I started If This Gets Out knowing that the premise would grab my attention enough but not at all expecting that I'd be enraptured by the story and the characters. This book is so good! I finished it in about a day, turning page after page, fully immersed in both Ruben's and Zach's points of view and unable to wait to see what happens next.

I'm not too familiar with how boy bands work, what dynamics they have with their producers or with their fans, but the way the authors frame the story and present the challenges the main characters were facing worked for me. Everything seemed plausible.

The boys felt real, their relationship felt organic and fresh, and I loved reading their journeys, as individuals and together. Sophie Gonzales is always a delight, and her work here shines just as bright as everything else she does. Cale Dietrich has such a way with his characters, and I really feel that he outdid himself here; this is some of his best work.

3/5 stars

Thank to Netgalley for providing this book!

The book was fine but i unfortunately wasn't too attached to the characters

This is an ARC so I had the opportunity to read it before is released.
Was good actually is a 3.5 stars. They story is good but are a couple of things that bother me a little bit.
And is that sometimes the characters feel a little flat. But it really surprised me the other side of being part of a fandom. As fans of a celebrity only have access to what the fans are talking about or making theories and we don't see what is behind of a successful in this case band. And also there's this side of industry taking advantage of young people to had more opportunities of making money.
Also the ending was like what I get it but just don't had me totally convinced.
I just want to say that I enjoy it, was a good story.

Have you ever wondered what you would get if you combined "Red, White, and Royal Blue," your favorite One Direction Liam/Harry fanfic, and a small splash of Camp Rock? Probably not, but if all of that intrigues you then you'll love "If This Gets Out!"

When their band Saturday, a worldwide phenomenon, goes on an international tour, Reuben and Zach must navigate their developing feelings for each other and the requirements of their record label. Along with excellent YA queer representation, this book is a great reflection of the sometimes ugly sides of show business. Even though they are international superstars, Ruben and Zach struggle with things we all struggle with while finding love against all odds.

My only critique of this book is the frequent mention of disordered eating and having to exercise to make up for eating desserts and high-calorie foods. These comments are framed within the context of the strict requirements made by the band's record label. However, I incorrectly assumed that it would be addressed later in the story. I cannot fully support a book that perpetuates harmful eating habits, especially when the book is being marketed to impressionable young readers.

Never was a huge 1D fan but BOYYYYY did this book catch my my surprise.
I laugh, cried and had a great time reading it

Unfortunately, these characters were so lacking in depth and the storyline seemed to be going absolutely nowhere. I could not bring myself to finish it.

𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓: 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

AHH THIS BOOK!!! IS SOOO QUEER AND FULL OF HOPE 🙌❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

But okay, the book is so much more complex than that. It really makes you take a step back and realize how controlled the music industry is, and how a celebrity's life can be carefully curated.

Ruben's mom is the worst btw. It's the point. & it was thoroughly well done.

LOVE LOVE LOVE :

• YES to normalizing people who identify as male to live their emotions and CRYYYY
• YES to identifying toxic relationships in your life. You aren't obliged to unconditionally love your parents if they are toxic to you.
• YES to growing into your own person and affirming what you want
• YES to talking things out so you don't misinterpret them
• YES to thinking about yourself for once, and not always about others and making others happy

LIST OF THINGS I NOW HATE FOR LIFE :

• That this book ever had to end
• The music industry
• Ruben's mom
• Geoff
• Ruben's mom
• Mother of Ruben
• Mom to Ruben
• did I say Ruben's mom?

My ONLY critique is I couldn't always tell who's POV I was reading. But that could also be my mommy brain, who knows. 🤷‍♀️

Also, I believe the final show would've made a perfect ending, without the last few chapters. But then again, some of the subplots would've remained unresolved.

So anyways. This book is amazing. It is now officially my favourite Gonzales book. Yes, even more so than Only Mostly Devastated and Perfect on Paper. IF THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE. You need to read it. Everyone does. If you don't, I might shove it down your throat. Gently. Or not.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow this was a really good story. I did not expect for the story to be compelling and suck you in.

I admit, my main reason for requesting an arc of "If This Gets Out" was Gonzales as one of the authors. I recently read and adored her "Perfect on Paper", and another book of hers is already waiting on my shelf. The blurb itself wasn't even that interesting to me, mostly because I've never been a boyband kind of girl myself and because, quite frankly, I find the amount of 'real people shipping' and fetishization of gay men that seems to be happening a lot in these particular fandoms concerning and borderline problematic. But I was still interested how all of this would play out in the hands of two talented authors, so I gave it a go. I don't regret it.

"If This Gets Out" is utterly adorable with lots of yearning, a plethora of tropes I love and a cast of complex, loveable characters. Both protagonists, Ruben and Zach, are fleshed out, flawed and relatable characters with issues that go beyond just their romance, which I really enjoyed. They didn't exist just for the romance, they were interesting people on their own. I rooted for the both of them and they deserve all the happiness in the world tbh. The other two members of their boyband are JUST as loveable and fleshed out, too, and I felt for all of them. They wormed their way into my heart and I won't ever get rid of them, I just know it.

The romance is swoonworthy and with just enough drama to keep it interesting without going completely overboard with it. The story on a whole is really intriguing and I loved how this novel puts a spotlight on the darker sides of the entertainment business - on closeting, on abuse, on power imbalances, on drug addiction, on exhaustion and constant pressure to perform. I don't know much about the inner workings of the music industry but honestly, I could easily see it happening just like in this book. Looking at modern boybands and kpop bands, it's probably a given. And it's horrible to read about.

There are just minor things that dampened my overall enjoyment of the book, and honestly, they're super subjective. While the writing was really engaging and fun and spot on, Zach's chapters especially tend to make the characters use the filler word "like" a loooot in the dialogue scenes, to a point where it gets unrealistic and a little annoying. I'm not American but I honestly don't think someone like Zach would naturally talk like this, especially because he doesn't in Ruben's chapters.
I'm also not entirely on board with how Angel's drug addiction was handled by his best friends. It didn't make sense to me for them to not even try to I don't know, get his parents involved or anything. It's not what best friends would do, at least not from where I'm standing. I also generally would have preferred the novel to address the racism Angel faces, as well as Jon to some degree, a little more openly. It's mentioned, it's described, but never actually called out for what it is - the homophobia is always at the forefront as the One Big Issue, obviously because it's part of the romance, but for all the good it does to call out these problematic structures in the music industry: if you include characters of color that face obvious racism (especially Asian stereotypes in this case), it should be more than just a sidelined mention that later gets ignored in the final confrontation.

But these are honestly minor gripes, I still really enjoyed this fast-paced, quick read and devoured it in two days. It's definitely a must-read for boyband fans especially, but even if you don't belong to any such fandom this is a highly enjoyable, very cutesy experience.

Zach and Ruben are two members of Saturday: the biggest boy band in the world. We join them as the begin their first European tour. While facing the pressures and fatigue of a big stadium tour, the two boys realize their mutual feelings for each other. Forced to keep it secret, the boys navigate their developing relationship, their roles in the group, and their connections to their other loved ones back home. I’m a life long boy band fan, going all the way back to the New Kids days, so needless to say I was pretty excited to read this one. And I’m happy to report that it certainly did not let me down. Were there moments that drifted into melodrama? Sure. Did that bother me? Not one bit. It did make me think about the reality that exists for many of these pop idols. It’s easy to write off their struggles when you see the financial benefits of success, but I wonder how many years people like Lance Bass, Ricky Martin, and Jonathan Knight lost sleep fretting and dissecting every action they took in public each day. The reality is, too many. Although I may be starting to grow tired of the ‘two voice narration’ that’s so popular in teen lit, I did love the choice to provide us with two main characters at different stages in their journey towards self-realization. All in all, I’d say that this was a really fun read that left me craving all my fave boy band hits when I was done.

This book is one of my favorite reads of the year so far! I loved the story, the character development in this book, the friendships, the love story, and just how relatable it all was.

There were so many things I loved about this book! The friendship between Jon, Angel, Ruben, and Zach was heartwarming and raw. It showed how different people in friend groups connect, manage challenges, fall apart, and fall together. The story highlights them all dealing with the own individual challenges and coming together when they need to support one another. I think it was a beautiful display of how friendships aren't always easy, and that is what makes them real is that at the end of the day these friends would fight for each other.

The relationship between Ruben and Zach was amazing. They start off as great friends that learn to navigate challenges and joys as their relationship changes from friendship to romantic. The pacing of the relationship felt realistic, and I loved the moments where they were cheesy and acknowledged that it was okay to feel cheesy and loving towards each other. I loved that they story followed them finding themselves and encouraging each other to be their best selves by growing within their relationship,

One of my favorite parts of this book is watching all the character navigate and find who they are as people. Yes they do it within the restrictions of an over-pressing management company, but it felt generalizable in terms of just finding out who you want to be and finding the way to be that version of yourself despite others opinions and how they view you. I loved how this story also encouraged drawing boundaries in relationships that may not be the most supportive. All in all, one of my favorite reads this year! If you are thinking about it, pick it up and read!

(Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me access to this arc!)

Man, I'm a sucker for a musically based romance.

If This Gets Out is an adorable, easy read that I was engaged in for its entirety. If you like secret relationships, insights on the music industry, and teen boys being best friends, you'll love this.

The main focus is on the relationship between Ruben and Zach, our narrators, who make up half of the popular music group: Saturday. They start off as close friends, but do not necessarily remain at that platonic level. It's clear they both care deeply and want the best for each other. Their small conflicts make sense for their characters, and are handled well with open communication and respect.

But this book is more than just a romance, we also see the depths of Jon and Angel, the remaining members of Saturday, who are oh so easy to love. We dive in to each individual band member's issues with the hold their management has on them. The authors do not shy away from addressing these negative effects of being in the spotlight, including the subdued homophobia (letting us know that it isn't always explicit), drug usage, and the control one has over their own appearance, but these all were handled in a way that wasn't too overwhelming, and this remained a comforting read to me. I soaked up every single word and the ending was so satisfying I was grinning ear to ear. What else can I do but repeat that this was: adorable.

An incredible LGBTQ+ friendly book! When I began reading, I thought this would be a lighthearted read, and it was a quick and easy read, but I wouldn't call it lighthearted! Emotions are so high in this book, and it translates perfectly to readers.

It's hard to not see the comparisons with One Direction and Larry Stylinson, but Ruben and Zach are also their own characters and completely separate. I'm excited to read more from both authors of this book.

REVIEW TAKEN FROM MY GOODREADS:

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book exceeded all of my expectations. It's a simple plot, but it's so much more than a romcom, and that really took me by surprise.

The writers haven't shied away from all of the issues the band--especially Zach and Ruben--face from their management (and parents), but it's handled extremely well. I don't know much about the entertainment industry but it felt very believable every step of the way--even if I felt like SCREAMING from frustration at what some of the characters have to deal with.

And honestly, I think it's a marker of how well this book is written that I felt genuine anger towards a lot of the side characters.

The romance is also very believable; and even though the story centres around Ruben and Zach, all of the band members are still fleshed out well, including their relationship with each other. I was rooting for them all, even while they were making bad choices.

I really enjoyed Only Mostly Devastated, and Sophie is what drew me to this book initially, but I'll definitely be following up on Cale Dietrich after this.

I've been having a really hard time getting into books lately but I gobbled this one up in about a day. Very compelling and easy to read! I had a few issues, like I thought that some of the serious issues got resolved a little too easily, and I think that that Ruben, the character that Sophie Gonzales created, was a much more fully formed (and therefore likable/understandable) character than Zach. But overall I can't deny how wrapped up I got!

If This Gets Out follows two main perspectives of a four-person boy band called Saturday. Ruben loves theatre and performing but is worn out and guarded from years of being forced to stay in the closet by Saturday’s management team. Zach is portrayed as the bad boy of the group to the media but is really kind and puts everyone else’s needs above his own, he is newly coming to terms with his bisexuality as he starts falling for Ruben. Ruben, Zach, and the other two band members (Jon and Angel) are put under a lot of pressure by their first international tour as well as being forced to hide aspects of their lives and personalities from the world.

This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming and the same time. It is a complex look at the pressure that is put on celebrities, especially when they are young and just figuring themselves out. The relationships between all four of the band members were so well-developed and fascinating to read about. The romance between Ruben and Zach was sweet and wholesome, it wasn’t perfect but the way that they settled conflict and communicated was so beautiful. It is really refreshing to read a queer book focused on coming out that doesn’t use a tragic event forcing the couple to come out as a plot device. Ruben and Zach weren’t always in control of the narrative surrounding their relationship but the main conflict didn’t capitalize on their victimization. I couldn’t put this book down and read most of it in a one-day binge. The writing was also fantastic. Each of the main characters had very distinct personalities and voices and I felt fully immersed in both perspectives. Many times reading books written with multiple perspectives, I either favor reading one perspective over the other or reading about the same event from multiple perspectives feels repetitive. However, the balance between Ruben and Zach’s chapters was so perfect. This is the type of queer, contemporary YA romance that the world needs right now.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is one of my absolute favourite books of the year! It revolves around the romantic relationship of Ruben and Zach, two members of the biggest boyband in America, Saturday and how the band learns to cope with how famous they’ve become.
I absolutely loved the build-up of their romantic relationship. All the members of Saturday are flawed and loveable. At no point in the story did I feel it dragged or went on too long. In the best way possible, it read like fanfiction.
This book was so charming and enjoyable, and I will be recommending it everyone I know for the rest of the year.

Longer review to come!

This book. This book was everything! This had two of my favorites: boy bands & gay romance.

I have been a fan of boy bands more than half my life. I never read fan fiction and even in more recent times, I never was on board with ships of different members or fed into any conspiracies. I put those preconceived notions out of my brain (I am a firm non believer of Larry - Iykyk) while reading this.

This book is about the most popular boy band in the world, Saturday. They met as kids at camp & the rest is history. As oppose to the traditional 5 member boy band, this one is 4 members who each have been branded their own persona. We learn that the persona the public sees, does not necessarily match who they are privately.

Ruben, is gay (forced to keep it private) who has been somewhat of a prodigy which also proves to be extra pressure on him.

Jon, the manager’s son who tries to do right by not only his father, but by the band and also by his religion.

Angel, the wild child of the four. He keeps everyone on their toes & was apart of the climax part of the book where things shift.

Lastly, Zach, always identified as straight but could not deny his feelings for Ruben. Zach is a people pleaser who will often put others wants before himself.

The authors paint a picture of what it is like to be in a boy band - the ups and downs. We see what is in the surface but don’t know the layers behind the scene. And knowing what I know about boy bands and management, this is an accurate portrayal.

I do not want to give much away but the romance. Oh the romance in this hits ya right in the feels. We get to see the complicated feelings of coming out and realizing who you are. Also I love the pure friendship between the four men & their trust with one another.

I would love a sequel exploring what happens next for Saturday and of course with Zuben.

okay so before i start this review, two words: boyband romcom

bought this book yet? bc you totally should.

soooo it took me a long time even after getting an arc for this one to start it which was totally stupid of me considering how much i loved Only Mostly Devastated and what an amazing book this was.

Ruben, Zach, Jon and Angel are members of a popular boyband, Saturday. Ruben's known he was gay for a long time but was always pressured to keep it a secret by the management team of Saturday. He always kept quiet, put on a fake smile and let the media talk about the girls he was dating but then, while touring through Europe, he starts feeling for his bandmate, Zach.

Zach was more of the artsy type, he loved writing lyrics to his own songs and dance along to rock beats, but pressured by the management team, he was always pushed over and shown to the audience outside, as the broody one who loved pop.

After a drunken encounter, Zach finds out revelations about himself that are new and exhilarating. He doesn't know where he's gonna go from after this, only that whatever lays forward, he wants to go there with Ruben.

Zach and Ruben made such an adorable couple. their romance was full of sneaky touches, handholding under the blanket, sneaking off to the terrace and making out under the stars and so much more. also, their romance totally slow burn (like not mz slow burn but still)

also, Anjon (Angel and Jon) are two people I NEED A BOOK ABOUT!!! they were such cuties with their constant bickering and Jon going all mother hen over him. they were both too going through so much pressure, all put upon them by, once again, the management team.

i loved how a lot of real issues were also addressed in the book like coming out, the pressure being put upon them by the management team, always being told no for what they want, being monitored all the time, not even being able to wear what they want, and even how the boys turn to alcohol and drugs as an outlet.

overall, If This Gets Out was a wonderful read full of things i loved. the reason i cut off a star is bc i needed more from that ending and maybe a thing or two in the middle. other than that, this was one perfect read and i cannot wait for more to come!

arc generously provided by netgalley in exchange for a honest review

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC copy!

If This Gets Out is one of those books that you just KNOW you're going to like from the very first line.

It's cute and swoon-worthy, but this book also does such a great job at tackling difficult subject matter as well. Like, I will never look at a band the same way again. The entire time I was thinking about everything One Direction and other artists put up with, and the world never knew!
I also would just like to say how much I appreciate the research into teenage/social media slang that was done. Some contemporary novels really miss the mark on what social media slang and text messaging actually looks like among teens and young adults, but I feel like this book hits the nail on the head.
Finally, for Zach and Ruben. I'm craving stroopwafels and affection now. I experienced physical pain from how perfect I found them to be. The way they notice the details about each other? The way they support each other emotionally? Let me just say : #ZubenForever

I completely recommend this book. It's so much more than what I initially anticipated, and I cannot wait to read more from these authors!