Wow! I put off reading this because I have at least a dozen other YA music artist/band romances in my tbr and I’ve read a dozen more, many of them also with LGBTQIA+ rep, and how could this one possibly be different? But this one was different because it was so damn real.

Ok, I don’t actually know what it’s like to be in a super famous teenage boy band, but this book made me feel like I do. The pressure to fit in, to be what everyone wants you to be at the cost of losing your friends, your family, your job, is not unique to celebrities, but imagine all of that (which everyone surely understands to some degree), but add in the pressures of fame and paparazzi and fans who meticulously watch every move you make and analyze every word you say? The anxiety!! I felt it right along with them. But then the unconditional love from their
people, their friends, their family (whether blood or found), that kind of support system is so incredibly important and beautiful, and I felt that right along with them, too. This was a YA boy band romance but it was so much more powerful than what that implies. I loved it so very much.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! I really loved the way that coming out is explored in this one, especially given the context through which Zach and Ruben had to do so. With efforts by large corporations to spotlight diverse creatives alongside growing fan bases who seem to feel owed a celebrity's entire life story (and as such, sexuality), I think this book carries an especially important weight for the YA audience in its emphasis on the complexities of having one's identity known for the entire world to see. Ultimately a topical, entertaining, and heartwarming read.

This book is a deft exploration of four friends under the pressure of the music industry, told through the accessible voices of it's two narrators. Each of the boy band members are distinctive and dealing with their own problems that stem from their own intersectional identities, their fame, and their experience in the music industry. A strength of this book is how realistic and developed the characters are. Zach and Ruben have distinct narrative voices that invite the reader into the story and highlights their developing relationship. This book is an important one, even by readers who know nothing about boybands, because it is a story about love (romantic, platonic, and familial) and hopefulness in the face of realistic struggles.

If This Gets Out is an entertaining story about two band members that decide to start dating each other. If you came here looking for a book to entertain and help you escape reality then you have found it with If This Gets Out. Ultimately If This Gets Out is a cute and ultimately uplifting YA romance.
If This Gets Out is about a boyband called Saturday and more specifically about two of its members: Zach and Ruben. These two were the only characters, the other characters mentioned were just names and had no real purpose. At no point did we learn about their past history, like how they became a band or the meaning behind their band name. I think it would've felt more like a book and less like fanfiction if there was a story behind these characters. It was more of an adult vs. "kids" story where the adults were clearly the bad guys. Angel's addiction wasn't properly handled in the story as well. Everything felt almost "too simplistic".
Despite everything, this If This Gets Out was not bad. If you are looking for an easy read that manages to lightly touch upon some important issues, If This Gets Out may be the right read for you.

3.5 stars, rounded up. An LGBTQ story centering around a boy band with two members exploring their sexual identity, fighting homophobic business practices, and falling in love. *swoon*

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

First I want to start off by saying I enjoyed this book so much I didn’t want it to end. I wanted it to continue like a soap opera. It contained so many different topics like being famous, touring, drug abuse, mental abuse, friendship, friends to lovers. I could go on and on. I just loved how it seemed about a groups so real you question if this is real and what happens in boy bands. When I say that I mean like having to be what they tell you to be. Not being able to do what you want to do but only what they tell you you can do.

If this gets out is about 4 band mates who spend so much traveling that they deal with all types of stuff. They are super famous and are constantly on the watch by paparazzi, super fans and even their band managers.

I just want to thank Netgalley and Wednesday books for providing an ARC for an honest review!!!

What happens when two members of a boy band fall in love? If you’re curious you should pick up If This Gets Out! Told from alternating perspective this book follows Reuben and Zach, and their band as they embark on the European leg of their tour. Reuben is gay (just not to the public) and Zach can’t figure out why he can’t keep his eyes off Reuben. Cue the tension and the will they won’t they.⁣
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It’s friends to lovers meets secret relationship and I adored it. This band has a lot of secrets but through it all they supported one another. I did think it was a bit too long but honestly I would read another full book about Reuben and Zach. This is a great YA about being yourself and being able to love who you want. If you’re a boy band fan and like breaking the stereotypes, I highly recommend this one!

Ruben and Zach are two 18 year old members of a four-person boy band at the peak of their success. They’re just finished their US tour and are about to embark on their European tour. However, in the face of the European tour a lot is going on: Ruben is starting to feel stifled by their management team who are preventing him from coming out. Zach (who thought he was straight) is starting to think he might rely on Ruben more than he thought and the boys, who have been best friends since meeting a music camp are starting to feel rifts in their friendship. If This Gets Out follows the boys as they discover themselves come into adulthood, and realize how to stand up for themselves.

This was a solid four-star read for me. The plot summary sounded a bit light to me at first, but once I got into the book I realized that there are a lot of heavier issues that add a lot of substance to what I thought was “a YA book about a boyband.” The authors address issues such as the pressure of coming out, being yourself, addiction, and social acceptance. While this book is about a famous group, I think the issues the authors chose to address are ones that everyone can relate to in some way, whether you’re a part of a famous boy band or not.

What really stood out to me was the narration style. The book alternates between Ruben and Zach’s perspectives and the voices the authors use for each are very unique—I was never confused as to who was narrating. But beyond that the styles of narration were great. Ruben and Zach have dry humour and sarcasm lacing their narrations, which really worked for me. I thought it made the book very conversational, easy to read, and easier to connect to—like you were talking to a friend. This style was something I thought the authors did an exceptional job with.

I had intentions to read the e-ARC of this book back during Pride Month because of its queer representation. I wanted to (and still continue to make efforts to) diversity my reading. If this is a goal of yours too definitely pick this one up. It reminded me a lot of Julie Murphy’s latest YA book Pumpkin. If she’s an author you like, or if you liked that book, then you’re sure to like this one as well. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one as a quick, enjoyable, YA LBGT romance book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was as fun as I thought it would be, but it also delved into a lot more important social topics than I thought it would. I really liked Ruben and Zach and their relationship is an example of friends-to-lovers done really well.

Zach's gradual realisation that he might not be straight and the way he goes back and analyses his previous attraction on other guys felt so real and made me want to give him a hug. The fact he begins to realise this while in the middle of a global tour in front of millions of people can't be easy, so it was lovely that Ruben being supportive and providing comfort when it was needed.

I didn't have many strong feelings about Angel or Jon, but I liked how they supported Ruben and Zach when their management were trying to prevent them from coming out. On the whole, the book delves into some important issues about fame and privacy, substance abuse, being open about mental health, and having a support network around you. The narrative also comments on the heteronormativity of the music industry and the subtle ways in which homophobia can pervade daily life, while also encourages readers to challenge prejudices and injustice.

Final note: I've seen a lot of people saying this is One Direction fanfiction, or that the book started life as such, and while I don't know the origins of the story, it didn't read this way to me. I will say that I was never a 1D fan so I don't really know much about the band and I didn't follow them when they were active, but this read like a YA contemporary in its own right and not really a fanfic of any kind (and I saw this as someone who reads plenty of fic).

I adore Sophie Gonzales' other works. I have never read from Cale Dietrich, but this did not disappoint. I felt like the topics of conversation in this novel were well handled. These characters were adorable. I will be reading more from both of them in the future.

I'm not a fan of boy bands in real life, but I am absolutely a fan of Ruben, Zach and the rest of Saturday! I was rooting for them both romantically and as a group from the beginning. This was such an engaging story with believable characters, despite some wordy scenes that slowed the pace. It was sweet and inclusive, well-written, staying light and easy to read while tackling some heavy subjects, from homophobia to finding yourself. Definitely recommended for YA and adult readers! (The intimate scenes are “closed door”, so there’s nothing too explicit.)

I’m grateful to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review If This Gets Out.

Okay, I loved this book! It definitely gave me One Direction vibes - especially with all the shippers and rumors about some of the bandmates being in a relationship.

I appreciated that the relationship felt slower - while the book itself and the plot seemed more fast-paced. Beyond the adorable relationship and queer rep, I also appreciated all the other issues this book tackled (without being too overwhelming or feeling like it was trying to accomplish too much) - substance abuse, pressure of fame on children/teens, and how the entertainment industry can take advantage of underage performers.

This was just a peach of a book - and I would gladly read more from this author duo.

Oh my god. This book is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. Saturday is a band I would have loved if they were real. I love seeing the insider lives of made boy bands. It reminds me of one direction for sure. There's parts that make me mad. There's parts that are cute. Just all of it absolutely fantastic book. 10/10 would recommend to everyone

This book was such a fun and easy read. I adored it! It was just the right book to get me out of a reading slump. So I would like to recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an easy and fast read.

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

This actually surprised me immensely. I went into this book having read one of Sophie Gonzales’ previous books, Only Mostly Devastated, and not loving it. Thus my expectations for this book weren’t the heighest, but boy were they blown out of the water! I couldn’t put it down once I started. This is a story of young love and fame in equal measures, in many respects reminding me of I Was Born For This, although I connected with the band in this book more than that one. The attention to detail as well as the multitude of story strands really stood out to me, as did the questions of identity and toxic parent child relationships which I found uniquely handled. A book that surprised me in the best way possible!

Let’s face it…we’ve been waiting for a book like this!! 🎤🏳️‍🌈❤️ Secret boy band love!!! Friends to lovers!!!

This book follows the band “Saturday,” a four member boy band. Jon, Angel, Ruben, and Zach have been in the spotlight for years and letting management dictate their every move. The duel POV features Ruben and Zach. Both of their voices and personalities are clear to the reader, probably helped a bunch that two separate authors wrote their chapters! Ruben is gay, and has been told for years he could not come out and to “wait for the right time.” Zach and Ruben have always been best friends…and one night changes everything between them! 🥰

I loved the whole band and how different they were. The book had a sweet romance between Zach and Ruben but I loved how they explored the entertainment industry. Zach’s journey figuring out he was bi and coming out was well done! I also enjoyed how sex positive this book was and safe sex was a topic of various conversations. I only dropped a star because I wish the book ending had more! An epilogue could’ve really bumped this to 5 stars.

Solid 4⭐️ read. Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC!

I adored this! The story and characters were so easy to fall into. I'm not suprised at how much I liked it since I've liked many other books by this author.

This was absolutely such a cute read. My first book from both authors so now that I’ve read this I’ll definitely read their other books – I believe Dietrich has like two YA mystery/thrillers that are very appealing to me. Which is great! I love when you read books that have two authors or even anthologies that have a lot of authors and then you can find more authors to read from! I recently reviewed two anthologies with new-to-me authors that I’ll definitely be reading from their backlists or looking at their upcoming books!

I spent most of this book grinning like a total fool because it just was so cute! Literally in the first few minutes of the first chapter I know it would be a 5 star read. And that I would read it quickly – which was a relief as some of my reads lately have been taking long

It didn’t take me long to love all four members of Saturday, the fictional band in If This Gets Out. Ruben Montez quickly established himself as the one who isn’t allowed to be himself (although you could argue that the whole band isn’t allowed to be themselves). He isn’t allowed to show his theatre background. He’s not allowed to come out or even sing the higher notes – which he definitely can hit (which I still don’t really understand why he isn’t allowed).

Zach Knight, whom Ruben says he’s like a puppy – and that’s true – but the band’s marketing team makes him out to be dark and twisty.

Even though the novel does focus on Zach and Ruben we get to know the other two band members very well. It’s like Jon Braxton and Angel Phan switched personalities. Angel’s pushed into outfits that make the fans think he’s the fun and innocent when he’s more like how Jon is shown as. Even though Jon definitely doesn’t want to dress in really tight clothing.

Knowing all of that and seeing it in action – telling the boys to act this way or to not act that way – all to keep that perfect image, was really sad. They’re teens and they’re taken advantage by adults who want to make money off of their talent. And you know this will have consequences for them later in their lives! You always see the child actors going rogue after they turn 18 or even before and it’s like yeah! You wonder why?

Zach and Ruben were so, so cute together. I loved seeing their budding relationship – which is interesting as I’m not really a fan of friends-to-lovers. I’d read every friends-to-lovers there is if it were written like this. They had so many cute moments together – even before they actually got together. I’m definitely a big supporter of them two because they’re just so cute!

Like I said, we get to know Angel and Jon pretty well (there’s a scene with Angel’s parents that I chuckled so hard at). There’s a strong friendship between the boys – difficult not to when they’re around each other basically 24/7. And even when there’s issues within the band, there’s still that feeling that they’ll remain friends.

Most of the plot is tied to Zach and Ruben so I won’t go too much into it – other than to shake my fists at the management that decided to force these boys into personas and reprimand them for acting like themselves anywhere near a camera! What I will say is that I loved there was a good balance between plot and characters. Neither seemed to play a bigger role, one didn’t overshadow the other one – all well-balanced!

Amazing! The perfect YA/NA crossover romance! I absolutely adore anything by Sophie Gonzales and this did not let me down at all!

This book was so much deeper than I expected. I went into it thinking it was mostly centered on the romance between Zach and Ruben and how their relationship affected the band and their careers. And while their relationship is a big core to the story, it was so much more about the music industry, how these boys were treated and how they were impacted by that treatment. I loved seeing the dynamics of the friendships between all the boys and how they really became unified by the end. I also appreciated that while Zach and Ruben did have to deal with some relational challenges, and Ruben was really able to challenge Zach, it wasn't centered about them coming together and Zach exploring his sexuality; but was centered more about how they were being censored and discriminated against by Chorus. Overall I enjoyed the book and am grateful this story is told as its one that is not told enough and we need more of this representation.