As you can probably guess, after watching series one and reading all four Alice Oseman's "Heartstopper" over the early May Day Bank Holiday weekend, I craved more queer romance. I didn't expected to find anything close to the light, almost wholesome-ness of "Heartstopper" but I wanted to carry on riding that wave. So, when I remembered I had "If This Gets Out" on my kindle (gifted to me by publisher via NetGalley), I decided that it was time! And I was quite excited to dive in as desperate to read more teen queer fiction.

Ruben and Zach are two members of the boy-band Saturday, with Angel and Jon. The four are close in front and behind the camera, but cracks are appearing behind the scenes. The one easy banter between the four are strained and Ruben confides in Zach that he's feeling smothered about how management and their pressure to keep his sexual identity a secret.

As the band go onto their European tour, Ruben and Zach begin to rely on each other more and more till, one night, the pair share a kiss. What will happen next to them after that night and how can they move forward with a relationship when they realise that the support they desperately need is never going to come?

I read this in two days. TWO DAYS! And one of them was a Bank Holiday Monday so you can figure me for reading it at warp speed (blame "Heartstopper" if you want), but what surprised me about this, barring how easy I flew through this book, is how dark this book is when, on the surface, it looks like a light queer romance.

I keep hearing this a lot when this first came out: how this book looks like and breezy when, actually, it's not. I think even the authors pointed it out on an occasion, but this book does look at the darker side of fame. We have one band member who has an alcohol and drug dependency, another who's parent is their management and seems to care more about the band's image and profit than about his son and fellow band members, a third who is desperate to come out of the closet but is being forced to stay in the closet by management and his controlling parents (mainly his mother) and the last band member beginning to question his sexual identity and has little to no support from those in charge.

I think we all look at what happened to Britney Spears and other celebrities and go "Oh, there are people in the media industry that don't care about the person, but the image/money/sales". But to see it in this light, from the inside looking out had a different feel as we got told, time and again, this is for the "better good", "for your own protection" and "for the fans" has a sinister edge to it. And we need to remember that all the band members of Saturday (not The Saturdays, as I had to keep reminding myself every few chapters) are in their late teens. Not legally adults in the US and in most European counties.

As for the romance, I liked it hugely. And I like how we saw Ruben and Zach fell for each other and how both tackle their own issues separately and together, and while I had a few times when I went "But do they really like each other or is it because they're in each other's space all the time?", I liked these characters and am intrigued to see what happens next...

I do plan to read more from both authors. Actually, I have a book from each ("Only Mostly Devastated" by Sophie Gonzales and "The Friend Scheme" by Cale Dietrich) on my TBR and I am ready to dive into these over the summer! But this was a fun read that, while have a romance at its heart, take a look at the darker side of fame.

(and before you say it, yes, I can see why many of you read this has One Direction fanfic. I saw it too and went happily along for the ride!)

The book provides insight into the pressures of fame and the sacrifices individuals make to follow their dreams. All the members of the band, Angel, Jon, Ruben, and Zach, have had to compromise parts of who they are to obtain fame and success. I thought this aspect of the novel was conveyed very well, but it wasn’t what attracted me to the book. I'm a hopeless romantic.

Gonzales and Dietrich sent my emotions into a flurry with Zach, Ruben, and the tension. My emotions were all over the place from the pain of unrequited love, the anxiety of crushing on someone you shouldn’t be crushing on, and the fear of losing what you already have. Because the romance was my favorite aspect of the novel, when the tension disappeared, my attention also began to dwindle. I still found Ruben and Zach to be extremely adorable.

If This Gets Out provides a backstage pass into the lives of members of a boy band, providing a glimpse of the effects of fame and the consequences of being forced to be someone you’re not. At the center is a romance I mooned over nearly as much as the leads made eyes at each other. For a YA novel, this one is a bit steamier than most I have read, but I loved how sex-positive it was. If you’re a fan of boyband ships, this will certainly be a pleasing read–substitute Zach and Ruben for your biases and your ship will come true. (4.5 stars rounded to 5)

I was actually surprised by how deep this novel was. I was expecting a light and fluffy romantical book, but I got way more. (Not saying that there's anything wrong with a fluffy rom-com.) The two main characters, Zach and Ruben were extremely relatable, for various reasons. I loved how they helped each other to get better, but the authors didn't magically solve all their problems once they got together. Instead, they realistically showed that the right person can help you evolve, but they won't make all your problems go away. I also appreciated the talks about mental health in this book. Both of them struggle with their mental health, and it's helpful for young readers to see that they are not alone in that. All in all, this was a really great novel about the music industry, and how it treats marginalised voices, like queer people.

This book follows Ruben and Zach, two members of the sensation boy band Saturday. All four members of the band have their lives controlled by their management, from the clothes they wear, to their haircuts, to where they stand on stage during their performances. We see the story told from alternating chapters between Ruben and Zach, best friends who become more and the pressures they face trying to navigate a new relationship behind closed doors. I thought the portrayal of how controlled their lives are was very realistic (although I suppose I don’t actually know, not being a boy band member myself). The additional struggle of being in a gay relationship that is clearly not supported by the management team and the panic of coming out to both families and the bad, and the public, made it all so real.

This is the first book I have ever read by either of these authors, and I loved it! I felt all the emotions, and at some points I was SO MAD at the adults I could SCREAM! I am looking forward to other books by these authors!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Loved the book. Fulfilled the love of fanfic in a real book. Author did a wonderful job portraying the high stress environment of being an international pop star while still feeling very relatable and human. The romance was cute and the multiple perspectives are done well.

It's a 100% my go to read book. The story of Zach is quite heartwarming because it proclaimed that it was okay to find sexuality later in life and that you identity is valid even if you're in your sixties.

Ruben and Zach’s friends to lovers was incredibly sweet to watch it unravel.
The dynamic they had between them felt soft. Nothing can break a romance + music industry trope and this goes on the top.

Also being a huge One direction fan, I kinda still found it relatable.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters and the writing style very interesting. I have been recommending it to my friends. I liked reading the dual POV as this is something I have always enjoyed reading in other books. I also really enjoyed reading about a band which I wasn't expecting when I started but it was a really nice surprise.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion… And while this story proved a slow build (for me), the last 100 pages were more than worth the wait!

‘If This Gets Out’ follows a seemingly typical boy band as they struggle to live their lives on their own terms—while feeling entirely boxed in and dictated to by their narrow-minded management company.

Ultimately the story explores prejudice, perpetuation of stereotypes, complicated familial relationships and the pressure of expectation (on both personal, internal and public fronts), the battle for freedom of self-expression with the desire to please and appease others, and the search for self-fulfillment through love, friendship, family and career.

I loved all four characters—though Ruben and Zach were (likely as intended) my favourites, and I connected with/related to the latter most of all. All together, I feel like there are so many layers to this story and characters that most any reader will find an element of the journey to relate to—and in the end it left me with a huge smile on my face. 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

The characters are so vivid and lively. It's easy to picture them on stage or messing around behind the scenes. Each character is unique with their own quirks. The plot is captivating, like a rollercoaster ride. Alternating POV is one of my favorite things in a book.

An interesting and compelling read for boy band lovers or just music lovers to delve into and completely obsess over afterward. The dual author aspect usually puts me off a book but it didn't seem so disconnected with this one.

Is it strange to wish a fictional band would actually release their music? Saturday's four members, two of whom are our narrators, are at the peak of their worldwide cultural relevance. At the start of their first international tour, something is changing between these four friends who are moving from boyhood into adulthood.

Gonzales and Dietrich do a great job of creating distinct yet cohesive stories for their narrators: Ruben and Zach, respectively. Somehow, the authors are able to address a panoply of topics for young adults without it feeling overly preachy or like a Wikipedia article.

I appreciate that everything is not carefully tied up with a bow in this book. While ultimately hopeful, the authors knew to leave the reader with questions and wanting more: the ultimate goal of any artist.

A fun read that left me smiling throughout at how cute the main characters are. Four stars.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that I loved this book.

Young love? Boy bands? A bisexual awakening?

Could it scream ME any more?


I absolutely loved the inside look at a successful boy band and everything their management does to them, and while this is a work of fiction I suspect that not everything in this book is entirely false in that regard.

While I expected a cute and fluffy romance (which I definitely got! So many swoony moments here), there were also many heavy moments in this book that I was not expecting but we’re handled incredibly well

A character’s side plot with drug abuse, another character’s side plot with a toxic relationship with his narcissistic mother, and a huge incredible moment of clarity for a character discovering he is bisexual

All of these things were handled with immense care by the authors, and it all wrapped up into one sweet little book that I will for sure be thinking about for a while.

Just Wow!!!

If This Gets Out tells the story of two guys finding themselves and falling in love, with the backdrop of being members of a boy band forced to deny themselves.

I went into this book expecting a cutesy rom-com set in the music industry but boy was I wrong. This book tackled some serious topics and I was here for every second of it.

If This Gets Out had me feeling so many emotions. I felt sad, hurt, scared, and angry as I progressed throughout this book. Zach, Angel, Jon and Ruben had to deal with so much, just so they could live their dream of becoming pop-stars. The authors did a wonderful job of highlighting a lot of the issues and concerns which normally crops up in boy bands. They also did not shy away from how controlling management teams have been suspected of being throughout the years.

I also enjoyed Zach and Ruben’s relationship. I loved watching how it slowly developed and blossomed. It was a pleasure watching Zach work through his sexuality and discovering himself, not only as a boyfriend but as an individual with his own, specific wants and needs. Their relationship felt so healthy and organic and it was a joy to read about.

If This Gets Out was just all-around a great read for me!

Content warning: drug and alcohol abuse, homophobia, emotional abuse, absenteeism, car accident

I was so engrossed in this book, I really didn’t take enough notes to properly write this review, so I’m sorry if it’s not long enough or good enough. I just… REALLY loved it, so much. Even if I HAD taken proper notes, I don’t know if I’d be able to properly put into words how much I loved it. It was just beautifully written, and the characters were incredibly relatable. The plot was intriguing. There were moments where it was just fun and entertaining, seeing this group of friends live their dream, traveling across Europe and performing for their fans. And then there were moments that were incredibly heartbreaking, watching these characters try to live as their authentic selves while fighting against their management team and public image.

I absolutely loved Ruben and Zach and their dynamic. I loved that Ruben was a musical theater nerd, and I loved how down to earth and relatable Zach was. Zach’s confusion was relatable, and I loved watching his journey and seeing his growth from beginning to end. The way his and Ruben’s relationship unfolded just felt so authentic. I loved the band as a whole, and how each member interacted with each other. My heart broke for Angel, especially.

The ending was just… Absolute perfection. I don’t want to spoil anything, but… It was just absolute and utter perfection. This was my first Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich book, but it definitely won’t be my last. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who loves queer romance, coming-of-age stories, and books about characters living in the spotlight. I know words are kinda failing me on this review, but seriously, go buy this book! You won’t be disappointed!

So much fun! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. And it subverted quite a few romance tropes, which I was happy about. The ending could have been stretched out a little bit, I think, but overall this was a very enjoyable read. Recommended for boy band fans and anyone who enjoys YA romance. 4/5 stars

<i>"At the crux of it, everyone wants the world to see them as they are . The truth isn’t the problem. The problem is that the world doesn’t always make the truth safe for us to share."</i>
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A teen boy band, best friends to lovers, dealing with the media and wanting to be true to themselves, amd finally a found family that'll stand with each other despite everything. This book was a roller coaster I didn't know I needed.
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My Rating : 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
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This book follows our main characters Ruben and Zack, who are a part of a teen boy-band, figuring out themselves and dealing with their emotions. First, I absolutely loved the dynamics between the four boys. Even though we follow the relationship between Zach and Ruben, we also get to see the vulnerable side of Angel and Jon and how they deal with the pressure and media. All four of them had such contrasting personalities, but they all fit together perfectly and the story flowed very well.
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<i>“I mean it. They can come for me all they want , but the second they come for you, it’s war.”</i>
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If you can't tell already, I absolutely loved the gradual way Ruben and Zach fell in love the repurcussions of them doing it. Angel was probably my favourite hara ter in the book just for his antics and the 'softie inside a hard shell' kind of way. You would not believe the amount of serious topics the book discussed along with a romance sub-plot. Drug usage, power abúse, politics among the label, media branding , and the other side of music industry and how stifling it could be.
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<i>"We both have a future together, and we’re about to crash and burn, and until Chorus decides once and for all whether to remove our chains, we can’t know which reality is the truth. So, for now, I’ll pretend I know the answer. I’ll pretend everything’s going to be okay."</i>
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Coming the character and story development, the author did a wonderful job in portraying the difficult emotions and the way the book ended was believable as well as hopeful. It was inspiring and heartbreaking to watch the boys lose themselves, but find their strength back because of each other. If you are a fan of queer boy band drama, along with some emotional and dark themes, then this book is definitely for you. I absolutely loved the whole dynamic of the book and the character development.
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Thank you @netgalley for the gifted review copy!!
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Book 95 : March 2022 / Arc / Netgalley
Tags : Bestfriends to Lovers, Queer Boy Band, Found Family

Love love love! I honestly went into this one with lower expectations and can’t tell you why because I was blown away! Was not expecting this to have me sobbing and also annotating it

I really appreciate this book for what it is. It's a great YA about two boys, who happen to be in a super famous boy band together, falling in love. While it was extremely slow for me (it took me almost a month to read) I can see why people like it so much. There are a lot of realistic, heavy issues that come up in this book such as homophobia, drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety and depression, family issues, overbearing parents, etc,, etc. I feel so bad for these boys because they are getting so much pressure put on them from the very people who are supposed to be their protectors. It's a pretty powerful book that I think a lot of readers, especially queer readers, could benefit from but as long as they are aware of the massive amounts of triggers this story has.

Sadly, I wasn't able to get into it at the time of reading. I want to try again as I love Sophie Gonzales. I was enjoying it, but I haven't felt like reading young adult at the moment. But I do want to get to it and hopefully will soon.

I really enjoyed this book! I did feel like I had to suspend some logic to fully engage with the plot, but it wasn’t hard to do so and I wasn’t unwilling. Glad I read it!