This book is right up my alley as a lover of boy bands!
Ruben and Zach are part of the successful boy band Saturday and they are also in a secret relationship. Saturday’s management pressured the boys to stay hidden in the closet, among other things. This books really hits on the exploitation of young people in the music industry and how they are pressured to be perfect and look perfect all the time. I really enjoyed that a lot of hard hitting and important topics and conversations happened in this book. However, Zach mentions his body image a lot and there are many points where there is definitely disordered eating happening, but no resolution. The disordered eating mentions are triggering to some people and I think it needs to be addressed some more.
Overall, I loved this book and how it reminded me of One Direction and just being a fan.

Sohpie Gonzales always takes her YA novels to the next level. Her characters are so nuanced that I never feel like I am reading YA. This story was grippping and hopeful. She truly captures LGBT microagressions - people that claim they support LGBT people, but their language states otherwise. I am positively in love with all the characters, Angel, Jon, Ruben, and Zach.

Will be posted on my blog a month before publication!

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If This Gets Out is the first collaboration of Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich. I have read books by both authors, and it seems to me that their skills combine well to create a book that’s pretty adorable but still manages to delve into some serious issues.

This book seems to be marketed as a queer YA romance, but I would argue that it’s much more than that. There’s a lot of substance in this story and it’s great to see the genre expanded to include some relevant and serious issues.

Ruben, Zack, Jon and Angel are the members of the boy-band Saturday. They are a fully managed band that appear to have it all together in front of the camera. The problem is that things behind the stage seem to be starting to unravel.

Ruben has known for a long time that he was gay, but his management has insisted that he keep his sexual orientation “discreet.” What does that mean when you’re in a boy band? It means that you can’t ever really be yourself. Things get even more complex when Zach… whom Ruben has long harbored an unrequited crush on – kisses him.

While the romance plays out behind the scenes (and in fade to black scenes that are really well written) the business of being in a boyband is also explored. The authors do a great job of shining some light on the contractual process that may be involved in making music and many other issues: Lack of creative control, lack of personal time, all work-no play, mental health issues, paparazzi, fans and more.

It may seem ambitious to tackle so many issues in one book, but the authors do a great job of exploring the ins and outs of the music industry.

The book becomes a battle between the band members and their management. They’re all becoming young men and some of them are dealing with the challenges of fame better than others. Each of the band members is dealing with something different and it certainly makes for interesting reading.

Jon is the son of their manager and seems to be discovering that he’s more of a commodity to his father than a son. Angel is seeking excitement and freedom in unhealthy ways. Ruben’s mother is controlling and tends towards being a little cruel – he just wants to come out and be “himself”. Zack… oh Zack (I did love this character) is a people-pleaser and is finding out that just may mean he doesn’t actually know what he wants for himself.

The POV switches between Zack and Ruben. This is the way that Gonzales and Dietrich chose to co-write. It works quite well in the book. I particularly loved that the different POVs were printed in different fonts. It seems small but it was an extra clue for my brain when I was reading.

This is a YA book and could be considered new adult as the band members are all 18 years old. It’s feels as though it’s firmly planted in the YA universe. I loved the voices of the characters and think that it would be a great read for young people, or for people like me who just love YA.

This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more collaborations from these two authors.

There are parts of this book that I enjoyed, but overall felt a little too much like fan fiction? I know it’s not, but it reminded me of a student who wrote One Direction fan fiction. I love the bi representation, exploration of artist/production company dynamics, the struggles of life in the spotlight, and complex family dynamics. It wasn’t my favorite, but I can see lots of people loving this. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to students! It would be perfect for fans of boy bands and LGBTQ+ romance!

Saturday is an American boy band on a European tour. All do the members are tiring of their assigned roles and parts they’re forced to play by management. As the boys push back against expectations, Zach discovers and grapples with his bisexuality. He begins a relationship with fellow Saturday member and (closeted) friend Ruben. They story is told from alternating points of view and makes for some great character development. Even the other two members of the band have decent character development.

If This Gets Out is the perfect book for anyone who has ever been obsessed with a boy band. It is such a cute romance, but also addresses some hard topics like anxiety, toxic parents, drug issues, and of course coming out. I thought it was really great to see both sides of Ruben and Zach’s story, and hear not only about their struggles as a couple but also individually. I really enjoyed my time reading this book, and look forward to discovering more from Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

This book ultimately just wasn't what I wanted it to be.

I was hoping for a fun romance about boys in a boy band falling in love and the hijinks that come from hiding their relationship from the record company and the media. While that is definitely part of the story, a much larger part is about the suffering of this group of young men under the supervision of their overbearing management, and that comes to the forefront over the relationship.

There are some interesting conversations about the pressure celebrities are put under and the pedestal they are put upon, but at the same time I feel like in a post-One Direction world where teenager girls were openly shipping members of a boy band, a story about how the management/record company thinks it would damage the group to have a gay member feels outdated in some ways.

The characters are well-formed, the romance is well-developed, but overall I was left feeling pretty distanced and emotionally detached from the whole thing.

This was so heartwarming??? Wow. First of all, I really loved the dynamic between Reuben, Zach, Angel, and Jon. Their friendship was very wholesome, very realistic. They had their ups and downs but they really came out stronger. I really enjoyed the romance a lot too! It was slowburn kinda but not really?? But really worth it they are very adorable. What I liked best was how this book just didn't focus on romamce, but addressed many other things too, like toxic parental relationships, coming out, pros & cons of fame, the fandom & the artist dynamic, as well as how many celebrities/artists get fucked up by the management they're in.

I think the two authors' writing really melds well together, but I'll say I preferred Reuben's point of view, and sometimes I did get confused on whose pov I was in at the moment. The pacing at the start was also sort of slow for me, but I did finish most of the book in one night so I guess it made up for it then?? I will say the ending felt a bit eh, but it did end at a very cheerful and hopeful note so that's nice.

not sure how I feel about this book, it wasn’t bad but i just didn’t connect with the characters. The writing didn’t flow well for me and the characters fell dull. The plot itself felt wasn’t bad, just didn’t add anything for me. The romance didn’t interest me much either. Wish I liked it more, maybe i’ll give it a try again in a few months.

Who knew you could fall in love with a band that doesn’t exist?
I absolutely adored this book. From the cover to the cast of characters, to the choreographed dances, this book was everything. The dual perspectives were well written, Zach and Ruben stole my heart.

It’s fun, fast-paced, full of action, queer rom-com. It doesn’t flinch away from shining a light on the harsh conditions of queer musicians in the industry, especially those who have been in this reality from a young age, as all the members of Saturday are. It really shows what it’s like to have every single second of your life planned out, and the consequences of their actions if they fail to follow the rules.

Ruben is a headstrong, iron-willed young adult who has been waiting to come out to the public since he was 15. He’s an amazingly written character, and his perspective really got you into his head as he faced his struggles. Zach, who is by far my favorite, is the perfect example of a best friend. He’s always there for his band, and he would do anything for them. The story really explores him coming to terms with his sexuality and vulnerability.

Angel and Jon were also wonderful characters, and I wished we got a bit more of their relationship. Angel’s character really showed what it’s like to become consumed by the toxicity of the music industry.

Overall this was a wonderful read, and I’m sad to know that’s over. I cannot wait to see it go out into the world and to know that I was able to read it beforehand will make this book incredibly special to me.

NOTE: This is a young adult novel and it deals with heavy topics like substance abuse and sex. Please look up all additional trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If This Gets Out honestly is like every boy band fans dream come true! You know when you start shipping two of the members and you can't stop but read into their interactions? This book follows Ruben and Zach as they work through the new tension that has built between them while on their UK tour. Ruben feels trapped by their management and Zach wishes he could just write his own music.

This book immediately became a comfort read for me. The characters felt so organic and their interactions were so adorable.  I enjoyed that they weren't all hearts and stars from the beginning but slowly fell into each other. There is so much tension in this book and you feel for all four of the boys for the horrible situation they find themselves trapped in. Even though the story was centered around Ruben and Zach's relationship, the other two members of the band felt just as important to me. They were fully fleshed out characters that I wish I could read more about. I felt so bad for my poor baby Angel and I can't even imagine the fallout for Jon. This book is easily a 4.5/5 for me.

If you like boy bands, shipping celebrities, or just good old fashioned romance, this book is for you. You'll fall in love with the boys and wish you could see what their future holds.

I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

This was an extremely fun and enjoyable read! Coming from the perspective of someone who had been a fan of k-pop, namely boy groups, I thought this was fantastic. If This Gets Out is a story about an American boy band called Saturday. They have four group members; Ruben, Zach, Jon, and Angel. Ruben is openly gay with his group members and with their producing company; Chorus, but has not been allowed to disclose his sexuality to the world. As the story progresses we have Zach come to terms with his sexuality. As he and Ruben develop feelings for each other we see the struggles they face with a company that does not openly support them.

Characters(9.5/10) : I really enjoyed all four members of Saturday. I found they all had distinctive personalities to set them apart. I thought it was amusing how their company; Chorus had them display stage personalities that were often quite different from who they actually were. You do often see musical acts that have stage personalities, but for Saturday they were not given the choice to choose who they would be. They were dictated by Chorus on how to act and dress and all four of the boys were not content with the choices. Ruben and Zach had fantastic chemistry. I loved all the scenes they were in together (which was most of them!) The dynamic between all the boys was also really wonderful. They really felt like a family and their love for each other was charming to read.

Plot (8.5/10): I thought the story was engaging but I do find this was more of a character based story, which I do love. The plot did keep me engaged especially with the addition of some different dynamics with the other two Saturday members; Jon and Angel. I did like that they had their own problems that they were dealing with aside from the main story of Ruben and Zach. Even just within Ruben there were multiple problems he was dealing with, from homophobia to family problems.

Writing (8.5/10): I thought the writing was really good and kept me engaged. I found myself reading until late at night sometimes. I thought both the POV's of Ruben and Zach flowed well. The continuity was great. You would never know this book was co-written by two authors.

Entertainment (10/10): Like I said earlier, I was up until 2am one night reading this novel. Even some other books I enjoy, I don’t mind putting them aside for the night, but for If This Gets Out, I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next!

I find it difficult to come up with many cons. I suppose it would have been nice to have a longer conclusion. It was left a bit open ended. I did not mind the ending though. We as the readers did receive enough context to know what would happen next for the boys of Saturday.

All in all, a really great read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Ruben and Zach, and even Jon and Angel. Their “battle” against their producing company was great to read about. This book just tackled so many issues and did it so well, from homophobia, abuse within the entertainment industry, familial abuse, and substance abuse.
I would recommend this to just about everyone, but if you are a fellow k-pop fan like me or a fan of bands in general I think you would really love this!

Total: 4.6/5 = 5/5

3.5

I liked this. It wasn't anything super exciting, but it was fun nonetheless. It was a really quick read and quite entertaining. I'd recommend it if your looking for something quick and fun that still manages to deal with some important issues then this is for you. It deals with issues like homophobia, addiction and other things fairly well. The characters were well developed, as were the relationships between the four main boys.

I've seen a few people compare it to fan fiction and I wouldn't say thats too far off. Not that that's a bad thing at all. It just had a similar vibe to an RPF fan fiction. If you like that kind of thing, this is probably up your ally.

I didn't really have many problems with the book, but i felt like several things didn't get resolved. Many plot points were very open ended and i felt like certain things were brushed over without being explained. I felt like the book could've been a bit longer to clear somethings up and and explore certain plot points, but at the same time, the book is already fairly long.

As someone who has been on "stan" twitter, I can say for a fact that the way the fanbase was represented was pretty accurately. There were a few things that wouldn't have happened, but overall it seemed pretty similar to things I've seen in large fanbases like that. I think it did a good job of showing the negative sides of fandom as well as certain aspects about idolising celebrities. These types of fanbases can be a very negative environment, not just for fans, but for the artists too and I think that the book did a good job of showing this.

Overall, I didn't have many issues with the book, but it just wasn't anything that got me super invested.

**REVIEW TIME**

5 stars

So I was lucky enough to score an eARC of this baby via NetGalley recently and I could not wait to jump into it. Boy band members who fall in love? Hells. Yes. I could not read this faster.

**Potential spoilers**

Things I liked:
- Zach's struggle with his sexuality - this was so bloody relatable it wasn't funny and it was done so well. Seriously, one of my notes was literally "F*cking relatable as f*ck". Such eloquence but so true.
- the pressure the boys were put under was palpable - you could feel it, and the tension it brought had me racing through this book to find out what happened next
- Zach and Ruben were written so well - you understand their motivations, why they are the way they are based on their backgrounds and history. They also grew as characters, questioning themselves and their actions in the fishbowl existence they lived in.
- the parental figures were given very real personalities - they weren't just characters hovering at the edge of the MCs universe.
- the chemistry and tension between then two mains was #chefskiss
- I legit squealed with excitement when it came to the scene at the end where everything comes to a head. I was so invested in these characters!

Things I didn't like:
- *crickets* I... I got nothing.

To be honest, there really isn't anything I can fault about this book. I wanted it to keep going. At the end my heart was pounding. It was fantastic and it felt real and I want a #SaveSaturday shirt like right now. I seriously cannot wait for this book to come out (pun thoroughly intended)!

NetGallery provided me an advanced copy of this book for review.
I fell in love with Saturday--Jon, Reuben, Zach, and Angel. I loved all the characters in this book. The authors knocked it out of the park with how well-rounded all the band members were. Although we only have two narrators, I would have loved to see Jon and Angel's POV. Maybe the next book, huh? There is definitely more story to tell. I screamed at the ending because I wanted to see how it played out, but it was a great stopping point. Especially since we have to get another entry.
I have dedicated 2021 to queer stories. This is one of my personal favorites.
There were so many topics that were touched on. There was potential to address eating disorders, drug addiction, mistreatment, religion, several different ethnic and cultural lifestyles...there were SO many seeds planted in this first book. So many things to address in a second book. 😜
This entry primarily focused on Reuben and Zach and their secret relationship and how it affects those around them. It was heart-warming and funny. I felt such frustration for these characters...a sign of any good book when you experience the characters' emotions.
One particular thing that stands out to me as a member of the queer community is the mention of PreP. Kudos to both authors for including this and helping to get the message about PreP out there to younger people in our community.
I have read books from both authors separately. This was just a phenomenal mashup of talent. I can't wait to read a sequel.

Review coming soon. Thanks to Sophie Gonzales, Caleb Dietrich, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; the opinions are mine.

Pub Date 12.7.21

Opening the initial pages of this was like wandering back into the beginning of I Was Born For This from Jimmy Kaga-Ricci's point of view. The band in that book and in this one are very similar, largely because they are both pop sensations with stars who are a similar late teen age.

The main difference at that point was that this was an American band. However, shortly after the beginning of the story sets up, they are heading out on the European leg of their tour.

The other difference? Although this too has a dual point of view story, it is between two of the band mates, and one of them is already established to be very gay.

Once this novel got started, I absolutely couldn't put it down. Yes, Zach and Ruben were the main- and viewpoint characters, but part of what made this so compelling were the relationships and struggles they went through with their other band mates, Angel and Jon.

Ruben has known he was gay since before the band started, however he's been encouraged not to come out publicly since the band was put together by Jon's dad. This is more or less okay, up until he and Zach start their relationship. This, amongst other things, signals the beginnings of even more of the band's freedoms being cut down.

I just... this novel was so claustrophobic at parts, but that was what made it so mesmerising. And, although at the end, the band gets their happily ever after, it's hard won and with a lot of shakey stuff that goes on to get them there.

The only thing that I would say is a little bit of a downside to this book is that, even though the two viewpoints were written by different people, the characters read very similarly a lot of the time.

If This Gets Out follows the boyband "Saturday," and two of their members, Ruben and Zach, falling in love with each other. It also shows all four boys' struggles with fame and their public appearance, the pressures of their management team, and dealing with mental health issues.

I love this book so much! Ruben and Zach felt so much like real people. I couldn't help but feel so invested in their lives and just want to hug them. Their cute moments were insanely cute. I could not get enough of them. It's crazy; I was so invested I devoured this book in two nights (which is really fast for this insanely slow reader).

But when I tell you I couldn't pick up another book for a couple of weeks because this left me broken-hearted, I am not kidding you. I was expecting a cute and fluffy rom-com, but this felt so much deeper than that. Yes, it was adorable and fun. But it also touched on so many real-life issues of the music industry. It showed the boys being overworked, closeted, dealing with substance abuse, mental health issues, and more. And if you think this is far-fetched and doesn't actually happen in real life, you are lying to yourself. There are numerous first-person accounts of similar situations, especially for boyband members, and it's truly heartbreaking.

This book deserves all the stars in the world, and I could not recommend it more if I tried. But I will try. Haha. You should pick this up, especially if you like boy bands, LGBTQ+ reads, romcoms, the being famous trope, and stories that leave you feeling it could actually be true.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Wednesday Books for letting me read this early!

P.S.: Did this book remind me of what it was like in 2012 desperately and obsessively shipping two boyband members together? Yes. Yes, it did. 💚💙🤣

This is the perfect book to pick up when you just want to get lost in someone else's romance story. I read this book one sitting-it is that fast paced.

The Good: The boy band-c'mon, it brought me all the way back to 1999 and I am HERE FOR IT. The romance and coming to terms with who you really are...loved the themes here. I loved that Reuben was unapologetically himself and would've come out at 16 if he was "allowed". The pace of the read-I COULD NOT get enough. I LOVED that the author made a quick mention of PrEP and condoms in the book-we often times glance over the safety in LGBTQ and the strides our medical community has made in regards to HIV prevention, so I was really happy to see PrEP mentioned.

The Bad: There were some characters *cough* Erin *cough*, that are just miserable. It contributes to the plot and plays a purpose, but that doesn't make it easier to read. If there was any more of Erin in the book, I just don't know how I could've dealt. There are some heavy topics discussed and although they are eventually dealt with-I just really struggled with the fact that the adults(some) are not the ones that were willing to help solve them.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc.

I loved this book!! a romcom about two members of a band? I LOVE TO SEE IT!! its very different from what i usually read but i really enjoyed it and cant wait for others to get a chance to read as well!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was everything. I basically read the entire book in one day, I simply couldn’t stop.

I love that we got to be in the head of both Ruben and Zach every other chapter. Following both of their journeys in the boy-band, Saturday, and with their other band mates, Angel, and Jon, was a pleasure and extremely emotional at times.

Ruben dealing with pressure from management to stay in the closet, Zach in the middle of figuring out his sexuality and what they could mean to each other…it was intense, I cried at times, and would read it again in a heartbeat.

December can’t get here fast enough. I need to chatter about this book with everyone I can.

Highly recommended. 5 stars.