more broadly, growing up in general, toxic parents, mental health, substance abuse—and offers some fairly nuanced takes on all these issues. I will say, however, that while I liked the other band members were genuinely supportive of the protagonists and had clearly delineated personalities of their own (along with their own travails with management) but they felt, perhaps necessarily, more lightly sketched. Jon is the staid sensible one, who management wants to push as a sexy bad boy (despite his discomfort with this) and Angel is a wild and exuberant but forced into to play the virginal innocent (when he definitely isn’t). I really liked both of them, but where it potentially gets a little complicated is that Jon is biracial and Angel is Asian so having them mostly be the sensible one and the flighty one (who later ends up in rehab) gave me pause. It’s not that they felt tokenistic, so much as very obviously secondary?

As for the two main characters, they have a really lovely romance arc, but I think the book suffered slightly for me from Ruben feeling consistently like the better-realised character. And this might just be unfair of me: as we’ve established I’m old, so the whole coming to terms with your sexuality deal feels like … so much not a thing for me anymore? I know it was, once upon a time, but it’s almost like looking back on a completely different person. Ruben knows he’s gay and has been trying to come out publicly since he was sixteen (though management won’t let him) and so the complexities he’s navigating—of trying to be queer in a still prejudiced world—felt notably well-observed and recognisable to me:

“Part of me wants to protect him from the realities of being queer, and how it changes things in a million subtle ways. How it always leaves you a little certain if things are fair, or if there’s a tiny, shred of hate underlying it all. How, much of the time, you can’t even call it out without turning people against you and calling you overly sensitive, because it can be so insidious, you’re the only one who notices it for what it is.”

Zack, by contrast, gets the baby queer arc. In the early part of the book he’s very much coming to terms with his own bisexuality, and there are elements of this that I also really liked. For example, there’s the way he sort of dodges the question in his own mind, pushing away intimacy with men he’s previously been attracted to, because queerness didn’t fit into the picture of himself the world had taught him to build. And the scene where he comes out to his mother (a genuinely supportive and loving character) ends up going quite badly in ways neither of them intended. They reconcile later but I liked the acknowledgment that coming out is hard and sometimes just … doesn’t go the way you’d hoped, even if you’re both good people who love each other very much. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fictional representation of the well-meaning and liberal parent fucking up the coming out moment, not out of malice, but out of being human and a bit tired and not perfect all the time. Such scenes usually break down along “good person = handles it perfectly” versus “bad person = is awful” and I really appreciated that there was space for nuance here.

There is, in general, a lot of space for these kind of nuances in the book. Ruben never really has a reckoning with his toxic mother (and, oh boy, did his mother push some buttons for me: it’s really well done, but it’s … it’s a lot) nor is there a magic moment where she recognises that she may not, in fact, be an ideal parent: just like Zack’s mother explores the way loving people can fuck up occasionally, Ruben’s mother represents the reality that someone can sincerely love you and yet also be terribly, terribly destructive. Similarly, Angel’s substance abuse problems are alleviated with therapy but they aren’t waved away, and queer identity, in general, is allowed to be particular and messy and complicated.

Back to Zack, though, I do think having two characters at different places along the “where I am with queerness” spectrum was interesting and valuable. And Zack himself has the potential to be interesting: despite his bad boy image and his love of rock music, he’s actually a quiet, anxious, people-pleaser. Part of his arc is learning to stand up for himself—to fight for what he wants—and when he does it’s really satisfying. But, ye gods, is it a bit of palaver to get there. And I feel bad for saying this because I shouldn’t have been so frustrated with him because protagonists should be allowed to be flawed, even flawed in ways that making them exasperation and self-defeating. I mean, neurotic mess that I am, I have way more in common with Zack than I do with Ruben so maybe that’s why I kept wanting to pull Zack’s hair? But, honestly, I don’t think it was actually his flaws that were the issue: I think it’s that he never quite came together as character as coherently as Ruben did. He felt more like a collection of disparate pieces and, y’know, maybe that was part of the point: he is, after all, trying to work out who he wants to be. And, now I think about, I don’t really know many fully coherent eighteen-year-olds. Or indeed thirty-something-year-olds. But we pretend better, dammit.

I think it didn’t help that a lot of the romance plot, at least initially, sort of hinges on Zack being a bit of a dick? I think the section of the book I most struggled with was the first third, where Ruben and Zack share a drunken kiss, and then Zack has a massive freak out about it. And, while I am not grudging him the massive freak out, he is really awful to Ruben during this: refusing to talk about what happened, avoiding him, freezing him out, and (accidentally?) making snide remarks in public settings. Jon later tells Ruben that he, too, has been equally responsible for the tension, making digs of his own, but I never actually saw this on page? Or recognised it if I did, maybe because during this particularly sequence Ruben’s POV chapters are very focused on Zack, and Zack’s POV chapters are very focused on … Zack? And maybe that’s fair enough because Zack is working through his shit but … I don’t know. It felt very, very rough on Ruben, maybe because I have been the Ruben in that situation infinitely more than I’ve been the Zack. Of course, Zack is reacting in fear—which is understandable—but Ruben is reacting to Zack acting hurtfully towards him.

So this all felt uncomfortable and unbalanced to me, but I’m once again wondering if it’s an old person thing. Ruben and Zack do reconcile after some genuinely miserable chapters, but I honestly think Zack got off lightly. Not that I think he behaved unforgivably and needed to grovel or be punished or anything—working through your shit is not a crime—but I think you can work through your hurt less horrendously hurtfully, and I don’t think Zack ever really acknowledges this, nor does Ruben confront him with it. Or God. Maybe it’s me again. Maybe I’m old AND MEAN.

My withering mortality and disproportionate litany of gripes aside, I did actually really like this book. Once Ruben and Zack get together, their relationship is super charming and authentic, and while there’s some conflict there, it never felt as forced as the post-kiss clusterfuck. Equally, the boyband context—and their management’s escalating abuses—created at atmosphere of genuine tension around both the relationship and the personal growth arcs. I was legit worried for these kids. While not every aspect of the book worked for me personally (sorry Zack) much of what it had to say about queer identity really spoke to me, like—err, this little reflection on, um, blowjobs, of all things:

“Nathaniel, a guy I was seeing for a while once, kind of expected me to be the one giving and even though it was never felt like I was doing the right thing if I instigated it. Like I was the good boyfriend thinking about the other person before myself, like I should. I guess it stuck because every time I’ve reached this sort of stage with a guy I’ve made sure I was the one giving. Out of all the things there is to do, that’s remained the most vulnerable for me. To just lie there and not give anything back. To somehow trust that I’ll still have worth to the other person if I’m not earning it.”

It's moments like this—I mean, not literally about blowjobs, obviously, moments LIKE this—that gave this story its true depth and resonance for me, above and beyond any of the individual elements that I didn’t personally connect with.

A cute YA romance,
I loved the boy band concept although I couldn’t stop picturing one direction 😂.
I felt for the characters and wanted to shake the boys management for being total a holes,
Their moment on stage opening up to their fans absolutely melted me and I was cheering them on!
I do feel like the book dragged slightly, often jumping from scenes which confused me and also ended pretty abruptly but I loved boys and their friendship/relationship

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a chance to read If This Gets Out.

Ruben, Zach, Angel and Jon make up Saturday, one of the biggest boy-bands in America, but cracks are beginning to show and the boys are finding it hard to keep up the charade.

Each boy has his own archetype in the band. Something their management, Chorus, expect them to abide by.

For Jon he's the leader of the group, the best singer amongst them. In reality Ruben can hit a high note better than most. Jon also has a fear of disappointing their manager, his father, and feels an immense amount of pressure to do good.

For Angel he's the 'good boy', the pure one of the four. In reality he's battling demons like depression and drug use and is spiralling into a hole he can't climb out of. He's expected to be perfect when he's anything but.

For Zach he's the looks, the perfect boy-band model. The one all the girls want. In reality all Zach wants to do is create music and not the cheesy pop hits they're creating now.

For Ruben he's treated almost like a spare part. Cute enough for the girls, but not cute enough that he takes the attention away from the others. In reality he just wants to be himself and that means coming out to the world as gay.

When things between Zach and Ruben take an unexpected turn, each boy, Jon and Angel included, begins to realise that they're not happy anymore. They don't want to pretend to be people they aren't. They want to be seen.

I really enjoyed this book. The romance was adorable, the drama was at just the right level. It kept you interested but didn't go over the top. I also really appreciated that the conflict was about things external to the relationship rather than just being a misunderstanding between the characters that could easily be fixed with a conversation.

I enjoyed the exploration of fame and the pressures that can create when you are forced to live up to a particular image. I don't always enjoy books where the main characters are famous but this was one of the better examples I read.

Overall this was a great book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun, quick read that also pulls on your heartstrings a little.

My first read of 2022 was a @netgalley ARC that did not disappoint!

Reuben and Zach are half of America’s biggest boyband: Saturday. Their career has been built on fake personas their management team came up with to ensure they was a band member every girl would find attractive. However, these personalities are 100% manufactured & often don’t suit the boys at all!
Nobody feels more boxed in than Reuben who is openly gay to the people ‘in the know’; ie people who have signed non-disclosure agreements, but absolutely in the closet as far as the bands image goes. He’s managed so far, but when Zach discovers his bisexuality and feelings for Reuben, it becomes really hard to be happy to keep things secretive any longer.
I’ve got to say, I’m intrigued about how realistic this portrayal of management control is. I know being in a pop group is definitely not all rosy but this seems to portray a real extreme. I actually really enjoyed this book and the dilemmas they faced. Don’t get me wrong it was definitely YA, but even at 32 I’ve still got a real appreciation!

Ahhhh when I got approved for the ARC of this I was so excited. I had been anticipating this book for months and honestly couldn't believe that I would get to read it a little early. And then the reading slump hit in December and I didn't get round to it. But now I'm out of my reading slump and sped through this. Its my favourite read of 2022 so far (I know its only my second read) but I have high hopes that this will stay near the top. Now I just need to find something to follow it that won't completely disapoint me.

If This Gets Out held so much nostalgia from my teenage years (weird that I'm not a teenager anymore), as a fangirl that spent many years dedicating my life to One Direction. I've seen everyone under the sun comparing this to a certain pairing in that boyband, but I don't want to do that because it does Zach and Ruben dirty. Trust me, I was a diehard larrie for a long time, but I'm not here for forcing that on to real people, in the same way the boys in the book were forced to be something they weren't.

Still, it reminded me of some of the happiest years of my life and I think anyone that experienced a similar thing to me as a teenager will resonate with the story. Sophie and Cale crafted such lovable yet floored boys, that I could totally see myself stanning if Saturday was a real band, and I felt so emersed in their story. I've been trying to work out which member of the band is my favourite and I honestly can't choose, it changes every five minutes.

The plot was fast paced enough that I couldn't put the book down, but it slowed down enough to really connect with the characters and understand their emotions. It covered so many emotional topics and even the issues that didn't focus specifically on our two protagonists were handled so well. I feel like I could read an entire book about each of those four boys and the struggles they faced throughout.

Overall I'm stuggling to find any negatives other than I wish I oculd read it for the first time all over again. Even with the few tears shed and the brief sad moments, If This Gets Out was such a heartwarming read that sends such a wonderful message of how important it is to see famous people like yourself. I will definitely be coming back to this when I need some soft gays to fill my heart.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

Apologies for taking so long with the feedback.

I have heard so much about this book from its LGBTQIA+ representation this is gay and amazing and lovable and cute. This is heartbreaking and heart warming all at the same time. I loved it so much this is so beautiful.

I loved this book. It’s such a sweet story of a romance between two band members who have been friends for a long time
And are now trying to keep their relationship a secret at the request of their record label but also dealing with other issues within a band. It’s a really good read.

An absolute slam dunk of a novel - one sitting to read, and it is still with me. Queer YA that is also casting the eye over the mistreatment of artists in a horrendously tough industry. Written with seamless skill by the two authors. It went to reprint days after its release... this speaks volumes. Pick up a copy, gift to a friend... read it. If you loved Sophie Gonzales's previous books - Only Mostly Devastated and Perfect on Paper, you NEED this one. Go, Go to a bookstore now!