I was taken by surprise by this queer Grease retelling, not because I didn’t expect it to be good (it sounded amazing) but because it kept trying to annoy me and it just…didn’t.

Only Mostly Devastated is both a light-hearted romcom and a book that has many heavy themes within it, and the two aspects felt well-balanced and well-researched. With so many delicate themes at hand, there is going to be space for nuance as every reader reacts to each instance according to their own sensibilities and life experiences. To me, there was so much I could see easily going downhill but instead going the opposite way. Comments that were immediately challenged on page, conflict that could’ve been easily dismissed by one character but instead was acknowledged and respected. (Only one thing that I could think of didn’t really leave me satisfied, because the apology came late and wasn’t really an apology but it’s seen as one because of the character’s personality.)

This is not to say it’s all black and white: these are teenagers and they make mistakes and in the process learn to navigate life, and to me that was enough.

If you’ve seen Grease you might already expect how the romance works: summer fling, same school, two groups of friends. Add in the queer element, and the major conflict becomes the fact that Will is deeply closeted. This constitutes one of the heavier aspects of the book, second to the illness plotline, so I wouldn’t call this story fluffy by any means. But to me it felt very real and all in all I feel like Ollie never expected Will to come out for the sake of their relationship, he was fully willing to keep it a secret from everyone while simultaneously rightfully being frustrated by some of the decisions that Will took in order to keep his sexuality safe.

Will’s sexuality is not the only one in question, and there is a secondary sapphic character who gets outed to the whole school and this kind of furthers the narrative in more than one way. This is not something I had thought much about while reading and ultimately I think it was done more for the sake of the Grease retelling than to further the m/m relationship, but I can see how it might not sit well with everyone.

Ollie’s aunt’s terminal illness is the other major aspect that makes this book not the easiest to read. I don’t want to get too personal but I had to force a sense of distance in order to power through the book, and I found Will’s emotions very real and the grief aspect one of the best I’ve ever seen handled in a book. I wasn’t surprised to go on the author’s biography and find out she works as a psychologist, because she really hit all the spots with this story line.

With so much that was ultimately emotionally heavy content, how come I still called this light-hearted? Ollie’s internal monologue was simply a delight, and this is coming from someone who’s finding herself more and more distant from the “contemporary YA 1st POV voice”, but I could simply not care. Was it over the top sometimes? Yes, but I didn’t care. I liked Ollie’s voice and I thought he was highly relatable and funny.

I also loved the friendships in here. I couldn’t immediately understand the girls but once I did I loved their little messy group, and the guys were annoying but ultimately not unredeemable, especially once they got educated.

Speaking of the girls, it’s the first time I see PCOS being talked about in a book, YA especially, and how it affects the girl’s life. It was something I wasn’t expecting and it almost brought me to tears since nobody ever talks about it.

So, I think it’s fair to say I loved this. I would recommend to make sure you check the TWs first in order to be prepared, and even if you’re someone who doesn’t read a lot of YA (in general or anymore) but you’re still curious to try this, I think you won’t regret it.

Rep: gay MC, bisexual Venezuelan LI, female bisexual side character, POC characters, fat character with PCOS

TWs: a character gets outed against their will, terminal illness (cancer), hospitals, fatphobic and fatshaming comments (not immediately challenged), talk of weight loss and dieting, talk of PCOS and its symptoms and how they affect the character’s weight loss/diet, homophobic comments, death of a family member, grief, underage alcohol consumption

It's a bit of a slow burn to start, but around 100 pages, the story picks up into a fun, cute opposites-attract love story, and I couldn't wipe a smile off my face if I tried. Seriously, when Will asks Ollie to wear his letter jacket, I legit squealed. So darn adorable,

First of all, thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for granting my wish and sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
You have to know English isn’t my first language, so feel free to correct me if I make some mistakes while writing this review.


Real rating: 4,5 stars.

This "Grease" retelling was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more.
It was cute and funny and serious when it came down to deal with family, health - both mental and physical - and coming out.

Ollie and Will had a beautiful summer fling. It was supposed to be over after the season, but Ollie's parents decide to uproot the family - therefore leaving California to stay in North Carolina and help Aunt Linda. Ollie is worried sick about his aunt, but he's also pleased to be closer to Will.

Except he still hasn't texted back.

So imagine his surprise when he sees Will at a party the evening of his first day of school. Will seems happy at first in seeing him, but then he gives Ollie the cold shoulder - distancing himself when he discovers Ollie had confided in three girls about their fling.

Ollie still wants a relationship with Will, but he sure doesn't want to get back in the closet. Will isn't ready to come out and he's scared - he tries to be enough, but it's not enough for Ollie. It's not what he needs and Will doesn't even understard he hurts Ollie every time he laughs about him with his friends.
Because trying not to raise suspicions about your sexual orientation is one thing, but hurting the person you're supposed to care about with your behavior is another.

I really liked Ollie because even if it hurts, he knows what he wants from a relationship and he has the strenght to step back. He doesn't want to force Will out of the closet, but he'd like to see at least an effort. He also made me laugh - he's sweet, adorable and awkward and I couldn't help my laughter on multiple occasions. Also, his family history resonated with me on a personal level.

Even if I cheered on Ollie and I wanted to grab Will to shake him, I could understand him and his fears. And no matter the fear, he was there for Ollie when it counted the most.

Let's talk about the girls Ollie befriended on his first school day.
Juliette is a compassionate ray of sunshine, the one that balances out the sometimes clashing personalities of Niamh and Lara. Niamh feels comfortable in her own skin and her own body - it's an amazing message, I adored the way she knows she doesn't have to lose weight to catch someone's interest. Lara is a bit mean at first, but I reevaluated her and her relationship with Ollie is the most interesting to me.

"Only Mostly Devastated" starts like a summer romance and then it digs deeper: family, friendship, loss, grief, sexual orientation, confusion, fear, coming out, strength - everything is perfectly crafted and you'll love every single page and every single character of it.

Okay so, this was perfect? From the start, I knew Only Mostly Devastated was going to be to my liking because of the writing, the tone and Ollie. It all just clicked right away for me to know for sure that I was gonna love this book. And I was right.

Only Mostly Devastated is a heartwarming book that deals with coming to terms with who you are, grief, loss and everything that comes with it. And Sophie Gonzales wrote it all so well and so realistically that I couldn’t help but recognise myself in some of the characters along the way.

Moreover, Gonzales created the perfect blend of characters who are far from perfect but are trying their best and just for that, I love them even more. Ollie truly stole my heart as well as Lara. But in general, those characters are honestly awesome.

To conclude, I can say that Only Mostly Devastated surpassed any expectations I had and I definitely, 100% recommend it - even more so if you’ve loved Heartstopper by Alice Oseman and/or Simon Vs. The Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli.

Ummm....a Grease retelling!?!?! Talk about the ultimate dream! I'm actually pretty surprised that I had never seen this before. And not only its a Grease retelling, but a m/m retelling with a diverse cast of characters. There was also more depth inserted into the story by adding the familial struggles.

I am a massive Grease fan, I have been since a very young age. It was fun to follow along in the story and kind of loosely match scenes and characters to the musical. The relationships were really great and the character development felt very believable. I especially loved the relationship between Lara and Ollie. 

The one thing that didn't sit right with me was the the anger with Will because he won’t come out. This is something you can't force. Just because Ollie is comfortable with being out doesn’t mean Will is, especially when situations arise that show how differently people think in North Carolina than San Jose. Yes, some of things Will did were insensitive to Ollie’s feelings but Ollie needed to be a little more understanding.

While this did bother me, I still really loved the book and think a lot of others will too. I didn't want it to end!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was like a book of fresh air and simply adorable and fun to read!

Oh my gosh, this was the cutest, best book I could have read! It's just so adorable, from the anxious will they/won't they dynamic, to the sweet high school romance.

Okay, it is very much like Grease and Love Simon just like it's pitched! in all the cute high school love way that Grease is, the group of strong-willed girls, jock guys, and kind of forbidden romance. 10/10 recommend!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know much going into this novel, other than it sounded like a cute contemporary. I didn't want to know much going into this novel as I like to go into contemporary pretty much blind. This is an LGBTQIA+ novel as well as an almost coming of age story. This novel does touch on some important topics such as grief of a family member, and what it means to be out or outed.

I loved our MC Ollie, he wore his heart on his sleeve but also didn't put up with homophobia. He was quick to make friends and always had his friends back, even when they may or may not have deserved his loyalty.

I did not enjoy the "romance", I know that this shows what it's like to be closeted while loving someone who isn't. However, the crap Will put Ollie through was heartbreaking and abusive. Especially when manipulation was used as well as guilt. This drove me insane.

I love Ollie's family dynamic and how he was a family guy through and through even at a teenage level. He didn't care if he missed out on parties, he wanted to be there for his family and help out where ever he could. I find this to be very rare in YA, most of the time I find the teenager complaining or throwing tantrums. This was a very healthy dynamic and I loved every second of it.

All in al this was a good read. However, I can't look past the "romance" which is why I have rated this book a 3 star. I understand abuse happens and some relationships are like this one. I do not think, however, that it is ok and that you should accept anything less than you deserve.

(3.5 stars) This was sooo cute! A Grease inspired m/m romance. The Grease comparisons are really only in the beginning of the book and not overdone. I really like Will and Ollie together. One of the side characters Lara was so relatable. I loved the discussion on bisexuality and bi-erasure. This story also had sad parts that made me tear up. Overall a super adorable YA contemporary queer romance! TW: homophobia, fat shaming, grief, cancer, loss of a loved one. *ARC provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for honest review. Thank you!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Only Mostly Devastated broke my heart multiple times all while slowly, painfully slowly, putting it back together.
Ollie met the boy, Will, of his dreams over summer while visiting family. When fate has him staying there instead of returning back home to help out with his Aunt Linda and family the bright side is Will, right?
The story has flashbacks to the summer of Ollie and Will all while Ollie faces the truth of Will at school, a bright, sensitive, fun guy who isn’t out, to anyone. Ollie tries to find his place in a new school, with a relationship that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, all while struggling idea of losing his Aunt Linda, and who he is as a person and what he wants for his future,
This book is, at turns, heart wrenching and heart warming.
I cried with and for Ollie. I raged and sighed and felt gutted with and for Ollie. I loved and cheered and hoped with and for Ollie.
Only Mostly Devastated does a great job balancing the different realities of coming out. For some it is easier than others, for some it’s constantly coming out, and for some it’s just really damned scary and they don’t ever know if or when they’ll come out. It’s not the same for everyone and everyone has different stories and between Will and Ollie and some other characters, because you just don’t out someone, there are different experiences. I loved this story so much even as it hurt me,

I love this so much. Written in an engaging voice, I adored Ollie and his group of friends. The romance arc, while similar to Grease, took a unique spin which gave both characters such complexity and really interesting stories. I also loved the subplot about Ollie's family which balanced out the lighter comedic moments of the story. I think this will become a really important book for queer teens.

This book was ridiculously cute. I already recommended it to my GSA club at school and they can't wait to read it too!

[The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

What I liked:
- Ollie is such a cute and relatable character!
- wlw/mlm solidarity!
- amazing PCOS representation!
- so many queer characters!
- adorable love story <3
- talks about serious topics as well

What I didn't like:
- I wish it was longer! I just can't get enough of this story!

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

Ollie meets Will during his summer holiday, and they fall in love. When summer ends, Ollie is prepared to go back to California, but fate has other plans for him. The reason why he stays in North Carolina is not a good one, but at least he can be with Will, right?

Only Mostly Devastated is not just the next queer coming-of-age novel, it is a book about major obstacles that will make your life—no matter if you are a teenager or a grown-up— hell on earth. Ollie is prepared to pack to go home to California when his mother tells him that his aunt's health is getting worse and that his parents have decided to stay nearby and help however they can.

His aunt has always supported him and accepted him the way he is, of course he will do anything for her. Ollie starts to go to Collinswood High and is over the moon when he sees Will on his first day. He had not expected to see him there, because Will lives in the town next to his. But Will is not the sweet guy Ollie fell in love with during summer, he is the next big basketball star and so not queer. 

With his broken heart, Ollie starts to take care of his two little cousins in the afternoon while his aunt is undergoing her treatments, but he cannot get Will out of his head. Little does he know that Will cannot stop about thinking about Ollie as well...

As the book description promises, it really more modern twist on Grease. The famous guy at school being a jerk, while in fact he is a sensible young man whose wish is to help others and becoming a nurse instead of a great basketball player, which everyone is expecting him to be one day. But how can he tell everyone that he is bisexual and does not care about any sport scholarship? He could not live with the rejection and disappointment, so better play it cool and force himself to bury his true self.

It's still sad that coming out of the closet is still  an issue and people should not be afraid of being who they are, and we should accept each other the way we are.

In flashbacks, we see the Will that Ollie carries with him in his heart. As the story evolves, Will and Ollie find a new way to build a relationship with a happy end possibly waiting for them.

To live in the moment and to not fear what might happen is the beautiful message of this book and not just when it comes to these love birds who must find their way to each other in a new environment.

“I mean, I knew about death, obviously, but it had always been in the abstract. Now it felt startlingly real. Real people I knew would die. All of us. Every real person I knew would die.

And I would die, too.

One day, I would see the last thing I was ever going to see. And the next day, someone would release a song I’d never hear. […] 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.”

What started as a side story, it's actually a major part of the book. When Ollie’s aunt’s health gets worse every day, the family becomes closer. and Ollie tries to distract and entertain his little cousins the best he can. Will, who knows about his family situation, offers him help despite his previous behaviour. There is light in every negative situation, or so they say.

Sophie Gonzales focuses on the character development and the really story behind the story: reflecting on how people cope with loss and the possibility of near death and grief.

Only Mostly Devastated will not sugar coat life for its readers and that is fine. We all wish for a comforting story to escape reality; I know I do. But to get a reminder that reality can does have its bad moments can be good as well, especially when it reminds you as well that life is a rollercoaster of the good and the bad and the world will continue to turn, even if we don't wan it to.  We cannot do anything about it but learn to cope with whatever life is throwing our way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzalez. All opinions are my own.

Only Mostly Devastated gave me MAJOR Grease feels with enough LGBTQ+ representation to make my heart swell. I had a hard time getting into this one and I almost gave up on it, but was glad I stuck with it 'til the end. This book made me laugh, cry and want to throw my Kindle across the room out of pure frustration. The story was heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time.

I'll definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good contemporary romance, especially in the YA section.

A holiday romance that, in scenes reminiscent of Grease, does not survive in the same way following a return to normal life. With one half of the couple a closeted boy, too scared of being outed that he hides his true self behind homophobia. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

They shared a summer frolicking by the lake, and thought they would never see each other again. However, when Ollie's family relocated in order to be closer to his aunt, who was battling cancer, Ollie found that he and his summer paramour were not only a short drive from each other, they attended the same school! However, it seemed, that Lake-Will and School-Will were two very different people, and now Ollie was left to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

I was promised Grease feels, and I definitely got them. Ollie's trio of female friends, those who wear the rose-gold rose, and Will's band of fellow basketball teammates were easy to spot as the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. The BIG re-meet cute reminded me of when Sandy and Danny were reunited, but I would say, after that, this became a wholly new and original romance.

Sophie Gonzales created some incredible characters for this story. Though they are credited as "side characters", each shined in their own way. They had personality, that POPPED off the page, and as an ensemble, brought something really special to this tale.

But, alas, Ollie was the star of the book, and my star as well. He was sweet, adorable, and awkward. I absolutely adored him, and it wasn't just because of his whip smart commentary. He came across as a really lovely person. His family was dealing with his aunt's declining health, and he became an important resource for them. He stepped up to care for his cousins often, and was very attuned to the situations, knowing when he needed to tread lightly and often, putting his wants and needs on the back burner.

Although, if asked, I will first gush about how super-cute and adorable this book was, however, there were heavier moments, and there were tears. More often than not, I was smiling though, because this up and down romance delighted me. Interactions with friends and family, as well as watching Will and Ollie fall in love filled the pages with lots of warmth and happy feels, while injections of humor kept me audibly laughing.

This book combined so many elements I desire. Great characters, adorable romance, family ties, and even grand gestures filled the pages. It made me laugh, cry, rage, swoon, and in the end, left me in a very happy state.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3131625115?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I requested this arc from NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. Sophie Gonzales is a new author for me, and I'll be anxious to read her titles in the future as well as I liked her writing style quite a bit. In particular, I'd note the she has a ear for analogy, and I found the metaphors/similes she used both fresh and authentic.

In terms of the story line and characters, I found them to be well developed. At the beginning, I was wondering if the author would drop any of the threads she'd started to weave, but she deftly managed them including the plot point of a family member battling cancer. It was good to read a young adult title that managed to balance a layered plot without pulling punches or compromising its unique voice. That, in addition to the representation of realistic student population made this one a satisfying read.

I will be adding a physical copy of this one to my classroom library once it's available for purchase.

A lot of thoughts. A lot of feelings. Primarily disappointment and aggravation. Let’s sort through this, shall we?

Okay. Basic premise - sort of like Grease. Summer romance. And then they see each other again and it’s like “oh. I have an image to protect so I can’t be the cool dude I was to you all summer.” Will is a popular athlete who isn’t out. Oliver is our. Ollie ends up at Will’s school after a summer fling.

And Will is just awful to Ollie. Over and over and over again. I get that Will has a right to keep his sexuality to himself. I get that I don’t understand the stigma that comes with being a gay man in the south. And I keep trying to find a way to forgive Will. But laughing at gay jokes at your dude’s expense in front of him to save face? Nah. Just nah.

And this just led to a lot of feelings - how can I review a book when I cannot identify with the characters’ struggles? How would i feel if this was a heterosexual relationship? Is it fair to review an LGBTQ book utilizing a heteronormative lens? Bc yeah - I’m pissed. If a man treated a heroine like this I’d like all “screw that guy.” And guess what? I’m all “screw that guy” now. Is my indignation misplaced? Does there need to be a different standard? I kept thinking “what If one character wanted to hide the relationship Bc of the other character’s ethnicity?” Which made me soooooooo much angrier. But again - is that an accurate comparison?

I don’t think Ollie is less-deserving of respect Bc Will isn’t out. I’m not sure how you have a relationship with someone who wants to hide your relationship. Do you? Ever? And does hiding your relationship necessitate red herrings and meanness? It seems like you shouldn’t ever be with someone who isn’t proud to be with you. Does that mean folks that aren’t out have to be alone? I truly don’t know. But I do know young readers shouldn’t read this and think this is an okay way to treat someone or to be treated.

So here’s what I’m saying. I don’t know. This book made me massively uncomfortable. The writing was adorable. The friendships were great. But good golly miss molly I cringed through this entire book. And maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I missed the entire point. I am super open to discussion here Bc it seems like this book has some pretty high ratings. And I don’t know why I feel how I feel - which is just dirty and sad.

I’m going to start the next St Cyr - I’ve been looking forward to it for the last 75%.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to offer an honest review.


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Only Mostly Devastated had me at “Grease retelling,” and I was so excited to read it! Unfortunately I don’t think I was in the mood to deal with some of the aspects of it, so it fell short for me. Still, it was a cute read that you might enjoy nonetheless.

Ollie has to move to North Carolina, where he’s just spent the summer because his family is helping out his sick aunt. During this time, he had a fling with Will (cue “Summer Loving”) and then it turns out that he’s going to the same high school as him. However, Will’s ghosted Ollie and now ignores him because he’s a jock and not out.

Over the course of the book, Will’s hot and cold towards Ollie because he really does like him! He just doesn’t want to be seen as “gay” just because he’s hanging out with the new gay kid. Now, there’s a lot to unpack there, but I did understand that this was the point of view of other kids at school. Still, it was incredibly annoying to read this. His behavior is called out, by Ollie specifically, but it’s so exhausting to read.

There’s a bisexual side character who’s really rude at first but she kinda grows on you. I was a little iffy on how her rep was handled; it wasn’t necessarily bad, but there was something I didn’t like but couldn’t quite put my finger on.

I didn’t love how another side character’s plot was handled either; she’s fat and has PCOS, but she legitimately felt like a filler character with dialogue. She wants to be a model but she’s made to feel bad because she’s not skinny (incidentally, by the character I mentioned above, and yes they all are friends). This character didn’t really feel incorporated into the story, and I hesitate to say that it was random or unnecessary but I really didn’t feel like her plot line was handled as well as it could have been.

Yeah, so this is a lot that I didn’t like…I’m not going to say it’s all bad representation (especially because some of this rep doesn’t apply to me), but I feel like the rep was realistic to a point that was painful, in that it dealt with the more negative aspects of being marginalized. Frankly, I just didn’t feel like reading that, combined with the fact that it just didn’t feel right. I think I just had higher standards for some of the characters.

I did like parts of the book! Ollie and his relationship with his younger cousins was really adorable; he and Will were cute as well. The friendships portrayed were heartwarming and fairly supportive. Overall, this book just wasn’t for me, but maybe you’ll like it more!