This took me a lot longer to finish than I had anticipated because of personal stuff, so my review of this isn't going to be super in detail.

In short, this was my first book by Cale Dietrich and my second book by Sophie Gonzales, and it's definitely worth a read. I think their writing styles work really well here together for Ruben and Zach. Reading what these two characters had to go through just to be together literally left me in tears at times. I think anyone who enjoys boy bands will really enjoy this novel.

I'll definitely be reading more books by Cale in the future (and obviously as well as Sophie.) I can't wait to see what these authors do next.

As expected, I absolutely loved this book. These authors are phenomenal and work together so beautifully. This book mimics the rumors about the band members from One Direction, so if you are aware of those, you will love this book too. Honestly, if you are a fan of boy bands in general, you will also love this book. I really appreciate how inclusive this book was which makes me recommend this for all readers even more. Enjoy the adventure these boys go through and watch them grow and learn in front of your eyes. It's the best!

I had read previous works by both authors and none of them had a impact on me; I was expecting this one to be, but well, that's nothing new in this books. This looks like a fanfiction its had a great luck to be published.

“Everyone wants the world to see them as they are. The truth isn’t the problem. The problem is that the world doesn’t always make the truth safe for us to share.”

IF THIS GETS OUT is a young adult romance about two members of a boy band who fall for each other, and also an intense and insightful story that delves into identity, mental health, and fame. Zach and Ruben are half of Saturday, a massively famous pop band run by a controlling management group that dictates each member’s public persona. While on tour in Europe, the two friends grow even closer, pushing them to confront their managers and lean on their fanbase as they fight for the love story they deserve.

There’s so much to love about this book. It’s fast-paced, romantic, and emotional, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I’ve read several other books from Gonzales and Dietrich, all of which I loved, and they work so well together with this one. While the plot is exciting in and of itself, the execution is flawless and adds so much depth to what is already a thrilling and heart-bursting narrative. The boys are dealing with anxiety, harmful parenting, and the incredible stressors of their level of fame, all while dealing with coming out and crushes and friendship conflicts. I was really happy to see the inclusion of therapy and coping skills actively in the story and I love how the friendships between all four band members evolve. The character development for both narrators is very compelling: for Zach, learning to figure out what he wants for himself, not just what everyone else wants, and to be more assertive about his needs and desires; and for Ruben, learning to stand up to his mom’s toxic treatment of him and to demand what’s he’s wanted for so long from their managers. I adored the romance between Zach and Ruben: they always had a closeness; Ruben’s attracted to Zach but thinks he’s straight; Zach’s always been “protective” (aka jealous) of Ruben dating; and when they finally start a relationship there’s so much depth, knowledge, and care since they’ve been close friends for so long.

A big chunk of this book deals with Zach figuring out he’s bi, connecting the dots between his current feelings and past desires he’s suppressed, and working up the courage to come out. Gonzales and Dietrich strikingly capture his internal experience, the absolute mindfuck of sorting through “do I wanna date them or be them” to arrive at bisexuality in a monosexist and homophobic world. I could relate to so much of what Zach goes through (though the closest I’ve come to musical fame is playing percussion for the church band, lol). Overall this story had so much meaning because Zach and Ruben’s coming out isn’t just for them, but for all the queer kids who will see themselves represented on a such a massive scale. And given the prevalence of shipping and fanfic about actual boy bands, the hunger for this kind of story, for this kind of representation, is all too real. It’s an incredible book and I’m so glad we all get to read it. Thanks to Wednesday Books for the eARC!

Content warnings: diet culture talk (working out & food restriction for weight loss/maintenance), homophobia, forced closeting

If This Gets out is a a timely young adult story that is the perfect read now especially with the popularity of these groups and KPOP, it was definitely a subject matter I was very interested in. The book was such an amazing read that covers friendships, pressures, identity, and the need for acceptance. With an alternating view points of Ruben and Zach two of the four band mates in the popular group Saturday, it was great to get that sense of the story line from those view points. The plot was expertly written and will have you immersed into the band culture, the development of the relationships between the characters, and the slow burn friendship and romance. This was such a well written LGBTQ YA I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!
I tend to read a fair bit of YA as I currently have two teens and am always on the lookout for book recommendations for them, especially when they dive into important topics like this book does.

I think that with so many social media outlets at their disposal many teens have dreams of having their next post be the one that goes viral, and generally achieving fame or notoriety. As a mom, I love that this book kind of takes you on a deep dive into what that can really mean....no privacy, loss of autonomy, no recognition of personal physical boundaries, etc. No thank you!

This book also shines a light on abuse of power in the workplace, bias in the entertainment industry, and some of the pressures placed on artists to be so inspiring and perfect all the time. Solid 4 stars.

I followed Cale since his first book and I knew from there reading his books will be AN AMAZING JOURNEY!!!

First time reading sohpie’s books and you BET i will buy everything!!!!!

This story reminded me why i love being a fan of bands! I loved bands since i was nine i think? I’m 23 now still in love with bands!!

It always good to remember that all the singers are people too, because some people forget that, and they pressure them to be a certain way or even draw an imaginary image and if their idols change it they hate them immediately.

I feel like this book really did something amazing! I couldn’t stop crying, laughing and smiling! I was also anxious the whole time not gonna lie lol

I loved every second of it though!<3

I’m gonna miss Angel, Zach, Jon and Ruben so much<33333

♥If This Gets Out is about a cute m/m boy band romance on the surface, but it goes so much deeper than that. It’s no surprise that Ruben and Zach wind up together, so it’s nice that WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY isn’t a big plot point. And neither is either of them rebelling at the thought of not being straight. Instead, it’s the same sort of quiet contemplation that we saw in Red, White, and Royal Blue. There’s a similar inner conversation, going over things that maybe now they view a different way or wondering if huh….

“I could be bi.”

But it’s not, like, a whole thing. Everyone is just generally very accepting of themselves and each other.

♥ Aside from the romance, here’s the big thing that I couldn’t stop thinking about: who is looking out for these kids? They may be 18, they may be legal adults, but make no mistakes, they are kids. And they’re surrounded by adults who are not looking out for their best interests. They are out for themselves, and always pushing for what will make the head of the label happy (which is Jon’s father, by the way, making this whole thing even more twisted). The boys are forced to wear clothing they hate, put on personas that are nothing like their own personalities, given little comments here and there to suggest someone’s dancing could use some work when really it’s perfectly fine. Or ignore a burgeoning drug problem because they’re still turning in performances. And good god, the disordered eating. They worry so much about calories, about food, about making sure they get enough extra exercise to burn off something like eating the smallest sliver of cake with your mom.

The adult in me couldn’t help screaming the whole time: WHO IS LOOKING OUT FOR THESE KIDS?I

♥ Anyway. The writing was impeccable. Sophie and Cale are great on their own, but together they are just fantastic. Ruben and Zach’s voices are totally different and even though it’s a lot of pages, I wanted so many more by the time I got to the end.

This book is exactly what I needed. I have always wanted a story where two members of a boy band fall for each other. Throw in some mutual pining and you best believe I am there.
You get the see the behind the scenes of band life and I think a lot of people don’t really know what that’s like, including myself so it was really cool to get that. Ruben and Zach really had a sweet romance and you can tell that the friendship that they had before their romance really made their love even stronger.
Both authors are great so seeing their writing blend together was really nice. I would definitely read more if they write more.

TW/CW: underage drinking, drug use, addiction, homophobia, forced closeting, toxic environments (work, home), car accident

I went into this book with extremely high expectations thanks to my friend who ranked this as her #1 book of 2021, and… it did not live up to those expectations.

That’s not to say that it isn’t good, or fun (at times angsty), or enjoyable. It just wasn’t my favorite.
I didn’t feel like I connected with the two main characters. I often forgot which POV was which.
They felt a little flat. Like they were only made up of the opposite characteristics forced upon them. I don’t know, I just couldn’t bring myself to care as much as I wanted to.

Honestly, I liked the other bandmates more and would love something from their POV someday!

I appreciated the overall message of the book - that artists (especially BIPOC, queer, and otherwise marginalized) in the entertainment industry are placed under extreme amounts of pressure, which can lead to a lot of unhealthy habits and an overall poor work environment.

Another thing that hit me was Ruben’s mom and his relationship with her. He understands the struggle of “I love my parent and I know she loves me, but this isn’t healthy for me. How do I keep up this relationship without it hurting me?”
I guess I was able to connect with him on that part.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is the story of Zach and Ruben, two members of the world famous boy band Saturday. Zach and Ruben fall for each other in the midst of a European tour, their management convince them to keep the romance a secret but for how long? Their fans deserve the their honesty but will they accept it?
This novel felt like a written documentary of a real band's struggle with over powering management and an enthusiastic fan base, everyone's seen the crowds of fans that wait hours and even days for boy bands to make an appearance. I loved the slow build-up of romance between Zach and Ruben, the discussions on coming out, talks with parents, the consent for moving the relationship forward, it proved even celebrities can feel nervous about relationships and grounded both of the characters.
Although there wasn't as much of a highlight on Jon or Angel, the other two members of Saturday, they still experienced character growth throughout the story. I would have loved chapters from all four perspectives in all honesty, I think Jon & Angel had enough drama going on to justify their own perspectives and it would have added more layers to the story.
I enjoyed If This Gets Out and I would highly recommend adding it to your TBR if your music playlist is filled with boy bands. The length of the novel meant that there were definitely a few slower patches. I also think this would have been an even better New Adult novel if that age range was given more attention. A NA audience would have allowed the characters to be more angry about the situation they were in and added more depth to the confrontation, it was all tied up a little too smoothly. However if Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich team up again I will definitely be excited to read whatever they write next.

I loved this so much! I'm a massive boyband fan so this hit all the marks for me. The characters and their relationships were my favorite parts. You can tell the author's did their research as well. Very good, will be recommending to everyone I know.

When I started IF THIS GETS OUT, I was a little skeptical. But I should've known anything by Sophie Gonzales would be a win. This is the boy band contemporary romance of everyone's dreams. I'd compare it to RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE meets One Direction.

The band members are all layered and deep characters, with strong personalities and flaws and quirks. I loved Ruben's and Zach's romance and felt they had excellent chemistry. I was so happy to see them fall in love. And I think I might ship Jon and Angel, too!

4.5 stars / 5 stars

THIS BOOK. I put off reading If This Gets Out because I anticipated it would be heavy on the boy band narrative and a little cheesy, but I was wrong. Though the romance itself in this book wasn't my all-time favorite, this is a fascinating look at forced closeting and PR relationships in the music industry. Gonzales and Dietrich did an excellent job of creating a character who is questioning sexuality/ understanding his own bisexuality in the face of internalized homophobia.

Other tough issues like addiction, family relationships, and the loss of privacy that comes along with fame were also discussed with varying levels of success. I thought the overall attitude about the music industry only caring about issues once they become a PR concern was honest but disheartening, especially given the age of the characters here.

Overall, I highly recommend this one!

IF THIS GETS OUT tells the story of members of the hit boy band Saturday and its members Ruben, Zach, Angel, and Jon. While the band's image is manufactured for the masses, each of these boys knows they are more than what the world sees. The story itself mainly follows the romance of Ruben and Zach as they navigate many of the trials of young adulthood: sexuality, independence, and autonomy.

These characters are so easy to fall in love with. Author Dietrich and Gonzales have crafted a world that feels wholly its own but that could very easily exist in our real world. Ruben and Zach are thoughtfully written characters who are wholly believable for 18, both with their mistakes and their maturity. Their romance is delightful and chaotic and at the end of the day it is so easy to root for them. This is a beautifully written upper YA novel that I'd recommend to teens and adults alike.

This story is told from two points of view: Zach and Ruben. I bloody love these boys. The whole band is amazing, but Ruben is my favourite, and I love the dynamics between him and Zach. Angel is a chaotic mess but with everything he goes through in this book, it's not hard to see why he's like that. Jon is the sensible one, so he comes across a little bit boring at times, but he's smart and caring and he does the right thing while also supporting his bandmates no matter what. This story highlights the very real issues of how bands can be treated terribly by management, and how queer artists in particular can be held back and molded into something they're not. It's a sad reality, but this story is hopeful.

This realistic fiction got a little too real… WOW!

The characters, the chemistry, the plot, everything was on point!
The blurb sounded so interesting that I requested it right away. But then when I first started, I realized that this might not be my type of book as I could not really relate and I don't usually follow any bands. BUT, I'm really glad the plot progressed as I read on and it had a perfect ending. 4.5/5 :)

Pacing
Sometimes I felt like the pacing was a bit off. I wanted the beginning to slow down and to get to know the characters better before things started happening. It also felt like there were times that things were skipped over (e.g. a conflict resolution would happen and we wouldn’t actually see anyone react to it / the aftermath) and I wish these things weren’t jumped past. However, the pacing in the second half made more sense, and I started to understand why the first half was faster than I’d have expected, because this book was about more than just a romance, but also about the music industry / being a celebrity, being forced to hide parts of their identity, and the negative toll this has on them on their band members.

Characters
Often the characters miscommunicated with each other or had a lack of awareness in what the others were thinking, and at times this could be really frustrating. But, it also makes it a bit more realistic and shows them all as flawed but likable characters. I enjoyed that we had different POVs (Zach and Ruben) since they had different perspectives. Though I did like Ruben’s sections more, I think this was just a personal preference.

Overall
If you are interested in a friends-to-lovers romance that many reviewers have suggested (without confirmation) could be a one direction fanfic, this may be the book for you!

This book is absolutely fantastic.

In the past, I have noticed many books that romanticise the really awful and dangerous parts of being part of the music industry and it is so refreshing to see the brutal truth and not something sugarcoated. The plot of the book is something I am sure many fans of boy bands have thought about over the decades and was so, so well done. All the characters were extremely interesting with a focus on their difficulties in the industry as well as Zach and Ruben's hidden relationship and forced closeting. The character development was done brilliantly and the ending was just perfect. The pacing of the book was really great, but I always get confused by time jumps and would have liked to have more definitive time stamps.

Overall, I would highly, highly recommend this book.

This was a fun story, I liked the main characters Zach and Ruben a lot. Their character growth in the story was so good and I just really enjoyed the dynamics of the band as a whole.