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jfield351's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
This was a very lovely book! Very real and interesting insight into the pressures and hardships of celebrity life. It was a beautiful love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, and Outing
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, and Child abuse
beca_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I forgot how much I loved reading about famous bands, and the implications of fame. We follow Ruben and Zach who are both apart of the biggest boyband in the world "Saturday". Ruben is gay and is out to his friends and family, but the record label won't let him come out to the world in fear of backlash. Meanwhile Zach starts to explore his sexuality and realises he is bisexual. Zach and Ruben enter a relationship that to begin with is supported by their record label, but it slowly becomes clear that they will try to keep Ruben and Zach silent for as long as possible. This book explores the pressures of the media, and the dark side of the music industry. Drug use and addiction is also discussed, with Angel one of the members of the band using them as a way to get away from the pressure.
I felt this book was pretty well written, It was pretty obvious that Ruben and Zach were written by different authors, as there was a slight shift in tone and at times was slightly jarring. I would of liked to see a bit more discussion around mental health this was very loosely touched upon but could of been developed further. I would have also liked to see more of Jon, as I didn't feel that we got enough of him, or the depth that we got with the other characters.
I felt this book was pretty well written, It was pretty obvious that Ruben and Zach were written by different authors, as there was a slight shift in tone and at times was slightly jarring. I would of liked to see a bit more discussion around mental health this was very loosely touched upon but could of been developed further. I would have also liked to see more of Jon, as I didn't feel that we got enough of him, or the depth that we got with the other characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Homophobia, Alcohol, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Addiction
ridesthesun's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was fun! The pining and bi panic was a good time, and I love my some alternate pov. The theme of celebrity and what that means for privacy and identity was really well fleshed out, and so so heartbreaking 🥺
I struggled with the pacing/journey of this though. It just felt like it was a *constant* two steps forward, one step back. And when there was an argument or hurt, the apologies either felt more like excuses, or the wrong person was apologizing altogether. The resolutions of hurts just never quite felt complete.
Still a really fun time! Recommend for sure
I struggled with the pacing/journey of this though. It just felt like it was a *constant* two steps forward, one step back. And when there was an argument or hurt, the apologies either felt more like excuses, or the wrong person was apologizing altogether. The resolutions of hurts just never quite felt complete.
Still a really fun time! Recommend for sure
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.5
The thing about your dreams coming true is that, for a gold-spun moment, you catch a glimpse of what life could be like. Then when you lose it, and you crash back to reality, it’s from such a great height, all you can do is lie there, winded and bruised, while you come to terms with the idea that a happiness like that isn’t meant for you.
Representation: gay main character, bisexual main character, mixed-race main character, Asian main character, queer side characters
This book may be YA, but it gets DARK at certain moments, as is clear by the abundance of trigger warnings. Although, if none of these topics is too difficult for you to get through, I think the heart-warming moments are very worth the heart-breaking ones. There were paragraphs in this book that brought me close to tears and some that made me laugh out loud, some it is definitely an emotional rollercoaster.
This book alternates between two perspectives: Ruben Montez (written by Sophie Gonzales) and Zach Knight (written by Cale Dietrich) as the two boys struggle through their personal and shared problems. They make up half of the popular boy band called Saturday and, although their lives may appear perfect from the outside, that could not be further from the truth. Ruben feels suffocated by his abusive mother and his inability to come out publicly, while also struggling to hide his feelings for a fellow band member; Zach is discovering new things about himself that he refuses to acknowledge and is realising that he may never be allowed to pursue his true passion, which is song-writing. But when everything seems to start crashing down around them and their friendship becomes something more, will they be able to take back control over their own lives and decisions?
I really enjoyed the way the two authors had very different voices, which made the perspectives easier to distinguish, and I thought all four boys were really well-developed - they were loveable, complex and very flawed. There were some moments that made me cringe slightly, like the descriptions of their fans and how omniscient they seemed to be (they seemed more like some magical entity rather than actual human beings sometimes), but all in all "If This Gets Out" is just a really good time and I can definitely recommend it for a quick read!
Representation: gay main character, bisexual main character, mixed-race main character, Asian main character, queer side characters
This book may be YA, but it gets DARK at certain moments, as is clear by the abundance of trigger warnings. Although, if none of these topics is too difficult for you to get through, I think the heart-warming moments are very worth the heart-breaking ones. There were paragraphs in this book that brought me close to tears and some that made me laugh out loud, some it is definitely an emotional rollercoaster.
This book alternates between two perspectives: Ruben Montez (written by Sophie Gonzales) and Zach Knight (written by Cale Dietrich) as the two boys struggle through their personal and shared problems. They make up half of the popular boy band called Saturday and, although their lives may appear perfect from the outside, that could not be further from the truth. Ruben feels suffocated by his abusive mother and his inability to come out publicly, while also struggling to hide his feelings for a fellow band member; Zach is discovering new things about himself that he refuses to acknowledge and is realising that he may never be allowed to pursue his true passion, which is song-writing. But when everything seems to start crashing down around them and their friendship becomes something more, will they be able to take back control over their own lives and decisions?
I really enjoyed the way the two authors had very different voices, which made the perspectives easier to distinguish, and I thought all four boys were really well-developed - they were loveable, complex and very flawed. There were some moments that made me cringe slightly, like the descriptions of their fans and how omniscient they seemed to be (they seemed more like some magical entity rather than actual human beings sometimes), but all in all "If This Gets Out" is just a really good time and I can definitely recommend it for a quick read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Car accident, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Biphobia and Homophobia
Minor: Racism and Sexual content
giovann's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
baytamax's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed the book. Light read, well paced. I did have some frustration because I thought this was book two if a series, given some of the events referenced in the book. I think it's an interesting way to introduce a reader to the characters, but I feel that it could have been fleshed out a little more. I feel that the ending was a little rushed, but it didn't necessarily hurt the story. It leaves off on a hopeful note. I am intrigued by the authors and look forward to exploring their other works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Homophobia
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident
sweaterweather_inmymind's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Drug use
shybookstagramer's review
5.0
I'm going, to be honest, I didn't have an intention of reading this book. I finally gave in because I saw it so much on bookstagram and everyone seemed to love it. After reading, I see why. This book was so damn good and I can't believe I was going to just let this greatness pass me by. I loved everything about this book, the characters, the romance, the storyline. I think my favorite part, besides the romance which is always a favorite for me, is the fact that the story focused heavily on the hardships that musicians and bands face in the industry. I didn't expect the book to go as deep into this part of the world as it did or take the twists and turns that it did, but I greatly appreciated it because it brought this situation to the forefront.
I will close this review out by saying read this book because I was internally squealing from the cuteness of the romance and crying for how the characters were treated. So if you want a book that gives you some great emotions, I highly recommend checking this out.
I will close this review out by saying read this book because I was internally squealing from the cuteness of the romance and crying for how the characters were treated. So if you want a book that gives you some great emotions, I highly recommend checking this out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Car accident, Homophobia, Biphobia, and Alcohol
enduringtheunbearable's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Homophobia