Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales, Cale Dietrich

18 reviews

amibo's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

moll_g's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really loved this book and couldn't put it down! The plot had me absolutely hooked, but what really stood out for me was the depth of each of the characters. I found myself very emotionally invested (and may have even shed a few tears at the ending). A lot of important themes are covered and handled well - the authors did justice to some pretty difficult topics in a YA context. 

The chapters alternate from the POV of Ruben (Sophie Gonzales) and Zach (Cale Dietrich), but if I hadn't known it was co-authored I don't think I'd have been able to tell since the book as a whole is so cohesive. I tend to stick to books with a single author but I'm very glad I took a chance on this one. 

Overall, a very enjoyable read with loveable characters and a heartwarming storyline.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

Moderate: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, and Sexual content

Minor: Infidelity and Mental illness

kylasmv15's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, and Drug use

Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Confinement

Minor: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Outing, Body shaming, and Bullying

shaipanda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful lighthearted fast-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

5.0

I loved thisss - I’m so happy I preordered it tbh cause totally worth it 
I didn’t get around to reading it for a few months after I got it in the mail but once I started it yesterday I literally binged it in like 2 days lol 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Stalking, Mental illness, Biphobia, and Outing

Minor: Abandonment, Racism, Sexual content, and Vomit

vanessa_rosenberg's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Car accident, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Homophobia

anniereads221's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug use, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Confinement, Car accident, Biphobia, and Medical content

Sexual talk

ts_anne13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

camillatd's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

This book delivered all the heartwarming, trope-filled goodness of a YA romcom, while also tackling some dark and challenging themes with grace. If This Gets Out is a story about falling in love and coming out, but it's also a story about the pressures of fame, the exploitation of young celebrities, fraught parent/child relationships, and friendship. I began this book ready to get lost in the frivolity of all the YA tropes (and trust me--they were there, and they were delicious), but I found myself just as engrossed in each character's personal development.

As a reader, I quickly drew parallels to Casey McQuiston's Red, White, & Royal Blue, one of my favorite queer romances. Both books feature a gay, closeted-not-by-choice main character, and a character newly discovering his bisexuality as he falls for the former. And, of course, both books feature young adults in the public eye, secret/illicit relationships, and overcoming the odds to be together. If This Gets Out is, however, definitely a YA novel--in terms of the writing style and quality, the maturity of the characters, and the nature of the sexual content (mostly fade-to-black scenes).

In If This Gets Out, the authors carefully tackled the nuances of queer experiences.

Zach's insecurity as he interrogated his own identity resonated deeply with me, specifically as he begins to process the patterns of repression throughout his life. So many queer stories feature characters who "just know", whether or not they're out. Zach's journey, however, is one that is familiar to many queer people.

Another storyline that I found particularly resonant was Ruben's relationship with his mother. Veronica could be described as tough at best, emotionally abusive at worst. The authors did not shy away from exploring the nuances in their relationship, and Ruben's conflicting feelings towards his mother. I was glad that the strain in their relationship was not explicitly about Ruben's queerness--we already have plenty of stories along those lines. 

As their relationship begins to blossom, Ruben and Zach navigate communication, boundaries, and new steps with thoughtfulness and great care for one another. They have frank and open conversations about consent (we love to see this!) and coming out, as they figure out how their relationship will continue to morph from friendship into love.

All in all, I found this story heartwarming, thoughtful, and engaging. It satisfied my craving for a sweet queer romance, while also avoiding some of the more trite tropes in queer fiction. The pacing and quality of the writing weren't excellent, as can be expected from a YA, but I didn't find that this distracted from the heart of the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Biphobia, and Addiction

Minor: Mental illness