So technically, I’m probably not the target audience for “If This Gets Out.” I’m the age of the mothers in the book, not the main characters, who are 18.

But I remember 18 and the book captured that weird stage of life well -- when you’re still a kid but have adult feelings and situations to deal with… more so for these kids too, who are in a successful boy band and have a lot of pressure on them.

When I first started listening to the audiobook, I thought maybe this would be a fluffy read and it wouldn’t resonate with me because I’m decades older than the main characters.

The book quickly showed itself to be a funny coming of age story that didn’t shy away from really serious topics -- the ones that impressed me the most were the situations involving mental health, self-awareness, toxic parenting, and trauma -- how trauma manifests itself in people’s behavior and how it impacts those around them.

Surprising to see that and it was well done too -- I was impressed with how self-aware Ruben was, and appreciated experiencing his thought process. I was always that analytical kid too, and now I’m that analytical adult. It’s very comforting to see yourself in characters.

Speaking of that… other aspects in the book where people will see themselves: Drug use, paranoia, anxiety, being Catholic and an LGBTQIA+ ally, bisexuality, coming out stories, the pressure to come out or not to do so, feeling controlled by others and not being able to be independent, toxic parents, self-preservation. I could go on, but you get the idea -- the book tackles important topics and I’m impressed with that.

Narration was good. Perspectives switched between Ruben and Zach. I sometimes wish I could have heard chapters from John and Angel’s perspectives too, but they weren’t the focus of the story, and I think that would take time away from Ruben and Zach’s story.

I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults. There is some reference to physical acts of affection but it doesn’t go into details. The readers know it’s happened but there are no descriptions or specifics.

Lots of really good quotes too, that I wrote down in my bookish journal. Poignant and powerful ones. Definitely a great addition to the diverse bookshelf world.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. These are my independent thoughts.

Wow!

First, this story follows eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight, band members on a grueling tour through Europe. As best friends, the two boys have come to rely and lean on one another under the pressure that has come with maintaining the perfect image…and hiding who they truly are. But when their friendship evolves into something more, Ruben and Zach must find a way to hold onto each other when they are being forced to stay in the closet. But when one of their bandmates begins to lose himself to drugs because he’s sick of not being able to be himself, it becomes hard for the rest of the band to continue to play along, too.

This book was SO good! I loved the characters from the very beginning. Ruben and Zach were the perfect leads, and their dynamic with their parents added a great layer to who they were. There was SO much making out! And it was extremely sex-positive. I happy-cried four separate times, and often found myself smiling. My only complaint is that I got to the end and wanted more....but there wasn't any more...!

The narrator did a phenomenal job portraying all the different characters and rollercoaster of emotions!

Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for ALC of this book. This book covered so much, from the downside of being a boy band, the friendships of the band members, drugs and alcohol influence, boys growing up in media to gay romance. The book covered all these subjects so well and you feel bad for each of them and the struggles they had individually and how their actions impacted the band. I thought it was really well done and you want to cheer of the success for Saturday.

The narration was great and kept me interested with the story.

This audiobook was a major let down. Ramon de Ocampo is not a bad audiobook narrator but he is not believable as a teenager. The worst part of the audio is that Ramon narrates both Ruben and Zach and there is no difference whatsoever in how he performs them. It's very easy to forget which character's chapter it is because of this. Loved the book but would advise people to pass on the audio.

1 star for the audiobook.

Book review:

I have seen many reviews for this book that say they do not see a resemblance to any real boybands or "ships." I did not find this to be true as someone who was very much immersed in a boyband fandom. I still enjoyed the book and I think fans and non-fans alike will be able to enjoy and appreciate the stories and characters. The story is important and I cannot wait to get it into the hands of my teens.

4 stars for the book itself.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copies.

I loved this story line. It was something unique that hadn't been done before. I loved the character development of all the band members. Not just the main two, the story lines of the others were also necessary and interesting. The relationship was amazing and gave me all the feels, the smiles, the butterflies, all of it. Definitely a great read that I will be thinking about for a while.

GIVE ME ALL THE BOY BAND BOOKS!

This was a highly anticipated release for me, and it did not disappoint! I loved the cast of characters and thought it was well-pace and engaging. AND THAT 70% PART, MAN WOWEE

An enjoyable, angsty, and swoony story from Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich. IF THIS GETS OUT is out December 7, 2021! Now, off to make Saturday my whole personality, thx.

*An audiobook note: I instantly recognized the narrator as the same from RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE, and I thought he was a really good pick for this book. He handled the different characters well, and I never got bored of listening to it.

A big thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This book is everything you hope it will be from the summary. It's very cute from a romance and a friendship standpoint. This book's subject matter got deeper than I expected from a YA romance but the topics were handled well. In only a few chapters, I was hooked and unable to pause.

The audiobook is also well done, I wish there were two different actors or more distinct voices between Zach and Reuben. Sometime's their POVs were a bit hard to tell apart when a new chapter started.

If you love a good cinnamon roll character and boy bands, you need this book in your life.

Didn't like the narrator at all and the story was just okay. So very disappointing to say the least as I wanted to be in love with this book.

This book absolutely blew me away and I could not put it down. For boy band fans, for people like me who know all the words to Camp Rock by heart, and for anyone who knows how hard, complex, and beautiful it is to come out as queer whether you're famous or not - this is our book.

When I saw the audiobook for If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich on NetGalley I asked for it immediately. A queer boy band romance? I’m in.
Thanks NetGally & Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook. The book will be released on 12/7!
So this book was super cute. Two members of boy band, Saturday, friends to lovers. There’s lots of drama and honestly the subject matter of the book got heavier than I expected for a YA romance. This book is not spicy. Yeah the characters have sex but it is not explicit at all. Very much fade to black moments. Not an issue for me I just like to mention it because I know some people like to know ahead of time.
I definitely liked this book. I was invested by like 10% on the audiobook. I listened to it over 3 days, a little slower than my usual but the first two days I was listening while I was driving to and from visiting my family. I didn’t want to stop when I arrived at my destination lol.

Two of four cuties in a boy band fall in love and have to navigate their burgeoning relationship with the images their label has curated for them. Unfortunately, neither “gay” nor “bi” are in the management-approved adjectives for Ruben or Zach.

This is a super cute friends-to-lovers LGBTQIA+ rom-com! The boy band angle is so fresh— I loved it!

I do wish, though, since the narration switches between Zach and Ruben’s POV’s, that the audiobook featured two different voice actors. It really helps me follow the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book.

Ruben is used to his band's label not allowing him to be himself--always denying him the option to come out as gay to fans and controlling his persona. But when bandmate Zach and Ruben fall for each other, they realize that their band's label is controlling all four of them in ways they are ready to stand up to.

THIS BOOK. I still cannot stop thinking about it. This was all the boy band fluff and romance and coming out and coming of age and friendship and singing and EVERYTHING that my heart needed and I am so so so in love with this book. I loved every minute of this.

I was immediately in love with both Ruben and Zach as soon as their pov's started. They are both such amazing characters and total cinnamon rolls and I just wanted to wrap them both in a warm blanket and give them hot coco and tell them everything was going to be okay. I am so in love with the romance in this book and the way it progressed. There were definitely ups and downs but I really liked the way it all came together to bring these boys to each other!

This is such a feel good book. I love it so much. I think I will be reading it again as soon as it comes out.

Pub Date: Dec 7, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

What a delightful listen!! 4.5 ⭐️s, rounded up to 5 😁

It's a sweet queer coming of age romance that while it's focused on famous people conflicts, it also has a ton of relatable struggles that you can see yourself being a part of, just like how you can project your desires onto the members of a boyband.

Summary:
one boyband member has heart eyes for the other, but he couldn't like him back... right? And then, one night, there was Only One Bed (TM). Things get messy and they have navigate all the pressures of faaaame

Audiobook Thoughts:
The story is from the POVs of the two boyband guys in the relationship, and it's one narrator for both. Good voices for all the characters, well paced.
The narrator is the same person that did Red White and Royal Blue

Thoughts:
From the start, since it's the same narrator as RWRB I couldn't help but draw parallels to that novel- and this book stacks up! We need more YA queer novels, and this one definitely understood the assignment. (Also the Public Figure/media pressure angle makes the books feel like cousins)

The characters were all really well put together, I loved seeing them fleshed out and getting a sense of their family relationships/communication style. That feels like everything as a queer kid and I love that it's focused on here!

I don't think I'm the target audience since I was never really a 1D fan- though this book definitely doesn't just have a draw for that audience!

"Big Music" being the villian in the story feels like such a convenient enemy. The Happy Ever After Playlist did that too, but this book handles it better and at least puts faces to Big Scary Production Company.

My biggest issue with a ton of romances is that their third act conflict is stupid as hell but I really liked that this one's made sense

Overall: a good one, would recommend

Two 18-year-olds named Zack and Ruben are in a boy band called Saturday. The band is so popular that if a secret gets out, their reputation will be destroyed.

The author has a very beautiful writing style, which I loved. I personally did not enjoy this book. First off, when I put the book on 2 times speed, the words were slurred and the audio quality was terrible. It sounded almost as if there was an echo. Next, there was a the same topic that was repeated a numerous amount of times, which I did not enjoy. Overall, the book was good, just not my type.

4.5 rounding up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

BOY BANDS AND GAY SECRETS Y'ALL.

Could I swoon anymore than I already have? These characters are so well thought out and feel so incredibly real. I loved Ruben and Zach. Zach's gay panic was so incredibly real and raw and I loved knowing his thoughts while he grappled with new information about himself.

Ruben was incredibly diverse with a mixed heritage background and knowing he's been gay for several years, but had to hide it for the sake of the band.

Overall their journey was a delight to read and I will be checking out both of the author's back log of work to see what else they've written! 👏👏

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was so psyched to listen to this book which follows a budding romance between Ruben and Zach, two members of the wildly popular boy band, Saturday. I expected to love this book but unfortunately it fell flat for me. While I enjoyed the romance between the two boys, the overall storyline wasn’t engaging enough to hold my attention.

I think this book would be better suited for the younger teen crowd, as an adult reader, I was bored with the entertainment industry aspect and the management team controlling the band’s every move.

The audiobook narrator did a decent job but the voice he used for Angel was so over the top and exaggerated, it was distracting.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me but I think many readers will enjoy it.

This book is absolutely phenomenal! The LGBTQ representation was so wonderful to see. I fell in love with the characters and my heart absolutely broke for them at times. I loved the emotion that was put into this novel and I can't stop thinking about it!

I'm bummed out about this audiobook. I've already read the book and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to the audiobook to hear the characters brought to life. Unfortunately, that is not what I felt I got. The narrator's voice was much older than I thought it should be and there was only one voice, even though the book is written in dual points of view. I wanted to love this, but I just couldn't. Sorry! Maybe if someone hasn't read the book, they would like it better.

Saturday is the biggest band in America. As they embark on their world tour, two members: Ruben and Zach who are already best friends become even closer. But their management company is keen on preserving the crafted image of each of the guys which includes maintaining they are all straight. Now Ruben who's been told to remain closeted for his entire career is tired of it.

Let me preface my review by saying that I'm not a huge romance reader. I rarely read it. That said, I am a fan of music and LGBTQIA+ rep in books. While I thought this was initially a gay romance, I found it to be so much deeper than that. There are themes of addiction, coming out, and friendship throughout. I can honestly say that I loved this book. There's lots of glorious tension in the relationship between Ruben and Zach that had me on the edge of my seat. But the character I loved the most was Angel. He was so fantastically formed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. I loved Ramon de Ocampo's narration, especially his take on Angel, I cannot recommend this enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

If This Gets Out is an LGBTQ+ YA romance novel with musical elements. I can see a younger me totally vibing to this book and enjoying it. However, the boy band element was lost on my twenty-something self. I just didn't care about the characters, because they were SO overwhelmingly angsty. I like YA, I really do, but I cannot handle the level of angst this novel has within its characters. Would I purchase this for a 13-16 year old? Yes of course. Is this for the twenty-something crowd? Probably not. The themes are so aggressively TEEN that it is difficult for an adult to enjoy. 3 stars from me, but the teenage version of myself would have given 4.5 stars.