Summer loving had me a blast
Summer loving happened so fast
I met a boy crazy for me
Met a boy cute as can be
Summer days drifting away to oh oh the summer nights - (from Grease)

Adorable book - the lyrics about sum up the main story. I wasn't too fond of his new friends, but they became better as the book went along.

As soon as I heard “inspired by Grease” – well . . . . . .

I got chills and they were multiplying.

Much like the band TLC I will fully admit I ain’t too proud to beg either and did everything in my power to acquire an early copy of this one. And as soon as Ollie started his new school only to run into his summer lovin’ Will who totally pulled a Danny Zuko with his popular basketball buddies you know this old lady was like . . . . .

Tell me more tell me more.

Only Mostly Devastated was everything I wanted it to be. It totally had Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda vibe as the blurb promised (not so sure about the Clueless namedrop – not really accurate and it wasn’t even necessary when the book is a guaranteed winner like this one), Will totally had some legit reasons for being a bit of a turd, Ollie was a great/understanding friend, but not afraid to use his words and was never a doormat just to make someone else’s life easier, there was just enough teenage drama, and of course it all culminated ♪♫♪at the high school dance, where you can find romance, maybe it might be loooooooove♪♫♪.

I ate this sucker up.

Highly recommended.

Endless thanks to Wednesday Books for the early copy. You got me feeling all . . . .
Rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong
Shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom
Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop
Dip da-dip da-dip doo-wop da doo-bee doo
Boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy
Shoo-be doo-wop she-bop
Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na yippity dip de doom

Wop ba-ba lu-mop and wop bam boom!

A charming YA rom-com! Ollie and Will fall in love at the lake, and both mourn the inevitable end of the summer and their romance. But then Ollie's family decides to stay in North Carolina for his senior year, and on his first day of school he tells his new friends about his summer fling--only to find that Will is the star basketball player at his new school, who has not come out yet. If this sounds familiar, that's because this book is a very loose modernized retelling of GREASE. It's utterly adorable, but also dives into serious topics, mainly Will's struggle to feel safe coming out to his friends and family, and Ollie's sick aunt, whom his family is now helping take care of. A whole host of compelling side characters helps this story come to life!

this being pitched as a gay Grease did not disappoint
likes:
- the friendships!!
- queer rep (MC is gay, side character is bi, love interest is bi)
- how Will still being in the closet was dealt with. I was hesitant about this plot line b/c I feel like it usually makes for an uncomfortable read w/someone getting mad at that person not wanting to come out. but Ollie was so understanding & only got frustrated when Will was truly being a shit - not for him wanting to stay in the closet.
- Lara's character growth
- the side plot of Ollie's aunt being sick. fucking WRECKED ME

dislikes:
- I don't think Will was fleshed out enough; he didn't really have too much of a personality IMO
- Ollie's friends back in California were kind of pointless - they were brought up in the beginning then p much completely forgotten until the end
- kind of the same thing w/Ollie's bandmates - we never learn anything about them besides their names

This was a hard book for me to read. While it is touted as a romcom, there is far too much included in this to consider it light reading. Depression, gays, public shaming on multiple topics, etc. At times I liked the characters, but there were times I really didn't or couldn't connect with them. I think it covers topics that are pertinent to our society right now, but it was too heavy for me.

Thank you NetGalley for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Love or Summer Fling? That is what happens between Ollie and Will. Summer comes to an end and Will has officially ghosted Ollie. On the other hand Ollie has a lot of things going on in his life. His parents spring on him that they are staying in Town to help with his dying aunt instead of heading back home to California. Ollie is a senior starting a new school where nobody knows he is gay. To make matters worse he finds out he is going to the same school as Will who has ignored his text and acts like nothing happened between them.

I loved this book. I loved the story and the writing. I loved Ollie's sense of humor. I loved the vast cast of different characters and all there story lines. It made me cry and it made me laugh. Thank you St Martin's press and Wednesday books for an ARC of this book for an honest review!

Only Mostly Devastated is the gay Grease novel that dreams are made of. Ollie meets Will during the summer and they have a blast - but their love is cut short as they both return to their lives. However, with a sick aunt, Ollie ends up staying in the same town as Will - and attending his school. The story reminded me a lot of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in the way that both boys are navigating high school with their collection of friends, one (Ollie) openly out, and the other (Will) definitively not. Music plays a central role in Ollie's life and there are lots of wonderful pop culture references that make this novel feel timely (cue: several mentions of Frozen). The central group of gal pals that Ollie hangs out with are all well developed, but I found the testosterone boy group to be less so (although I enjoyed picturing them in their basketball letter jackets in a rendition of Grease Lightning).

If you enjoy contemporary teen rom-coms, queer representation, and are always waiting for people to break out in musical numbers, you will enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

★★★✰✰ 3 stars

“It was late afternoon, on the very last Wednesday of August, when I realized Disney had been lying to me for quite some time about Happily Ever Afters.”


Only Mostly Devastated tells a cute but extremely formulaic story that is as memorable as a teen coming-of-age film (possibly of the Netflix variety). I really wanted to enjoy this but the plot is incredibly unimaginative and every single character, with the exception of Ollie and Will, struck me as being little more than stand-ins for certain issues.

Positives
✓ Sophie Gonzales' simple writing style effectively conveys Ollie's various thoughts and experiences. Rather than loosing herself in a purply metaphors Gonzales has opted for a more direct and plain prose and this first-person narrative is perhaps the most accomplished aspect of Only Mostly Devastated. Ollie hooks readers in, right from his opening lines, and keeps us entertained and engaged throughout the majority of the novel.
“Thankfully, Mom and Dad raised me to aim low, to encourage a healthy contentment in hitting par.”


Ollie's is an amusing narrator. He is fairly awkward, very sweet, and has a lovely sense of humour. He shows self-awareness and self-respect (two things that are often MIA in a YA main character). While he does use acronyms (I had to google D and M) and makes plenty of references to popular culture, these were well incorporated into the narrative (they didn't come across as just random insertions). If anything they made him into a believable teenager.
“A week later, and I was still getting lost more often than the girl in the Labyrinth movie, except I didn't even have David Bowie in tights as a reward for my efforts.”


✓ The Grease-inspired story had potential. This ‘Will isn't the same after the summer’ scenario created a good amount of tension and angst. Ollie is confused and hurt by Will's change of character (from a sweet and sensitive boy into an obnoxious class clown who doesn't want to be seen with Ollie).
✓ The relationship between Ollie and Will was well developed. While Ollie doesn't excuse Will's behaviour (“ I'm a dick because I've always been a dick around my friends wasn't really an excuse.”) he doesn't pressure him to make their summer romance public knowledge. Ollie, quite rightfully, finds it intolerable to be someone's ‘dirty secret’, yet he understands the difficult position Will is in (“No one deserves to be outed against their will.”). In spite of their disagreements and different attitudes, readers can see just how much they care for each other. They share many tender moments and I thought that their ups-and-downs were very realistic.

Negatives
✗ The storyline starts well enough but soon fell into a predictable path. We have a certain number of subplots following Ollie's friends and his aunt which were so thinly rendered as to have little impact on the overall story.
✗ Ollie's friends and his aunt seemed to exist only so that the novel could address certain hot topics. Sadly these characters were reduced to the issues they were contending with. Take Ollie's new friends: they just happen to be the three people he gets to know on the first day. One is there so the novel can include a hurried, and extremely superficial, discussion on body positivity. She has few lines and they mostly have to do with her appearance/body/diets+exercise regime...her personality was mostly non-existent. She was defined by this subject matter. Another one of his new friends (the girl who decides to nickname our protagonist Ollie-oop on the very first day...who does that?! Someone from Riverdale?) exists so the story can include an 'its okay to fail/keep trying' message. And then we have the girl who had the potential to have a more defined personality (not a good one but still) ended up being portrayed as a rather clichéd bully-with-a-heart. These three girls were poorly developed and rather unbelievable. Ollie's aunt (and her illness) seem to have been included only as an inciting plot-device...which isn't great as it is a cheap way to try to make your readers feel sorry or sympathise with Ollie (he didn't need this extra dose of sad).
✗ Ollie's parents are so unimportant as to be closer to two nebulous entities than to two human individuals. In her first appearance Ollie's mother tells him that they will be moving to a new state and he can't complain because she has a lot on her plate. Which...yeah. After that she has a few lines about 'energy' and such. Ollie's father makes his first appearance around the 40% mark and tells him off because he is stressed. After that I'm not sure he does or says anything of notice. They were like the adults in Tom and Jerry...barely in the picture.
✗ Ollie's 'old' friends disappear after one video call...clearly they had a very meaningful relationship with Ollie....
✗ Will's friends were as poorly developed as the rest...
✗ That ending was way too cheesy (even by rom-com standards).

Teens who haven't read a lot of YA might find more enjoyable than I did...for those who aren't keen on plots that rehash tired elements from high-school dramas might want to skip this one.

I loved this cute LGBTIQA+ story, centralised on Ollie, a 17yo guy who moved from his hometown to Collinswood, North Carolina for his senior year.

I loved the aspects of Grease that were retold in this contemporary coming of age story, and it is beautifully complicated and full of life- high school drama and all.

I love that it was not only just the main character that was gay, but one of the side characters identified as bisexual, and I love that kind of representation!

Rating: 4/5

(This review will feature on my blog of Feb 18, 2020!)

a grease inspired lgbtq+ book? SIGN ME UP! i'd never read anything inspired by grease before and it was so fascinating!

i loved everything about this book. i loved ollie. i really liked how juliette befriended him and took him into her circle despite not knowing each other. i loved how supportive they all were to each other.

this book covered certain topics that i'm sure the lgbtq+ folks deal with on a daily basis, and i honestly believe the way the author portrayed it was pretty well done. my heart goes out to those that are still too afraid to be themselves for whatever reason, you are still valid.

this book really pulls at your heartstrings one way or another and at some point i couldn't even see past my tears but still. i. loved. this. book.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

I have been excited about this book since I first heard about it, so needless to say, I was thrilled to pieces when I finally got my (digital) hands on a copy.

“Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease”

Um, yes please!

Ollie had an amazing summer fling with Will, but their relationship came to a natural end because Ollie was supposed to go back home at the end of the summer. But circumstances changed, and his family ends up moving to the area to support his aunt while she battles cancer. Ollie texted Will, of course, but he didn’t text back—no big deal, Ollie has enough to deal with.

But then Ollie *sees* Will at his school, and he realizes that Summer Will is a completely different boy. School Year Will is a jock, a bit of a jerk, and most definitely not out of the closet.

So Ollie is left trying to start over at a brand new school and babysitting his cousins to help his aunt. He doesn’t have time for a boy who says one thing when they’re alone, and acts completely different when they’re in public.

This was an amazing book, and I loved every minute of it. It’s sweet, and funny, and poignant. My high school years are far behind me, but I think we can all relate to having someone in our lives— whether it’s a friend or romantic partner— who sends mixed signals like Will does with Ollie.

One of the biggest themes of the book is living authentically, and while it’s not difficult to empathize with Will’s fears about revealing his preferences to his friends (and family), he doesn’t consider the impact his behavior with his friends has until Ollie points out the hypocrisy.

But of course, the readers’ sympathies are going to lie with Ollie, who serves as narrator. He is the one who has been wronged; he is the one whose cute summer boyfriend is a poster boy for “bro culture” and the toxic masculinity that accompanies it. And Ollie is just trying to be a regular kid and figure all this out, and as much as he doesn’t want to give Will another chance, it’s hard to say no.

Ollie is supported by a strong cast of secondary characters who help create a well-rounded narrative. His new friends have different personalities, and issues of their own, presenting an interesting cross-section of adolescence.

I would absolutely recommend Only Mostly Devastated. This is a story about growing up, coming to terms with who you are and what you want out of life. It’s a story of second chances, but not unconditional forgiveness. The tropes employed have been done before in YA fiction, but what sets this book apart is that the protagonists are queer, and so it *is* a new story, and it is a delightful one. I am looking forward to reading more from Gonzales in the future.



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

ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED is a delightful, sweet, and compelling story of love, identity, and grief. The comparisons of "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, inspired by Grease" are right on the money. I think it's an important book for teens to read because it gets at the heart of challenges facing high school students: first love, friendships (good and toxic), family relationships, sexuality, bullying, and grief.

After spending summer vacation at a lake in North Carolina, Ollie falls for the charming and caring Will but Will goes MIA after leaving the lake. Because of Ollie's Aunt Linda's cancer, his parents decided that they'll move to Collinswood, NC during Ollie's senior year to help his aunt and her family. On the first day of school, Ollie gets taken in by a friend clique of Juliette, Niamh, and Lara. At a back-to-school party, Ollie discovers that he and WIll go to the same school. Yet the Will as Collinswood High is not the same Will from the summer where he is popular, a class clown, and allows his basketball team friends get away with saying homophobic comments. Ollie is understandably hurt and doesn't understand how this is the guy he fell for over the summer. Throughout the school year, Ollie and Will keep orbiting one another and both struggle with what their new relationship - if it's even possible - will be.

Ollie is a complex protagonist; he's incredibly witty, helpful, and is also dealing with two sets of heartache: Will and his aunt's cancer. I thought Gonzales did an excellent job of how Ollie tries to cope with his love interest being a jerk around his jock friends, supporting his family by watching his little cousins, witnessing Aunt Linda's decline, and trying to navigate a new school and social ecosystem. Many readers will be able to connect with Ollie: his disappointment in a person he cared about and respected, the fear and anger over a family member's illness, and the uncertainty of what comes after high school. Ollie and Will also learn throughout the course of the novel that love isn't just about grand gestures but about the small moments of hearing your partner and recognizing their needs and feelings matter just as much as your own.

In many ways, ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED takes on problematic themes found in Grease and makes impactful corrections for a 2020s audience. Characters confront issues on toxic masculinity, homophobia, unhealthy/problematic friendships, and bullying. ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED is hilarious, heartfelt, and honest and will be a great addition to any high school library's shelves.

3.5 stars

alright pals, time for another review of another cute ya rom-com that i really enjoyed! i feel like it's impossible not to enjoy a book that's marketed as "love, simon meets clueless in a queer spinoff of grease". i mean, if this book wasn't meant for me, i'm not sure what book is.

meet oli, a boy who fell in love at the lake with will the summer before their senior year. what was supposed to be a summer fling becomes complicated when oli's aunt gets sick and his family decides to stay in north carolina for the year. but then will won't talk to oli at school -- even pretends he doesn't know him. cue grease-style DRAMA.

the plot of this book was fab. we had some great main characters with issues relevant to coming out in high school and insecurity and small town mindedness regarding homosexuality. plus we had some fun, sassy side characters, and the emotional family side plot mixed in with the budding romance. it's a good time, let me tell you.

what i didn't love was oli's inner monologue narration style. it just felt a little too... juvenile? stream-of-consciousness? i feel like the author could have easily removed some of the unnecessary internal banter, as it slowed the pacing of the book down at times.

overall, a quick fun read!

thanks to netgalley and wednesday books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales explores the real-life complications of high school relationships, which become even more complicated when you are the new openly gay student and have a relationship with a guy who has not come out yet. This isn’t your preachy, in your face “let love reign” type of book. Gonzales explores family dynamics, friendships, and being the new kid all at once. Her characters include a mix of races without feeling forced or too contrived; it is natural. She weaves several story lines seamlessly without making the reader feel overwhelmed with extra characters. You truly care about each one. The take away: have patience and faith in your family and friends. Sometimes we think the worst because of where we are coming from, but if we take time to understand others’ points of view, we will find we are all human and simply want to be accepted for who we are. This is a read we all need. #OnlyMostlyDevastated #NetGalley Published: March 3, 2020

I went into this book with no idea what to expect (other than that it was LGBT+ and would follow the roundabout storyline of Grease), and WOW.

I read this in under twenty four hours, and Sophie Gonzales’ writing blew me away. The story follows Ollie, a seventeen year old boy in high school who is uprooted to a new school following his summer romance with Will - only to find out that he will now be attending the same high school as Will, who has not yet come out to his friends and family and wants it to remain that way. I’ve never read a book like this, and I found my heart breaking for both Ollie and Will throughout. Lara’s storyline (one of the friends Ollie’s makes) and her experience of coming out before she is ready, was sensitively written and her character was one of my favourites. The subplot of family and grief was so raw and well developed; I could well imagine Ollie’s family and all of their quirks.

This novel tackled some really tough issues - love, grief, toxic masculinity and coming out to a world you fear will not accept you. I am moved by this story and I think it’s important that young people read this, to experience through literature what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes. I think this novel will have a really positive and compassionate impact.

When I first came across this book, I was excited. Another lgbtqa+ lovestory for high school studenst, what’s not to love? Because we know we need a million more of these to make up for all the time of never having stories like these. Sadly, once I got into the book, I couldn’t get IN to the book, but that isn’t to say it is a bad thing. This book is quirky and dramatic, filled with all the emotional rollercoasters expected by your every day teen, and I think that’s what happened—this book was meant for a younger crowd, and I think a younger crowd would really love this. This book tried really hard to tackle heavy topics, and I appreciated that, but I would have liked to have seen a little more depth or a little more explansion on those topics, because some things just seemed to get brushed off or not handled very well. At the end of the day, the romance and friendship is still there, and I think it could be worth the read.

Only Mostly Devastated is the current shape my heart is in after finishing this book. I laughed. I cried. I cried from laughing. I cried some more. 


“It’s okay. It’s fine. But also, it’s not okay, and that’s real. That’s real life.”


Only Mostly Devastated has been deemed a gay retelling of Grease and I definitely saw bits and pieces of the original story while Ollie and Will held their own. Only Mostly Devastated is a contemporary coming-of-age story with a diverse cast. It's messy and complicated and beautiful and full of life. My only complaint is that the book isn't longer. 

Since the book community loves to promote books by comparing books to other books, Only Mostly Devastated is the Red, White, and Royal Blue of 2020 and everyone should pick it up if they get the chance. 😌 

Also, maybe pick up Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez. It's a bit dated but it's one of my all time favorite series and Only Mostly Devastated reminded me of it. 🌈📚 

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for providing me with a review copy.*

Ya is my fav genre I didn’t know how I would feel about a male/male romance it wasn’t That bad it was more then just about Ollie and will it had a lot of other characters and there lives also all in all it was a good story

4.5 stars

Do we still call characters cinnamon rolls? Because Ollie is the epitome of one. Despite the requisite teenage sarcasm and some cynicism, he's a fiercely loyal and supportive friend, a patient and helpful big cousin/nephew, and he makes the dorkiest jokes. He stands up for those he cares about, as well as himself; clearly he believes that people deserve happiness and to be treated with respect, and it's a belief he backs up with action. Perhaps most importantly, he acknowledges and actively tries to improve his shortcomings.

In fact, all of the characters are incredibly well-written. Each member of Ollie's social circle has distinct ambitions and personality, though even the minor characters are wholly believable teenagers, representing the best, worst, and in-between aspects of their age group: gossiping, or spouting queerphobic vitriol, or talking back to teachers. We get to see some fantastic growth of individual characters and of their relationships, not just the romance, which I loved. (Also, <spoiler>as a bi girl I am SO HERE for the love interest <i>and</i> one of the best friends being bi — especially since the latter was already comfortable with her sexuality</spoiler>.)

Although I wouldn't call the plot unique (just look at the marketing: <i>Simon vs</i> and <i>Clueless</i> and <i>Grease</i>), it's engaging. It was easy not only to follow but to engage emotionally with each scene; I found myself tearing up more than once and laughing out loud more times than I could count.