Scan barcode
A review by joanna1905
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
4.0
*The biggest thank you to Sophie Gonzales for holding a giveaway for this arc on twitter - opinions are my own*
YA'LL THIS DANG BOOK! THIS DANG BOOK! IT SO CUTE HOLY CRAP. Honestly, the tag line of gay Grease definitely launched this book high on my most anticipated releases that and the fact that I was super hype to see it was coming from an Australian author!
Ironically, while I was sold on the gay Grease premise, as I began reading I realised very quickly that while I've seen Grease multiple times in my life my aversion to musicals means I basically have zero recollection of the plot or characters besides the basics. So I wasn't sure how this would impact my reading experience, but let me tell you it didn't at all. Though I definitely think that knowing the original would allow you to appreciate the retelling aspect far more than I could, this book absolutely stands up in its own right.
This book definitely isn't just a retelling and it can well and truly be enjoyed without any frame of reference to Grease. So I think this book is absolutely perfect for anyone from huge Grease fans to people who've never seen it but just want some cute gay goddess.
I was definitely a little bit nervous about how the secret relationship would play out in the context of a queer relationship because unlike in original, things are a little bit more complicated when one of the halves is closeted. I don't vibe with one half of a relationship pressuring the other to come out, but I also don't vibe with the closeted character mistreating their partner and expecting them to be a dirty little secret. IMO Sophie did an incredible job of balancing the two, Ollie isn't mad that Will won't come out he's mad that Will mistreats him in public and sometimes neglects his needs - and Will isn't intending to be cruel to Ollie he just sometimes makes bad choices out of fear. Ollie learns to stick up for himself and they both learn the importance of open communication.
I also liked our background characters; I would have liked maybe a tad more development with Ollie and his new gal pals. But overall our main pairing was surrounded by a cool cast of characters who made the story more interesting. I loved the secondary plot of Lana's bisexuality and thought it was handled very very well.
Additionally, I loved that post coming out Will's dudebro friends and his parents were supportive, I know this isn't the reality for many queer folks, but it is always nice and refreshing to just have nice supportive characters. I also appreciated that prior to Will coming out the dudebros weren't depicted to be horrible hateful people, they made mistakes and made problematic gay jokes that definitely would have been horrible for Will to hear. However, I think this depiction is probably realistic to a lot of people’s experiences. It shows that even 'harmless' gay jokes that aren't slur filled etc can still be incredibly harmful and that's an important message to send as heterosexuals often think well as long as I don't use the 'F slur' it's harmless.
I also loved the subplot with Ollie's family, it added some depth to the story and helped it remain grounded in reality and not solely romance based.
The one thing I also would have liked is to see a bit more of Ollie and Will's current hangouts, we see some flashbacks and get told that in the present they'd talk and go for drives but we don't really see too many of those where they're just talking and having fun - and not discussing either the secret relationship or Ollie's aunt.
All in all, this is a fantastic read and I highly recommend to any fans of happy fluffy queer contemporary with a slight serve of angst to add some depth.
YA'LL THIS DANG BOOK! THIS DANG BOOK! IT SO CUTE HOLY CRAP. Honestly, the tag line of gay Grease definitely launched this book high on my most anticipated releases that and the fact that I was super hype to see it was coming from an Australian author!
Ironically, while I was sold on the gay Grease premise, as I began reading I realised very quickly that while I've seen Grease multiple times in my life my aversion to musicals means I basically have zero recollection of the plot or characters besides the basics. So I wasn't sure how this would impact my reading experience, but let me tell you it didn't at all. Though I definitely think that knowing the original would allow you to appreciate the retelling aspect far more than I could, this book absolutely stands up in its own right.
This book definitely isn't just a retelling and it can well and truly be enjoyed without any frame of reference to Grease. So I think this book is absolutely perfect for anyone from huge Grease fans to people who've never seen it but just want some cute gay goddess.
I was definitely a little bit nervous about how the secret relationship would play out in the context of a queer relationship because unlike in original, things are a little bit more complicated when one of the halves is closeted. I don't vibe with one half of a relationship pressuring the other to come out, but I also don't vibe with the closeted character mistreating their partner and expecting them to be a dirty little secret. IMO Sophie did an incredible job of balancing the two, Ollie isn't mad that Will won't come out he's mad that Will mistreats him in public and sometimes neglects his needs - and Will isn't intending to be cruel to Ollie he just sometimes makes bad choices out of fear. Ollie learns to stick up for himself and they both learn the importance of open communication.
I also liked our background characters; I would have liked maybe a tad more development with Ollie and his new gal pals. But overall our main pairing was surrounded by a cool cast of characters who made the story more interesting. I loved the secondary plot of Lana's bisexuality and thought it was handled very very well.
Additionally, I loved that post coming out Will's dudebro friends and his parents were supportive, I know this isn't the reality for many queer folks, but it is always nice and refreshing to just have nice supportive characters. I also appreciated that prior to Will coming out the dudebros weren't depicted to be horrible hateful people, they made mistakes and made problematic gay jokes that definitely would have been horrible for Will to hear. However, I think this depiction is probably realistic to a lot of people’s experiences. It shows that even 'harmless' gay jokes that aren't slur filled etc can still be incredibly harmful and that's an important message to send as heterosexuals often think well as long as I don't use the 'F slur' it's harmless.
I also loved the subplot with Ollie's family, it added some depth to the story and helped it remain grounded in reality and not solely romance based.
The one thing I also would have liked is to see a bit more of Ollie and Will's current hangouts, we see some flashbacks and get told that in the present they'd talk and go for drives but we don't really see too many of those where they're just talking and having fun - and not discussing either the secret relationship or Ollie's aunt.
All in all, this is a fantastic read and I highly recommend to any fans of happy fluffy queer contemporary with a slight serve of angst to add some depth.