If you ever wanted to be boy-band/girl-group famous - because I sure did when I was a teen - this book will change your mind. The book focuses on the members of Saturday, a world-famous, fictional boy band (definitely clearly modeled on some real-life boy bands). In the end, the friendship, vulnerability, and connection of the members help them all grow into better people. You will worry. You will cheer. You will be ticked off at capitalist manipulators. You will grow to love these young men. It is ultimately a feel-good book with a thoughtful LGBT love story and narrative. Definitely recommended!

"If This Gets Out" is one of those fiction books that makes you question if it is based on a true story. The book has a lot of great aspects. The romance between Rueben and Zach was a positive depiction of romance filled with sweet romance. Also, the relationship of all the band members was refreshing because most YA books don't show positive, functional friendships. Plus, the book's message of being true to yourself was well presented. Yet, I had a problem with the pacing. I felt like I spent the first 100 pages waiting for something to happen. This book was an interesting twist on a romance between famous people, but the book felt too long.

It's not often I say I absolutely love a book, but this was a heartwarming YA M/M romance.

The struggle to remain closeted vs. coming out of the closet is real. It's frustrating when you are forced to remain in the closet against your will. That's exactly what happens in this novel when two best friends, and bandmates, find themselves falling in love.

This novel deals admirably with finding yourself, finding your voice, and confronting substance abuse.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Perfect on Paper so I was excited to pick this up but this was disappointing. The writing felt clunky, as did the character development.

A refreshing and unapologetic queer YA romance about two boy band members falling in love and learning to navigate fame and coming out. Filled with tender moments and the craziness that happens with being a celebrity, this is an endearing coming of age story that touches on sexuality, drug abuse, and parental relationships. Incredibly sweet, this one reminds me of a mature YA version of “The Charm Offensive.“

Ruben has been wanting to come out since he was sixteen, but when he starts a relationship with his fellow band member Zach he wants it even more. He’s tired of playing by his labels rules, so when the label starts refusing to comply with the boys, they all rebel and fight for their freedom to express themselves.

This is such a swoony read! I would firmly recommend it for an older young adult, as the subject matter is a lot heavier and there are several sexual situations. The writing is captivating, the characters are relatable, and overall this is just a really well executed book! Zach and Ruben dealt with some incredibly hard life transitions, but everything is done in such a realistic and healthy way. A relevant and captivating LBGTQ romance with lots of heart!

Sophie Gonzales could write the phone book and I'd still read it. (Yes, that thing that isn't even delivered anymore.)
Still, fan-girling aside, If This Gets Out is the One Direction fic you thought you wanted but didn't realize you needed. The characters are closeted, with one of them figuring out his sexual orientation along the way and the other being consciously stifled by the record label/his manager the entire time. There are some pieces that are difficult to read, such as a secondary character's drug use and self-harm, but there's a lot of softness and the character work Gonzales is capable of is in evidence here.
The plotting isn't as tight as I'm used to and there were times I wanted more clarity on one of the bandmates' motivation, so I did wonder where Dietrich's influence came in. (His other books haven't worked for me.)
The best-friends-and-bandmates-to-lovers plot was as complicated and as simple as I could have wished for. There's some confused pining, but mostly the two of them are so close already--best friends who are in close proximity 100% of the time as they're on tour--that it's sort of inevitable.
Recommended if you like or can at least tolerate boy band plots and are looking for a new-adult kind of gay romance with quite a bit of angst.

I actually enjoyed this book. I really liked how Zach and Rueben connected. So cute and sweet. Although it tore me up to read all the things they had to face, especially their manager. This book definitely has some triggers. Overall I would read this again.
I'd love to read a follow up with Angel's character.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this copy for a review.

If This Gets Out is a really remarkable book. I could not put it down, and every little well done just made it even more perfect and mesmerizing.

The book is told from the perspectives of two characters: Zach and Ruben. Zach and Ruben are both parts of the popular band Saturday, and the book follows the two of them on a journey of self-discovery and learning how to share who you are with a world that’s not always ready to hear it.

Zack and Ruben are both very complex characters, with a lot of depth and you really get to know them through their unique perspectives in the book. And they aren’t the only ones who you get to know: the other members of the band, Angel, and Jon are also both important characters who you also get to read about a huge amount, as well as a whole supporting cast of important side characters.

I also absolutely adored both of the writing styles in If This Gets Out. Reading from Zach and Ruben’s perspectives was really fun, and the amount of depth brought to the reader through even just the writings style is enough to what’s happening.

If This Gets Out also talked a lot about something that’s hard to imagine: being a celebrity. And to be more specific, being a world-famous pop star is constantly under scrutiny for every little thing in your life. Zach, Ruben, Angel, and Jon, the members of Saturday, have so little control over what happens in their lives.

From what they want to wear, what they want to do with their free time, and even what they say in interviews, the members of Saturday are constantly being told what to do, how to do it, and every last detail of what to do and say in public.

Their actions and lives are constantly controlled, including what they want to share with the world; about themselves, which despite the fame that also comes along with it, the job sounds absolutely terrible. Having that much of your life constantly out in the open for everyone to see… Sophie Gonzales and Cale Deitrich do an excellent job of showing the negatives to being known across the globe.

The plot of If This Gets Out also has so many layers, and I really loved it. The way that it bounces back and forth between the two perspectives shows as much of the overall story as possible while keeping the pacing of the plot good and reasonable.

The ending also felt so perfect to me in so many ways; it wrapped up really nicely after everything else had worked out with perfect pacing and a really satisfying finish.

If This Gets Out is a fun, happy, and hopeful romance that deals with its fair share of seriousness and gives a unique glimpse into the life and struggles of young queer celebrities, and being queer while also navigating the music industry.

This queer boy band romance follows band members Ruben and Zach as they go from being just band mates and best friends to something so much more.

this novel feels a bit more mature than YA, probably bc these 18 olds are international pop stars. The writing is so real that I felt like I was in the room with these boys as they navigated stardom and independence.

The love story is perfectly sweet, with a hint of angst. and the dual POV helped me get a sense of how both boys grew not only in their feelings for each other, but into themselves.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If This Gets Out follows Ruben and Zach, two members of the four-person boy band Saturday. Ever since joining Saturday, Ruben has been cornered by management into staying in the closet. As Saturday kicks off a European tour, Zach and Ruben's close friendship transforms into a romance. Although they are ready to come out, their management team, ever-controlling, makes every effort to stand in their way.

I came in for the fulfillment of boy band ships and left with so much more. The four boys of Saturday are fun and silly and finding themselves, all in different ways, and it was an amazing experience to spend 400 pages on that journey with them.

One of the things I absolutely adored about this book was that it used tropes, but not to its own detriment. For example, Ruben and Zach reeeeally struggle with miscommunication. In more than one moment, they're both talking to each other, but somehow having different conversations, to the point where I was sullenly preparing myself for a big Act-3-miscommunication-breakup. But that didn't happen! Despite their penchant for misunderstanding each other, Zach and Ruben both (with some help) put in the effort to figure out how to communicate with each other and how to resolve their conflicts and reach mutual understanding. It was beautiful to watch.

I could gush about this book for a long time, but I won't, because you should just go read it. Seriously.

Sometimes I think that it would be fun to be famous, and then I read books like this, and I realize that I would not actually enjoy being famous. LOL. Zach and Ruben are a part of one of the hottest boy bands around. Ruben is gay but is not "out" so as to maintain the bandmates image, per the direction of their manager. One night, Zach and Ruben, who have best friends since they were little, kiss and everything changes. This is a scary time for Zach because he has never kissed a boy before and he realizes he may actually be bisexual. Their is, obviously, a shift in their friendship as it turns into much more, and the guys must figure out what this means for the band. Ultimately, this was a super cute and emotional story about finding out who you are and loving who you love. Thank you the publisher for giving me the chance to read a digital copy of this book!

The boys of Saturday are nonstop! It’s time to take their tour international, and it feels like everything is going to change.

And everything does, but is it for the better? Secrets are tearing the band apart, management is growing more strict with every tour stop. Tensions are high, and there doesn’t look to be an end in sight. What happens when they can’t take it anymore?

This is exactly what you think it is, a serious but breezy queer romance about some boys in a band. I think the pacing was solid, the dialogue felt VERY natural, and we got just enough exposure to the performance parts of their job to feel like we were on tour with the guys without it being just about the stage, but I don’t feel like the authors gave enough depth to the issues- every “issue” in the book felt like an ABC Family/Freeform “issue” preaching moment- (if you’ve ever watched a Brenda Hampton show, you can expect something similar).

The romance was sweet and felt very natural. The conflicts that arose were not ones people talk about often enough, but they were handled gracefully and openly.

Fun quick read. But don’t expect a whole lot from it except some softer smiles.

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is a heartwarming romance that does such a fantastic job of exploring queer issues and discussing peer/parental/societal expectations placed on teens. The personalities of each of the band members, from their loyalty to each other, to the humor and banter between them, makes this book such a joy to read. Once I started, I could not put it down.

Zach and Ruben are part of the hugely popular boy band Saturday that’s going on its first European tour. For years, all four boys have adhered, with growing difficulty, to the media perfected personalities assigned to them by management – these personalities dictate how they perform on stage to what they wear and say in public, even who they date. Unfortunately, you can only deny who you are for so long.

While this book centers around the growing romance between Zach and Ruben and the pressures they face with trying hide their relationship in order to fit into the molds expected of them, it does a wonderful job of exploring the stressful expectations placed on all four boys. It manages a nuanced discussion of difficult queer issues like coming to terms with your sexuality and coming out to those closest to you. It also explores the pressure placed on young people growing up under the spotlight. We watch all four struggle with their image and their sexuality in an industry that often denies them the right to express themselves in favor of profits. This book is all about discovering who you are and standing up for your right to be yourself.

If This Gets Out is an absolute marvel of a book. I loved every joyful and heartbreaking moment of it. I would recommend this for anyone who loves boy bands and drama, forbidden love, and queer YA romance. I would also say that this is an absolutely necessary purchase for any library or school that serves teens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In 2020 I fell in love with Sophie Gonzales books and I never turned back. So when I heard that she was writing a book with Cale Dietrich I was excited. And then when I heard that If This Gets Out was a bout a boy band that had two members fall for each other I was hooked! This book ended up being everything I hoped it would be. It was first a great friendship book and a look at the entertainment industry and what it can do to young kids and take over their lives. But then it was a solid love story between two boys that never saw it coming and knew it had the potential to wreck everything they had worked for. Ruben and Zack were two of the cutest main characters I have ever read and I just fell completely head over heels for them! The book was just so well done that you felt like you were a part of their story and it should be on everyone’s TBR.

At first this book appears to be a sweet romcom between two members of a boy band - and while it is that, it's also much more. It explores identity, substance abuse, and the pressures of being controlled as a product of the music industry. Fans can only guess what goes on with their favourite band behind the scenes, but this is clearly a highly researched and realistic look at the effects of stardom.

#IfThisGetsOut:

Here we go, one more time, Mellie’s got a book, a dime.

I’ve been listening to “Here We Go” a bit too much, but it’s perfect. Did y’all know we can get a YA boy band story? Because, it’s here.

I think this came out at such a perfect time with major discussions of Britney’s conservatorship. These boy band members were so controlled to where they couldn’t even leave their hotel room or live their truth that it really just hurt me. It’s all “Nicole, your brand is watching” but really, your brand doesn’t care and this isn’t the authentic you and the fans would accept you no matter what.

The audio was wonderful! I did get a bit confused on which part of Zuben was speaking since both read by the wonderful Ramon de Ocampo, but once I got their personalities down, I got it.

I really enjoyed If This Gets Out! There’s A LOT packed into the book, but it all flowed well enough so where I didn’t feel it was too much and it amplified their treatment and understanding of their everyday life stardom.

Thank you so much wednesday books for the gifted copy. I really enjoyed If This Gets Out!

What’s a song that no matter what, you’re about to be on another level when it comes on? Any Man of Mine - Shania!

I was really hoping I would enjoy this one more than and I did, and while it tackles some serious topics and gives the readers a full view of the industry it wasn't for me... ( while the authors have specified before this book isn't about //that//, well... we're all thinking about that, I guess. Maybe it's because of my long history with the 1D fandom, but there were too many topics we've discussed within the fandom touching closer to reality than I felt comfortable with, and I am not even talking about the shipping part). Don't get me wrong, this is cute and you obviously end up hoping it all works out for them, so maybe I am the problem.

This was just a whole heckin' ton of fun and completely got my out of a reading slump. With lovable characters that have such wonderful chemistry and a charming storyline that is uplifting (even with heavier moments), I couldn't put this book down. The boyband fangirl in me was squealing the entire time reading this.

If This Gets Out, co-written by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, is a sweet, moving, and enchanting YA romance about falling in love and following your heart. The novel captured hold of my complete attention and imagination. I had to make myself stop reading for bedtime. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to read and listen to it—after all, it’s a book about a boyband with friends-to-lovers and a forbidden relationship, as it turns out. But there’s so much more to this novel. With emotional authenticity, nuance, introspection, and insight, the authors explore the difficulty of being queer when people make you fear openly expressing and being yourself and ask you to hide fundamental aspects of who you are—who you love and with whom you choose to share intimate parts of your life and yourself.

The novel is written in alternating, dual, first-person POVs of Ruben Montez and Zach Knight, eighteen-year-old members of the popular boyband Saturday, capturing Saturday’s experiences on their world tour. Saturday’s four members—Ruben, Zach, Angel Phan, and Jon Braxton—are more than just a boyband or American’s latest teen heartthrobs. They’re best friends backstage and off-camera. Ruben and Zach, however, have always been closer friends, looking out for each other, listening, or simply being there. So, it’s no surprise that Ruben confides in Zach the stress of being pressured by the band’s management to stay in the closet. However, the stress of the tour, little or no free time, restrictive schedules, the pressures of fame, and management's complete control of their identities and lives wears on the teens, and they all deal differently. Zach and Ruben spend more time alone, relying on each other for sanity and balance, and their relationship transitions unexpectedly from friendship to romance. Management’s restrictive controls affect their ability to deal with, explore, and have a romantic relationship on their own terms.

Each of the characters is well-drawn with distinctive personalities. The authors excellently explore the conflict between the teens’ true personalities/identities and their Saturday identities forced upon them by management. Gonzales’ and Dietrich’s description is vibrant, and their worldbuilding is detailed, bringing these characters and their stories so brilliantly to life that you feel every moment of their tour and its aftermath so deeply and personally. The band members’ interactions and the details about their performances and preparations are among the best things about the novel. Of course, the relationship between Zach and Ruben is my favorite. It’s beautifully developed from the beginning, as the foundation of their close friendship is laid and sprinkled with seeds of their potentially requited romantic feelings. Their interactions are sweet, adorable, humorous, and affecting. Ruben’s and Zach’s pining and inability to simply talk to each other after their relationship started changing are painful in the best way. Gonzales and Dietrich develop these characters so wonderfully. The evolution and maturation of Zach are so beautifully written.

Following the tour allows readers to experience the highs and lows, demands, responsibilities, and sacrifices of being a successful teen performer at the height of their career and its effects on each of the members—especially having your image/identity created and dictated to you and your every moment limited and controlled by someone else. Gonzales and Dietrich explore numerous issues teens deal with in a hugely familiar setting—the fishbowl of celebrity, a boyband in particular—but the story and pacing never feel weighed down. Issues explored include drug use, teen alcohol, teen sexuality, depression, confusion about sexual orientation, and toxic relationships with parents and other adults. The narrative flow and pacing are smooth and steady as each teen and the band face and deal with these issues organically within the novel’s progression.

If This Gets Out explores themes of friendship, sexual orientation, coming out, finding your soulmate, discovering who you are, who you want to be, what you want for your life, and how to fight for yourself and a life with the one you love in a down to earth way without being preachy. It’s a relevant, thought-provoking, intense, funny, sweet, emotional, and romantic love story I cannot recommend highly enough to fans of queer YA romances, boybands, pining, and friends-to-lovers romances.

4.5 stars

This was so lovely!

You never know what you're going to get with a book written by multiple authors—sometimes it's seamless like Christina Lauren and other times it is much more distinct. It was very obvious that one author took Zach's perspective and the other took Ruben's, but it actually worked. The writing was different enough to form two really clear characters and not feel disjointed at all. I've read books in the past where the authors were not so successful.

Friends-to-lovers is such a great trope, but adding the forbidden love aspect along with it was *chef's kiss*—especially with such high stakes, being one of the biggest bands in the world. I loved the care and respect Ruben has for Zach and his choices about when he wants to come out. That is such a personal journey and to have the support of your partner is one of the most important things. I was already a big fan of Sophie Gonzales, but I'm really excited to read more from Cale Dietrich in the future.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.