Sophie and Cale are a great pair. I'm doubly impressed that Sophie illustrated the cover herself! Sometimes when reading a cowritten book you can tell where the disconnects are, but in IF THIS GETS OUT the different voices are as perfectly suited to each other as the characters themselves are. A same-sex relationship in a popular boy band is a timely and engaging topic that is sure to hook a lot of young readers. I'm very excited they have this story.

I don't pick up that many contemporary stories so I'm pretty picky about which ones I do want to read. And this one was one that spoke to me immediately. I really like the boyband aspect and I'm super interested in the psychological part behind the fame. So I loved that we got to see that darker aspect of fame in this novel. I wasn't expecting it, but it was really well done in my opinion!

It was very interesting to see all 4 boys deal with these heavy topics; drug abuse, abuse of power, emotional abuse, and dysfunctional parent-child relationships. For those parts I wished we got 4 POV's instead of just 2 but for the rest of the story it did make sense that we only got Ruben and Zach as they are the main focus of the book. It would've just been great reading some chapters from Jon and Angel's perspectives. I really like their characters and they definitely stole my heart.

Like I said, the main focus of the story is the relationship between Ruben and Zach. They start of as best friends and that slowly evolves into something more. I didn't expect it to start before the romantic relationship but I loved that we got to see that start. It was so cute!! I was rooting for them from the start and thought it was all done very realistically. There were some bumps in the road and they really had to work through those. Both Zach and Ruben had personal stuff to deal with and I just really enjoyed reading about their development. I've really come to love these boys and want all the best for them. This would make such a good tv show or movie! Highly recommend this to basically all readers haha.

I enjoyed this book immensely! The authors were able to create lovable but realistic characters that I loved. I thought the story was well executed. Usually, this concept is all cheese and fluffy (especially in fanfiction) without any problems. This book tackles the boyband coming out in a realistic but still happy way. I especially loved the harsh but accurate view of the music industry. The way that company controlled every aspect of the boys' life from their appearance to what they are allowed to say to who they are able to see. It also talks about the parasocial relationship fans have with their idols, and the true positive effects idols have on fans' lives.

The romance was believable and lovely. It definitely had the sweetness of first love and first queer romance. Both Ruben and Zach were well-devopeled characters who had their faults but tried to work through them. And lucky these characters didn't have my main pet peeve too long in romance books: miscommunication. They were able to talk things out to the best of their ability and work together to make sure their relationship survived. Also, the relationship of the 4 members in the band was great to see. I loved it when I could tell they were actually friends and not forced to be together but the company. On the other hand, their families were almost too real, with Ruben's mother hitting a bit close to home that it was hard to read. I wish there were some conclusion to that aspect with Ruben (and actually all of them) getting some well-needed therapy and confronting their issues.

Overall I loved this book and hope there will be a sequel. The only downside to this book was the ending because I thought it ended too abruptly, and I wanted to know what happened. I believe there is definitely room for a second (or more) book about Ruben and Zach and even another one about Angel and Jon.

If This Gets Out brought back so many memories of jamming out to my 90s boy bands. That was such a time of innocence for me. It was also a time that I likely really didn't fully understand what was going on within the bands or within the world. Honestly I think this nativity made me appreciate this story even more. I just wanted our two main characters to find their way through all the mess and find their happily ever after.

In If This Gets Out Ruben, Zach, Angel, and Jon are members of the popular boy band Saturday. They originally met at a summer music camp and have pretty much been at each others sides ever since. Jon's father is a famous music producer and was quick to grab a hold of the boys when he saw their talent. Ever since then he has been trying to mold them into the "perfect" boy band without any flaws - presented in exactly the right way with their clothing and personalities. Now the band is going to tour Europe and the more time they spend together, the more things start becoming more complicated and start to completely unravel. It is an eye opening experience for all the characters but in particularly Ruben and Zach who find themselves falling in love.

I adored these characters. Absolutely adored. I was rooting for them from the very first unexpected kiss. Ruben has been openly gay within his core of band members and family but has not be allowed to come out to the public. According to the record company, hid imagine within the group was to be protected and that they would know when it was the "right" time for him to come out publicly. For Zach, the feelings that he is developing for Ruben are brand new. The idea of him being attracted to men had not really crossed his mind until he shares this moment with Ruben and it is magical. Coming to terms with his feelings was a bit of a journey for Zach because he is such a people pleaser and afraid of ruining things. There is alot of growth for both of these characters and I love watching them come to terms with themselves.

I just loved this book, and by the end I had such an incredible attachment to all of the characters. Did it make me cry? Maybe. Did it make my heart swell? Absolutely.

Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are both 18 and members of Saturday, a super-popular boy band. Ruben and Zach have always been friends, but when they go on tour through Europe their friendship starts to grow into something else. They’re under a huge amount of stress, especially with how young they are. Plus their management team doesn’t seem to have their best interests at heart, at all, despite what they keep telling them. Things start to go pretty sideways and actually get extremely dangerous at one point. There are untreated mental health issues, substance abuse, manipulation and more. These guys do not have it easy. At least they have each other, no matter what.

I know this is a work of fiction but I’m willing to bet that it’s based on some true experiences or situations and that a lot of young performers may find themselves in similar situations. Despite all the hardships this was a beautifully told story with wonderful characters and if you haven’t read it yet you absolutely should.

I absolutely loved If This Gets Out. It delves into the dark side of the pop music business in a way I haven't seen. It was interesting to see the teens in Saturday deal with different issues, especially Zach and Ruben being bi and gay which was the main plot and how the music industry worsened it. I fell in love with the characters.

As a huge boy band fan, I was so so so excited to get to review an ARC of If This Gets Out.

If This Gets Out combines what it’s like to live the spotlight as a young music star with the struggle of finding and accepting your sexuality. The story revolves around Saturday, a 4-member boy band: Ruben, Zach, Angel, and Jon. Each member has their own storyline: Angel struggles with alcohol and drugs, Jon is struggling with his relationship with his father, who doubles as the band’s manager, but the main storyline is the romance between Ruben and Zach. Ruben has been out as gay in his personal life for some time, but has been forced by band management to hide his sexuality. Zach has only had girlfriends, but has had crushes on guys for some time. As the Eurpoean leg of the band’s tour progresses, Ruben and Zach, best friends, feel their relationship start to change. One night they kiss, and the two most figure out if this friendship is turning into something more. Zach knows he likes Ruban, but can he tell Ruban how he feels? If they start to see each other, will they tell the band? The world?

I loved each member of Saturday and enjoyed looking behind the curtain of life in the public eye. This was heartfelt and fun. I was fangirling over Saturday. The internal struggles of the characters felt real, and I was rooting for them all to succeed.

TW: drug/alcohol abuse, homophobia, disordered eating, forced closeting, strained relationships with parents

One of the most fun books that we've read in 2021! We love the queer and mental health representation and you would definitely enjoy this if you want a quick read.

Cover Story: Cartoon Cutesy, Boy Band Edish

As a graphic designer, the drop shadows here are KILLING ME. It looks like these are paper dolls that someone left out on the counter. And not in a good way.

The Deal:

Ruben, Zach, Angel and Jon are the four members of Saturday, the world’s biggest boy band. They’ve just finished the American leg of their world tour, and now it’s time to travel Europe to do it all over again. But getting to actually see Europe isn’t going to happen. Their days are scheduled down to the minute, and everything about their appearances and personalities are orchestrated to please their fans, sell their albums, and keep the money flowing in to their management company.

The guys are best friends off stage and on it, but they’re starting to crack under the pressure. Jon’s father is the band’s manager and pressure to please keeps Jon on edge 24/7. Angel is spending what little free time he has with a sketchy new crew and some unsavory drug habits. Ruben is gay, and he’s been told by management and record execs for years that coming out would harm Saturday’s bottom line, so he has to stay in the closet. Zach wants to write music but management keeps rejecting his attempts. Meanwhile, Zach and Ruben have caught feelings for each other, something that came as a surprise to Zach, who didn’t even realize he wasn’t straight.

As the tour continues to weigh on the members of Saturday, Zach and Ruben realize that they may never get to truly be out and together as long as they’re part of the world’s most famous boy band.

BFF Charm: Let Me Love You and Big Sister

Sweet Ruben. He’s put his whole ass identity on hold for Saturday. He’s hiding who he really is to the world, for the sake of the band. He’s super talented, but Management puts a damper on his shine to keep anyone from looking TOO closely at him. And as if it’s not enough for him to receive this treatment professionally, he’s also receiving it daily – and sometimes worse – from his mother. The ultimate stage mom, Ruben’s mother is constantly critiquing him, picking apart every performance and interview. She GOOGLES him then SENDS him negative press. RUBEN LET ME HUG YOU SWEET BB!

Meanwhile, Zach’s experience could not be further from Ruben’s. He has a supportive mom and his home life is a safe space. Sure, he wants to write songs and Management isn’t really letting him live his songwriting dream, but I got the impression that maybe Zach wasn’t a great songwriter anyway. All this to say, Zach is a BIT naive, and there were times when I wanted to bonk him on the head. No surprise that his romance with Ruben was eye-opening.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7

Despite having their every minute scheduled, Zach and Ruben have their nights to themselves…in hotels all over Europe….with minimal supervision. This leads to some exploratory evenings, though Gonzales and Dietrich stick to the fade-to-black approach when writing sexy business. But for me, the real swoon lies in the early stages, when both boys are crushing hard on each other and they’re both afraid to make the first move. I love that will-they-won’t-they build up so much that I had to deduct a point from my overall swoon score because Zach and Ruben get together a little *too* early in the story for my liking.

Talky Talk: He Said, He Said

The chapters alternate between Ruben’s and Zach’s POVs, and while I’m always a bit bad about confusing narrators in dual POV stories, it was especially difficult here, since Ruben and Zach’s day-to-day lives are almost entirely the same. That said, I thought the writing by both authors was great.

My issue with this book was less with the writing and more with the way it was pitched. This book was marketed as a secret romance between two boys in a boy band, and while that is indeed what happened here, much of Ruben and Zach’s romance took a backseat for the middle chunk of the book. This story was really more about the pressures of fame and the horrible way these boys were commodified for a group of adults – and the psychological damage that did to all of them. That isn’t better or worse than the queer secret romance story that I thought I was getting, per se, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

Bonus Factor: One Direction

In case you’re not following the internet’s biggest boy-band-related conspiracy theory, allow me to fill you in: fans love to speculate that Harry and Louis were in love when they were both members of 1D. So when word of this book hit the web, people LOST IT. But, IMO, the comparisons are pretty slim. None of the members of Saturday seemed based on members of 1D, plus Saturday only has four members! While I’m sure the harrowing schedule, controlled media presence, and life on the road are the same, that’s about the most common ground you’ll find.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups

Oh my GOD the adults in this book are horrible. Sure, some of them are to be expected. Geoff, Jon’s dad and the boys’ manager through Chorus, sees these guys as a money making machine – even his own son! – and will always do the right thing for his bottom line without any care in the world for the actual people involved. Lots of their handlers were equally shitty. But possibly the adult that got under my skin the most was Ruben’s mother – a classic stage mom who doesn’t know how to be anything but critical.

Relationship Status: Lying on Your Hinge Profile

Book, you were quite a surprise. I thought I was getting one thing, and you turned out to be completely different. I was expecting a fluffy rom-com, but you had depths I didn’t expect. You weren’t perfect, and your surprising nature sometimes felt like you were trailing off course, but you came around in the end.

This was EVERYTHING I wanted it to be and more. Boy bands, LGBTQ+ love story and lovable characters. It's a win all around!

~ARC provided through NetGalley~

This was a very sweet young/new-ish adult romance between two members of a world famous boy band. I'm not going to out myself here, but there are tons of moments from this book that seem plucked from the lore of a particular boy band ship. However, I think that the book is different enough that you can fall into it without thinking too hard that its fan fiction.

As a queer romance, I think the book handles the tension and struggles of coming out with grace and gentleness. Miscommunication seemed believable, and I think that there was substance to the overall conflict and side plots that helped flesh out the world. This is a perfect book for young queer people, as the writers took special care to pepper in near-teachable moments about internalized bi-phobia, sex education, and setting boundaries. But I also think that older folks can get a fun, fluffy read out of this too.

I am very impressed by this book, I'm not usually a fan of slow burn romance, but after reading a few slow burns that I loved, I thought I'd give this one a try as well (and I loved Perfect on Paper too). Ruben and Zach are.. *chefs kiss*. They're perfect for eachother, and I love that they both had their own issues and struggles and they were both described very well. I don't know much about the music industry and this seemed to paint a very clear picture on how abusive and toxic it can be.

This book takes you behind the scenes of a famous boy band as they finish up their North American tour and start taking on Europe. More specifically this book alternates between Reuben and Zach - one gay and one (seemingly) straight as they figure out who they are and the restrictions in what the world can know about them.

I really liked seeing the relationship between all four of the band mates and how they interact with each other, all have their own struggles, and support each other through everything. This book had its fair share of frustrating characters, but I truly loved the four of them and was rooting for them the entire time.

disclaimer: my ARC stopped working when I was around 50% through this book, so my review is based on just the first half.

This book was a super fun queer rom-com that I was very excited to read. I was never really a fan of boy bands so I suppose I couldn't have loved this book enough to obsess over it, even if I had finished the whole thing. I really like the dating-in-secret trope, and I think that it was done perfectly here.

I also went into this expecting it to be just like Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston, but while it had a bunch of similarities, I'm super happy this book had so many things I haven't seen in rom-coms before.

Overall, I give it 3/5, but if I got a chance to read the whole thing (which I'm planning to do soon, now that it's out for the world to read), I think things would have gone differently.

When and how to come out is an intensely personal decision. Put under the microscope of musical fame as half of a popular boy band, Ruben and Zach have it harder than most. In a perfect world, one's sexuality would not matter to anyone except those you are intimate with, but this world is far from perfect. How our young protagonists navigate living their truth when everyone around them, who they thought they could count on for support, turn on them, is at the same time heartwrenching and redemptive. Gonzales and Dietrich penned a winner.

Felt overly long but otherwise a solid, though somewhat predictable story. Would like to have seen more character development for the other band members. Sophie’s writing felt much stronger than Cales.

My first Sophie Gonzales book disappointed me. I don't know if it's because it was co-written but literally nothing happens... nothing. I didn't feel chemistry or anything between our characters and I felt like the book was too long. I will still give Sophie Gonzales a chance but this one wasn't as fun as I had hoped.

boy bands? yes please!! I really enjoyed this one. this was really well done and I had fun from start to finish. both of these authors worked really well together and I loved it. this book really shows who people actually are behind the celebrity that everyone knows. I can't wait to read more from this author!

If This Gets Out is a queer YA contemporary romance following two different POV’s; Ruben and Zach who are in a boyband together, as we navigate them falling in love with each other and the issues which arise as a consequence.

I already knew I would enjoy this as Perfect on Paper by Gonzales was one of my favourite romances last year and I was immediately hooked.
Thoroughly enjoyed the set up which is clearly inspired by Larry fan fiction (lol) and it definitely provides some laugh out loud moments. Ruben and Zach were so cute and I really enjoyed the discussion surrounding censorship.

Really nice to see a lot more queer romances which are just light hearted and fun and I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a quick read!

I’ve never read anything related to two authors and I must that it was an incredible experience what these two put out together! If This Gets Out explores what the music industry is about when it comes to group idols and I would be lying if I say it didn’t gave me 1D vibes. I love how Ruben and Zack were able to fight the music industry with their friends.