ARC received from Hachette Australia for an honest review

I am obsessed with this book. This is definitely my favourite Sophie Gonzales book to date, and my first time reading Cale Dietrich.

This was a sweet and lovely and fun and sad look at the machinations of a boy band. At times I had to remind myself that the characters in this book were only 18, as what they were going through would be hard to do as someone years older than they are.

Ruben and Zach are 😍😍

I love a best friends to more story, and theirs had the added pressure of management, record companies and public perception on it.

It was heartbreaking as we learn more of the story, and I can say that there were characters that I can say that I detested, loathed in fact and wished they had a permanent itch that they couldn't reach.

I adored all the guys from the band, and love the family that they have made for themselves.

I hope this pair write together again.

I couldn't put this down! Once we got to the meat and potatoes of the plot I was so engaged I couldn't put the book down.

I fell in love with Zach and Ruben and was anxiously reading to see what happened next.

Unfortunately this book is all too realistic with the portrayal of eating disorders and drug use especially in the context of bands and how they control the lives of their members.

If the plot of this sounds intriguing, you won't be disappointed!

3.5 Stars

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is a compelling contemporary about the dark side of the music industry. Following a boy band on their tour through Europe, this one contains both uplifting and heartbreaking moments, as well as a romance that perseveres in the face of a controlling management team. This one was a little heavier than I was expecting, but I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a queer romance about finding hope.

This book chronicles the experiences of popular boy band Saturday on their tour in Europe. Two of the band’s members, Ruben and Zach, have always been close, but as they spend more time together, they realize they’re more than just friends. However, on tour, the boys realize just how controlling their management team is, managing everything from what they wear to how they are allowed to interact with each other. When management finds out that Ruben and Zach are dating, it is clear that they will never be supported, as they are forbidden from coming out to their fans in order to protect their idealized image. As Ruben and Zach navigate their growing feelings for each other and the pain of pretending to be people they are not, they must find a way to fight for love and keep each other strong.

❀ DUAL NARRATION

There are two narrators, providing us with both Ruben’s and Zach’s perspectives. They are both such strong characters, and I admired their determination to fight back against their management team. While I enjoyed their narration, I found that both characters are a little generic. This actually goes for the rest of the members of the band, since they are all the exact opposite of their public persona. I enjoyed this tension between their real selves and their carefully crafted selves in the public eye, but I was hoping for something a bit less expected.

❀ DARK SIDE OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

Where the story truly succeeds is in its commentary on the dark side of the entertainment industry. I really felt for the characters as they have lost control over their own selves, and the story highlights the harm of forcing young artists into the closet for the sake of maintaining their image as ideal boyfriends for their fans. While the fight for change is powerful and well-executed, there are other heavy topics throughout the story that I felt could have been given more time. Zach’s eating disorder goes unaddressed, and Ruben’s controlling mom could have benefitted from more attention. However, this does not overshadow the book’s main critique of the mistreatment of young, marginalized musicians.

❀ MESSAGE OF HOPE

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is a powerful take on the pressures of the music industry. I loved the premise of a boy band on tour, and the main characters’ struggles in the face of a controlling management team are well described. This one could have done more to address some of its other heavy topics, but ultimately, I enjoyed its message of hope.

IF THIS GETS OUT is the love story of Ruben and Zach, two members of the 4-man boy band, Saturday, who fall in love. Ruben has been out of the closet in his personal life for years but isn't allowed to come out publicly, while Zach has some soul searching to do as his feelings for his best friend become more than friendly. While they're on a European concert tour, they don't have much time or space to figure out their budding romance with their regimented schedule of concerts, interviews, and photo shoots, not to mention the restrictions from their manager on their carefully curated public image. Throw in the fact that one of their bandmates is the manager's son and the other might be developing a drug problem, and you have a recipe for high drama.

This book is everything I wanted it to be! Along with the tension and drama that surrounds Zach and Ruben's relationship and their being kept in the closet, it has plenty of funny and sweet moments along the way to make the reader fall in love with these wonderful characters. While Jon and Angel, who fill out the band, take a backseat to Zach and Ruben, they each have distinct personalities and character arcs, and all the boys of Saturday have unique relationships with one another. Their relationships with their parents and their fans are also compelling and add to the conflict.

This paragraph is mildly spoilery, but one especially well done element of the book is how the management team and the fans slowly switch places over the span of the story. In the beginning, we get to know some of the specific people on the management side, and they seem to be on the boys' team against the ever volatile Public. But as the story progresses, management becomes colder and more distant, while the fans show more nuance and give the boys the actual support they need. It's quite lovely.

Definitely read IF THIS GETS OUT when it comes out December 7th! It has plenty of angst and a healthy dose of comedy and romance, all among relatable and lovable main characters.

IF THIS GETS OUT is an engaging and emotional YA contemporary about two members of a boyband. Ruben and Zach are half of the boyband Saturday, going on an international tour. At 18, they would theoretically be able to take charge of their own lives, but their handlers working for their label would certainly say otherwise. Ruben is out to everyone who matters, but the label is keeping him in the closet because of their perception of the way fans would react.

Ruben is secretly in love with his best friend, but knows it could never be, as he is straight. That doesn't help with his crush though. However, one night, his seemingly straight friend puts the moves on him. The cascading events cause a rift that seems to threaten to break up the band, while Zach questions his identity and Ruben can't figure out how to get his friend back. As they both find their way to where they want to be, they must also confront the truths of their band, their label, and their families - and figure out who they want to be at the risk of possibly everything.

What I loved: The relationship here was really beautiful, and I loved the way it evolved from friends to more, as well as the personal realizations each has around it and how they support each other from there on. There are also some pretty heavy themes around childhood stardom, record labels and their abuses, alcohol and substance abuse, coming out, and family issues. These were all handled really well, and I found them really thought-provoking. In particular, a major one was the record label, how they take advantage of young talent and the ways in which they exploit and protect their interests to the detriment of the individuals. Their control is far-reaching with broad impacts on interviews, presentation, and even dance moves and clothing.

There is also a tough theme around parents, with Ruben beginning to think about how to handle the volatile relationship he has with his mother, balancing the obligation with mental health. On the other side, we see a healthier relationship between Zach and his mother, but even this relationship sees challenges as Zach begins finding his independence, particularly around coming out. The coming out will feel recognizable to readers who have also begun to define their identity and struggle with where/when to come out, situations where it feels forced and tough receptions as well as the power in good reactions.

The pace on this was really great, and I definitely stayed up later than anticipated because I got so into it! It's a really riveting and intense read that is sure to keep readers hooked. While it is mostly character driven, the pace feels just right and the writing is very compelling.

Final verdict: A riveting character-driven YA contemporary, IF THIS GETS OUT is a beautiful read about finding and embracing yourself amongst all life's challenges - and even more when you're in a boyband.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Sophie Gonzales' Perfect on Paper, so I had some high hopes for If This Gets Out. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the characters in this, and was hoping for some more nuanced representation/discussion of mental health, and celebrity culture.

4.2

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book, because most of the hype I've seen for it has been coming from boyband lovers and shippers, and I'm not in either of those groups. But I don't think you need to enjoy boybands specifically to have a lot of fun with this book.

The romance in this is cute. It's a very sweet yet obstacle-filled and complicated romantic arc, and it plays up some of the best parts of friends-to-lovers stories. It's a romance you can believe in, and that you honestly can't help but root for. Both of these characters feel real and their connection carries this whole story without breaking a sweat.
And yet, the romance is not the only amazing dynamic in this book- the friendship between the five members is so strong. The other members never feel like space fillers, they each have their own unique personality and friendships throughout, and they add so much to the story. Not the mention, the subplot of trying to help a friend going down a bad path makes them all feel so much more real and adds a great weight to the whole book.

This book does feel like fanfic in a lot of ways, but not because it's leaning too heavily on one group or tropes. It's because it's so vibrant and bright. And the way that fanfiction can be impossible to put down, this book gets a hold of you and you just want to read through the night.

I think this book does a great job at balancing out the light and dark as well. It is, over all, a hopeful and bright book, but it isn't fluff. The heavier aspects- the toxicity, the prejudice and repression, the addiction- all have weight and feel perfectly integrated in with the happier parts. It's a really well rounded story in that way.

I personally felt like there was something just missing, a bit, by the end. I wanted more concrete closure, particularly in the case of Ruben's emotionally abusive mother. Things end well, but they still felt up in the air in a way that wasn't very satisfying.

I also felt like Zach's arc was less focused on than Ruben's. Ruben gets so much personality and has a far more dynamic story, and Zach falls flat more often than not. In some ways that fits with his personality and the general story, but it made me like him less.

Other than those minor issues, and a few consistency hiccups, I thought this book was fantastic.

This would be the perfect book recommendation to someone who listens to One Direction and shipped the bandmates with each other because your dream comes true in this one. This is a love story of Zach and Ruben who are part of a boy band called Saturday. It was a good story and I enjoyed most of it.

Bandmates Ruben and Zach both really love music, but things start to get complicated when they also start to love each other. In "If This Gets Out," we get a story of how the music industry will censor who an artist is for profit, and at the expense of that individual.

This book does a great job at covering the ins and outs and complexities of this topic. We see it not only with Ruben and Zach, but also the other band members as well. From their clothes to mental health struggles, everything about these boys is controlled and monitored. I also really appreciated that we were able to explore this without it being an "outing" story, as those often end up focusing on the trauma of it, while this was able to focus a lot more on healing.

The characters in this book have very complex relationships with each other; specifically with their parents which gets revisited often without becoming cliché. I will say, I would have loved to see more from Jon in this book; the other three band members get explored a lot but Jon often feels a little left in the background.

A great read from Gonzales and Dietrich, would definitely return for their future works.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.**

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! The boy-band Saturday is headed up by Ruben, Zach, Jon, and Angel (who all met at an art camp in high school). Ruben wants to come out, but the managerial team behind the band has always pushed him to wait. Zach is discovering that he is bi-sexual, while also trying to find his way as a song writer. The book is told from the point of view of Zach and Ruben, who are best friends. But as their European tour forces them closer, they start developing feelings for each other and begin a romance. This YA romance is about a lot of different things concerning the pressure put on young, famous people, but it is mostly about the pressure of LGBTQ+ folks to cater to a certain image, particularly when being controlled by a group listening to the mainstream media. I enjoyed the young-love romance and communication between Ruben and Zach, and that it was a slow build with the drama centered around the managerial team not letting them be their authentic selves in many ways. I thought the book also did a great job building on the pressures of the whole band, including Jon, whose dad manages the band with a tight fist, and Angel, who is battling with drug abuse. I recommend this book for fans of young-adult fiction, boy-bands, and LGTBQ+ romance.

Oh my goodness!!! This was such a great read!! I absolutely adored the synopsis when I read it and knew I would love this!! Totally loved the characters and the storyline!! Zach and Ruben were both so freaking adorable together!! Loved the inclusivity!! Now I need books for Jon & Angel!!

“I know what I want, and it’s you.”

5 huge stars!

Wow, what a phenomenal read! A first-time co-write by two authors who are both new to me, I was instantly sucked into the story, I fell in mad love with the characters, and I was captivated the whole way through. Both joyous and heartbreaking, it’s a funny, sweet, romantic and emotional coming-of-age story about figuring out who you are and then fighting to be that person, no matter the cost. It’s an utterly addictive read, and I loved it!

Saturday is the hottest boy band in the US. Featuring four gorgeous young teens, they are the closest of friends and loving their success, but everything about their lives is completely out of their control. They don’t choose their songs, their life is a whirlwind of concerts, press, photo shoots and promotions across hundreds of cities, and each of them have been given a public persona to live up to (one is the bad boy, one a sweet virgin, etc.). It’s strictly organised chaos, and the boys go along with it, having placed themselves in the hands of their management, and unwilling to rock the boat.

But lately, things have started to become more difficult. Ruben is actually gay, and he’s been desperate to come out of the closet, but management won’t allow it, afraid it will ruin the band’s image. He’s also in love with his best friend and fellow bandmate, Zach, and it’s getting harder and harder to hide it.

"Zach’s shirtless in my hotel room, which is both amazing, and a travesty on multiple levels.
Essentially, I’m doing my very best not to stare. And it’s, uh, hard."

Zach is oblivious to Ruben’s feelings, but when he starts to feel something more than friendship for his friend, he begins to question everything. A crush on a boy isn’t new to him, but it’s always something he’s brushed aside, never wanting to examine it too closely, not wanting it to be real. But his feelings for Ruben aren’t going away, which leads to a whole lot of confusion.

"I’m sure it’s common to get such miniscule crushes on other people. It doesn’t mean I’m queer. If I felt the way about guys that I felt about guys I’d know it.
… If he was a girl, I’d have known I’d found the next person I’m into. But it’s Ruben. My very male best friend and band mate.
So, essentially, what the fuck?"

I freaking love these characters so much! The story is written from the dual perspectives of Ruben and Zach, and they are amazing. Funny, smart and witty, they are both beautifully real and so well-written, and I could feel everything they were feeling as their relationship starts to change. They have a lot of emotions to sort through, and it’s definitely not an easy ride for either of them, but it’s realistic, and I could see it all playing out before me like I was watching a movie. And as they slowly came to accept everything that was between them, I revelled in their blooming romance.

“It’ll be okay. No matter what happens, you have me. That’s not going to change. Not as long as you still want me.”
… “I’ll always want you.”
“Then you’ll always have me.”

It’s sweet and beautiful, and one of those reads where even the smallest moments mean so much.

"The smile he gives me kind of makes my life."

So. Freaking. Cute!!!

We get to see lots of the band together as they are rushed through a whirlwind tour of Europe, and I loved getting to know not only Ruben and Zach, but also Angel and Jon (God, I hope we get books for them!). The boys are each so different, but I love their closeness and their friendship. It’s real, and they have issues that they’re dealing with, but they love each other deeply and have each other’s backs through all of the ups and downs.

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect this.”

But band life is starting to take a toll on all of the boys, and the secrets keep piling up as they are forced into personas that are starting to stifle them. When the cracks start to show, they’ll have to figure out what it is they want, and then pull together like never before to fight for it. It’s exciting, emotional and so uplifting, and I loved every moment of it.

“The freedom to be ourselves, and express whatever truest version of ourselves we know of to the world as we see fit, is the most important freedom we have.”

This is such a special read. It’s an absolutely gorgeous love story, but it’s also so much more than that. There are some wonderful messages in the book, and I loved the journey that these boys take together. It’s beautifully, seamlessly written, with humour, heart, and so many feels, and I loved it.

5 huge stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler FREE:
I used to find the YA genre to be something I turned to in order to breathe, to lose myself in a fantasy world with characters like me. But lately, I’ve found myself starting to drift from YA books, they have stopped feeling relatable. Not because I’m growing up, but because recently, authors seem to be almost out of touch with the “youth” culture. Using references from years before, either because that’s when it was written or it’s the absolution of their knowledge. When any kind of social media is mentioned, I would have to prepare myself for the inevitable cringe. However Gonzalez and Dietrich’s book “If This Gets Out” is refreshingly different. Ruben and Zach have to navigate stardom, on top of adulthood being pushed onto them-- being asked to go non-stop with little regard for their own fatigue. Which is something so many people, especially today’s youth, can relate to today. Gonzalez and Dietrich also present a picture of fans and fan culture online in a very realistic and modern light. As someone who does run a booktwt account, as well as being an active member of several fandoms when I was younger, what both authors presented felt real. Not outdated and certainly not out of touch.
I didn’t know until I read the acknowledgments that Gonzalez and Dietrich both wrote a character, and from what I can assume, they wrote their individual chapters. Yet, the reader would never know. Ruben and Zach both have incredibly different voices, but they complement each other perfectly, much like the two authors.

Slight Content Spoilers ahead:
Honestly, though, the most refreshing point at the end of the novel was that, while the biggest plot points had a full arc, some little details were left unresolved: like Ruben’s relationship with his mother. The push and pull he feels when it comes to her and her feedback is an uncomfortable needle throughout the novel. I felt the same dread he did when his phone buzzed. I felt the constant anxiety that he did when there was any kind of good moment, worrying when she would ruin it. I understood the pain that pulling away would mean losing the little good moments, too, no matter how far and few between they were. However, I also felt Zach’s and the rest of Saturday’s urgency to talk Ruben down from believing everything she said. It felt a little like talking to myself.
I also found myself drawn to Zach’s character. While his B-side problems began to come to light a little later on, I felt connected to them nonetheless. Zach is the ever-constant people pleaser. He would much sooner go along with “what everyone else wanted” than acknowledge what he’s feeling or wants. Only after a decision is made does he finally understand how it made him feel. What I loved the most, was that neither of these problems has a magical solution nor get resolved right away. Instead, the two of them promise that they will work on it with each other, for each other.
Something else that I couldn’t not mention was the themes that I, personally, have not seen very well done in the YA genre. Not only did they touch upon themes of sex and parental psychological abuse/manipulation, but they also went pretty into detail about substance abuse, and how hard it can be to see someone you know struggle with it. Within the members of Saturday, you can feel their anxiety about seeing a person they care about constantly and consistently high. The shared glances when this person goes to the bathroom “for the second time in 15 minutes,” or the fear when they wander off for too long. They struggle with anger for this person’s actions, but also with fear over their future. Thus, breathing life into the book and giving it a touch of realness and tenderness for all those reading it.

Overall, this book was an easy five out of five stars for me. Gonzalez and Dietrich juggle both the lightheartedness of a rom-com about two boys in a pop band with the struggles of modern-day media exploitation and the toll it can take. I look forward to convincing all of my friends to purchase this book on release day!

I absolutely loved this book. I put off reading it for so long after I received my ARC on Netgalley because I knew I would love it and I didn’t want to read it because then I could never read it for the first time again. But I loved it when I finally did and I’m mad at myself for not reading it sooner.

If you don’t know what this book is about I’ll give you a brief description. We have the boyband Saturday and we follow 2 of its members, Zach and Ruben. As the band goes on tour through Europe, Zach and Ruben begin to rely on each other more and their friendship turns into a romance and the book is them figuring out their romance and wanting to come out to the world but their management company wanting to keep them in the closet.

I loved this book as I’ve already mentioned. I absolutely loved Zach and Ruben, their friendship turned romance was absolutely perfect, the way it was natural and fell into place slowly. I also loved them as individuals, and how their character development is done.

I also really enjoyed the other two members of Saturday that being Jon and Angel. Especially Angel because of his problem with addiction that he has to deal with and how everyone else helps him.

Their management company can fuck off, I absolutely hate how they responded to things and how they were manipulating some situations and changes aspects of the band just to fit their narrative but that is real life and what some management companies do to artists/ bands IRL. And it’s honestly sad both in the book and IRL.

I loved how fluffy this book was, it was filled with cute scenes and was very fast pace. I really loved how this book was very sex-positive.

I’m honestly sitting here like can we get a sequel of this book because I need more of these characters and to see the outcome of the ending. Speaking of the ending when I was reading the ending I was so into the story that I didn’t realize the book was over until the acknowledgments and had to go back and be like oh the book is over and then almost cried because the book was over.

I think this book just might be in my top 10 books of 2021 and I have read almost 200 books this year so that is a really high accomplishment in my opinion.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I saw the synopsis of this book on GoodReads a few weeks ago and was super excited for it. Now that I’ve finished it, I can say it mostly lived up to the hype!

I think this book will really appeal to teenage fans of boy bands, no matter how they identify. There are good discussions to have with teens here about how much of what we see of our favorite artists is authentic, and how much of it is a packaged product we’re being sold. Because let me tell you, as this book goes on, these four boys are DONE being a packaged product.

There are some things in this book people might find a bit triggering, such as one MC’s toxic relationship with his extremely harsh and critical mother. While other characters in the book are upset on his behalf, and even the character himself acknowledges it’s not okay, we still have to endure it with him for much of the book.

I loved the characters in this one, and the story hooked me in, though I did ultimately drop one star because the story got a bit slow in the middle. It picked back up, though, and I found the ending mostly satisfying (though I’ll avoid any spoilers).

Maturity-wise, there is sex offscreen in this book (PrEP, condoms, and lube are explicitly mentioned), lots of (sometimes underaged) drinking, and one side character struggles with a developing drug addiction. I would recommend this book to mature 8th graders, but would otherwise keep it a the high school level.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

Holy wow. I have truly fallen in love with the way Sophie writes. It's almost like she's been in my head. Pairing that with Cale gave us a book out of this world good! I truly adored this. What a concept and story! I was engrossed from the first page and couldn't find out what was happening next fast enough!

I really loved the general set up of this book. A boyband formed at camp meets a coming of age/coming out story? It's really was so seamless between both Sophie and Cale's voices throughout the novel. It would be hard to pinpoint which was which. They have such a unique voice and story telling quality together. I truly hope they work together again in the future!

As for the characters and story itself? Fantastic. The pacing was great, the story flowed so well together and the characters were unique yet relatable. I loved Ruben the most, but low key I can really relate to Jon and a lot of his conflicting emotions. But, Zach's need to please other people is rooted deep in me and was so well done! The romance was sweet, yet interesting. I loved the dynamics that they played with each other and still pushed each other to be the best version of themselves. The whole band was fantastic and I can't get over how good this book was! Highly recommend!

This is the story of Ruben and Zach. They’re both members of a superstar boy band called Saturday. Behind the scenes, they’re also best friends, though at times, the pressures of fame, and the pressures of the band’s management forcibly keeping Ruben in the closet have made it difficult to get along all the time. As they go on a big European tour, Ruben and Zach get even closer, and when they decide they want to tell their fans, they realize that they will never get the blessing of their manager. And many shenanigans are had.

I quite enjoyed this book. I read half of it in one sitting when I should have been sleeping, and I love it when a book grabs me like that. Ruben and Zach are both really easy to cheer for, so it was easy for me to latch onto them and hope for the best, even when they were being colossal idiots (as is wont to happen in a lot of romances, lol). I also liked the exploits of the rest of the band, and especially how Angel’s shenanigans affected Ruben and Zach.

We see things from both Ruben and Zach’s POV in the first person, alternating chapter by chapter, and I thought that was a good way of getting both sides of the story. The font for each of them is different as well, which was admittedly jarring at first, but eventually became a good indicator of whose POV I was reading.

All told, If This Gets Out was a quick, fun read that hits hard at times, but was often adorable and jostled my feels more than once. I’d recommend it to anyone that’s into friends-to-lovers romance. Also the only-one-bed trope. Yep, it’s there, and I did not have a problem with it. ^_^

I have been dying to read If This Gets Out since Sophie Gonzales told my book club about the premise of the book earlier this year. Let me tell you, this book does not disappoint! I absolutely loved the book from start to finish.

Boy band Saturday is getting ready to kick off the European leg of their tour and the foursome is getting antsy. Everything about the band is curated by their management team. Each member has a different personality and what they do and say is strictly enforced; every member plays a distinct role in keeping the public's attention and adoration for the group thriving. With the group forming at a summer camp, the band, now all almost 18, are starting to have growing pains as they realize their true identities don't necessarily match up with what their team wants for them. When romantic sparks fly between two of the band-mates, the pair has to decide how far are they willing to be pushed without sacrificing all that they love and stand for, especially when everything starts to fall apart.

This was such a fun read! I loved getting the behind the scenes look at boy bands, especially as an 80s baby, who was raised on boy bands. The interactions between the band members were so fun and I loved how they supported each other through anything, even the tough stuff. If This Gets Out makes me question so many of the outward personas of celebrities and artists, many who are probably stifled having to live part of their life as a lie. The theme of found family was hopeful and the book gave me definite The Charm Offensive vibes. I was obsessed reading to find out what would happen next with the band and completely devoured this book in less than a day.

I absolutely adored Ruben's character and how he stood with his convictions. He knows who he is and what he wants out of life, so he never really lets his guard down completely around management. I hated that he was forced into hiding his sexuality, especially after he finally got everything he had hoped for. Loved the theater geek aspect of his personality and how understanding he was with Zach.

Zach's journey was so beautiful and a story that needs to be told. He was thoughtful and incredibly creative, striving to write the next great song for Saturday. While the other members grew up privileged, Zach takes nothing for granted, working tirelessly to provide for his mom. His path to figuring out his sexuality was honest, emotional and so well-written.

I LOVED Zach and Ruben together as a couple. This friends to lovers m/m romance was so sweet and tender, especially highlighting a first love. Both characters gave each other space to figure out what they wanted, but they also supported each other, forgiving the other when they may have inadvertently done something wrong. I highly recommend this book!

I had extremely high hopes for this book just from reading the synopsis, and usually when that happens I will put off reading a book in case it ends up disappointing me. But for once I didn't do that, and I'm so glad because I literally could not fault this book in any way, shape, or form.

First off let's talk about the elephant in the room, if you (like me) were in a certain fandom for a certain boyband in the early 2010's you will probably instantly think this is based off a certain ship (because I did at first), however after seeing the authors tweet about having no idea about this ship, and reading the book, this is clearly just a coincidence and not based on any real life boyband. Although if you look at any boyband in real life, you'll see just how realistic this is where the way they're treated is concerned. Each of the four boys were very different to the way their management made them dress/act in the spotlight, and if you've seen any member of a real life boyband seem to be a completely different person after leaving a band, then that's because they've finally escaped their controlling management team. Now I'm not saying all managements for bands/artists are like that, but if any are actually like the management team Saturday have in this book, then I really do feel for everyone trapped in that environment.

Anyway onto the book itself; I loved these characters, I loved how all four members of the band were different (off stage) and how they gradually started to push back against their management more and more throughout the book so they could actually be true to themselves. I loved how the Zach and Ruben's relationship changed across the whole book and those two characters in general just have my whole heart, I love them and want all the happiness for them both in their non-existent fictional futures. When the guys were on stage it felt like I was on the stage myself and part of the band, and as someone who has performed on a stage in the past but also loves going to concerts, it just made me feel so happy imagining being there in that moment. This book made me sad, happy, it made me punch the air and want to punch their management team and just made me feel all the things.

This is a book I'm going to recommend to everyone, especially if you're a fan of music and contemporary queer romances. I cannot wait for this to be released so people can read it and I can't shout about it to everyone.

IF THIS GETS OUT made me want to get into a boy band and the fandom around it as quickly as possible, just so I can continue this love of fandom and queer celebrities and music. God, it makes me miss my Kpop days, which is considerable since Kpop makes me anxious as hell now.