The best retellings have subtle nods to the original, which enhancing other details to fit the new setting, and this story excelled at that. It gave new depth to the characters you just want to end up happy together and their gang of ambitious friends.

I loved this fast paced, funny, YA contemporary. I don't know why I waited so long to read it! The banter was witty, there were references to pop culture (but it wasn't overloaded), and the friendships were front and center.

This book also touched on some serious topics as well - coming out, biases, homophobia, and PCOS. It handled all of these with great class!

All the romances were swoon-worthy and so adorable!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will forever kick myself in the butt for not reading this sooner OMG!! I loved this book so much and everything it stood for. This was the first time I’ve read a book that showed a character with PCOS and that’s so important!! I could relate to these characters and see myself in them in the stages of my teenage days and my current young adult self.

This is such a fun summertime read! If you are looking for a heartwarming ya romance then this is for you. I loved the development of each character throughout this book.

A lovely meet-cute romance about the difficulties of coming out or being with a partner who is struggling to come out.

When I first saw this book, I was SO excited. As I started reading, I was not disappointed. I saw this reviewed as a queer Grease. I was HOOKED. There are not many books that can make me laugh out loud, but this book definitely did. I loved the characters. I loved the relationships. I loved the storyline. I loved the dialogue. 100% would recommend putting this in classroom libraries.

This was a very cute book, nothing really new, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need, some confort reading that it’s gay Grease, definitely, give me more.

Only Mostly Devastated is a queer take on "Grease" tackling coming out to one's friends, toxic relationships, and grief. Ollie is such a precious character as he deals with a sudden move, new friends, and a crush that goes from hot to cold. He's a bit adorkable, but I couldn't help but love how much he loves his family. There was plenty of awkardness and vulnerability which was endearing. But at the same time, there's discussions of toxic masculinity, family sickness, homophobia, and not being queer publicly.

I looooooved this! It was so much fun and had so much heart I could not put it down.

I loved how the author slowly gave us short glimpses of the summer Will and Ollie had so that we could fully understand Ollie’s heartbreak and the depth of his feelings. They are so dang cute and sweet but so real at the same time? I feel like the angst and confusion that comes with being a teenager and not knowing where you stand with someone you really like or the awkwardness that comes with making new friends and being a fish out of water was done in such a relatable way that I immediately felt connected to the story. While I can’t speak to the representation, I felt like the author really captured the feelings that come with being out, being closeted, or just being confused with all of it. Not only that, but we also get representation from other sexualities and even different ethnic backgrounds.

It had all the makings of a fun YA contemporary, full of drama, sports, romance, friends, but also covered death and grief in a way that was so deep and emotional. The inner turmoil Ollie goes through had so much depth and was so emotional I definitely choked up a few times reading this. At the same time though, it had so much charm and humor it was a pleasure to read from start to finish.

Only Mostly Devastated is an entertaining, emotional rollercoaster ride of a read exploring issues such as coming out, homophobia, fat shaming, bi-phobia, friendship, first love, self-love/confidence, health issues, prejudices, family, and serious illness with skill, sensitivity, and creativity. Using first person narration and alternating between the present and flashbacks to the summer when Ollie and Will first meet, Ollie tells the story of the ups and downs of his first foray into love. The novel features diverse characters— both primary and secondary— including a plus size young woman, one gay character, two bisexual characters, and two Latino leads, and the potential for an interracial relationship, all of which is in itself refreshing, but they are also well developed and not stereotypical.

Via flashback we learn that Ollie met Will over a summer his family spent in North Carolina to be closer to his aunt who is ill. Ollie helped by babysitting his cousins. In the present, his parents drop the bombshell that they are going to temporarily be relocating to the area to be closer to his mom’s sister for the indeterminate future. Ollie is not at all thrilled to be moving away from his friends and school, even to be closer to Will, especially since he suddenly stopped answering his phone calls with no explanation. To make matters worse, the Will he encounters at a party and his new high school is a completely different person – someone he cannot imagine giving his heart to at all. Luckily, Ollie does begin to make friends and settle into life at school.

For a teenager, Ollie is a mature, fairly self-confident, person who accepts himself and as such is “Out” at his old school and to his family. However, he’s not necessarily going to shout it to the rooftops in this new environment, especially with Will’s jock friends being jerks and making jokes all the time and Will passively either joining in or letting them slide. But all the sudden, after ghosting him at the end of the summer with no explanation, dissing him at the party and at school, Will suddenly starts being everywhere Ollie is – like signing up for music appreciation –and trying to convince Ollie that he wants to be in his life again. But it must be a secret. After all, Will’s firmly in the closet. Over time, after struggling to balance his yearning for Will with looking out for his own needs and self-respect, Ollie learns to see both sides of the situation and to see the world from other viewpoints beside his own, not just for his situation, but for his new friends and relationships as well. Maybe the reasons why Will is in the closet and acts so hot and cold are more complicated than Ollie first believed. Seeing Will and their relationship in a different light and along with some other occurrences in his life he discovers life is too short for wasting time. Love requires comprise and the courage and willingness to take chances especially when you are in a relationship with someone who may not yet know who they are or is afraid to be who they are for whatever reason.

Gonzales’ writing style is wonderful with lively description that draws you right into the story, with a diverse cast of characters that is descriptive but concise and flows from scene to scene bringing the characters and story to life, drawing you into the story and into the characters’ hearts and minds. The storytelling gives you this feeling, even though the story is told only through Ollie’s first person POV, alternating between the present and flashbacks to the time that he spent together with Will during the summer. While this is an interesting way of telling the story, it would have given readers more insight into their relationship to see more of the moments with them together. At times bittersweet, snarky, humorous, relatable, introspective, sad, and sweetly romantic, Only Mostly Devastated is an emotional, charming, and enjoyable teen/YA read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this modern take on Grease, complete with summer loving, a group of Pink Ladies updated to rose gold status worthy of the Gen Z set, and enriched with a heart of depth and realness that is sometimes lacking in contemporary YA. I loved the way Sophie Gonzales flashbacked to the development of Will and Ollie's relationship bit by bit so that it took time for the reader to fully grasp Ollie's heartbreak and the sense of betrayal he felt - all while also experiencing his fish out of water status, as well as coming to grips with the turmoil happening within his family. I also feel like I really got to know the main group of characters beyond surface details, without it detracting from the main plot or taking up too much of the word count. The story feels complete yet succinct; I got my fill of the world but would have gladly gobbled up more. I look forward to reading more from Sophie Gonzales and Only Mostly Devastated is a great jump start to my summer reading! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.

This was an incredible reimagining that brought life to a story we know so well. Although it was a bit hard to like Will because the story started once they were back at school and he was being a jerk, the story was crafted well and will be a fun one to provide for students.

When I saw this book advertised at a LGBT Grease I was like, SIGN ME UP!! I liked this book so much!
I loved that this book is LGBT, I think that is was represented very well, being closeted, being out, being confused all of it written so perfectly. I loved Will and Ollie. I was rooting for them through the entire book!
This book is so adorable, you will fall in love with the characters and the themes are so relatable! I highly recommend this one!
Thanks netgalley for the arc!

this was such a fun retelling of grease! it was a quick read for me that had all sorts of high school life that I enjoyed reading about! Ollie and Will were so fun and i cannot wait for more of their story.

Really cute YA - inspired (but not a retelling) of Grease.

I loved Ollie (and Will) and could understand why they were in the predicament they were in. Ollie was the kindest character and I loved the family support he had and the way he stood up for others.

This book had all the high school you could want - friends, drama, sports, music class, school dances... It was entertaining and engaging. A book that will leave you smiling at the end.

“Only Mostly Devastated” by Sophie Gonzales was a super cute “boy meets boy spin on Grease”. Would I call this a Grease retelling or reimagining? No, and I really liked that the author did not try to retell Grease. She really made this story her own.
This novel had such diverse characters which I really love. The characters were developed. It had some funny moments but also some very deep moments as well. I felt so bad for Ollie at times. I loved the writing style. The story was realistic. Overall, it was simply beautiful, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Throughout June, GeekMom will be celebrating Pride Month with lots of LGBTQ content. Follow the Pride Month tag to find all the content in one space and keep checking back for more throughout the month. Today’s book review is Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzalez, an LGBTQ and bi-racial reimagining of Grease told in present-day North Carolina.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links.

Ollie has spent his summer staying at the lake with his family and helping to support his Aunt Linda who is fighting cancer. In between regular sessions babysitting his young cousins, Ollie met and fell in love with a local latinx boy named Will and the two had a brief but passionate relationship, agreeing to keep in touch when Ollie moved back to California at the end of the summer. However, when Linda’s health takes a downturn, Ollie’s parents realize they need to stay put for a year or so and move the family to the nearby town, enrolling Ollie in the local high school for his senior year. At first, Ollie has mixed feelings. Of course, he is devastated at having to leave behind his friends and his band for senior year, but this could mean he gets to keep on seeing Will. However, Will has stopped replying to his messages and he soon feels more alone than ever.

On his first day at school, Ollie meets Juliette who introduces him to her small clique of girlfriends including Niamh and the acerbic Lara, but it isn’t until that evening that Ollie realizes that he is now attending the same school as Will. However, this Will is very different from the one he spent summer with at the lake. A star basketball player, Will is cocky to the point of arrogance, something of a class clown, and still firmly in the closet. As Ollie tries to settle into his new life he has to deal with his ever-changing feelings for Will, helping his new friends navigate their own relationship dramas, and with the constantly declining health of his aunt.

Only Mostly Devastated was a cute story but not the best LGBTQ romance that I’ve read recently. While Ollie and his family were fairly well-developed, I simply never grew to like Will all that much. It was hard to see him as much more than a pretty face because he was rarely given the opportunity to be more than that. The one scene where we really got to see the personality behind the face and discover his dreams was one of my favorite parts of the book and I had hoped for more like it, but it just never happened.

I also felt that there was a lot of build-up toward consequences that never came to pass. Most of the tension in the story came from Will’s fears about being outed in his community—both from the reaction he would receive from his conservative family and from the rest of the basketball team—however, these fears simply petered out without any real impact to the story, which felt rather unbelievable given the location of the book.

Ollie’s friendship with the book’s version of the Pink Ladies (in this telling, they all wear rose gold rose-shaped necklaces rather than bubblegum pink jackets) is one of the book’s highlights, particularly his unlikely friendship with Lara, who quickly becomes one of the most interesting characters and has some of the most obvious growth as the story progresses. Sadly, there are no musical numbers—difficult to achieve in novel form admittedly—and Will’s relationship with the basketball team who stand in for the T-Birds is explored even less than in the movies. In all honestly, I’m not sure I would have noticed the Grease link if it hadn’t been pointed out to me.

Only Mostly Devastated will be a fun, summer read, but don’t go in hoping for too much depth from this one.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

I think I need a disclaimer here to say that I loveee Broadway musicals, especially Grease. So when I read that this is a reimagined Grease with an LGBTQ+ romance, I was sold. What I didn't expect was how much family this story would have. It was so great to see so much of our characters' personal lives and also family life, and how both played an essential role in the story. The only thing that threw me off sometimes was what timeline we were at (present or past), but I quickly figured it out.

This was such a cute read!! Grease but gay? exactly what I needed! The story was engaging & i loved the characters

The publisher distription says this is a updated gay version of Grease and it is in a way, but the problem I always had with Grease is that the girl had to change to get the guy, which I always thought was wrong.

The good news is that no one has to change to find love in this book.

Ollie has fallen for a summer love, but the boy doesn’t want to reciprocate because he isn’t out, and so Ollie has to tiptoe around Will and his friends because he doens’t want to out him. Problem is, he is still in love with him, so he can’t just pretend that nothing is going on there.

It is a very pleasant but trusting romance, with a dying aunt thrown into the mix.

I liked how people were not black and white, so to speak, even if Will thinks they are.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.