This was a three star read for me. I have recently been into LGBT fiction, so I was super excited to read this book.

My favorite part of What Happens When was the relationship between Abby and her brother. They’re Irish twins and are super close. Luke is there for her no matter what and I love that. I’m an only child, but if I had a sibling I hope that’s how we would be.

I didn’t like the way the LGBT kids were treated. Yes, I understand she was trying to show how bad it can be for them abuse and bullying wise. And it can be bad. I’m not denying that. However, I’ve never heard of it on that scale. It almost seems a little too over the top. I went to a very conservative school and the lgbt kids weren’t treated near like they were in this book.

I also didn’t like that Abby was so hung up on Zia. Maybe it’s a dumb teenage thing, always chasing after who we can’t have. But they just seemed to take it too far and Zia strung her along. The whole book I was just begging her to go to Lily who actually wanted to be with her and wasn’t afraid to show it!

If you can deal with the bullying and trying to turn a straight girl, then you’ll probably like this book. There were good parts. I loved the ending. It was a fast read. I just wish some elements worked a little better for me.

<b>*3.5 Stars*</b>

Molly is starting senior year and right before school starts, she is caught at a party kissing another girl, Lily. She wasn't even sure she was gay before but now everyone knows and sh'es definitely not ready for that. Or for Lily to transfer to her school, expecting them to pick up where they left off. Since her best friend is now leading a campaign against her, she has to find other ways to pass the time and ends up getting a job and spending most of her time with Zia, her older colleague. Feelings grow but Zia has a boyfriend, and probably isn't queer anyway...

This has some good and bad. I had a lot of trouble getting into the story at first. I didn't love the main character and she said and thought some very problematic things.
After a while I got into the story and the side characters made me care more and more. It still had a lot of issues and I wish the slut-shaming had been avoided but most of all, this was ok. Pretty light, very gay and somewhat cute at times.
I really loved Molly's brother, Luke, and Lily's friend Maria.
I also really liked the whole Queer Alliance club thing.
So basically, it had some good and some less good but it was a pretty good time overall.

"I'm finishing school low-key gay"

* *
2 / 5

What Happens When is about a young woman, Molly, who came out by snogging a girl, Lily, at a party. She is immediately ditched by her best friend, Carmen, who is incredibly homophobic, and is incessantly picked on by virtually everyone at school. Essentially, Lily has the hots for Molly but Molly isn't interested, because she's got the hots for Zia, a waitress at a local diner who is straight and has a boyfriend.

I'm not a fan of books with cheating plotlines, especially when the cheating seems to have zero consequences! It's the classic cliche - Molly thinks Zia is specially and that Zia really cares for her and is just waiting for the perfect moment to leave her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Molly hooks up with Lily only when Zia won't text her back, saying she can't be in a relationship because she doesn't want to be gay. Ew. Lily deserves better. The worst part was that Molly and Zia faced zero consequences for their cheating.

"Tyler and I had a fight." "Oh." Those are the best six words ever spoken

The other main aspect I disliked was that everything seemed a bit, I don't know, #that happened. Molly is having homophobic abuse yelled at her, she runs outside crying, grape juice drops on her and everybody laughs. Molly slaps someone and everyone starts shouting about how homophobia is bad. A guy tries to shut down a same-sex dance and a teenager shuts him down and everyone applauds. You get the idea, everything was just a little bit fake sounding.

What did I like? I liked how Molly has a great relationship with her mother, her stepdad (who she values a lot), and her younger brother Luke, who is a ten out of ten supportive brother. I appreciated the themes of loving yourself, standing up to bullying, and acceptance.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of What Happens When

I didn't expect to like this book as thoroughly as I did. In the beginning of the book, the premise is interesting and engaging, but then things start to seem a little bit morally corrupt.
I'll just clarify now, that some things in this book seem very uh, questionable, to put it lightly, and I and I'm sure many others were wary of reading the rest of the story because of it. But after finishing it, I can safely that this is for the purpose of character development and teaching a moral lesson than being an edgy fictional teen story. The purpose of that particular event in the book is apparent upon finishing, where I was worried it was just there to make the story interesting and intense, I feel like it actually serves a purpose towards the development of our main character and the story in general. After finishing the book, I can say that I enjoyed it.
I didn't really read a lot of concern over it in other peoples' reviews, which I found relatively concerning, but maybe they didn't think it was a big deal after finishing the book or not worth mentioning thus so as a concern, which I can understand. While I was reading, I was highly concerned that nobody was talking about it because I was so shook over it.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Molly and Luke. I don't often get to see such close bonds between brother and sister in novels I read, and I felt that this one was written really nicely and realistically, it was definitely a highlight of the book for me.
Honestly, and I'm gonna be real here, I think the only thing that saved this main character for me was how relatable most of her inner dialogue was. Being a lesbian myself, I found so many things she struggled with relatable to my own life. But other than relating to her on a really personal level, I didn't really like her that much. She was a gigantic douche, which of course is the reason the whole character development takes place in the first place and is basically the entire plot of the book, I was glad to see her realizing her mistakes, but I found it hard to forgive her for them, and therefore enjoy her more than on the grounds of civility.
Lily is a godsent in this story. I love her so much, she's so pure. Protect her.
This is a pretty crucial book to read if you're a girl who loves girls, honestly. I hope this book garners much fame as I feel it has the potential to do.

I’m pretty sure a lot of reviews for this book begin with a declaration of not being a fan of the cheating trope so I’m not going to bother with that.

Molly was a great character. I loved her and wanted the best for even though she didn’t know what that was. The homophobia in the book was a lot, I had to stop reading sometimes because whew. It was discussed at great length and Molly herself is held accountable for past mistakes by another queer classmate. I wouldn’t describe this as a fluffy f/f YA romance because it’s not. Yes there are moments of softness like when Zia and Molly were together in Zia’s apartment, the text messages between Molly and her brother, the Queer Alliance meetings but it’s very much a story that challenges bigotry and doesn’t skirt around it. So there were a lot of uncomfortable moments here.


Zia’s relationship with Molly was unhealthy and I’m glad that they put an end to it. Zia was clearly struggling with some emotional issues and not properly dealing with it. I didn’t enjoy the whole “bisexual/bicurios girl cheats on her bf” story. Bisexuality and cheating really need to stop being linked together in fiction like this 🙄

With that being said I actually enjoyed the relationship between Zia and Molly (I am made of contradictions). They weren’t a fit for each other in this universe but in another place, in another time they would have been amazing together.

I had a ton of issues with some of the side characters: Luke –was trying his best but his actions were questionable 😐 Lily – you can’t be mad at someone for not liking you back; Carmen – filthy human being. Tyler is a sweetheart and he deserves the best 🤗

The redemption arc of one of the characters towards the end felt inauthentic as if the author wanted to leave everything neat and tidy but it didn’t work for me. It was very unbelievable considering all the things that went down in the book.

Molly Kennan’s senior year is disaster before it even begins. She got caught making out with a cute girl at a party, and her homophobic best friend has deserted her. She hopes to just lay low and make it through senior year, that is, until the cute girl, Lily, transfers to her school and wants to date her. Molly’s not sure about Lily, but she is 100% on board for Zia, the waitress at the local diner who also happens to have a boyfriend. It looks like senior year will be anything but low-key for Molly.

I finished this book in about two days. It was a quick and enjoyable read. I’m not usually one for love triangles, but I enjoyed the way this story unfolded. Molly is a total mess, and we’ve all been there. She has a cute girl who is super into her right in front of her face, but she cannot stop pursuing the straight girl who seems to be into her. Like any teenager, Molly’s make several poor decisions and has to roll with the drama they create and learn something along the way.

I was rooting for Molly, but I really loved the supporting characters. I want to be best friend’s with her brother, and all of the kids in the Queer Alliance Club were unique and awesome. I enjoyed the variety of representations and voices, and appreciated the camaraderie between the queer and straight kids.

Though its themes have been done before, I’d still recommend this romcom. It’s a delightful palate cleanser between heavier works. There’s tons of drama, sure, but there’s also some really cute relationships and tender family moments. It’s out on Tuesday, March 12, so if you like you cute and messy lesbians, check it out.

While there has been seemingly more novels published in an LGBTQ vein - there still does not seem to be many for the YA group. This novel marks a strong entry into this unrepresented area.

What Happens When is the story of a girl who has herself labeled as a lesbian at a party at the very start of her final year of high school. It is a story of how she handles friendships, relationships, family, and coming to terms with her identity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Over time, Molly made mistakes, but she learns from them, and grows as a person - the way we all do during our teenage years. Some characters were sympathetic, others easy to dislike, but overall, people were shown to be more than just one thing.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. What Happens When is a coming-of-age and coming-out story that's beautifully executed. Everything about it was done so well, from the well-developed characters, to the great writing, and the realistic situations the characters find themselves in. I really liked reading about Molly, her decisions and actions weren't always the best, but I think it played well with her age and the state of mind she was at. However, she was a little hard to relate to at times, because of said characteristics.
This is a very touching story. It reads well and fast, and it's very much enjoyable. I did have a bit of a hard time relating to the main character, which is why this isn't a five-star for me, but relating to certain characters is based completely on taste and past experiences, and it's different for everyone. That is a fancy way of me saying that you should definitely give this book a shot.

Thank you to Bold strokes for the arc of this book.
Not my usual read, but it was a good read, it had a good message, and a good insight to how hard it can be for teenagers who are gay or trans gender and also how closed minded and cruel people can be.

This is a pretty solid young adult book that focuses on a young woman who accidentally outs herself at a party over the summer. With it comes all the big feelings, and a heaping helping of being shot down the social hierarchy. Molly, our lovely messy protagonist, also gets herself into a bit of a love triangle.

One of the more uncomfortable things that I thought about when starting the book was what the bullying was going to entail. It was pretty bad, but Molly was lucky enough to have a great support system around her to help her through the bullying. The worst of the bullying for Molly was that the leader of the group of bullies was her former best friend, Cameron. She could handle the other aspects of what was being done to her, but the about face of Cameron was a betrayal that she felt throughout the book.

The romance between Molly and Lily, the girl Molly kissed at the party, is just so sweet that I wished the author spent more time with them. Unfortunately, Zia, the older girl Molly meets and is instantly attracted to at the diner, feels too close to being the sly, manipulative bi character than I am comfortable with. Zia also explains her attraction to Molly but is still in a relationship with a really sweet guy. There are a lot of societal pressures that Zia feels like she can't be with Molly, so she felt like she was using Molly as a fling. I thought Zia could be a good character, and she does have some layers to her that were a little unexpected, yet I felt like her relationship to Molly was too predatory to me. Also, Zia is just not as likable as a character.

Other than that complaint I really enjoyed this book. Molly felt like a teen who just found her hormones. She could be this really mature person, but is still given to being a teen who just woke to her sexuality, which was refreshing. I wished there was more focus on Lily and Molly and not Zia, yet I know that's what the author was going for. We're supposed to be rooting for Lily even if Molly can't seem to really get over her first crush as an out lesbian.

3.75/5

Molly Kennan starts her senior year having outed herself during in a party where she made out with a beautiful girl she met that night. Now, back in school, she has to face the rejection of her best friend and has to face the girl she kissed that night, as she just transferred to her school. After the first day she goes to her favourite dinner where she meets Zia, a new waitress. Molly is instantly attracted to Zia, who is a bit older and has a boyfriend. As time goes Molly has to decide between Zia and the sweet girl she made out during the summer.

This was a sweet and engaging YA book. I was a bit reluctant to read it because it was in first person but it moved at a really good pace and the author did a very good job at keeping you interested. At the end it was a very sweet story with many up and downs that tackled some serious and current issues.

The only thing was, that although I knew from the beginning who Molly was gong to end up but I wish they had had more interactions so I could really connect with the character and root for her and Molly.

This ARC copy was given to me via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Despite not being a huge fan of young adult stories, I thoroughly enjoyed 'What Happens When.' I'm also not generally a fan of first person, present tense but the author did such a great job I barely noticed.

Within a few pages, I was immersed in Molly's story. Her brother, Luke, was an equally delightful character, and by the end of the book, I felt like I knew these characters personally.

There's a good deal of cheating, which might put a few readers off, but it adds a lot of depth and mystery to the story. For a long time, I had no clue who Molly was going to end up with...if anyone. At times, I didn't feel like she deserved to find love, but I'm equally happy she did.

This is the first book I've read front to back, without once being tempted to skim read, therefore I couldn't possibly give it less than 5 fat stars.

Brilliant.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.

As a lesbian I am always looking for books with good rep. Especially those geared toward teens, because there just weren't many when I was growing up. I can count on one hand how many books I read while growing up where the main character questioned their sexuality. I was hoping that this one would be a good one to add to my recommendation list, but honestly I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone, especially a young girl just figuring out her sexuality.

I liked Molly well enough, but man is the girl a mess. I totally understood her fears, but I don't really understand her actions.

I absolutely hate cheating story lines. I especially hate cheating story lines when a 'straight' girl who's in a relationship cheats on her boyfriend/husband with a girl. And for some unfathomable reason so many wlw books follow this exact story line.

I ended up really really disliking Zia. Daniel deserves better, as does Molly. I know Zia is just a teenager who is still growing up, but damn does she make such a mess of her life. And a few of those things she totally could control and been better about.

I feel like Lily deserved someone better than Molly, who strung her along the entire book and only really wanted with her when things with Zia went wrong.

I also felt like this book played way too heavily on stereotypes. I went to school in the deep south. It's about as conservative as you can get and my school never had even half as much sexuality related bullying as this book. We had several out kids and no one seemed to be super bothered by it, and if they were they kept it to themselves or within their bigoted friend groups. There was never a grape soda event or paint throwing. I feel like any questioning teen who reads these things in this novel will be scared out of their mind that that shit actually happens, when in my experience it does not.

The only thing I really liked about this book was the sibling relationship between Molly and Luke. My sister and I are also Irish twins (siblings born less than a year apart) and it was REALLY cool to see siblings similar to how we are.

I am always glad to have more representation in books, but I feel like it's time to start focusing on the quality in diverse books, as well as the quantity of them.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me an Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was AMAZING.
Basically this story follows molly through her senior year of high school.
She has to deal with bullies while trying to figure out her sexuality.
This book hit on some pretty tough subjects that I personally experienced when I was younger so from the start I was hooked.
Molly reminded me so much of me she was an amazing character and her relationship with her brother is one of the cutest things ever.
The one thing I didn’t like was the story felt like it ended out of no where I actually thought there was chapters missing and felt the ending was way too rushed.
Overall I absolutely loved it but gave it only 4 stars because of ending.

3.50 Stars. To be completely honest I was going to skip this book. I did not really care for either of the two other books I have read by Boyette. I figured her style of writing wasn’t really for me. However, after reading some of the early reviews I decided to take a chance on this and I’m glad I did. This was a sweet YA lesfic book and I’m glad I read it. In my opinion this is the best book by Boyette so far.

I’m not what you would call a big YA fan. I tend to enjoy YA fantasy books but YA books that take place in high school are not my favorite. I find that either the teenagers seem way older or they feel immature. I was glad I didn’t feel that way in this book. This felt like a book written in a realistic teenage voice, so I have to give Boyette props for that.

I was also a little concerned about the bullying. This book is about a girl, going into her senior year, that outed herself publicly over the summer. Things are not easy for her a she quickly becomes a target of bullying. I don’t like to read about teenagers being bullied. I mean who does?! And while I even found myself tearing up once, there are a lot of good feelings in this book too. There is a lot of acceptance and people trying to be decent human beings that it made the bulling much easier to swallow. This book was sweet and it gave me a little hope.

The only part I didn’t care for was the main’s relationship/crush she has on an older girl. It felt a little odd to me like it almost didn’t fit into the rest of the tone of the book, but I really enjoyed all the other parts.

If you are looking for a sweet YA read, I think this is a good choice. I’m far from an expert on YA, but this felt authentic to me. Plus the sweetness put a big smile on my face when I was finished reading so that’s always a positive in my book.

ARC provided by Netgalley, so thank you for that! This is my honest review.

The book has great things: some of the secondary characters are amazing (Molly’s brother and his best friend are the best!) and the plot, the fact that the queer kids get so much sh*t for being themselves at school... well, I didn’t like reading that part but it’s what sometimes happens in real life, so the facts that these kids are fighting against that, raising awareness among their peers... it was super nice!

But there were a lot that I didn’t like, specially the main character. I know that Molly’s a teenager, but her feelings seemed way too fickle even for that age. One day I’m head over heels for this girl and the next I’m over her and I want to date this other one? Hmmm... I wish there would have been more depth to those feelings and the situation. I wanted to like her, but I just couldn’t.

Personally, I would have liked the book a lot more if it hadn’t dealt with the whole Zia situation.

What Happens When by Samantha Boyette
5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books inc for an E-arc in change for an honest review.

To start this review off I want to just say I identify as a lesbian and the representation is so beautiful written and just well put!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH! 🏳️‍🌈❤️

Molly doesn’t know if she should follow her heart or her head but what she does know is kissing Lily makes her feel alive, gives her these feelings of everything being right when everything else feels so wrong. She never thought she could be utterly in love with a girl until that night at the party when Molly and lily drunkly make out in front of half the senior class. Accidentally outing herself as a lesbian was the last way Molly wanted to start her senior year, one event leads to another and Molly has to figure out how to go through senior year with a target in her back.

This story was a fast read but it was also breathtaking, heartbreaking, and just utterly perfection for a coming out story. The characters are well written and the scenes in the book are also just perfect for the story!

I hadn’t heard about this book at all until seeing it on Netgalley and being drawn in by the summary, and I’m so glad I decided to read it! Molly accidentally comes out to her entire class the summer before senior year, and the book is her navigatinfbher own feelings and conflicting emotions. It handles some sensitive topics really well, and the friendships really made me love the book that much more.

“What Happens When” you accidentally out yourself to your high school senior classmates? There’s gossip, drama, and those ever present mean girls who relish the idea of destroying a classmate’s high school experience with their bullying tactics.

Such was the case for Molly after she was seen kissing Lily, who was an out lesbian, at a party. Molly was then targeted by her former best friend Carmen who was sickened by Molly’s behavior and tried to enlist others, not only to her homophobic platform, but also to her mean girl mentality. This was evident when Molly was ostracized by her cross country team members. So Molly quit the team and sought refuge away from that toxic high school environment by working after school at a local diner. It was there that Molly found solace and friendship with Zia, much to the chagrin of Lily.

There were many aspects of this book that were well done and relatable especially with regards to today’s school environment such as the creation of the Queer Alliance Club and the importance of school administrators/teachers who take a stance against any type of bullying or bigotry as opposed to those that turn a blind eye. It was important that teenagers be seen and heard in their support of “kindness and acceptance” since unfortunately and sadly, too many children fall prey to the haters of the world and harm/kill themselves.

The characters were realistic and diverse, especially with regard to their sexuality. I liked how the author gave positive life advice through the voices of Molly’s brother, Luke, and Lily. They were my favorite characters because of their supportive and loving ways. Luke’s character also had a playful personality which at times seemed to offset the more serious issues of the story.

Overall, this was a very good young adult LGBTQIA book and should be included in high school libraries.

This is was such a great read!

When Molly accidentally outs herself as a lesbian at a party, I was gonna expect some drama, and well, it was delivered. The bullying and harassment that ensues (led by her homophobic ex-best friend Carmen) got pretty bad. I'm glad that there were people there for Molly as she was being put through hell because of her sexuality. Because of what is going on at school, Molly seeks comfort in Zia, the waitress at a diner she frequents. I can see why Molly did what she did, but I do agree with Luke (her younger brother), that she was making a bad decision in being with her, especially since Zia was persistent in being straight. There wasn't any point in striving for something that was never going to happen, but then again, Molly wouldn't have realized her mistake unless she had made it. I'm glad the whole Zia fiasco happened because it changed Molly for the better, as she was being a selfish brat to her friends and family because of it. I didn't like that side of Molly at all because it made her an unlikeable character. Luckily, it also made her finally let go of Zia and see Lily in the glorious light that she has always been in. It made me feel all giddy inside seeing everything resolve, as I was Team Lily since the beginning.

Aside from Molly, who was an okay character in a complex situation, Luke was a great character. Sometimes I forget that he is the younger sibling, as he has quite a few wise words himself. I loved the bond between the two siblings because you can feel how much they care for one another, especially Luke, as he supported his sister since the very beginning and is always looking out for her. Also, their banter was just a joy to read. The other friends were also great characters too, like Gavin. I think we all need a chill supporting friend like Gavin.

Overall, this was an amazing read, as it focuses on the struggles with coming to terms with one's own sexuality, the public acceptance and backlash of it, LGBT activism, romance, and a whole-lot-of teenage angst.