Adam Silvera

Becky Albertalli

Ben survived freshman year of college, but he’s feeling more stuck than ever. His classes are a slog, his part-time job working with his father is even worse, and his best friend Dylan’s been acting weird for weeks. Ben’s only real bright spot is his writing partner Mario, who’s been giving him a lot of Spanish lessons and even more kisses. Mario’s big Hollywood dreams make Ben start to dream bigger—and the choices he makes now could be the key to reshaping his future. So why can’t he stop thinking about a certain boy from his past? Arthur is back in New York City for the first time in two years, ready to take the theater world by a storm as the world’s best . . . intern to the assistant of an off-off-Broadway director. Of course, it sucks to be spending the summer apart from his sweet, reliable boyfriend, Mikey, but he knows their relationship is strong enough to weather the distance. Which is why it’s no big deal when his ex-boyfriend Ben stumbles back into the picture. And it’s definitely fine that Ben’s blissfully happy with some mystery boy. First loves are special, but it’s way too late for what-ifs. Right? Even as the boys try to shake off the past, they keep running into each other in the present. Is this the universe trying to tell them there’s a do-over in their future?

Here's to Us

Ani Velasquez

I have this instinct to apologize for closing myself off, but I shouldn't have to. I should get some time to figure out my feelings in peace. 

Jonathan

No pressure." "There's some pressure," Pa says, surprising me. Most parents would lie. "This is part of growing up. You're not always going to be able to please and protect everyone you love. The best thing you can do when life is hard is try your best." He kisses my head and gets up. "I believe in you."

Though I love Ben and Arthur, Mikey is the one who I relate the most to. I just love him so much and I think I'm not gonna survive someone breaking Mikey's heart

I'm completely in love. I've been in love all along. But not with Mikey. And when I think about the future, Mikey's not the one who's in it.

I guess I should be glad he finally found a boy who's worth the distance.

I'm tired of not being able to own my feelings because someone else has it worse. I know I'm lucky to have a roof over my head and parents who love me and food on table. I know, I know, I know. I can also want more for myself. 

"If I'm always going to be struggling, then why can't I struggle somewhere else?" 

ladies, gentlemen and non-binary friends, this is the only definition for love I will except from now on

"I want you to win at life", I say. Even if it means missing you."

"Write your own poem," I tell him. "Between us, Arthur said that he and Mikey haven't said 'I love you' yet," I add. Dylan's eyes widen. "But they've been together forever in gay years. "Please find me acalendar with gay years."

 I've never saiid any of this out loud before, and now I wish I could snatch the words back out of the air. 

Whenever this world bores me, I go back to creating my own.

But now I get it. Mikey's one of those people who gets what he wants and then panics.

Romi

In the follow-up to their charming NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, What If It’s Us, best friends Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda) and Adam Silvera (They Both Die At The End) reunite to give Arthur and Ben another shot at true love. From the creator of 13 Reasons Why, What If It’s Us is soon to be a feature film! Ben has spent his first year of college working on his fantasy manuscript with his writing partner Mario, who is a great Spanish tutor, and an even better kisser. So why can’t he stop thinking about the fact that Arthur’s back in town two years after they called it quits? Arthur is in New York for a dream internship on Broadway, with a boyfriend back at home that he couldn't be happier with. But when he comes upon Ben cuddled up with a mystery boy, he starts to wonder if his feelings for Ben ever truly went away. Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can't seem to help running into each other in the present. Is the universe forcing them to question if they’re actually meant to be? Possibly not. After all, things didn’t work the first time around. Possibly yes. After all, the sparks are still flying. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and raise a glass. Here’s to celebrating old friends! Here’s to embracing new beginnings! Here’s to believing in second chances! PRAISE FOR WHAT IF IT'S US: 'Romantic, realistic and sweet, this perfectly captures New York, teenage love and life in that gray area when you're not quite an adult and not quite a child either.' Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe PRAISE FOR ADAM SILVERA: 'A phenomenal talent.' Juno Dawson, author of Clean and Wonderland PRAISE FOR BECKY ALBERTALLI: 'The love child of John Green and Rainbow Rowell.' Teen Vogue

Here's To Us

Lou Butera

Sabine sprengers

Daphne

Riel Reyes

** spoiler alert **
           I sobbed while playing Try Again by Jaehyun in the last few chapters, and then Chasing Pavements played while I was reading the part where Ben went to Arthur to confess that he also loves him up to the part where they went home to get down AAAAAAA crazy 😭🫶

I think that we are so used to seeing stories of teenagers being so mature in life that when we read teenagers being teenagers it’s weird.

I enjoyed it more than the first book.

I think that we are so used to seeing stories of teenagers being so mature in life that when we read teenagers being teenagers it’s weird.

Very satisfied with the ending. 

Poncho Bosque

** spoiler alert **
           I knew it Arthur and Ben's stories couldn't end the way they did in the first book. And I'm glad about that. As always Dylan and Samantha take the cake, they are so funny and their interactions kill me. I laugh out loud when they are in scene. I did dislike how their love life was a mess, for two people constantly talking and being open they had so much miscommunication. But I guess that's natural when you aren't there with the other person. I love how everyone had a nice wrap up. Jessie and Ethan found their ways. Mario being chill, it suited him. Obviously the weddings, the weddings! I loved them they all made perfect sense, and harmonized. I need a Samantah and Dylan focused story!

Mika Chavarria

Wow. WOW!!!!!!
Okay, so like this a MILLION times better than the first installment!
In What If It's Us, I felt like the story of Arthur and Ben is back and forth, not really connecting the characters and forcing them into situations together...
In Here's To Us, I feel, DIFFERENT! Maybe it's finally seeing them separated, seeing them with other people. But I was able to see them really as themselves for the first time. I got to learn from both Ben and his struggles, along with Arthur and his show stopping new beginning!
I don't know who I loved more in this one, last time I related more to Arthur, but this story I felt closer to both of them. Almost like I found a common ground, the same way they both find their own, when they reunite as "friends". It's not much of a spoiler, when they're both in NYC running into each other but trying to stay as friendly as possible when sharing friends and having romantic relationships with other people. 
They finally grew in this one! I felt like the first story there was no real character development or change. Here's To Us really let them both grow apart... 
I loved picturing NYC through this story, loved seeing the characters in the setting. The imagery really came through in the best way. 
I loved the dialogue and the comedy from Dylan, who I realize now is VERY similar to Dylan from Modern Family. And now all I can see is Samantha as Haley... am I wrong though????
I don't think I can say anything negative about this one!
Everything fell together well, nothing felt rushed or forced, the characters came together in a real way. I really enjoyed the ending... 
and that's the last I'm gonna say!

In the follow-up to their charming New York Times bestseller, What If It's Us, best friends Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda) and Adam Silvera (They Both Die At The End) reunite to give Arthur and Ben another shot at true love. From the creator of 13 Reasons Why, What If It's Us is soon to be a feature film!

I was blown away by this book. Which I will admit I am surprised at since I felt the first book was good, but not great. However this book was just beautiful to read. I found myself relating to the 'what ifs' and the 'maybes'. Normally first love tropes tend to bore me, but this wasn't a simple first loves who get married. This was first loves, who find there way back together in the most sincere way I've probably ever read. The end was truly a masterpiece, it stopped at the right moment and wasn't out of place at all!

Rachel Evans

(4.25/5) Audiobook - 5 hours 3 minutes - I enjoyed this book much more than the previous installment. The characters felt much more well-rounded and likeable (maybe because they were more similar in age to me now), and the plot the book followed felt far less repetitive and immature. A very good sequel.

Jasmin Ricklin

omg i love it i love it i love it i have absolutely no words that could describe my emotions (but I still love Mikey)

Tegan Bell

4.5. Super cute, super fun. Little bit of an emotional roller coaster, and an absolute page turner. Felt a little rushed towards the end, hence the .5 deduction, but I loved every moment.

less pop culture references but somehow they 

my undergrad university??? like, what are the odds, honestly.

less pop culture references but somehow they name my undergrad university??? like, what are the odds, honestly.

Megan Lowe

Delaney Woods 

actual rating probably a 3.5. i listened to this on audio because i had read the first one but i didn’t remember any of it. this book was cute and i loved the epilogue. i really didn’t like what happened with arthur and mikey but i loved dylan, he was so funny

Avery Baumel

cute!! but that’s it, not heartbreaking or anything, not even that interesting? loved the theater references and it was definitely a cheer-out-loud novel but not the full range of emotions, so yeah idk

Steph L 

This book was so cute!!! I loved the characters and the story so much.

Cathy

2022 review: 
i’m not going to lie, i did not finish this. i got about 60 pages in then went to goodreads to see if other people had the same opinion then went to the epilogue. i’m a sucker for weddings so i liked the epilogue.

what if it’s us was fine. it would’ve been fine if jt stayed as a standlone, a love stories to all those we love and lost because time isn’t always on our side. 

enter: here’s to us. which gives off the energy of an ao3 badly written fix it fic. yes i only read 60 pages, but referencing lin manuel miranda on the second page is TOO much for me. no. 

please stop referencing modern contemporary pieces of work! becky, adam. babes. i know you’re targeting this book to a YA demographic, and as your demographic who also happens to be a broadway fan, referencing lmm and six every two seconds is absolutely not it. 

i have always not been a fan of becky and adam’s writing style, and why i continue to torture myself into reading their books is astounding to me. maybe i think that one these books will turn the tide. today is not that day. 

here’s to us, i guess?

2021 initial comment: ok fine i didnt think what if it's us was the revolutionary book yall say it is but i will be reading this Unfortunately 🤠

Zachary Booth

** spoiler alert **
           I love these authors… but this book, was not great for me. I waited 420+ pages for what I came for - Ben and Arthur to be romantic again. I understand in real life, things take time, but it felt like the whole book was just random filler things. To me, only the last 80 pages were necessary for someone who read the first book. 

I wanted to love this. I didn’t.

Princess Twasam 

This was a really good conclusion to Arthur and Ben’s story. The first book left me a bit heartbroken but this book really showcased normal relationships when sometimes they just don’t work out. Dylan was still Dylan which was amazing and there was a plot twist that I was not expecting at all. 

tilly ✨

i was ready for a three star rating but then that fucking epilogue my god
the harry potter shit was erased and they even toned down the hamilton shit BUT it was replaced by six, MORE evan hansen, and a character who never made a physical appearance in any scene and whom we were nevertheless supposed to care about because he was just so close to arthur but whose pronouns we only found out in the epilogue (who the fuck is musa??)
they took the “you don’t do shit with their backgrounds other than drop them for brownie points” on board and fleshed out the characters more, but they were still just as cringey (also just for the main characters, the rest is still just brownie points). there was still a complete lack of plot and i’m SO tired of miscommunication and love triangles (or squares) as plot devices, especially when things are so glaringly obvious
speaking of which, wow who knew the dylan and samantha thing was coming woah definitely not me when the hints were all over the book because guess what i’m not as oblivious as ben “i can’t believe this is happening” alejo and arthur “i never saw it coming” seuss
i’m tired
they improved but then they didn’t
also i was literally bitching today about how annoyed i am when lecturers promote their phd dissertations in class and it felt exactly the same way when arthur told ben to “stop reading that YA book where everyone dies at the end” we get it adam silvera is a new york times bestseller!!! but he also supports nfts so idgaf!!! 
anyway it was bad folks i didn’t like it

Safiyah Young

This sequel was HIGHLY anticipated by me. I remember starting to read What If It’s Us, with no real expectations and finishing in the next couple of hours. I LOVED the first book to this series(?). That book was genuinely a 5 star book and one of the best reads of my year. It is truly iconic. When I learned that this book was coming out, I could not wait. I know this sequel was highly anticipated, but there’s a damned good reason for it. Perhaps the main plot of this story is literally everything I hate about rom-com sequels or perhaps the bar the first story set was almost impossible for a sequel to meet, regardless this book in one word: mid. 

Don’t get me wrong, the writing is splendid and charming and truly the saving grace to this story (As can be expected by Adam Silvera and Queen Mother Becky Albertalli), it’s pretty much… everything else that bothers me. I JUST finished this story and I can’t give you any detail about it. It’s predictable in the way that rom-comes get made fun of for (and not in the good way). There’s a lot of “does he like me? does he not?” that I truly can’t stand. But, the biggest “no” for me is the amount of time we hear our protagonists complaining about situations they put themselves in! I do NOT want to dog on this story because I love the universe the authors created for this story but JEEZ why did it take until act 3 for me to feel like I stepped back into it? 

I’ll reiterate this: the writing is splendid and charming. Arthur and Ben are still the same Arthur and Ben we know and love. Dylan is… well we know how Dylan is. (Love that character ugh.) The story told in this story was NOT it. The fun writing and the charismatic characters we already know and love really held my attention and got me through this book. This is my first book of the year that I’m rating 3 stars. It was OK. I’m not going to lie, it was a disappointment compared to the first story of the series(?). I still recommend it to all who are invested in the Ben and Arthur relationship, but just know that closure will be your biggest gain from this story.

Lisa van der Heijden 

Title: Here’s to us
Author: Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera 
Narrator: Noah Galvin, Froy Gutierrez 
Length: 10h 9m
Published: 28 Dec 2021
Rating: 4.8/5.0 

After reading multiple books by both Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera and I can honestly say that I have a soft spot for them. While the former is known for her feel-good, coming-of-age stories, Adam Silvera is known of his sweet but heart-wrenching stories. Here’s to use (sequel to What if it’s us) displays both authors talents. 

Central to both authors work are the relationships and friendships, and this book is no exception. The friendships between the characters feel genuine and there is a lot of chemistry between characters. Even though Arthur and Ben are in relationships with other people, it is clear they have bond that is not so easily broken. I loved their interactions and how their bond grew stronger throughout the story.

Continuing, I loved the theme of the story: Figuring out what you want from your life. Both Ben and Arthur struggle with this question and what role each other would play in their lives. I thought their struggle to find their purpose in life relatable. 

I loved that Arthur and Ben got a chance to reconnect again after their summer together in New York. It was great to see both characters more mature. The sequel played homage to the first book with familiar settings, however, it has its on story arc. The only thing I disliked a little bit was the epilogue. In my opinion they were too many time jumps and it felt a bit rushed. 

In summary, I loved the conclusion of Ben and Arthur’s story. It was great time reading about these kind and goofy characters. I loved reading about their journey and I think they got the ending they deserved. 

Rating breakdown: plot (4.5/5) characters (4.5/5), writing (5/5), worldbuilding (5/5), overall enjoyment (5/5)

Trigger warnings: None I can think of.

Iris vd S

AB|🇬🇧 Got me squealing at the end so it did what's it supposed to do

Here's to Us

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