Be still my heart, this LGBTQ+ Grease retelling was just such a treasure. It paid a lovely homage to the inspiration material, while acknowledging current societal issues and giving the story a fresh, contemporary spin. With an excellent surrounding cast (it's fun to compare with the originals), this will definitely appeal to fans of both Grease and Love Simon/Simon and the Homo Sapien Agenda.

While I did enjoy my time reading this novel, I felt frustrated with our two main characters for the vast majority of the story. I enjoyed the familial aspects more than the romance or the friendships. I feel like it took waaaaaaay too long for some characters to realize that their friends were toxic. Just okay in my opinion.

Super cute YA read! The characters genuinely felt like teenagers, and I became very invested in their stories. Looking forward to more from Sophie Gonzales!

This was a very cute, fun book. I appreciated the discussions in this book, and I just had a good time reading it. It was what I expected it to be, and I'm very happy for that.

I really, really enjoyed this!! I do wish we had gotten a little more show and a little less tell in regards to the romance between Ollie and Will, but I still really enjoyed this and I could NOT put it down. Not only was it super fun and romance-y, but it also had some depth and really took a good look at grief and I liked it a lot. I cannot wait to read what Sophie Gonzalez puts out next!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I liked this YA contemporary romance, mostly the positive portrayal of bisexuality. This is a cute and overall enjoyable story, great for teens. If you enjoy romantic comedies set in high school, this is a fun one.

I will most definitely be in the minority here--there have been so many rave reviews about this, but I really struggled to get into this. I absolutely adored Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (which this was comped to), but I just didn't see the same sweetness and banter in this.

Okay, starting with the positive: Ollie definitely sounded like a genuine teenager, which was great! He was awkward but endearing, like a gangly kid trying to deal with his suddenly-grown limbs, dealing with his aunt's cancer diagnosis and a summer fling that has since ignored him. Being a teenager is hard enough, but I think adding that extra level of difficulty was realistic. It's obvious that this book is dealing with heavy issues, and I think that's something contemporary YA sometimes likes to gloss over or executes poorly--but it worked here.

That said, I just couldn't connect with the other characters. Lara, Juliette, and Niamh sort of bled together, and I just could not like Will at all. I think this book is tackling a great topic of how teenagers deal with being out vs. being closeted, and the range of problems that comes with it on a personal and societal level. Unfortunately, I'll have to pass on it.

Maybe out Happily Ever After hadn't worked on the first shot. And maybe Happily Ever Afters weren't a singular event. Maybe they were something you had to work at, build, and never give up on, as long as they were something you still wanted.
This was such a cute and fun story. If you’re in the mood for a spunky and heartfelt summer romance story, look no further. Only Mostly Devastated follows Ollie and Will after their secret summer fling has the potential to become more after Ollie’s family moves to the small North Carolina town to help care for his sick aunt. But Will isn’t the same boy from the summer and the two must come clean, if they want to be more than a summer romance.

Ollie and Will have great chemistry and you root for them immediately. It was great to see Ollie fall into a friendgroup that accepts him and loves him for who he is. It was a little harder to love Will in the beginning because he’s keeping parts of himself hidden and lashes out at anything that threatens that, but watching him grow and go after what he wants - not just what’s expected of him was inspiring. I loved the other side characters as well, but like Will, Lara was a little tough to like in the beginning with a prickly exterior and a pressing secret weighing on her chest she was kinda annoying, but I really grew to appreciate her role in the friendgroup too.

The Grease comparisons are perfect for this story and they do not let you down. Only Mostly Devastated is a queer romantic summer romp that will keep a smile on your face. And with a heartfelt and grounded family to back up the fluff, this is a book you won’t be able to put down.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This very cute coming of age story deals with first love, heartbreak, finding your way in a new home, friendship and grief.

Ollie had the perfect summer fling with Will. They weren’t meant to see each other again… but Ollie’s aunt gets sick and the family has to move and that’s how Ollie ends up at the same school as Will. But Will seems distant and not like he was this summer. He’s not out yet to anyone and behaves like a total idiot first. After Ollie gives him the cold shoulder for treating him like that Will comes around and they try to work things out. Which isn’t always easy. There’s lots of drama and heartbreak along the way. It doesn’t make things easier for Ollie that his aunt seems to get worse by the minute.

I really liked the writing style (the flashbacks had a lovely touch) and the flow of the story overall. Ollie was a really sweet and authentic character. I liked the bond he had with his family and that he always stayed true to himself. I liked that the characters did grow into better people and worked through their problems. Even if it did take some time. Unfortunately I couldn’t really connect with Ollie’s friends group and they didn’t really seem very close to him.

Advertised as SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA meets CLUELESS meets Grease, ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED introduces us to Ollie and Will right as their summer fling unexpectedly hits a snag when Ollie winds up moving to town and going to the same high school as Will. The only problem? Will isn't out to any of his friends.

I loved this book for its representation. I am always happy to see more LGBTQ YA stories being written and published and liked that this book gave us 2 very different coming out experiences (Ollie grew up in welcoming California and Will has lived his whole life in a small town in North Carolina).

Overall, I'd give this book a solid 3 out of 5 stars. If you're looking for a relatively light contemporary YA romance, this one is definitely for you. More often than not, I found myself a little bored because the plot generally hit the points I expected from it and neither of our 2 main characters stood out to me as particularly memorable. That being said, it was still a quick and cute YA romance, which I'll never say no to reading, especially as palate cleansers between heavier books.

Summer loving had me a blast
Summer loving happened so fast.
Well, you know how it goes.

Two cute teens meet on their summer vacation, fall head over heels, say sad good-byes… and then end up attending the same high school in the fall.

But in Only Mostly Devastated, we’re not talking good girl Sandy and bad boy Danny. Instead, we have two adorable boys, Ollie and Will, who have a magical summer together. They should be thrilled to end up at the same school unexpectedly, right?

The problem is (and of course, there has to be a problem): Ollie is out; Will is not. And while Ollie came out to supportive parents and a chill circle of friends and school acquaintances back in California, Will grew up in more conservative North Carolina, where homophobic jokes are de rigeur for the cool jock crowd and their hangers-on.

When Ollie and his parents relocate to North Carolina to be near his terminally ill aunt and help with her children, he doesn’t really expect to run into Will without some effort. Not to mention that Will appears to have ghosted him right after their final summer good-bye kiss.

So when Ollie tells the group of girls who befriend him on his first day of school about his summer love — and shows them a picture — complications almost immediately crop up. Because of course, Will goes to the same school, and of course, the girls are thrown for a loop by this news that straight hot basketball star Will is maybe not so straight after all.

Ollie is sweet as can be, and it’s so sad and painful to go through all his emotions alongside him. He’s firmly out and will never accept a situation where’s he’s forced back in the closet — but he has to respect Will’s choice, even if it means accepting that Will has to pretend not to know Ollie, and can’t hang out with him too visibly for fear of being teased about turning gay.

The author does a great job of helping us (and Ollie) understand why Will might fear being outed, showing the social environment at school and the not-so-subtle pressure to conform, as well as the scorn reserved for those who don’t fall nicely into socially acceptable gender and relationship roles.

Meanwhile, Ollie forms close friendships with a trio of girls who seem to adore him and take him under their wings. They’re all interesting and varied, not just a generic crowd of high school girls but real people with distinct personalities and conflicts and challenges.

Ollie’s family life is also portrayed sensitively, and it’s quite sad to see Ollie processing his aunt’s decline while also being there for his two little cousins. As if Ollie wasn’t adorable and sweet enough already, he’s also a terrific babysitter and loves his family unconditionally, and it’s heartbreaking to witness his grief when the inevitable finally happens.

The cast of characters in Only Mostly Devastated is nicely diverse without making a big fuss over it, which I really appreciated. The romance at the heart of the story is so well done, and even though it’s almost too sad at times to see how hurt Ollie is, by the end, it feels like a realistic journey that the boys go through to get to where they end up. (Being vague here, so as not to spoil too much…)

If you enjoy sweet, sensitive young adult romances with well-earned happy endings, definitely check out Only Mostly Devastated!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and Sophie Gonzales. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

This book was delightful from cover to cover. Ollie and Will have a fling that can’t last beyond the summer because Ollie lives on the other side of the country. That is until his family decides to stay on in North Carolina to help his sick aunt and her family. The problem is Will isn’t texting back. When they finally cross paths, Will isn’t the boy Ollie fell in love with. He’s not out and isn’t ready to come out. Ollie’s determined to stay away but can’t seem to help himself every time Will is near.

Did I ever fall for Ollie. It was so easy to understand him and see his point of view. I loved getting to see the range of emotions he went through and his character growth. I really liked Will too. Again, his point of view was entirely understandable, equally heartbreaking for different reasons than Ollie’s, and wonderful to read. I enjoyed getting to know these 2 immensely, particularly against the backdrop of Ollie’s all-girl trio of friends and Will’s basketball buddies. Love and loss is in perfect balance in this book, cradled lovingly within talented author Sophie Gonzales’s beautiful, heartfelt, honest words.

Grease if Danny and Sandy were guys.

Ollie and Will meet the summer before senior year at North Carolina lake. Ollie is there from California with his parents as his aunt is dying of cancer, and they want to be together for the summer. Will lives a couple of hours away, and the chance meeting is the start of a beautiful summer romance. But August isn't what any expects: Ollie and his family are moving to Collinswood to be closer to Aunt Linda, Uncle Roy, Christa, and Dylan as Aunt Linda's cancer continues to ravager her health. Surprise of all surprises, Ollie ends up going to the same school as Will-- and when the two cross paths at a back-to-school party that first evening, Ollie's senior year gets even more roller-coaster-y. Because while Ollie is out and proud, Will is very closeted-- he hasn't even told his friends. Can the sweet romance that Will and Ollie had over the summer continue in such a harsh, new environment or will it crash and burn?

Cons:
- Ollie is a little too perfect of a teenager-- like he doesn't give his parents enough crap: about moving, about always babysitting Christa and Dylan, etc.
- Everything is tied up too neatly at the end with all the characters paired off. Relationships aren't everything.

Pros:
- The discussion of grief after [redacted for spoilers] dies, and how different people cope in different ways.
- The finally couple of paragraphs where Ollie brings this narration full circle re: Disney and the happily ever after is really insightful for an 18 year-old boy.
- The reinforcement that you have to work and communicate in a relationship.

Sweet, and funny, interlaced with realistic sorrow. The secondary characters were well developed, and I was invested in several different relationships outside the main romance. I was surprised at how funny it managed to be, despite how sad it was at times. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

4.5 stars overall.

This book was very much set up like Grease--as the blurb promises. Ollie is still savoring his casual summer fling in North Carolina when he finds out that his family is staying in North Carolina instead of heading back to California--and his summer fling, Will, won't acknowledge him. What follows is a sensitive portrayal of love, sexuality, and loss as Will struggles to hide their relationship from the world around them and Ollie tries to reconcile his feelings with the hurt Will is causing him, all while Ollie's Aunt Linda is battling cancer.

The way Gonzales writes evokes a very real sense of what it's like to be a teenager; I think it will resonate well with its intended audience. In this way, I appreciated that Ollie's new set of friends was tentatively accepting of him in the beginning; it can be annoying when YA authors write "insta-friendships" in their books--where's the struggle to fit in there, especially in a new environment? Will and Lara were both incredibly frustrating at times, which was grating, even if it was meant to highlight their character development. The way Gonzales portrays illness and death also felt very real and was not romanticized; I teared up several times.

RomCom done right. Only Mostly Devastated is marketed as a Grease meets Clueless, and it couldn't be more adorable if it tried. If you want a light hearted book about LGBTQ+ youth, then this is the book for you, my friend!

3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a pre-publication e-book.

A colleague alerted me to the existence of this book and as soon as the words 'Simon VS meets Grease' left her mouth, I simply had to get my hands on it.

While I don't think it quite lived up to Simon VS, I really enjoyed it! The storyline is certainly Grease inspired. Ollie meets Will on vacation in North Carolina and a whirlwind summer romance follows. Then, Ollie is shocked to discover that he'll be moving to North Carolina for the foreseeable future so his family can be closer to his sick Aunt. He's thrilled to let Will know, but is met by radio silence, only to find out that they attend the same school on his first day!

Both Ollie and Will were lovely characters. Ollie was great a narrator - funny, sweet and relatable. Will was a great multifaceted character and his struggle with his sexuality was sensitively handled. I was left just wanting to throw my arms around the pair of them and tell them that everything was going to be okay.

I loved how both boys had a great relationship with their parents and wider family, as well as their friends. I ended up really liking Lily, the Rizzo inspired character! Overall, it was a really fun read which I have already recommended to others!

I was excited to pick up Only Mostly Devastated but in the end it just didn't work for me. In this case it's a me not the book thing. It was fun and I definitely recommend checking it out if you're keen. Personally, for me this time it just didn't hook my interest. Who knows, there's every chance that I might give Only Mostly Devastated another go at a later date.

I had high hopes for this book, with its cute title and blurb. Inspired by Grease, Clueless, & Simon? Count me in! While I enjoyed it enough to finish, ultimately I was a little disappointed. Aside from the lead character Ollie, I felt the other characters were underdeveloped and came off as stereotypes. The story didn't flow well for me. While I liked how it ended, I wasn't as fond of how they got there. However, it was modern and current. Your results could vary, and I'd still recommend for those who enjoy modern YA.

Spending the summer at the wistful North Carolina lake house Ollie’s family rented out for a family vacation was supposed to be just that—a summer vacation. So when his parents sit Ollie down to tell him he would be ripped away from his friends and hometown just before starting his senior year so that his parents could help his aunt and uncle out while his aunt Linda undergoes chemotherapy, it feels like his world has been turned upside down. Even worse, Ollie runs into Will, the boy he’d had a romantic summer tryst with, on his first day at his new high school. And, on top of that, Will is apparently not out to anyone else. During his senior year, Ollie must grapple with his feelings for Will, growing distant from his old California friends, his aunt Linda’s health, and ultimately figure out how he fits into his new life on the other side of the country.

Only Mostly Devastated is an emotional rollercoaster, but in the good, enjoyable kind of way. It offers a comfortable balance between comedy, romance, and serious. Ollie is such a likable and well-fleshed out protagonist, reading about his life and problems felt like I was right there with him as a friend. His love interest, Will, is also a complex and amiable character. Together, their chemistry is believable and something I was definitely rooting for. On the other hand, Sophie Gonzales handled the topic of Linda’s cancer and all that comes with it with nuance, grace, and a level of believability that had me teary-eyed on the train while I devoured this book in one sitting. Readers who enjoy books with sweet queer romances, explorations of grief and family life, and casts of believable characters will adore this book.