This book was an utter delight. It was funny, heartfelt, freaking adorable and had such a wonderful depth to it. Its discussions surrounding sexuality were done sensitively and brilliantly portrayed the nuances of both coming out and the day to day experiences of LGBTQIA+ teens, out or not.

I have to say, the element that surprised me the most and the one which has stuck with me was Niamh's journey with body image and PCOS. It's something I've never come across in YA and it filled my heart with so much joy to see a character struggling with her self image, make such a powerful and brave statement, not only taking a stand against her own internalised negative body image but the fatphobia directed her way from a peer.

I’m having a lot of issues with execution rather than content- the book is predictably cheesy, and I went into it expecting a cheesy, predictable rom-com. There wasn’t anything new or exciting, and I wasn’t expecting there to be, so I was happy to just hang out and enjoy the ride. I liked how the author worked small Grease references into the text- the MC saying he was “hopelessly devoted” had me singing to myself the whole day.

TW for biphobia, homophobia, fat phobia, terminal cancer.

So in all honesty, let’s start with the fact that I picked this book because I loved the cover and not at all because of how this book was advertised to me. Mainly because Clueless makes me cringe, I have never been emotionally invested in any kind of way in Grease and I never finished Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I am however very invested in boy-meets-boy romcoms, mostly because I don’t think we have enough of them and I happen to love them dearly.

And this book did not disappoint me. From the beginning I adored Ollie as a main character. He was just so true and had such a good heart, but also carried a lot on his shoulders that made him sometimes seem old beyond his years and sometimes so far behind in terms of experiences other teens might have had but he was still only getting used to. And I loved how he navigated that, especially his familial responsibilities along with getting used to a new school and new, unknown environment and possibly bigoted surroundings.

And it made me happy to see this kind of development on page, a queer character going from a supportive, open support network in California, to the unknown but somewhat feared rural area of North Carolina. I think this is a special kind of anxiety-inducing change that every queer person who had to navigate the constant struggle of going from “i’m out and proud and relatively safe here.” to “This is unknown territory and I’m not sure I can come out here at all.” knows on a very intimate level.

And in that line of thought, this is probably why this story worked so well for me. When you spent a significant part of your youth trying not to be “discovered”, being scared to death of coming out, this might hit extra hard in some very sensitive place. Because watching Will trying to find his way while having all these feelings for Ollie, but also being scared to the moon and back of coming out and losing his whole life? It’s a lot, it’s an emotional rollercoaster and sometimes heart-wrenching sad. But *relatable* most of all.

Without spoilering things too much this is why I adored this story about falling in love and coming out so much. It was light and fun and funny, but only in parts. It didn’t make light of the place Ollie and Will get stuck in - between a rock and a hard place, where there is no absolute wrong or right, there is no clear, right and easy path to just follow along without a fight, possible losses and a lot of fear. (Although there are some things definitely *wrong*.)

But still. Even though both boys feel like there *is* and they’re both doing it and WHY DON’T YOU GET THAT. When it comes to coming out or staying in? Nobody has the perfect formulaic solution that works for every queer person in all situations, it isn’t a light and funny little thing you do once and it’s all fluffy and rainbows raining from the sky, and while everybody’s feelings here are valid and true, at the end it’s not the right or wrong that makes or breaks us, but the empathy and compassion we have for each other, and the respect we should each other treat with. And I think that is a powerful message to send to queer peeps all over the world.

Talking about complexities though, the whole novel does evolve around Ollie and Will, but the cast of side characters is just as important and amazing, and I loved that both boys are their own characters with their own set of complex and layered lives, familial and platonic dynamics and relationships, their very own dynamics going on at school that are typically “high school romance”, but not in a dismissive por reductive tone to it. It’s not “just drama”, all of these things are big parts of their lives and they *matter*. They change things, they develop in different directions over time, and they are an integral part of the story, just like the romance is.

In addition to that, another thing I really appreciated was the discussion and depiction of caring for a sick loved one, and also dealing with fear and grief and death. It hit me right in the chest, and I loved that it was another puzzle piece to what made this novel so emotionally satisfying to me. It wasn’t a cheap plot device, it wasn’t a glossed-over sidenote, and it broke my heart and put it back together in the best way possible.

All in all I really loved this story. It was enjoyable and fun, funny and emotional and it tackled *a lot* of incredibly important topics while being a RomCom with a lot of light and laughter in it. It was a mixture that absolutely worked for me and I can’t wait for more people to pick this book up when it comes out.

<i>A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

A few things:
1) I am terrible with ebooks
2) I requested and got approved for this book barely a week before today (publishing day!)
3) I got a major headache soon after I started reading

And yet... I rushed through this book! If I hadn't gotten sick last night, I would have read it in one go for sure! This book was such a realistic journey, I felt for all the characters (even if it sometimes was frustration), and I cried several times. This book is about so much more than the romance plot, and there are some warnings in case you need them: <spoiler>(internalized) homophobia, fatphobia, cancer, character death</spoiler>

So what do you need to know?
- This book is diverse and has some excellent bi rep! <i>"I'm bi as fuck."</i>
- This book deals with some serious and real issues, like struggling to come/be out and how that affects both parties of the relationship, and dealing with a terminally ill family member
- It makes no excuses for terrible behavior
- The female side characters have <i>storylines</i> and <i>character development</i>
- The characters have multiple facets
- This book has seriously brilliant one liners; I laughed out loud so often!

The only thing I would have loved to see was if the bigger girl would have been allowed to be big(ger) without an 'excuse', although for the people who have what she has I am thrilled!

I apologize for the mess of this review, but my mind's still a bit out of it. I just loved this book so much! For a while I was 'scared' it'd be a 4 star read, but in the end it all came together and it is a very solid 5 star read. A very quick read, easy too, although slightly less easy on the emotions at times! Would very much recommend! Now to get my hands on a physical copy!

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales is a book I had been highly anticipating since it is being described as Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless with inspiration from Grease. I enjoyed the mix of fun and seriousness in the book, although the plot is not overly unique, and the characters are all so complex. There is also a theme of family, which I always love in a book. Ultimately, this is a great book for those looking for a more meaningful contemporary that will also deliver laughter.

This book follows Ollie and Will who had a summer fling that quickly ended when Will stopped replying to Ollie’s texts. When Ollie moves to North Carolina permanently, he finds himself at Will’s school and discovers that Will is not out yet. I found this story to be fun, but it is also quite complex and tackles many heavy topics such as terminal illness. While I enjoyed most of it, I didn’t find the story that original. Because I have read so many different versions of this, I found it predictable and difficult to truly get into.

❀ DIVERSE CAST OF CHARACTERS

Gonzales’s diverse cast of characters is one of the book’s strengths. I really appreciated how each one of them is so realistic, and they act their age, which can be hard to come by in YA. For starters, Ollie is a fantastic main character. He is funny and sweet, and he knows what he wants. He is in a difficult situation as he likes someone who is still working on coming to terms with their feelings, but I loved how he stays true to himself and doesn’t let Will’s hesitancy get him down too much. The side characters are also well-developed, and they all have their own backstories and flaws. That being said, having each character’s issues as a focus of the book does overshadow the main conflicts.

❀ STRONG FAMILY THEME

One of my favourite aspects of this book is the theme of family. Ollie’s aunt has cancer, and his family moves in order to be closer to her. Ollie immediately steps up and helps out with her kids, and this is so heartwarming to read about. I always love reading about family over romance, and these touching scenes make the book even more enjoyable.

Only Mostly Devastated is a moving story about a boy who falls for someone who is not yet comfortable going public with his sexuality. I enjoyed the developed characters who evolve throughout the book and the theme of family. I would recommend this one to those looking for a wholesome yet sentimental contemporary.

All the feels that you could possibly want. Funny and a little sad it's a story that will wedge it's way into your heart and will take up residence there. A wonderful YA story. Loved it. Happy reading!

4.5*

I was only mostly devastated once, or twice.

An ode to Grease and summer lovin', Only Mostly Devastated was a sweet, heart-tugging young adult/coming-of-age novel. This genre had really been owning my heart lately, and OMD was no different.

I loved that there is so much more to this book than just what you get from the blurb. Yes, we have the back and forth, second-chance, somewhat frustrating, romance between Ollie and Will, which was definitely a highlight of the book! We also see the friendships he forms with the "pink ladies", who were terrific in their own rights, and how he deals with the typical woes and trials and tribulations of high school. And then there's the story line with his aunt, the reason he and his family uprooted their lives and moved across country, back to the scene of his summer romance. The scenes with his aunt were so poignant, I couldn't help but tear up a few times. I had to hide in the bathroom at one point- I was sneak reading at work and didn't want my coworkers to see me cry!

While I did get frustrated with Will and the way he'd run hot and cold with Ollie, I'd then remember, these were high school kids in a small town and who was I to judge and want Will to rush into doing something, (outing himself), that he wasn't comfortable with doing? The thing is- Ollie was so endearing and going through so much that I just wanted him to be happy! I loved when it was just the two of them and Will was able to be himself, without the persona he shows to the rest of the world. And not to spoil anything, but that ending was completely swoon-worthy!

Only Mostly Devastated is a fairly lighthearted read for the most part, but I like how Sophia Gonzales didn't shy away from the tough subjects. It's such a charming story, with some really touching moments that added depth and gave it a true to life feel.

*I requested this book of netgalley for my honest review.*

Only mostly devastated is a LGBTQ contemporary book.

The blurb is what pulled me in, the book sounded really good and after reading what it was about I wanted to read it.

I have never read a book by Sophie Gonzalez before, and I will be definitely be looking out for more of her books.

I loved her writing and her story line and the characters so much.

This book had me at ‘Gay Grease...'

Only Mostly Devastated follows Ollie after he finds out that he’s moving to the town nearby his summer fling. Excited at first to meet again, Ollie quickly sees that Will is not only deeply closeted but ready to pretend they've never met, carrying on as a boys-boy basketball star. 

Usually, when a book promises to be anything similar to such a well-known reference like Grease it fails to deliver, but I caught myself singing ‘Summer Lovin’' and ‘Look at me I’m Sandra Dee’ in my head as I read some of the beginning chapters. 

You won’t find leather jackets and greased hair in this book, but you will find letterman jackets and rose necklaces. You won't find big dance numbers and nonsense lyrics (you mean to say, going together like "rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong" is romantic...?), but you will find a band. And, spoiler alert, there are no flying cards to end this novel. Instead, you’ll get a more modern idea of friendships and romances, lgbtq+ rep, and a much cooler version of Sandra Dee in Ollie. In fact, the more you get into the story, the less and less like Grease it becomes and more and more like its own wonderful thing. 

This book is filled to the brim with classic romantic comedy troupes and can’t be said to be anything less than predictable as it follows a tried-and-true YA-romance structure...but it’s still so enjoyable. What made it, for me, was the somewhat Simon-esque (from Homo-Sapiens Agenda) narration: sarcastic, snappy, and often self-deprecating. An easy and enjoyable way of reading the story as it unfolds that made me not only like Ollie almost immediately, but quickly helped me get attached to the other characters. 

In fact, I would have liked more time in Ollie’s head. This book is slightly short, not that it feels rushed, but that there could have been more moments throughout and more time spent on building everything up. In particular, I would have liked more flashback scenes between Ollie and Will which would have provided more romantic relief to the conflicts at hand and shown us how Will acted before, especially at the beginning of the story which was where they could have been most useful. The story could have (and perhaps should have) started at the end of the summer, with a scene between Ollie and Will, that would have better lead us to understand how different Will is acting when we later meet him at school. 

I rated Only Mostly Devastated 4 out of 5 stars. Fans of Simon Vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda will likely love this.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Here walks Ollie Di Fiore. Master of his feelings, expert detacher, only mostly devastated.”

Only Mostly Devastated tells the story of Ollie, an out and proud kid from California visiting North Carolina for the summer so his family can help support his sick aunt. The story picks up the morning after Ollie’s final night with his summer fling, Will. Soon, Ollie finds out he and his family will remain in North Carolina for Ollie’s senior year of high school. Then, Ollie realizes Will has ditched him and is purposefully ignoring all his text messages. Dejected, Ollie has to navigate a new high school, a conservative school at that, without any friends or allies. Until he discovers Will also attends the same high school, but is pretending he doesn’t even know Ollie!

First of all, I loved Ollie. I loved his confidence, even when he didn’t see himself as confident. I loved his voice. I loved his love of his family and his support of friends.

Second, I was really mad at Will. Yes, I understand he was in the closet. Yes, I know he lived in a conservative town. Yes, he thinks his friends and family will reject him. But none of that give him any legit reason to treat Ollie like shit!

“And every time you apologize, and I think it’ll be different this time, but it’s never different. You genuinely do not seem to give a shit about whether I’m okay.”

Will desperately needed that “grand gesture” and I just couldn’t find it in myself to stay mad at him. Ugh!

Third, my favorite parts were Ollie’s relationships with his girl friends: Juliette, Niamh, and Lara.

A warning, the story does get on the heavy side with Ollie’s aunt battling cancer. There are some beautiful and real scenes that really touched my heart. Yes, I may have even cried a little.

In the end, this story is all about friendships, family and accepting oneself.

Okay, I devoured this book in merely a few hours! It’s hilariously real, it’s heartbreakingly honest, breathtakingly romantic and it’s everything I could want in a contemporary romance. From the first page, I was hooked in Ollie and Will’s story, and much like my love for Grease, I am obsessed!

Full review to come!

ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED

I didn’t know much about this book going into it, except that it was a story about two boys and it had been compared to Grease. But I’m always here for LGBTQ stories of any kind, so I decided to give it a go—and am I glad I did.

ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED is a beautiful LGBTQ contemporary romance that follows Ollie after a summer romance with Will. It’s a fast-paced story, and a quick read for those who are looking for something that won’t make you work too hard to read it. I don’t mean that in a bad way either—I love these types of stories as much as I love complex fantasy reads, and Sophia Gonzales did a fantastic job balancing the serious moods of the story with Ollie’s awkward wit.

I loved the way this book challenged homophobia, fatphobia, gender roles, chronic illness (one character has PCOS, and she addresses it matter-of-factly while standing up for herself), and incorporated heartbreak and loss among it all. Everything tied together perfectly. One of my favorite things about it was the exploration of what love means and how we show it. The characters challenge themselves and others when it comes to showing people what they’re worth. While Ollie spends most of the story wondering why Will doesn’t value him enough, Ollie eventually explores the ways in which he should also be showing Will that he values him.

The story is a lot like how I remember high school—the apprehension, the fear of judgment, and the uncertainty alongside the support and stability friendships can bring when everything feels like it’s falling apart. We see Ollie’s world collapse over and over again, rebuilt as he turns to his support systems for help.

It was refreshing to watch Ollie and his friends struggle while also understanding there are certain things you don’t do, no matter how you feel about a person. For example, Lara points out that “no one deserves to be outed against their will.” There are so many moments like that in this book, reminding people of what’s acceptable and what’s not under any circumstances, including moments where Niamh asserts herself to say that her health and wellbeing are more important than diets when it comes to her modeling career. The characters each bring something different to the table, showing their individuality, and proclaiming that they have a choice, that they value themselves, and they demand others value them, too.

This book is the perfect mix of a cute romance and deep, emotional narrative. It’s one you can read over and over again because of the low stakes and engaging characters. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming LGBTQ love story with complex themes and a witty narrator.

The initial recommendation sold this book as a new version of the hit story "Grease," which is exactly what threw me off about it. I went into the story with incredibly high expectations. Sometimes setting the expectation too high throws off the ultimate experience of the story.

Will and Ollie have an exciting, incredible summer romance, but when Will learns at the end of the summer that he's not actually going back to California, Ollie has since ghosted him. Within the first few days of school, however, Will realizes that his summer fling is actually a star football player at his school, and most decidedly not out of the closet.

As we watch the two characters navigate this unfamiliar territory, we learn more about Will and Ollie, and some of the other supporting characters, and we watch them develop through the experience.

The character development was solid, and overall the story was enjoyable, but it wasn't really anything new or exciting. I did feel empathy for the characters, even the ones who often were obnoxious to each other, so that was a really strong quality.

I don't feel like this particular novel fits the demographic of readers in my area, but it was a good story.

4 STARS

Only Mostly Devastated is a novel inspired by the musical of Grease, with a more modern reading and lgbtq+ theme. In fact, the two protagonists - Ollie and Will - live an idyllic summer loving (yes, I did it again) and go their separate ways at the beginning of the school year. However, due to his aunt's bad illness, Ollie and his family are forced to stay in the area and the boy moves to the school attended by - surprise surprise - Will, basketball champion and school golden boy. Will is definitely shocked to see Ollie, not only because he thought their story had sadly ended, but also because he hasn't revealed his sexual orientation to his friends or his family. Will, therefore, will have to decide if he prefers to continue hiding and lose the boy he loves, or to reveal who he really is and risk not being accepted by his family and friends.

Only Mostly Devastated is an extremely amusing book, although it also does not lack sad moments. The nerdy and Grease quotes really made my soul soar and I loved the flowing and intelligent style of the author. Sophie has managed to propose a modern version of Grease, without following the musical blindly. In fact, the author added new parts, a characterization of the characters (virtually non-existent in the movie) and addressed many important issues.
All this brings the novel twenty thousand leagues above the musical.

So let's start with the themes and then move on to the characters

"You came out in fucking California. I'm not saying it wasn't hard for you, but you have no idea what it's like to grow up here. I knew, like, ten gay jokes before I even knew what being gay is . My friends would never be able to accept it, okay?"

Since it is an lgbtq book, the first issue addressed is coming out. Ollie, the protagonist, is already confident with his sexuality: he has a family that supports him, friends who are and have stayed close to him and he is not upset by the slightly veiled homophobic comments made by the members of the basketball team. On the contrary, Will (and another character whose name I don't want to spoil) are much more reluctant to reveal their sexuality to their classmates and families. This explains Will's behavior towards Ollie, much more than that of Danny Zuko towards Sandy (although, I will have things to say about it and for this read below, in the character profile of Will). Will is terrified of not being accepted by his friends and disowned by his family. I liked that Sophie wrote that it is never easy to expose yourself, that it is legitimate to be afraid and that it is wrong to consider those who manage to come out as the only brave and confident queers, while the others are cowards. Everyone has their own pace and history to consider.

"I didn't want to talk about this. I thought I was fine."
"Yeah, fine as a man who's been gently corrected on the Internet."

Another theme is friendship. Ollie immediately finds himself in tune with this group of popular girls who take him under their wing. I'm glad Sophie didn't develop these characters as a group, they are characters that don't exist only in function of each other (as it is with Will's basketball teammates who are almost never seen individually), but each one has their own personality and problems. I liked that Ollie develops a different relationship with each of the three girls, just as it happens within a group in real life.

"So many beautiful, wonderful things would happen one day, in a world that didn't have me in it. And I didn't want the world to keep going if I wasn't in it. I mean, obviously I did, it's not like I wanted to take everyone else down with me. But the idea of ​​just being here, and then not being here, and the world not really caring that I was gone was so ... it just ... it made me feel hollow. "</p>

Another theme that I do not particularly love, but that has worked well in this book is that of disease. In fact, Ollie is moving because his family wants to help his aunt who is unfortunately ill. This leads Ollie to make some beautiful reflections on life, which gives the book an extra layer of importance. Having said that, while recognizing the importance that this theme has had in the story, I am not a big fan of it in contemporary books.

But now let's move on to my favorite part: the characters!</p>

Ollie is definitely the best character in the novel. It is not a caricature of Sandy (thank goodness!), and although a couple of times I wanted to scream at him to stop getting hurt, he makes very cool outings. He is a fun, sensitive and downright adorable boy. He has his own personality and principles that he has no intention of changing to please people and this is one of the things that I loved most about him because I am also a big supporter of "Take-me-as-I-am-otherwise-it's-your-loss".

Will would like to be with Ollie at all costs, but his fear is much stronger than the feelings he has for him. He is afraid of being disowned by his parents (even if they have never said anything against homosexuality) and ostracized by his best friends (who, instead, make plenty of jokes about gay men). I, therefore, mentally understand that Will behaves in a cold way towards Ollie because he's trying not to make his feelings known, but on two or three occasions he has definitely exaggerated. Let's say I would have liked to get in the book and slap him (hard). For these things, Will didn't impress me very much but the ship it's real.

Lara is clearly Rizzo (with a completely different story), the tough girl with a tender heart. Although an accidental pregnancy could have been a topical issue, I've appreciated that the author completely changed her story. Lara is a character that I found odious at the beginning, but as soon as I got to know her, I realized that there was much more to her. Lara just couldn't care less (almost) and she's a great character.

Juliette &amp; Niamh are Ollie's other two friends. The former is perhaps to be considered truly his first and best friend in the new school. Juliette shares her dreams and aspirations with Ollie who urges her to pursue them and supports her when things go wrong. Niamh is a faithful friend, always ready to support you even when you don't. She is one of those special people who don't abandon you in times of need.

It was also nice to see (a litle bit) the relationship between Ollie and Will and their respective families. Because usually in ya literature parents are hardly ever present.

All in all, I absolutely recommend reading this book because the style is brilliant, the book is fun and the story has interesting new aspects.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday books for the ARC in return for an honest review

Cute, queer, and oh-so-diverse, this might be my favorite book I’ve read this year thus far. Only Mostly Devastated is essentially a gay retelling of Grease, only with more humor (and emotions), broader social awareness, healthier relationships, and none of the “change the most fundamental aspects of your personality just to please a boy” nonsense that fills the end of the original musical. In other words, it is everything the world of light, contemporary YA thrives on, and I am so here for it.

Quick plot rundown: Ollie, an out-and-proud gay teen from California, spent his summer at the lake in North Carolina, where he managed to fall in love with a pretty sweet guy named Will. The two part ways at the end of the summer, only for Ollie to find out that, because his aunt has cancer, his family is going to stay in North Carolina for the year…and that Will has ghosted him. Right after starting out at his new school, Ollie is shocked to find that his new school is also where Will goes. And, of course, Will is on the basketball team and very much still in the closet, so as far as his friends are aware, he and Ollie have never met before, much less dated. As Ollie falls in step with a fierce trio of girls, he has to wrestle with the fact that the boy he loves might not be in a place to openly love him back right now–and that it isn’t his fault.

Where do I even begin with this story? It hit all the right notes. (Unintentional musical pun, though I guess it’s fitting, since Ollie does play bass in a band–ah, the wonderful contrast of the angsty band kid with the cocky sports boy!) The whole story is told through Ollie’s voice, which is a winning blend of sarcasm, angst, optimism, self-doubt, and casual jokes, coming off very much like a casual conversation with a friend; kid you not, I was fighting to keep from laughing out loud at some of his miniature tirades. Because of a combination of the easy-to-read narration and its shorter length (under 300 pages!), this was an incredibly fast book and provides a maximum sweetness-per-page ratio.

Beyond the writing itself, I know I like to talk about books that have great diversity in them, but seriously–the diversity in Only Mostly Devastated is top-notch. I’m not just talking about the fact that multiple main characters are POC–Will, for example, is Hispanic, and there is actually a scene with his family hosting a Mexican Thanksgiving dinner–no, they cover plenty of other issues. A character has PCOS (seriously, I’ve never seen that condition represented in a book, so I found the inclusion of that pretty cool). A (gorgeous) plus-size girl wants to go into modeling and faces fat-shaming from peers. A queer character (not Will or Ollie) grapples with the prospect of coming out. Multiple characters confront the differences between their parents’ pressures and desires for them and the careers they themselves want to pursue. For such a compact volume, the way it is able to touch on all of these topics without feeling flippant or insensitive is particularly impressive.

Sophie Gonzales manages to imbue all the characters in this book with an authentic vibrancy, creating a cast and a storyline that you can’t help but fall in love with. It is adorable. It will fill your heart, then break it, then put it back together again (with some fabulous glitter glue, probably). Yes, for a while, the book may leave you mostly devastated–but only mostly. To paraphrase a movie I love, “There’s a big difference between mostly devastated and all devastated. Mostly devastated is still slightly hopeful.” And it is the omnipresence of that hope that makes this story so enjoyable.

~ 4.5 Stars ~

This book. This utterly delightful and earnest and beautiful little book…

Ollie Di Fiore and Will Tavares met at the lake during an idyllic North Carolina summer and fell in love. They knew their time together would eventually come to an end when Ollie and his family returned home to California, so they embraced every moment they spent with each other and made promises they weren’t sure they’d be able to keep. They made those promises with all the sincerity of two seventeen-year-old boys who had the best of intentions, because the hopelessly devoted feelings they shared were overwhelming in a way that only the first blush of love can provoke. Gonzales parses out these summer lovin’ moments in flashbacks, drawing readers into their electrifying emotions while also keeping us firmly grounded in the present and the truths Ollie now confronts when he and his parents end up staying in North Carolina for his senior year of high school.

Yes, you know where this is going, and it is an absolute joy to get there.

Will went radio silent at the end of summer, which was bad enough, but now Ollie is starting over at a strange school in a place that couldn’t be farther removed from California. He faces coming out again, and he’s not exactly an extrovert, which complicates making friends and fitting in. Fortunately—or unfortunately, as far as Ollie is concerned—Juliette happens to be there to witness one of his less than stellar moments, and she takes him under her wing. When she and the other girls who make up their group, Lara and Niamh, offer up the chance for Ollie to go to a back-to-school party, he knows turning down the invite would be akin to social self-sabotage.

Running into Will at that party wasn’t part of the plan. Not part of Ollie’s plan, at least. One of the girls knew full well what was going to happen, though.

Sophie Gonzales’s Only Mostly Devastated is, gloriously and unapologetically, Grease fanfic, but that’s merely its surface. No one breaks into flash mob style song and dance numbers in the middle of lunch, but music does play a role in the story in a way that will eventually open the door to conversation and communion between Ollie and Will as Gonzales delivers readers into the midst of her characters’ conflict. As with any good Young Adult romance, there is pathos, and the tempest that is first love, and the maelstrom that is heartbreak, and the author has integrated those things with the turbulence of life in general, and the agony of loss. And she’s done so in a way that allows readers to feel all those things in a lovely bit of reciprocity as we bask in the sweetness of the romantic pining.

Gonzales invokes all the angst and anxiety of being a teenager who’s just trying to fit in and get by, and couples it with Will not presenting as the kind, sensitive, and sweet boy he’d been with Ollie over the summer. It’s just that Will has an image to uphold as vice-captain of the Collinswood High basketball team, there’s no way he’s coming out as bi—not to his friends or his family—and that influences his reactions to and interactions with Ollie. Will has a difficult time letting on that he even knows Ollie, let alone likes him, so they hurt, they try, and they give up. Until, finally, they’re able to find a middle ground to stand on.

The key to loving a book is so often the ability to fall in love with its characters, and I adored both Ollie and Will, immensely. Gonzales offers readers a full cast of people to relate to and empathize with; there are characters who grew on me and others who didn’t, as so often happens when becoming involved in a story in an emotional way. That’s the greater part of reading, and Only Mostly Devastated succeeds in every single way it aimed to.

I enjoyed this read very much and where Clueless meets Grease kind of a story line? I am definitely sold. This is a great YA story that I enjoyed very much and that is because of our main protagonist Ollie. Ollie gets uprooted from California to the other end of the country. Ollie is such a great character that I fell in love with right from the start. He is a great person that is finding himself in his world and is just hoping for great summer fling. Ollie and Will’s story is so fascinating and well written that I truly enjoyed.

Grease is a classic movie of summer love. I'm old enough to remember when it came out in theaters. It was a magical summer with warm nights, friends hanging out, and the potential for romance just around the corner. I found that same magic in Only Mostly Devastated, by Sophie Gonzales. With a charming cast of characters, and a strong story, this was a fantastic book.

What I Liked:
Characters:

Ollie is a smart, sweet guy who is going through a difficult family situation (his aunt has cancer). I loved that he stayed kind, even in the face of rude, homophobic behavior from his classmates. He even reaches out to someone who is clearly scared to "come out" and listens attentively. He never gives ultimatums, but does stand up for himself.

I also loved the three female friends of Ollie (The Rose Gold girls!). Lara, Juliette, and Niamh each have distinctive story arcs, and sometimes don't get along. But they are lifelong friends, and are definitely there for each other. I loved that they accepted Ollie into their group and rallied around him.

Themes:

This is a story with so many positive messages. The author used the plot device of the dying aunt to show how worrying over what people think is no way to live. It's a waste of time and energy. Aunt Linda reminds the characters to live fully with whatever time you've got.

I appreciated that not all the characters were heading for college (usually the default in YA books).

As with any coming-of-age book, all the characters must make decisions about their future that are exciting, but scary. Do you have to go to college? How can you balance what you want with what your family expects of you? There are many paths to success, and this book shows all the different paths one could take.

Story:

The story basically follows the plot of Grease, but with a boy meets boy twist. I loved it!!! It was so fun to see how the author found such relevance to the issues facing teens today. I especially loved how the Rizzo story arc was updated.

What I Was Mixed About:
Ollie's Parents:

While I totally understood where they were coming from (I myself have taken care of a relative when they had cancer), I thought they were pretty thoughtless about Ollie. Moving in your senior year of high school is a big deal for a teen. They look forward to reaching all those milestones (college choices, Prom, graduation) with the kids they grew up with. But Ollie's parents never acknowledged that.

Also, let's be honest. Being gay in the San Francisco Bay Area is far different than being gay in America's South. They should have known that Ollie would have a challenging time with other students. I would have set my kid up to join a LGBTQ teen center to meet other gay teens. Or I would have, at least, checked in with my kid to make sure there weren't any problems. I wish the author would have done something to show that there were other adults and resources that were looking out for teens like Ollie.

Cancer:

I thought the book dealt honestly about cancer and end of life issues. But I would caution anyone who has been thought this experience, to read it only if you think it won't trigger you. I know I cried and cried at certain scenes because it was so true to life. Ultimately, it was very affirming, but be prepared for all your emotions to come bubbling up to the surface with this book.

I adored this book. It was so good. I loved Ollie. He was such a good character and I really felt all his emotions along with him. Highly recommend!

Ollie, our main character, has uprooted from California to North Carolina to be closer to his aunt who has cancer. Although the transition is hard, he is a team player who constantly helps out by babysitting his younger cousins. He’s a bit socially awkward, but manages to make friends with a trio of girls (who were great side characters!), and is surprised when he sees the boy who ghosted him after their summer fling: Will Tavares.

This book was STUPID CUTE. But it was also full of deep, heavy feels, featuring familial grief and the anxiety of watching a loved one’s health take a sharp decline. There was also the issue if Ollie being openly gay and Will still being firmly locked in the closet. But Ollie and Will can’t seem to stay away from each other, even though the two of them are just a ball of angst! It was hard and frustrating to watch them be assholes to each other, but I could see from each of their perspectives why they did the things they did and said the things they said.

This book was also funny – Ollie was an enjoyable main character, despite all of the crap he was going through. But it effortlessly blended laughable moments into serious bits. I laughed, but I also cried a bit. Only Mostly Devastated was a perfectly titled book and I read it in a week, which is a big deal for me! It’s quick, barely flawless book that I hope to read again soon because it was just that delightful!

I ENJOYED…
☂️
- Only Mostly Devastated is one of these feel-good, wonderful contemporaries I’ll still think about fondly in a couple months and years, I think. This story perfectly juggled with all the emotions I’m looking for in a contemporary: endearing, heartwarming, swoony moments, friendships and romance, family and heartbreaking moments, too.
- This story has been blurbed as a sort of Grease-inspired YA and I could get the overall feeling of that, with the group of “Pink Ladies” and the group of Basketball Players, a.k.a the T-Birds. Still, if I got the overall feels, Only Mostly Devastated felt fresh and new, maybe because my memories of Grease are fuzzy, but well, I appreciated it all the more for it.
- I loved the characters in this story so much.
- Ollie, our main character, is one of these characters I want to protect and hug and just wonderful. He’s kind and yet socially awkward a tiny little bit, he’s caring and just so relatable in the way he views things and life. He makes mistakes and assumptions and is really far from perfect, but despite his flaws, you just want him to be okay and happy. I really wanted him to be happy.
- I really appreciated the cast of characters overall, too. I loved the little group of friends Ollie finds his place in, each of them with their own goals and dreams and issues, they felt three dimensional and I really liked them all. Well, almost.
- The romance was really interesting to follow, just as well, with its confusing moments, misunderstandings and growth. If sometimes, I was frustrated by the way things were going, it was just because I wanted them to be okay and together and happy, because I KNEW THEY COULD BE.
- I think one of the most wonderful things about Only Mostly Devastated is the way it discusses the complexities of relationships, romance and sexuality, both with the main character’ story and a side character’s story. Each of them deals with complex feelings, some characters are still questioning their sexuality and coming out, some characters still closeted and others just in the middle of it all feeling confused about everything.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️

- What makes me put off one star in my rating is one particular character in the story. I felt like she was, at first, very toxic and didn’t really apologize for it all, which made me a little frustrated. I liked this character’s growth thorough the story and I liked understanding where her behaviour came from, for sure, but I didn’t feel like her behaviour was completely and rightfully made … okay, by the end of the story.

OVERALL
☂️

Only Mostly Devastated is a contemporary I remember fondly and will definitely recommend. Entertaining, heartwarming and emotional, with a lovely cast of characters, this is a book I hope you’ll end up picking up and loving, too!

Trigger warnings: family member with cancer, chemotherapy, mentions of homophobia (called out), biphobia (called out), fatphobia (called out), death and grief, polycystic ovary syndrom.

Diversity: queer main characters (gay, bisexual), POC characters.