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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ummmm didn’t realize *those* harry styles fan fictions were being made into books now
it made me lol
it made me lol
Reuben, Zach, Angel and Jon are Saturday, one of the biggest boybands in the world. Everything should be perfect, but their lives are micromanaged to the nth degree by their management company - everything from what they wear and the personalities they are meant to act, right through to access to their social media accounts and even the truth about their sexualities. Reuben has been trying to convince the company to let him come out for years, while Zach is caught up in new feelings for Reuben. And it all comes to a head on tour, as they discover the truth can only stay hidden so long.
This book had A LOT going on. It's dense, with multiple subplots, but it's also an engaging story about reclaiming your truth and standing up for yourself. I was quite horrified by how the management company treats Saturday much as an individual trapped in an abusive relationship. There are clear allusions to One Direction (and BTS?), especially with the Simon Cowell manager figure, but I didn't feel as though this read as fanfic. I thought the depiction of Reuben and Jon's abusive parents was well done, and I really liked the friendship dynamics between the whole group.
A few things hold me back from giving this book a higher rating. It's first-person dual narrative between Reuben and Zach, but for me both boys sounded identical and I was constantly confused about whose PoV I was reading from because they were so similar. I didn't feel like either MCs had particularly strong characterisation, and I was actually much more interested in Jon and Angel, the other two members of the band. Jon in particular, I felt, had much more potential in his storyline than was allowed to be explored. In general, too, I felt a little confused about what this book was shooting for. It felt like it should have been a romantic comedy at times, but there were such dark themes underlying the whole story (forced closeting; gaslighting; emotional and psychological abuse; addiction to name a few) that it felt such a heavy read at times, too. All of these aspects I thought were handled well, but I would argue this was not quite the book it was marketed as.
This book had A LOT going on. It's dense, with multiple subplots, but it's also an engaging story about reclaiming your truth and standing up for yourself. I was quite horrified by how the management company treats Saturday much as an individual trapped in an abusive relationship. There are clear allusions to One Direction (and BTS?), especially with the Simon Cowell manager figure, but I didn't feel as though this read as fanfic. I thought the depiction of Reuben and Jon's abusive parents was well done, and I really liked the friendship dynamics between the whole group.
A few things hold me back from giving this book a higher rating. It's first-person dual narrative between Reuben and Zach, but for me both boys sounded identical and I was constantly confused about whose PoV I was reading from because they were so similar. I didn't feel like either MCs had particularly strong characterisation, and I was actually much more interested in Jon and Angel, the other two members of the band. Jon in particular, I felt, had much more potential in his storyline than was allowed to be explored. In general, too, I felt a little confused about what this book was shooting for. It felt like it should have been a romantic comedy at times, but there were such dark themes underlying the whole story (forced closeting; gaslighting; emotional and psychological abuse; addiction to name a few) that it felt such a heavy read at times, too. All of these aspects I thought were handled well, but I would argue this was not quite the book it was marketed as.
Angst. Drama. Romance. Bi rep. Boy bands. What is there not to love about this book? This book literally had everything I look for in a book. It was also the perfect book to finally pull me out of my fairly drab reading year.
The characters in this books are so well developed, I was almost convinced they were real at some points. The balance between fluff and darkness was perfect.
I honestly don’t think I can recommend this book enough. If you ever went though I boy band obsession phase, this book will be perfect for you.
The characters in this books are so well developed, I was almost convinced they were real at some points. The balance between fluff and darkness was perfect.
I honestly don’t think I can recommend this book enough. If you ever went though I boy band obsession phase, this book will be perfect for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an e-arc of this book.
I had extremely high hopes for this book just from reading the synopsis, and usually when that happens I will put off reading a book in case it ends up disappointing me. But for once I didn't do that, and I'm so glad because I literally could not fault this book in any way, shape, or form.
First off let's talk about the elephant in the room, if you (like me) were in a certain fandom for a certain boyband in the early 2010's you will probably instantly think this is based off a certain ship (because I did at first), however after seeing the authors tweet about having no idea about this ship, and reading the book, this is clearly just a coincidence and not based on any real life boyband. Although if you look at any boyband in real life, you'll see just how realistic this is where the way they're treated is concerned. Each of the four boys were very different to the way their management made them dress/act in the spotlight, and if you've seen any member of a real life boyband seem to be a completely different person after leaving a band, then that's because they've finally escaped their controlling management team. Now I'm not saying all managements for bands/artists are like that, but if any are actually like the management team Saturday have in this book, then I really do feel for everyone trapped in that environment.
Anyway onto the book itself; I loved these characters, I loved how all four members of the band were different (off stage) and how they gradually started to push back against their management more and more throughout the book so they could actually be true to themselves. I loved how the Zach and Ruben's relationship changed across the whole book and those two characters in general just have my whole heart, I love them and want all the happiness for them both in their non-existent fictional futures. When the guys were on stage it felt like I was on the stage myself and part of the band, and as someone who has performed on a stage in the past but also loves going to concerts, it just made me feel so happy imagining being there in that moment. This book made me sad, happy, it made me punch the air and want to punch their management team and just made me feel all the things.
This is a book I'm going to recommend to everyone, especially if you're a fan of music and contemporary queer romances. I cannot wait for this to be released so people can read it and I can't shout about it to everyone.
I had extremely high hopes for this book just from reading the synopsis, and usually when that happens I will put off reading a book in case it ends up disappointing me. But for once I didn't do that, and I'm so glad because I literally could not fault this book in any way, shape, or form.
First off let's talk about the elephant in the room, if you (like me) were in a certain fandom for a certain boyband in the early 2010's you will probably instantly think this is based off a certain ship (because I did at first), however after seeing the authors tweet about having no idea about this ship, and reading the book, this is clearly just a coincidence and not based on any real life boyband. Although if you look at any boyband in real life, you'll see just how realistic this is where the way they're treated is concerned. Each of the four boys were very different to the way their management made them dress/act in the spotlight, and if you've seen any member of a real life boyband seem to be a completely different person after leaving a band, then that's because they've finally escaped their controlling management team. Now I'm not saying all managements for bands/artists are like that, but if any are actually like the management team Saturday have in this book, then I really do feel for everyone trapped in that environment.
Anyway onto the book itself; I loved these characters, I loved how all four members of the band were different (off stage) and how they gradually started to push back against their management more and more throughout the book so they could actually be true to themselves. I loved how the Zach and Ruben's relationship changed across the whole book and those two characters in general just have my whole heart, I love them and want all the happiness for them both in their non-existent fictional futures. When the guys were on stage it felt like I was on the stage myself and part of the band, and as someone who has performed on a stage in the past but also loves going to concerts, it just made me feel so happy imagining being there in that moment. This book made me sad, happy, it made me punch the air and want to punch their management team and just made me feel all the things.
This is a book I'm going to recommend to everyone, especially if you're a fan of music and contemporary queer romances. I cannot wait for this to be released so people can read it and I can't shout about it to everyone.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A pretty by-the-numbers YA queer romance, but this gets points for a fun premise and likable writing. A feel-good story, but it never really surprises.
medium-paced