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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich tells the story of Zach and Ruben, two members of the boy band Saturday as they navigate friendships, relationships, and explore their own sexualities under the pressure of fame and scrutiny. At first, I was unsure whether I would like this book when I received it as an ARC audiobook since I am not the biggest fan of romance novels. However, I was quickly drawn in by the characters of Zach and Ruben whose struggles felt so tangible to me.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much the book discussed issues within the entertainment industry, specifically the exploitation of teenagers and young adults. The novel discussed the controlling nature of management agencies, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mental health, and the stigmas associated with it.
Additionally, I appreciated the complexity of the supporting characters and the well-developed relationships between the four members of the band. Although the novel focuses on Ruben and Zach, I found the other two members of the band, John and Angel, to be engaging characters with fleshed-out personalities and motivations. Likewise, the relationships between the band members and their parents were also explored, with the parents portrayed as people who genuinely want the best for their children.
My main critique of this novel would be that the plot was somewhat predictable. Although there were a couple of minor surprises, it was pretty obvious where the story was going. Despite this, I still found this book enjoyable, and I would recommend it as a casual read to people of all ages, especially if you are a fan of boy bands!
I was pleasantly surprised by how much the book discussed issues within the entertainment industry, specifically the exploitation of teenagers and young adults. The novel discussed the controlling nature of management agencies, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mental health, and the stigmas associated with it.
Additionally, I appreciated the complexity of the supporting characters and the well-developed relationships between the four members of the band. Although the novel focuses on Ruben and Zach, I found the other two members of the band, John and Angel, to be engaging characters with fleshed-out personalities and motivations. Likewise, the relationships between the band members and their parents were also explored, with the parents portrayed as people who genuinely want the best for their children.
My main critique of this novel would be that the plot was somewhat predictable. Although there were a couple of minor surprises, it was pretty obvious where the story was going. Despite this, I still found this book enjoyable, and I would recommend it as a casual read to people of all ages, especially if you are a fan of boy bands!
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. It is a romance between these two boys, but I think the best part is how much it highlights the toxic environment that surrounds young people in creative industries. It's not a secret that for decades young people who are talented in creative industries are used, abused, owned and controlled, so it was a really interesting thing to get behind and read about from the inside. All four of the boys in Saturday are controlled and manipulated in different ways, all four keeping quiet and just grinning and baring it for the sake of the others, until the pot boils over and explodes.
I only knew the basic premise - two boys in a boyband get together and have to be secretive - so I was pleasantly surprised when we got much more meat on the bones of this story (I shouldn't be really, I've loved Sophie Gonzales' previous books and know she actually does angst and miscommunication WELL which is a feat in itself) I loved both perspectives, the toxic gaslighty parent Ruben has to deal with on top of all the controlling management was an interesting dynamic. You don't often see this type of parent in YA books, so it's good to show the internal pressures that are just as bad or sometimes worse than external ones. Zach is a people pleaser and very insular character, so he deal with problems (like the acknowledgement of his sexuality) by shutting down and ignoring his own feelings - the same way he deals with his frustration about being denied the option to write his own songs.
The other two boy were also complex characters who I thoroughly enjoyed. Angel wears his emotions on his sleeve and deals with the pressure of the image he has to maintain by being reckless and damaging to himself. Finally, Jon is the character we know least about, he is a bit of an introvert and less boisterous than the rest of the band, but he is caught in the middle of everything. Saturday's success, unbearable control and manipulation is at the hands of Jon's father, so he has the pressure of being pushed into the limelight as the 'leader' and sex symbol of the band (something he is very uncomfortable with) having no parent / child boundaries and being accused of playing both sides.
This was a really great book, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience. The only thing I wanted was for the story to continue!
I really enjoyed this book. It is a romance between these two boys, but I think the best part is how much it highlights the toxic environment that surrounds young people in creative industries. It's not a secret that for decades young people who are talented in creative industries are used, abused, owned and controlled, so it was a really interesting thing to get behind and read about from the inside. All four of the boys in Saturday are controlled and manipulated in different ways, all four keeping quiet and just grinning and baring it for the sake of the others, until the pot boils over and explodes.
I only knew the basic premise - two boys in a boyband get together and have to be secretive - so I was pleasantly surprised when we got much more meat on the bones of this story (I shouldn't be really, I've loved Sophie Gonzales' previous books and know she actually does angst and miscommunication WELL which is a feat in itself) I loved both perspectives, the toxic gaslighty parent Ruben has to deal with on top of all the controlling management was an interesting dynamic. You don't often see this type of parent in YA books, so it's good to show the internal pressures that are just as bad or sometimes worse than external ones. Zach is a people pleaser and very insular character, so he deal with problems (like the acknowledgement of his sexuality) by shutting down and ignoring his own feelings - the same way he deals with his frustration about being denied the option to write his own songs.
The other two boy were also complex characters who I thoroughly enjoyed. Angel wears his emotions on his sleeve and deals with the pressure of the image he has to maintain by being reckless and damaging to himself. Finally, Jon is the character we know least about, he is a bit of an introvert and less boisterous than the rest of the band, but he is caught in the middle of everything. Saturday's success, unbearable control and manipulation is at the hands of Jon's father, so he has the pressure of being pushed into the limelight as the 'leader' and sex symbol of the band (something he is very uncomfortable with) having no parent / child boundaries and being accused of playing both sides.
This was a really great book, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience. The only thing I wanted was for the story to continue!
I am not the audience for this book. Don't really care about boy bands.
kind of lame! i thought it started strong, but lacked any grounded-ness in reality. too much like fan fiction, not enough like a real book with real characters & motivation.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
Pretty good YA; fairly predictable, but sweet. The guy reading the audiobook did a REALLY annoying voice for one of the boy band members, 'Angel.'
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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
this book got better towards the end. it had a solid premise, and i liked the ending: open ended without leaving too many lose ends. it also dealt with some pretty important topics in a nuanced, well rounded way.
what let this book down was the writing style. the descriptions were flat and lacked vividness: it was impossible to imagine myself there in the same settings. much of the dialogue/narrative was formulaic: i got in the shower, i scrubbed my body, i got out of the shower, i dried my body, i put on my boxers, which made the book plod on and my interest wane. i understand its a ya novel but i’ve read ya novels previously which are far more vivid and descriptive.
what let this book down was the writing style. the descriptions were flat and lacked vividness: it was impossible to imagine myself there in the same settings. much of the dialogue/narrative was formulaic: i got in the shower, i scrubbed my body, i got out of the shower, i dried my body, i put on my boxers, which made the book plod on and my interest wane. i understand its a ya novel but i’ve read ya novels previously which are far more vivid and descriptive.