Name: If This Gets Out
Rating: 3.932926829268293 (164 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250805805

Sophie Gonzales

Cale Dietrich

A Novel

If This Gets Out

I picked this up expecting a cute, light-hearted romance with obvious inadvertent parallels to a certain real boyband romance conspiracy. If This Gets Out is that, but it's also a painful, darker rendering of the pressures of that kind of fame, the weight of image and expectations, and complicated family relationships. The central relationship is healthy and fierce, and it's very much us-against-the-world rather than a novel's worth of internal queer struggle. Some of this hit incredibly hard for me specifically, and it's an unexpected new favourite.

Ruben and Zach quickly became one of my favourite queer YA couples, if not YA couples stat, and I was rooting for them the whole way. I hate the miscommunication trope usually, but this book resolved it quickly but naturally, and the miscommunication also made sense--Zach's internal turmoil about his sexuality, exacerbated by his anxiety, felt incredibly real and resonated strongly, and it made the impact when they finally did get together all the stronger.

I loved how diverse the boyband was, as well as how comfortable their friendship felt. It sets a foundation for the cracks that fame and expectations start driving between them, with a slow, agonising downward spiral in the second half. Yet while the book doesn't shy away from darker topics of addiction, emotional abuse, and mental health, it's ultimately a joy of friendship and queerness.

Julia Moran 

1.5/5

Bad, bad, bad, just BAD.

A stack of Pancakes has more depth and personality than all of the characters combined; All of the characters feel like cardboard cutouts, and what you see is what you get, even tho they REALLY try and pretend they have some profound stories and hidden depths to them. 

This whole book feels like a bad fanfic I could've written at 13. 

Just about anything in the book is terrible. The only reason I'm giving it a 1.5 instead of a flat 1 is that the free fragment I read on Amazon fooled me enough to think it could be an okay book and I bought the ebook. To be honest I kinda wish I had bought the physical copy so I could throw it against the wall, stomp on it, and set it on fire. 

I really don't know why this book aggravated me so much, like I'm sure I've read worse books that haven't caused me this much rage, maybe it's because of 1D and the fact I kinda have "a vela en el entierro" 

Now I need to re-read some actual (GOOD) 1D fanfiction, God knows I need it after this bullshit.

grace 

"It's not going to be okay, or good. It's going to be great."

Going into this book, I didn't have high expectations. I thought the storyline would be predictable and the characters trivial and boring. Boy was I wrong, and I've never been so glad to be wrong about a book. The plot was in some places a little predictable, but once the plot really got going it was addicting. I felt as though I could relate in some way with all the boys, Jon, Angel, Zach and Ruben. I was able to find a piece of myself in this book. The characters felt like real people, and not pure works of fiction that are unreliable. I laughed and I cried while reading this book. To put it simply, this book moved me.

riven

** spoiler alert **
           Okay I need a book two. I need to know how everything is going. This was INCREDIBLE. I’m speechless. I cried a lot and squealed and swore and jumped around (definitely mimicked Angel there) and I loved every second.

One of the world's biggest boy bands. A secret love. What happens if the world finds out? A queer YA boy band romance from Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, perfect for fans of Only Mostly Devastated and What If It's Us. 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? "If This Gets Out is an absolute showstopper! Equal parts edgy and adorable, this bright, joyful book has everything I look for in a queer YA romance." - Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us

Raye Parker

Loved, loved, LOVED this book, especially the ending <3

Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich's “If This Gets Out is an absolute showstopper! Equal parts edgy and adorable, this bright, joyful book has everything I look for in a queer YA romance.” —Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us 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 heartthrobs in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, the pressure to stay in the closet has Ruben confiding in Zach. On a whirlwind tour through Europe with an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, the two 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 realize they will never truly have the support they need. How can they hold tight to each other when their whole world is coming apart?

It was engaging and fun. Honestly, it’s a bit hard to follow if ur not a Larry believer. Not saying that u have to be to read it, but its Is obviously based off Larry and there is sort of an expectation of the presumed knowledge of the context.

Nimisha Singh

Adnelis ochoa

I love this book so much because it’s show readers about behind the scene of music industry. This book is so much different then other books because two queer boys are in love with each other and they are in same boyband. Everyone loves boyband specially me growing up boy bands era and fangirling over them. It’s best friend to lover trope and forbidden love mix together which make very good combinations. I love this book so much specially when I shipped member in band.(1D)

sophia n

* 4.5 stars

this was so precious oh my god i did not expect this to be such a WARM QUEER HUG. zach and his journey in particular was such a beautiful surprise in here and really touched me, i totally teared up especially at his realization of his bisexuality. beautiful baby boy. i really wish i'd been able to read books like this when i was a teen.

i think the only thing that's holding me back from 5 stars is that the story had some points that felt rushed, especially some stuff in the end. i just really think they tried to jam pack SO much into this, and some of it was super successful, but then by extension some parts felt like they were resolved too quickly. it wasn't bad at all but gave me whiplash a few times, there's def some super angsty moments here.

also totally not the book's fault but my younger brother's name is ruben and he also is a theater kid so. that's. not as weird as i thought it would be though which tells me the authors really did a good job building a strong character. but still LAWL. also i'm too old for one direction anything so idk if that's like. something people would compare it to here? wasn't an issue for me so idk.

anyway i *tea kettle whistle*'d multiple times with how insanely cute ruben and zach were but also really loved the friendship the entire band had with each other and the journey each of them went on, i would genuinely just read a completely fluffy book about the 4 of them after this.

tws: drug & alcohol use, emotionally abusive parents, homophobia

Took a long time to get “captured” by the story. Honestly reminds me of my younger self reading novels on Wattpad. 

Jasmine Hanson 

Megan Lowe

I absolutely adored this book!
I loved the four guys. I loved the story.
It did get a little hinky for me around page 300-ish, but I stuck with it and the boys pulled through.
I also found it a touch difficult at the start when you’re getting to know the boys, and their on-stage personas, it gets confusing, but it’s okay.
Another thing is the almost overuse of the word “like”. I get it, but it doesn’t mean I want to read it.
Still, this is a great book, and very uplifting. 
If you’re a what if it’s us fan seriously give this a go!

sydney

I received an ARC through net galley.

This book was so good, I didn't really know what to expect going into this book but I was blown away. I think how the book ends might set it up for a sequel and I would be very down for it.

*slight spoilers*
I do really wish that at the end they said I love you but they basically said it without actually saying it.

if i had a nickel for every time i’ve read a novel that i absolutely adore about a teen boyband with repressed, soft, queer boys, i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

i love these boys to pieces and i can’t believe i’ve waited so so long to read this book after it released. i knew i was going to enjoy sophie gonzales’ writing after also whole-heartedly enjoying perfect on paper. and this was an incredible introduction for me to cale dietrich’s writing.

these boys, with their flaws, and their growth throughout the book was incredible. i loved seeing how zach continued to process all of his emotions on his own, allowing for his space and acceptance of his queer identity. i loved seeing ruben learn to rely a bit less on his emotionally abusive mother less and less. i loved getting glimpses into john and angel’s pyschees as well throughout the book. i just, i loved it all. their dynamics were incredible as a friend group. and just between the two main characters.

being a directioner myself, it was so interesting to see this take on the behind the scenes of the all too real life for those boys (and i’m sure many other young singers out there). it showed how truly life-controlling this profession can and has been. it shows the dark sides of getting into the spotlight at such a young age. and it discusses so much more.

all of it, led me to an incredible story with an audiobook that i could not stop listening to. i haven’t felt this way about a book in a while. the pure feeling of overwhelming love for fictional characters. i truly truly just want the best for these fictional boys. i hope they can get that at the end of the events of this book.

you ever just want to slap yourself in the face because you waited a stupid amount of time to read a book you knew you’d love? that was me for this book.

ash (smokedshelves)

if i had a nickel for every time i’ve read a novel that i absolutely adore about a teen boyband with repressed, soft, queer boys, i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

i love these boys to pieces and i can’t believe i’ve waited so so long to read this book after it released. i knew i was going to enjoy sophie gonzales’ writing after also whole-heartedly enjoying perfect on paper. and this was an incredible introduction for me to cale dietrich’s writing.

these boys, with their flaws, and their growth throughout the book was incredible. i loved seeing how zach continued to process all of his emotions on his own, allowing for his space and acceptance of his queer identity. i loved seeing ruben learn to rely a bit less on his emotionally abusive mother less and less. i loved getting glimpses into john and angel’s pyschees as well throughout the book. i just, i loved it all. their dynamics were incredible as a friend group. and just between the two main characters.

being a directioner myself, it was so interesting to see this take on the behind the scenes of the all too real life for those boys (and i’m sure many other young singers out there). it showed how truly life-controlling this profession can and has been. it shows the dark sides of getting into the spotlight at such a young age. and it discusses so much more.

all of it, led me to an incredible story with an audiobook that i could not stop listening to. i haven’t felt this way about a book in a while. the pure feeling of overwhelming love for fictional characters. i truly truly just want the best for these fictional boys. i hope they can get that at the end of the events of this book.

original review:
you ever just want to slap yourself in the face because you waited a stupid amount of time to read a book you knew you’d love? that was me for this book.

Steph L 

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich narrated by Ramon de Ocampo-***** (5 stars)

Pitch: this book was described to me as One Direction if they were American and LGBTQ+, and that was all I needed.

Rep: MLM, Gay, Bi,

Spice Level: 3-4/5- some sex scenes.

This was the first audiobook I listened to in full, and I just loved it. I loved the characters, and they were so sweet, also, they were so very raw and real. The story was excellent, and honestly, it was a story that needed to be told, and we need to have more stories like this. The audio production and narrator Ramon de Ocampo were excellent. I love the romance in this book. It was so so so sweet, and I was cheering by the end of the audiobook. I recommend this book for anyone who loves boy bands and/ or wants an LGBTQ+ story.

If This Gets Out A Novel

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