You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you’ve ever loved a boyband, you will love this book.
If This Gets Out reads like a thriller. It tackles some tough topics like forced closeting in the music industry, substance abuse, racism, etc. I could not put this book down!
If This Gets Out reads like a thriller. It tackles some tough topics like forced closeting in the music industry, substance abuse, racism, etc. I could not put this book down!
This book may be deemed as a fun boy-band romance, but it is so much more than that.
If This Gets Out covers the precarious lifestyle that comes with being part of the music industry - especially while being queer like the main two characters. I was truly engrossed in reading the experiences the band was forced through and undoubtedly rooted for them. It was incredibly eye-opening to view the industry from the producer's angle rather than from the consumer's (like myself). I also enjoyed the depiction of their fans and the exploration of social media and the impacts it can create.
I feel like this book is notably character-driven. And, I wholeheartedly ADORED the characters. Each one of the main four resonated with me in some way. Their group dynamics were hilarious, and I genuinely enjoyed reading many of the scenes. This book also covers the personal struggles the characters were battling and how the overlap of their jobs affected them. The romance between the two mains, of course, is a significant part of the book. I couldn't help but occasionally feel giddy and warm inside seeing Zach and Ruben's relationship grow, and they had so many adorable moments.
In spite of everything I personally appreciated, I ended up rating it a three-star for several reasons. The main one being that I largely rate books based on my own personal enjoyment. The pacing unfortunately felt too slow for me, and I honestly felt like I was slogging through the whole thing. I also didn't end up enjoying the romance as much I had anticipated and felt mostly indifferent about it the entire time. There were also too many mundane points in which I felt underwhelmed and bored reading through. Most of the book felt like merely jumping from one interview or meet-and-greet to the next. Like several reviewers have mentioned, I feel like I would have liked this more if I was a fan of a modern-day boy band. I mean, the only boy band I seriously like is The Beatles, but I seriously doubt that counts in this context. :p
All in all, I believe If This Gets Out is not only an important read but a relevant one too. However, I felt largely conflicted about it and ended up not enjoying it as much I had liked to.
If This Gets Out covers the precarious lifestyle that comes with being part of the music industry - especially while being queer like the main two characters. I was truly engrossed in reading the experiences the band was forced through and undoubtedly rooted for them. It was incredibly eye-opening to view the industry from the producer's angle rather than from the consumer's (like myself). I also enjoyed the depiction of their fans and the exploration of social media and the impacts it can create.
I feel like this book is notably character-driven. And, I wholeheartedly ADORED the characters. Each one of the main four resonated with me in some way. Their group dynamics were hilarious, and I genuinely enjoyed reading many of the scenes. This book also covers the personal struggles the characters were battling and how the overlap of their jobs affected them. The romance between the two mains, of course, is a significant part of the book. I couldn't help but occasionally feel giddy and warm inside seeing Zach and Ruben's relationship grow, and they had so many adorable moments.
In spite of everything I personally appreciated, I ended up rating it a three-star for several reasons. The main one being that I largely rate books based on my own personal enjoyment. The pacing unfortunately felt too slow for me, and I honestly felt like I was slogging through the whole thing. I also didn't end up enjoying the romance as much I had anticipated and felt mostly indifferent about it the entire time. There were also too many mundane points in which I felt underwhelmed and bored reading through. Most of the book felt like merely jumping from one interview or meet-and-greet to the next. Like several reviewers have mentioned, I feel like I would have liked this more if I was a fan of a modern-day boy band. I mean, the only boy band I seriously like is The Beatles, but I seriously doubt that counts in this context. :p
All in all, I believe If This Gets Out is not only an important read but a relevant one too. However, I felt largely conflicted about it and ended up not enjoying it as much I had liked to.
I gotta say, this book kinda surprised me. I really had no expectations going in, I just saw it was available on Libby and was in a pop star romance mood so decided to give it a try.
I guess I can see why other reviewers compared this to One Direction, but I think that takes away from how special and unique these boys were. Ruben was such a sweetheart, but my absolute favorite was definitely Angel. I’d love a whole book about Angel.
There were some parts I didn’t like, there were parts that were hard to read. The adults in this book ALL kinda suck. But I really like the perspective it brought to stars behind the scenes and how we don’t really know those people despite thinking we do. Overall I enjoyed it, even with the fade to black scenes that I usually despise.
It was also very weird to me that the second they were home they had NO security? No bodyguards? That’s not how any of that works and it made no sense. Their management was SUPER protective of them but then sent them home with absolutely no security, allowed to do whatever they wanted? I don’t see it.
I guess I can see why other reviewers compared this to One Direction, but I think that takes away from how special and unique these boys were. Ruben was such a sweetheart, but my absolute favorite was definitely Angel. I’d love a whole book about Angel.
There were some parts I didn’t like, there were parts that were hard to read. The adults in this book ALL kinda suck. But I really like the perspective it brought to stars behind the scenes and how we don’t really know those people despite thinking we do. Overall I enjoyed it, even with the fade to black scenes that I usually despise.
It was also very weird to me that the second they were home they had NO security? No bodyguards? That’s not how any of that works and it made no sense. Their management was SUPER protective of them but then sent them home with absolutely no security, allowed to do whatever they wanted? I don’t see it.
I really wanted to like this book, but it wasn't meant to be. I fully read the first few chapters, found myself growing increasingly uninterested and ended up skimming through the rest of it to see what happened. With that in mind, I understand if this review doesn't resonate for everyone.
Quite honestly, this read like a piece of fan fiction with the names of the band members (and the band itself) changed to avoid a lawsuit. It was very a much a wink-wink, nudge-nudge "you know who we're talking about" feeling, though. Clunky prose and characters that were incredibly one-dimensional. I didn't feel a connection to any of them, good or bad, and it was very noticeable that the book was written by two different people. It feels like they didn't speak to each other or plan anything out to make this a book worth reading.
Really disappointed to rate this as low as I have, because I think it's important to have queer characters and queer love stories in the mainstream. Perhaps I was just too old for this.
Quite honestly, this read like a piece of fan fiction with the names of the band members (and the band itself) changed to avoid a lawsuit. It was very a much a wink-wink, nudge-nudge "you know who we're talking about" feeling, though. Clunky prose and characters that were incredibly one-dimensional. I didn't feel a connection to any of them, good or bad, and it was very noticeable that the book was written by two different people. It feels like they didn't speak to each other or plan anything out to make this a book worth reading.
Really disappointed to rate this as low as I have, because I think it's important to have queer characters and queer love stories in the mainstream. Perhaps I was just too old for this.
People aren't kidding when they say this has One Direction vibes written all over for it, and that pleases me greatly, hehe. I was rooting for Zach and Ruben the whole time, and the fact that their very real and normal struggles were intertwined with their careers as famous popstars made it all the more complex and compelling. The story really took the time to flesh out what it would be like to live in their shoes, and it really pays off.
The one thing I could do without is the stuff that goes on with Angel. I know I'm a judgemental ho for this, but come on. It made me dislike him, I had very little sympathy for his character, and he just caused unnecessary drama with his antics on top of what was already going on.
The one thing I could do without is the stuff that goes on with Angel. I know I'm a judgemental ho for this, but come on. It made me dislike him, I had very little sympathy for his character, and he just caused unnecessary drama with his antics on top of what was already going on.
This took me a lot longer to finish than I had anticipated because of personal stuff, so my review of this isn't going to be super in detail.
In short, this was my first book by Cale Dietrich and my second book by Sophie Gonzales, and it's definitely worth a read. I think their writing styles work really well here together for Ruben and Zach. Reading what these two characters had to go through just to be together literally left me in tears at times. I think anyone who enjoys boy bands will really enjoy this novel.
I'll definitely be reading more books by Cale in the future (and obviously as well as Sophie.) I can't wait to see what these authors do next.
ARC thanks to Netgalley!
In short, this was my first book by Cale Dietrich and my second book by Sophie Gonzales, and it's definitely worth a read. I think their writing styles work really well here together for Ruben and Zach. Reading what these two characters had to go through just to be together literally left me in tears at times. I think anyone who enjoys boy bands will really enjoy this novel.
I'll definitely be reading more books by Cale in the future (and obviously as well as Sophie.) I can't wait to see what these authors do next.
ARC thanks to Netgalley!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes