Take a photo of a barcode or cover
popthebutterfly 's review for:
If This Gets Out
by Sophie Gonzales, Cale Dietrich
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: If This Gets Out
Author: Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Gay MC, Bisexual anxiety MC, Asian side character, M/m romance
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, LGBT+, boy bands, music books
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Recommended Age: 17+ (Language, Sex, Sexual content, Homophobia, Racism, Underage alcohol consumption, Romance, Sexualization, Emotional Abuse, Drug abuse, Drug usage, Violence, Gore)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of curse words in the book. There is some sex and sexual content shown in the book with some brief depictions. There is homophobia and racism shown in the book. There are a few scenes that show the kids underage drinking (not considering Europe because it’s legal at 18 over there and all are 18-19 at the time of the book). There is a lot of romance shown, it is friends to lovers. There is some sexualization of the boys shown. There is some emotional abuse shown. Drug abuse is shown as well as some brief mentions of drug usage. There is also one scene in which one of the boys gets injured and is shown bloody.
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 400
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.
On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?
Review: I really liked this one overall! I thought that this was a cool book that focused on two members of a boy band and a lot of the things that happened within the band made a lot of small references to other bands/singers like N’Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift. The character development was good, the world building was good, and I really liked how seamless the story flowed with two authors. If you’re a big gossiper or like books that revolve around the goings on of bands, then this will be the book for you!
However, I did think that there were some issues with the book. The beginning is a bit chaotic and it takes a bit to get into the book. The pacing was a bit off in a few places and it slowed way way down than what I thought it needed to. The book is already a little slow to begin with, which makes some of the middle part a little exhausting especially considering that the “will they get together” part only lasted less than 100 pages. I also thought that there were a bit too many plot points that were going on at once.
Verdict: It was good!
Book: If This Gets Out
Author: Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Gay MC, Bisexual anxiety MC, Asian side character, M/m romance
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, LGBT+, boy bands, music books
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Recommended Age: 17+ (Language, Sex, Sexual content, Homophobia, Racism, Underage alcohol consumption, Romance, Sexualization, Emotional Abuse, Drug abuse, Drug usage, Violence, Gore)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of curse words in the book. There is some sex and sexual content shown in the book with some brief depictions. There is homophobia and racism shown in the book. There are a few scenes that show the kids underage drinking (not considering Europe because it’s legal at 18 over there and all are 18-19 at the time of the book). There is a lot of romance shown, it is friends to lovers. There is some sexualization of the boys shown. There is some emotional abuse shown. Drug abuse is shown as well as some brief mentions of drug usage. There is also one scene in which one of the boys gets injured and is shown bloody.
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 400
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.
On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?
Review: I really liked this one overall! I thought that this was a cool book that focused on two members of a boy band and a lot of the things that happened within the band made a lot of small references to other bands/singers like N’Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift. The character development was good, the world building was good, and I really liked how seamless the story flowed with two authors. If you’re a big gossiper or like books that revolve around the goings on of bands, then this will be the book for you!
However, I did think that there were some issues with the book. The beginning is a bit chaotic and it takes a bit to get into the book. The pacing was a bit off in a few places and it slowed way way down than what I thought it needed to. The book is already a little slow to begin with, which makes some of the middle part a little exhausting especially considering that the “will they get together” part only lasted less than 100 pages. I also thought that there were a bit too many plot points that were going on at once.
Verdict: It was good!