So, the premise of this book is what sold me so I definitely had some expectations with this book. Unfortunately, some parts did fall flat for me.

Miel’s debut follows a former popular band of four former friends; Steph, Gina, Celeste and Eva. They haven’t been around each other in a few years and, due to a powerful storm that has rocked their town, they are getting back together for a charity concert for one night only. They’ll have to face their issues head on.

For one thing, the four different POVs really messed with my head. It was hard to keep up with sometimes, especially when the dates were all over the place. There were flashbacks and present day chapters mixed in together, so it didn’t really follow an order. The only thing that was easy to keep up with were the Tumblr posts and chats, which I liked that aspect. I liked the fact that Eva, while without the band, was still a part of it with an alter online ego. It sounds like something I would do.

Speaking of characters, they were interesting. I’m not sure if I had a favorite, to be honest. All four of them had their flaws, but I think I related more to Steph personality-wise. Steph is nonbinary and goes by they/them/their pronouns. Though, that isn’t why I relate to them. What I related to was their desire to take care of their family and put their family first above everything else. It’s a strength, but it’s also a weakness. Steph has dreams they want to achieve, but it’s hard for them to put themselves first before their family. They have a grandmother that has had a stroke, so they worry constantly about her. Their brother is a teen father and they worry about him and his little family staying comfortable. I can relate to that because I have a big tendency to putting my family first before my own needs so it’s hard for me to want to be selfish and do things for myself.

The other characters were just not enough to capture me. I thought Celeste focused too much on Eva and, to be honest, kind of pushed the idea of the two of them even if she didn’t really realize it. Eva also held too much hate about the band breaking up, even though she hid behind a computer to stay close to the band with other fans. Gina just seemed bland. I didn’t understand who she was supposed to be or what she really wanted. She was all over the place. Bottom line, Steph had more personality and growth than the other characters, in my opinion. The others, I didn’t find any connection. And, to echo other reviews I have seen, I didn’t see the friendship aspect. What’s their connection besides a band that won awards and has fans? What lies underneath the band that forms that friendship, if anything at all?

I think this book did have potential with the premise, but for me personally, it was hard to keep my attention and I kept getting lost with the POVs to the point where I had to reread the summary to remind myself what I was supposed to be reading. I expected something different and, to be fair, some parts of the story were well written and played out. However, it didn’t wow me enough. I do think Miel has the potential to be a full fledged writer and I hope she continues penning stories in the future. I would just focus more on depth and character growth, you know?

It took me a while to get into this book because it felt a little slow and confusing at first, but I’m glad I pushed through. It Goes Like This is one of the best queer YA books I’ve read so far!

I really had a great time exploring Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph’s journeys as individuals and as a group of friends. This book is completely-character driven and I really loved reading about them! I think this is the first book I’ve read that features a queer group of friends. Celeste and Eva are both lesbians, Gina is bisexual, while Steph is non-binary pansexual. 🏳‍🌈

It Goes Like This follows four queer teens who used to be in the pop band Moonlight Overthrow. After years of falling out and breaking up, they found themselves reuniting for a fundraising concert for their hometown.

The book alternates between the past and the present timelines, as well as the perspective of the four characters. It was confusing at first, but once I figured out the flow it became easier to read. I love that the book gave importance to the four, especially how they complement and contrast each other’s personalities.

Celeste and Gina rose more into the spotlight. Celeste became a solo singer, while Gina pursued acting. Eva started writing more songs and a secret Moonlight Overthrow fangirl on Tumblr. Steph completely stepped out of the spotlight and focused on their family. I think out of the four, I connected quickly with Steph because we’re both eldest siblings. I could relate to their experiences and struggles and it hit too close to home.

While the book spent a big chunk with Celeste and Eva’s angst and mutual pining for each other, the biggest highlight was truly their friendship. Moonlight Overthrow breaking up gave each a safe space to grow and figure out their footing on their own. They were all better versions when they got back together and this time everything was on their own terms.

The four grew more mature and more confident in their own ways, with the help of each other’s support as the story progressed. I particularly enjoyed this theme! In this house, friends support friends no matter what. What I did wish was a more solid backstory on their friendship when they were still in the band.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the whole second chances theme. Celeste and Eva had another chance to pursue their relationship. Gina and Steph both decided to take another chance in music. The four of them had a second chance to be friends again, not as Moonlight Overthrow but just as Celeste, Eva, Gina, and Steph.

I just really had fun reading this book and how it depicted friendship and family for each of the characters. It was a heartwarming coming-of-age story for each and I definitely enjoyed every second I spent with them.

It’s a hard feat to write different perspectives in one book and I think Miel Moreland was able to nail it properly. The characters were all fully fleshed and were each given depth and rich backstories enough to root for them.

It Goes Like This is a perfect read for Pride Month! The book is a great tribute to friendship, romance, second chances, and finding oneself. Most importantly, it is unapologetically queer!

I definitely recommend this one!

There’s a part of me when I started reading It Goes Like This that thought, yeah, this isn’t going to be for me because I’m not sure I’m going to care enough about four spoiled teenage popstars, complaining about spoiled teenage popstar type things. But, unless a book is offensive in some way, I have a hard anti-DNF rule, as in I’ll always finish the book, whether I’m enjoying it or not, so, I pressed on.

Then, a funny thing happened; I got to know Eva…but more on that in a bit.

It Goes Like This from Miel Moreland, her YA debut, is as the summary states, a mixed-media story about friendship, family, love, loss, and the entertainment business. It takes the point of view of four characters, Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph who went from childhood friends, to popstars, to more than friends, to broken-up, to solo-success, to reforming, all before the legal drinking age.

We pick up the story after the group has disbanded, but with occasional flashbacks, begin to piece together the past handful of years. Eva stayed in Los Angeles doing her thing (we’ll get to that), Celeste has a huge solo act going, Gina’s career as an actor is on the verge of exploding, and Steph moved back home to be with their family, choosing no spotlight at all. They’ve stopped communicating as a group, with Celeste and Gina the only ones having kept in touch, but even that is sometimes staged. But, Mother Nature has other ideas and after a storm wreaks havoc in their hometown, the wheels begin to turn and a reunion, while complicated, finally seems possible. For the Moonlight Overthrow fans, when the rumors turn into maybes and the maybes turn into realities, well, que the squeeing, tears of joy, and head explosions, all in emoji form of course.

OMG!!! Could it finally be happening!?!?! #MO #moonlightoverthrow #reunion #Eva #benefitconcert

There is absolutely zero water under the bridge at this point, especially for Eva, who was the one hit hardest by the unceremonious breakup. So, performing on stage is the least of their worries, simply being together in the same room might prove to be the biggest challenge facing Moonlight Overthrow. This part of the book is everything you’d expect it be, awkward, painful, searing, as the wounds are still fresh and Eva coming in hot.

With the other three at least willing to meet, the success or failure of this reunion hinges on Eva, and I think even her friends are disarmed by how much resentment she still has, which is totally justified in my opinion. Whether or not this can actually happen, and in a short amount of time, takes up most of the second and third acts, and while the ending isn’t much of a surprise, how they get there just might be.

An important part of this book, and really the beating heart of it, looks at fandom, the good, the bad, and the ugly, but I will say mostly the good. Miel steers clear of any really nasty stuff, with surface level gossip and “who wore what at what party” being the worst of the worst.

We’re connected in ways that are almost inexplicable and don’t allow for people, things, bands, to simply just go away, and a rabid fan base can keep careers alive long after they were put to bed. I’m old and shitty so I had to rediscover that muscle memory about what it meant to be a hyper-fan of something. And although I was never accused of being fanatical, I have put my heart and soul into many things over the years. So, once I rediscovered that sense of community, it was easy to dial in and get some perspective, and once you’ve gained that, empathy should never be too far behind. And that’s the name of game here, you have to care about these four and Miel does everything she can to make just that happen. Does she succeed? Mostly.

A lot of what goes on won’t make sense necessarily, as it’s kind of a whirlwind of timelines, rapid POV switching and unnecessary family drama. All are meant to set up an ending that I suspect will please a large percentage of the readers but satisfy non if they were to give it some thought. We really don’t get to see the group at their best in the past so; do we really want them to get back together if all we’re exposed to is pain? At this point, we’d welcome any reunion if it meant putting a hold on the infighting, the bitterness, and the resentment, so is this really the reunion we want? Or did Miel do such a great job of establishing them as individuals that having them concede a reunion in the first place is perhaps not the best ending imaginable?

The answer is yes and no, but that’s where I think we have to factor in the mixed media aspect of this story, taking into account the fans overwhelmingly positive opinion of the group, and what Moonlight Overthrow means to an awful lot of people. Perception is everything in this business and is something that comes up time and time again this story. What appears to be isn’t necessarily what is, so a big part of this reunion for the group is controlling their own narrative and self-image, perhaps for the first time in their careers.

It’s this sit back and enjoy the ride approach that definitely works well for Miel, and is made considerably more palatable thanks to Eva, the de-facto main character and anchor of this book. It starts and ends with her as we get most of the bands tumultuous days through her eyes. The reason for that is she was the one most hurt (and surprised) by the bands break-up which was doubly hard for her because it also meant the end of her romantic relationship with Celeste. For Celeste, a clean break from all of it was needed as she was looking to forge her own path, her own identity away from Moonlight Overthrow.

Post break-up, Eva struggled to find her footing feeling both the pain of her losing her band, but also the heartbreak over losing her first love. In between crying on the floor underneath her grand piano, Eva writes songs for others, spends time with fans online under an assumed name, and makes the important decision to go to school. This would prove fateful because one day at school, during a particularly vulnerable moment in a stairwell, she met Lydia, a no-nonsense student who asked Eva to straighten her back and be the best version she can be. They form a tight bond and Lydia fills a hole in Eva’s life at a delicate moment in time that no money in the world could buy.

So, between school, Lydia, writing songs, and masquerading online, Eva bravely carves out an existence for herself. Man I loved this version of Eva, bent but not broken, still nursing a broken heart but using that pain to find a different way, a better way. And as I’ve said, so much of this book, the in-universe appeal, is from the fans perspective, and Eva is that bridge, making her POV not only vital, but incredibly practical from a writing standpoint. It’s through her we meet a fan on Tumblr called “Kaystar” who in a lot of ways is the soul of this story and represents a side of fandom we forget exists sometimes, a healthy love and respect for the artists and their work. It’s through their passion that the reunion is not only possible, but that Eva has also found a new perspective for herself.

The downside of stannig Eva that hard, is that a lot of her part of the story concerning redemption, forgiveness, and reclamation, comes up a little short. I won’t lie to you and say the ending was entirely pleasing, in fact, I think it derails all the good/great work Miel put in up to that point with that character. I can’t specifically say why or what I think should have happened because that would be spoilery, and much more importantly, this isn’t my book, nor my story to tell. But let’s just say happy endings all around are on the menu for the #MO fans.

It doesn’t matter what I think or how the book should’ve ended, it only matters that Miel got to tell the story she wanted to tell, and it is a good one. And also, this is a subjective criticism not a mechanical one, although I could argue she abandons something important in the end, but that’s for another day. And yes, it occurs to me that with my affinity towards Eva that I’m behaving like one of the #MO fans on Tumblr who has their favorite, and anything less than an ideal outcome isn’t a favorable one. I can only offer this concession humbly and with a tip of the hat to Miel who clearly roped me in with strong character work and good writing.

The bottom line is It Goes Like This is a nice bit of representation with a mixed media overlay, together making this book a fun read that should leave most anyone with a general sense of euphoria, and who doesn’t need more of that?

An amazing queer book about an unstoppable girl group getting back together after two years to save their destroyed hometown.

Such a lovely read. The different perspectives and timelines were difficult to follow at times and I find, it definitely slowed down the novel at times. Still, this was a lot of fun and I’d definitely recommend.

I am sorry, I am too busy wanting the band in this book to actually materialize in real life so I can stream them on loop, cry and be happy and satisfied in my life. Pls make this possible someone :’ But amazing thing? I was successfully almost able to give them varied in real life personas which are safely tucked inside my head and heart ❤ And this tells me that it is time that I move on quickly otherwise this review will be about my OT4 (guess who hehehe).

Can we please take a moment and she admire the cover? It’s sooo freaking beautiful I don’t know how can someone not be totally mesmerized by it! When I was reading the book, countless times to keep my tears at bay, I watched the cover only to feel teary eyed again. Why? Because this book screams honesty. And not only honesty, literally every other thing that is a combination of happy and sad. My heart ached so mucchh for the main characters, I cannot even begin to describe it. The story is about love, friendship, second chances, fandom, pop culture and first love. I mean… this kinda gives a picture how touchy the book would be.

I guess one of the main reasons I was able to connect with story and the characters so much was because they were written with honesty. The writing style especially was the one that touched me the most and it amazed my how the multiple POVs between OT4 kept me going, finding knew things about each of them and at the same time connect myself to their journey. Another thing could be the fact that I understand being a part of fandom and the as the book was also filled with twitter threads… It just – ugh it honestly made me saddddd to a next level. The story was filled with character development and making us understand what had caused the group and friendships to disband and it gave me mix feelings. I liked how they had spent their time together, I loved how much far they had come but at the same time I was disappointed in one too many aspects – the troubles they had to face to reach where they were. It has been mentioned in the content warning, but when I read their accounts about the hate and assumptions they had to go through daily – questioning their validity and themselves, it tore at my heart beautifully. My precious band members never deserved the hate but they still received it.

I cannot choose a bias out of the four, they all were soo damn amazing! I was eagerly waiting for everyone’s perspective and see where the story was headed. I rooted for Eva and Celeste with all my heart and it was truly satisfying but a bit heart wrenching sometimes to read their story. But oh my I loved this book SO FREAKING MUCH! ❤

This book follows four difference point-of-view from characters of a former band. Back in the day these four best friends were a hit, they had two albums, and two tours, and then it all ended. We follow them as their worlds are coming back together. Eva is a college student who has still been working in music behind the scenes writing for others to sing. Celeste went solo after the break up of the band and is killing it. Gina opted to go into acting, has landed some wonderful roles and won awards. Steph opted to return home and help her family but now a huge storm has hit her town and someone has asked them to reunite as their band to perform at a benefit show.

This is a Sapphic tale of relationships, friendship, understanding, and heartbreak, but also of love. As mentioned, we get all four POVs which makes for a very interesting view into how things happened between these characters before and during the break up and then the rekindling of their friendship afterward. The characters all have varying personalities in addition to the story having LGBTQ+, there are also diverse characters - it was so refreshing.

The story is interestingly told from a fractured timeline, so you get a few chapters of the current followed by a one off of the past or a few depending on the drama the book wants to dive into. It feels flashback-esq, and makes for an amazing story. I loved all of these characters, and adored the love story and the rekindling of a lost friendship. The musical landscape was very interesting and such a good way to allow all the characters to be different but all want to come together again for a good cause.

This was such a quick read for me, I absolutely adored it and might read it again. I think that teen readers will really like this one, it has a lot of both teenage and love drama, and is awkward and realistic while also being a bit over the top since they are all famous. I would love to see another installment following them past this point.

such a wholesome and cute story of a queer teen band piecing itself back together and finding themselves along the way! it balances sweet and emotional moments along with a second chance romance. a fun read about fandoms, rekindling old friendships, pop culture, found family and sapphics.

First things first: I loved this book SO SO MUCH!!! It is so queer and musical and amazing. There are so many different identities represented - lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, Black, Jewish - it was such a pleasure to see so many identities represented and in intersectional ways. Also such a joy to see teens/young adults with these identities have the full support and love of their loved ones.

Moonlight Overthrow, a queer pop band, broke up nearly two years ago, and bandmates Eva, Celeste, Steph, and Gina haven't been in touch much since. But when a natural disaster in their hometown provides an opportunity for a reunion benefit concert, old friendships and romantic feelings are reignited.

I absolutely loved everything about this book and I need more from Miel Moreland - about MO or otherwise!

'Til the moon crashes into the sea <3

It Goes Like This follows four queer teens as they reunite their band for a benefit concert in their hometown, bringing up past emotions and drama at the same time.

This book is filled with so many different representations within the characters! There are various sexualities - including bi, pan, lesbian - as well as a non-binary character, a black character and a Jewish character (all of which are main characters!). It was great to see the different representations throughout this book and that it shaped the characters. The characters all have great backstories to them and their reasons behind why they are where they are now and we get to learn that through multiple POVs and flashback scenes which I think all helped bring the plot line forward and made the book a lot more than if it was just one POV. It was filled with great and real friendships and emotions but also the drama and heartbreak that can go along with losing a friend or partner. I really liked the idea of reuniting for a benefit concert for their hometown, I think that was a great way to bring these characters back together. The one thing I didn't like as much was the writing in spots. It wasn't always the best and some things did feel glossed over or resolved too quickly for it to be realistic.

Overall, I did enjoy it!

Really loved this queer pop band YA novel!

YAY for LGBTQ+ rep done well, with four diverse and well developed characters. The book is told in their different POV, and each voice is well laid out- made unique with their own wants and desires. The core of this book is their friendship- deep loving relationships that go through betrayal and pain but their love for each other stayed constant.

Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph are all unique and engaging characters, but I especially loved the relationship of Eva and Celeste- couple goals for me! Now, I've never been that into music or bands, but the story was interesting, and I liked seeing the band from the outside perspective through tumbler posts of the fans of the band. It gave light that what the world sees is never the full story, and it grounded the book for me.

Loved this book, and I'll definetly be watching this author from now on!

Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc.

***ARC Review***

3 things I loved:
* Everything about Steph’s story (theirs was the only story I really liked).
* The concept of a super-popular queer pop band.
* The song lyrics written into the story.

1 thing I didn’t:
* The conflict resolution was super rushed and didn’t make all that much sense.

Other thoughts:
If I wanted to read about celebrity drama (which I never do) I would’ve turned to the internet or a gossip magazine, not a fiction book.

*An interview with the author will be published on 13th June. Links to be added.

I don't quite have words for how special this story felt. From its lovable characters with their achingly real feelings to the moving and interesting plot full of lessons readers will be able to apply to their own lives; I loved each and every word of it. Miel Moreland has created an instant new favourite of mine, and I'm truly obsessed.

The moment I saw "book completed", I already had the urge to reread it. This was extraordinary, and there's no other way to describe it.

It Goes Like This follows a broken up queer band as they reunite for a charity concert in their hometown. But Moonlight Overthrow, formerly known as the legendary teenage queer girl group, is going to have to make some changes. For one thing, one member Steph has come out as non-binary. For another, Celeste and Eva, two of the bands other members, had a bad breakup, leaving tension throughout the band. Each of the former members have moved on in the two years since they broke up, pursuing the careers of acting (Gina), song writing (Eva), solo singing (Celeste), and taking care of their family (Steph).

You will fall in love with these characters. They're each earnest, passionate, bright lights who form cosmos when they work together. The biggest standout of this cast is Steph, the nonbinary teen who decided to stay home and take care of their family after the bands breakup. Steph had already been financially supporting their family with their Moonlight Overthrow income, and when they return home they support their sick grandmother, pregnant sister, and lost brother.

I am a bit disappointed in the character depth the character provides for each character. Covering a story from 4 POV's is definitely tough work, which is why I think so many different narratives work much better in series, when there's far more opportunities to show character depth due to book length. However, I think the author did a great job for the limitations they were given.

This was a super fun, light read. I highly recommend this to anybody who loves books about fame, fan culture, sapphic romance, and the reconciliation of of old friends.

This was an amazing read and really touched me because I have been part of different fandoms since I was 10 and discovered Harry Potter. Miel Moreland really captured the feelings of fandom and it was great to see it through the eyes of the artists. I absolutely recommend this book.

If there’s something I absolutely LOVE reading about in books – it’s music. It’s a beautiful combination of two of my passions. The synopsis of It Goes Like This set it up to be an absolutely lovely read.

Plot:

I love the idea of a girl band falling apart and then coming back together to for an epic cause. With all of the band mates off on their own adventures after the split, it was interesting to see them explore the dynamics of the group when they came back together.

Characters:

We get the story from four perspectives – one for each of the band members. I think it was important to be able to see things through all of their different eyes and really allowed us to be able to experience their thoughts and struggles in a more authentic way.

Gina has left the band to pursue a career in acting, but it doesn’t seem to be all that she hoped it would be. Gina is a force to be reckoned with. Eva is attending college and learning how to live a normal life while still writing amazing music for other artists. She seems to be a bit more tenderhearted and I loved her obvious connection to the music. Celeste is the only one still in the music game, going on tour and writing all her songs about her recent heartbreak. And Steph is coming to terms with their sexuality and handling complex family issues back at home, trying to live completely out of the business. As you can imagine, when they all come back together, old suppressed tensions rise back to the surface.

Writing:

There were many portions of this book that I struggled to get through. Not because I thought it was boring, but because I found myself getting lost or confused and having to reread sentences to make them make sense. In the end, they did ~technically~ make sense, but it didn’t feel like they flowed well. I also found some of the scenarios and dialogue felt unrealistic and I couldn’t understand why the band handled the break up the way that they did. It made me kind of angry.

What I did love was the inclusivity, acceptance, self love, familial love, and romantic relationships. I enjoyed the way the music was written and used as a story telling device. I liked that there was real growth and development for the band mates and that at the end, everything resolved the way it needed to.

Overall:

All in all, this was a pretty good book. I probably wouldn’t re-read it and I wasn’t over the moon in love with it, but I definitely do think there is an audience for the story and could see myself recommending it to someone else.

A delightful story of friendship, fandom, first love and second chances, It Goes Like This is an instant new favourite. Miel Moreland has expertly captured the true essence of being a fan – the excitement, the community and the love – to craft a book that feels like a warm hug, all while exploring complicated relationships, the consequences of our actions and the power of love in all its forms.

I was sold on It Goes Like This from the premise alone – who wouldn’t want to read about a queer pop group forced to reunite and confront their complicated feelings? – and I’m so happy that it not only lived up to my expectations but far exceeded them. I didn’t expect to fall so completely head over heels for these characters and their story but the love they all have for each other was so strong that it just made it impossible not to love them all too.

Unsurprisingly, I found the characters to be the strong point of this novel. Being able to read from each of their perspectives helped me root for them all and really understand and empathise with them and their decisions. They each had such a distinct voice and there wasn’t a single time I was disappointed to see who was narrating the next chapter, as is often the case in multi POV novels. The relationships in this book, both between individuals and as a group, were fantastic. Miel Moreland did an amazing job of showing the long history of so many of these relationships, as well as their different intricacies and the role each character played. In particular, I adored seeing all four of them interact as a group and the dynamics within this, especially as we went from the tension of old friends turned strangers, to falling in love with each other again.

The relationship between Eva and Celeste was equally lovely. I really appreciated getting to see bits of their history through chapters set in the past and really understand why their relationship hadn’t worked previously. I think the author did a great job of dealing with these same issues in the present, and letting the characters find a way to work with them. Eva and Celeste were also just the absolute sweetest with each other and I really loved being able to read from the other characters’ perspectives to really appreciate the fondness and softness they had for each other. The angst and tension between the two was so fun to read (there was only one bed trope, anyone?) and the time taken to learn from their mistakes and rebuild their relationship was done perfectly to make their development realistic and believable. I also just loved their obliviousness to the other’s feelings, while Gina and Steph’s perspectives made it clear how obvious they were being, while allowing Eva and Celeste to work things out for themselves.

The different perspectives and flashbacks were placed perfectly to keep the plot moving and the story engaging, without ever getting bogged down in the past. Each of the character’s own arcs and internal conflicts played off each other really well and everything just worked so well together, as different characters and relationships developed at their own pace. I really liked the resolution of these conflicts and the way everything came together in the end, even if it’s perhaps not what you’d go into the novel expecting. I think it just suited each of the characters perfectly and really showed that they had grown up and developed, both from the start of the book and from when they first began the band.

I really appreciated the snapshots into the fandom through Tumblr posts as we saw the outside world react to whatever was happening. The fandom aspect of the book was another thing I loved and I think Miel Moreland managed to capture all of the absolute best feelings of being a fan even just in these short snippets. There was also an amazing atmosphere to Moonlight Overthrow’s performances, both in rehearsals and on stage and it really just reminded me why I love music and being a fan (and made me miss concerts, so so much). Additionally, I absolutely adored seeing Eva refer to herself as a lesbian, as well as all the other LGBTQ+ representation and exploration of how it, race and mental health fit into the music industry.

It Goes Like This is a touching story of love, friendship, second chances and fandom. With loveable characters, swoony relationships and found family, this book is pure joy and a new favourite of mine. If a sapphic YA Daisy Jones and the Six sounds good to you, then you need to pick this one up!

Rainbows and Sunshine Book Blog
May 20, 2021
So I've always loved popstars and musicians and this was about a queer band and has a sapphic romance, so need I say more?

✔Found family🎶
✔Only one bed🛏
✔Second Chance🥈
✔Friends to lovers👭
✔First love❤
✔Multiple POV🌈

I loved the strong friendship between Gina, Celeste, Steph and Eva and I'm really glad we got chapters from all 4 characters' POV. This is a second chance for their friendship and for the romance between Eva and Celeste. It was great to see each of them figure out what they want and release they'll always have each other.

Another thing I love is how the book is told in different timelines across the many years before and after the break up of the band, Moonlight Overthrow. And Eva's tumblr fan account is also amazing!

It was amazing to see on page lesbian and nonbinary labels, especially in a story that's not about coming out. This book is incredibly beautiful and a new comfort read. I loved it and I want everyone else to read it ASAP!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This book has everything. Pop stars, something that feels a little bit Hannah Montana/Disney Channel-esque, solid queer representation, and overall loveable characters. I am so happy to see an increase in positive LGBTQ+ representation!

I adore how this book is developed through different timelines, and I love that we get to see the relationships within Moonlight Overthrow progress and change and evolve.

I am thoroughly astonished that this is Miel Moreland's DEBUT novel (debut!!!), because it was so artfully crafted and carefully written out. The characters are so real, so flawed, so vulnerable, but at the same time, they are so happy and loveable and just... real. I love the pop star/musician trope, and I really am glad to have such a solid piece of young adult literature available, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

One of the best reads of 2021.

A unique story about a teen girl band break up. I found the representation awesome, the storyline interesting, and I love the music aspect. I think this is the story about second chances that we all need!

i am always, always, always hesitant when it comes to ya contemporaries, but it goes like this is exactly the queer feel-good story it’s marketed as. it follows the rise, fall, and unexpected reunion of moonlight overthrow more than a year after the band’s sudden dissolution.

eva, celeste, gina, and steph were best friends before they became moonlight overthrow, but their friendship—and eva and celeste’s relationship—ended with the band. told from all four perspectives, the story jumps back and forth in time but centers around the charity show that brings them all back to their midwestern hometown and forces them to confront the issues that tore them apart personally and professionally.

my only real complaint is the way moonlight overthrow’s online fandom was portrayed. i really wish shipping and writing fanfiction about a group of minors (they’re in MIDDLE SCHOOL when they start the band) had been addressed more critically.

while overall a little too saccharine and idealistic for my tastes (this is the music industry!! i need some proper angst, dammit), it goes like this is ultimately exactly what it’s supposed to be: a really lovely, relatable story about the inevitability of growing up and the choice to grow apart—and maybe to come back together.