Okay so this was quite the frustrating read 🙈 I was expecting a fun (and hard-hitting maybe) read, but the band members just had everyone against them it seemed. Nobody listened to what they thought and wanted and they just followed along. Which I guess makes sense because they are quite young, but it was still frustrating to read because they deserved to be heard! 😅 BUT I did like the band itself and their relationships with each other, and when they actually started communicating and started coming up for themselves, it led to a satisfactory ending of the book.

So yeah, this isn't really a fun and adorable YA contemporary - there was a lot going on in the main characters' lives which made it somewhat harder to read. It does, however, offer perspective in what could be happening behind the scenes in the music industry.

This book was absolutely fantastic.

If This Gets Out follows a boy band called Saturday, who, at the moment, are one of the biggest names in the music industry. We see the dark side of the music industry as we watch two of the members, Zach Knight and Ruben Montez, spark a beautiful romance. But with their own management not on their side, their relationship becomes strained with the pressure placed on the both of them.

If This Gets Out is already one of my favorite reads of 2021. The characters were so dynamic. It was so fun watching each character have their own doubts and problems, and seeing how other characters fit into those issues.

This book managed to play out an unconventional love story while also bringing attention to many difficult topics. I expected this to be quite a light read, and while it was still such, there were definitely some darker elements, which brought a tone of seriousness to this novel and enhanced it as a whole.

Like I said earlier, every character was so well written and had their own story. The entire plot as a whole felt so real, and it felt like if I were to search up Angel, Jon, Zach, and Ruben right now, I would find them. That's how real each of their characters felt. The entire story could actually happen, which also made the book better. It felt real.

Please, I am begging you, get your copy of If This Gets Out in December. You will absolutely not regret it.

A good rom-com gives you a set of characters with sparkling chemistry and a love story you can root for. A great rom-com gives you all of that, plus a richly built world beyond just the relationship between the two characters.

I am happy to report that IF THIS GETS OUT is a great rom-com.

The premise is the stuff of fanfic dreams: Ruben and Zach, two members of an internationally famous boyband, slowly fall for each other and struggle with what that means for them and for their careers. To start with, Ruben and Zach are fully formed, intriguing characters on their own. Ruben, who is openly gay to a small circle but is pressured into waiting until the "right time" to come out publicly, struggles with toxic parents and a yearning to be permitted to be his full, musical-theatre-loving self. Zach, meanwhile, is frustrated both by his label-assigned identity as the band's broody bad boy and by his own burgeoning realization of his own sexuality. Their romance is awkward and start-and-stop and also swoony and heart-stopping.

But then you add in the rest of the world of the book around them. It's a sharp, unflinching portrayal of the insidiousness of celebrity culture and fame in the social media era, including the habit of corporate "entertainment" talking a big talk about inclusivity but in reality brutally stamping out anything that doesn't fit the pre-planned mold, whether that's about race, gender, sexuality, or even just style. Angel and Jon, the boys' bandmates, are equally rich characters, dealing with their own stresses and struggles. The found family bonds between the four of them provide the book's emotional core (yes, even though it's a romance).

You can probably guess where the plot is going to go most of the time, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable of a ride. It's both a witty, flirty rom-com and a quietly devastating reminder of just what really goes into crafting those superstar performances that are so easy to watch if you just push out of mind the humanity of the people performing.

Boy bands, queer romance, overpowering record label... These factors add up to a quick, easy read. While the book does touch on difficult subjects - closeted gay characters, drug/alcohol abuse, emotional abuse, etc. - it isn't a heavy-handed, After School Special type of book. In fact, the plot focuses more on the controlling aspects of the record label and its focus on money instead of the welfare of the band members. This has the effect of normalizing Ruben and Zach's relationship rather than using it for dramatic effect - no one close to the guys is scandalized by their new relationship and there's no "angry" outing of the two as their relationship develops.

The author has created four distinct characters, even though the book is told just from the points of view of Ruben and Zach, so none of the characters feel two-dimensional. There are times when it feels like the author had a checklist of characteristics needed to create a diverse cast - ethnicity, religion, sexual identity, etc. All the boxes are checked. This isn't a bad thing, but it is a little in-your-face at times.

This book is so much more than a queer boy band romance.

From the start, it's clear that there's an appropriate weight given to the realities of a life in the spotlight, particularly for people who find it when they're young. Body image issues, drugs and alcohol, a need to push yourself harder than is healthy. All four of these teenagers are dealing with their fair share of too much, and it felt inevitable as it all fell apart.

But watching them pick themselves up and realise their worth? Watching them fight for themselves and each other? That brotherhood is what I'm here for.

The romance between Ruben and Zach felt so natural, as did the conflict between the two of them. It's refreshing to see characters with flaws that aren't magically fixed, but instead committed to be worked on. Angel's troubles with drugs was clear from the start, but the way it built up still gripped my heart the whole time. Jon's struggles with his father seemed the least personal since they also affected the rest of the band, but they were still present and still made me feel for him.

I'll definitely be reading this again.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

5 STARS. HANDS DOWN.

When I first saw the announcement for <i>If This Gets Out</i>, I was bit skeptical...it definitely sounded like a promising premise, but the execution could either go very, very well, or very, very poorly. <b>I am so happy to say that this book exceeded my expectations in more ways than I could have imagined.</b> Let's get down to the basics:

<b>FIRST IMPRESSIONS</b>
Essentially, this is a boy band romance. Two members of the band struggle with some confusing feelings, fall in love, and then have to face the seemingly unbreakable control that their record label has over their personal lives. This is certainly not a new idea--I have seen it occasionally in fiction books, and mostly have seen it in fanfiction. And of course, I've seen this trope a million times in real-life discussions (see: social media) as people speculate the lives of actual people in actual bands who have not made any actual declarations of true love and romance within their bands. I am not going to name names, but if you grew up with (or are currently getting into, or never outgrew the "phase" of) certain bands from a variety of genres, especially if they were/are all-male bands, then you'll probably be familiar with this plot too. And if you are familiar with this plot ("plot"...or sometimes a real-life set of rumors), you'll probably understand why I was skeptical. Right off the bat, people online have been speculating that the inspiration for this book was based off of real people. Let's be honest here: fandom culture can be invasive, toxic, obsessive, and sometimes just downright rude. I was a little worried that this book might be hitting a little too close to insensitive, boundary-breaking rumors that exist in our very much not fictional world. However, <b>this book had unique characters and was written in a respectable manner</b>, so if anyone had the fear that I had, don't worry.

<b>THE PLOT</b>
As mentioned above, this is a YA fiction contemporary romance about a boy band romance. Because I was so familiar with this trope, I was a bit afraid that there would be nothing new to this book--that it would be completely predictable and cliche. If you've read, oh, maybe even just one fanfic of this genre then you'll definitely notice some cliches, but that really wasn't a bad thing at all. <i>If This Gets Out</i> takes a very well-known storyline in fandom culture and adds its own little twists and turns. It's been awhile since I've literally not been able to put a book down, but Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich threw in so many fun and shocking surprises that I was *sneakily* reading this book at the dinner table, under my desk at work, during class, while watching a movie with my parents, in bed as I tried to fall asleep, etc. etc. I was having a good time, okay? Seriously, this book made me gasp out loud multiple times. I'm usually a more character-driven person than a plot-driven person, but the balance between character development and plot was great.

<b>THE CHARACTERS</b>
Long story short, I loved this band to pieces. Our two main characters Zach and Ruben were lovable, with just a perfect handful of moments where I wanted to shake them and scream "GET IT TOGETHER ALREADY!!!!!!!" I really enjoyed their development that took place throughout the novel--because there was definitely some major development--and the conversations and actions that took place in order to achieve that development. I also <i>adored</i> the other band members, Angel and Jon. Although they were side characters, their presence and significance was not ignored. <b>If you love lighthearted, supportive friendships full of unconditional love and understanding, this book is for you.</b> I really loved the romance in this book, but I was expecting to enjoy the romance. What I was not expecting was to fall in love with the friendship between the band members. Everyone had such distinct personalities with beautifully balanced strengths and flaws, which made all the interactions and dialogue so vivid and readable.

<b>THE WRITING</b>
This is 100% young-adult-audience writing. However, I am a frequent YA reader so, yay! I didn't mind one bit. I think YA is a rather broad genre since YA on the younger end is geared towards people who are still pretty much young kids and YA on the older end is geared towards people who are pretty much almost adults. The writing has that teen-flare to it where the characters still kind of sound young, but they're starting to explore "adult" things. That's my favorite type of voice, so I enjoyed the writing. I will say this though: this book reads like fanfiction. The plot, the writing style, the two POVs...this was reminiscent of something I would find on AO3 when I was 14. NOW, this is not necessarily a bad thing! I strongly believe that there is fanfiction out there that is of better quality than some professionally published books. The only reason I am mentioning this is because I know it won't be for everyone. It's the kind of emotionally-charged, dramatic writing that I grew up loving, but it probably won't be everyone's thing.

<b>DUAL POVs</b>
Another thing that worried me about this book? The fact that it was written by two authors. I can't think of many books written by two authors that I've actually enjoyed. Furthermore, I tend to dislike books with dual point of views. The combination of two authors and two point of views can sometimes be clunky and confusing. But once again, I was surprised. <b>Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich have pulled off a two-author, two-POV book that still flowed well and felt cohesive, while still making both main characters stand out from one another.</b> Writing a book is no easy task, but writing a book with another person--and having it turn out great--can sometimes be even harder to execute. I applaud the authors for making this work.

<b>THE BOTTOM LINE</b>
<i>If This Gets Out</i> is a sweet, exciting coming of age book full of boy band drama, solid friendships, and tender moments. I had a blast reading this and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good fast-paced YA contemporary romance.

TWs: drug use, alcohol, non-explicit sexual content, homophobia, disordered eating (only a small comment is made about this), car crash, manipulation, controlling parents/companies

A sweet boy band romance. I liked it and the dynamics between the boys, but the conflict felt a little too easily resolved (moms to the rescue ex machina).

First off, for a book written by two authors portraying two different people, the writing was seamless. And the characters they created, I fell in love with. "If This Gets Out" follows way-popular boyband Saturday as they embark on their European tour. There are four bandmates, but this story focuses on Ruben and Zach, their friendship turned something more, and their trials of learning that their band's management team doesn't necessarily want the best for the guys. The other two bandmates, Jon and Angel, face their own struggles and come off fully formed, even for not being the main narrators. By the end of the book I was so attached to them all that I felt proud of how far they had each come and who they grew to be, even in a short time.

Another great thing about this book is its realism-in so many different facets. There's fractured parent/child relationships, abuse and control within the music industry, learning about your sexuality, coming out, new relationships, substance abuse and mental loads, the importance of communication and being yourself, etc. But most everything is posed in a hopeful way, not depressingly, which matters a lot in this book. While there is a lot of drama, this is a happy story, and for those of you who need that, then I recommend this book! Even if you don't need that, I recommend this book. It is sweet, thoughtful, and timely. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a lovely surprise and not at all what I expected!

Honestly, I didn't quite know what to expect from this book. I thought, oh ok, fun road trip across Europe, best-friends-to-lovers, forbidden boy band love. Ok. Sounds fun. GIMME!

But oh it turned out to be so much more. While it is, for the most part, exactly the fun romp the blurb promises, it also very openly deals with the darker side of show business. The boys were mostly branded against their will and forced to act out roles that sell, which leads to psychological problems and drug problems, which are addressed in detail. There is also a very horrible parent who "only wants what's best" for their child, but mostly hurts him and tries to bring him down. So be warned, there are scenes dealing with substance abuse, and there is a lot of pressure and power plays from the band's management, some of it pretty unpleasant.

But that's actually what impressed me most about this book. That it took those issues and dealt with it, allowing the characters room for growth. I loved their journey, and cheered very hard once the boys decided they'd had enough and it was time for a change. I loved how they dealt with their problems, and I applaud the authors for the way they brought heavy issues to a YA book.

And apart from that? This is a pretty character-driven story, and I loved watching the boys grow.

The love story was sweet and fun and, given that we're dealing with teenagers, also very angsty at times. But it was a perfect blend, and watching Zach and Ruben coming to terms with their feelings was adorable!

Zach and Ruben learning to deal with overbearing parents and slight doormat-tendencies and ultimately fighting back was really wonderful. I found them so incredibly relatable, and wanted to hug them for the most part. I'm glad they had each other to lean on and learn from.

The story about the boys growing closer as friends and taking control of their careers and their lives was pretty epic, and I cheered all of them on and was outraged on their behalf, right up until the very hopeful ending.

All in all, a highly satisfying read that is not afraid to show the darker side of the music industry, leading to one equal parts fun and bittersweet romance between two boy band members who have to learn to stand up for who they are and what they want, relying on each other, their friends and bandmates, and their families.

adorable, realistic and inspiring, If This Gets Out was an absolutely wonderful read.

The alternating perspective structure really works here. Sophie and Cale manage to deliver a book with 2 unique voices that complement each other, feeling cohesive and fully structured and developed. With the perfect balance of romance and real-world problems, this book weaves a heartwarming and captivating story of growth. Showing the power of self retrospect and the importance of being true to yourself, it's sure to give you all the feels.

5 stars and a song

This is a near perfect slow burn romance!

Told from alternating POV’s, you get to see the relationship between two band mates blossom despite all odds.

The plot may seem familiar to a certain fan base, but don’t let that overshadow the writing of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an advance reader copy of If This Gets Out in exchange for an honest review.

Queer! Boyband! Rom-com! Right up my alley, honestly. This story isn't just fluff and heart-eyes (although there is plenty of that, *chefskiss*) - we also see our heroes Ruben and Zach navigate complex relationships with their bandmates, their families, and their record exec bosses.

The alternating perspective structure really worked in this book. Ruben and Zach were both so fully developed- their emotions, motivations, inner demons, and dreams. It makes them so easy to root for, and their growth feels earned and so rewarding to read. I was impressed with the character development all-around, even with the secondary characters John and Angel. The story allows for individual relationships outside of the main pair to shine.

Special shout-out to the way the book depicted Ruben's strained family relationships. His relationship with his mother resonated on a deep level. It really captured the constricting trap of a hyper-critical parent prone to angry outbursts and the intense emotional labor that their children put in to manage the fall out of any tiny mistake. It was too real, but also validating to read and heartening to see Ruben grow in his ability to stand up for himself and set boundaries. I think it's really important to showcase this in YA literature and wish I'd read something like it when I was in high school.

This book gave me everything my queer fangirl heart desired, then hit me with the realistic and nuanced interpersonal dynamics and a critique of the entertainment industry. Come for the feels, stay for the feels. This is a quick read that draws you right in and will leave you smiling.

Content warnings: underage drinking, addiction, disordered eating, toxic parent, homophobia, forced closeting

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Things I really liked:
- how real they made the band feel
- Zach coming to terms with his sexuality
- the pressures of being a child pop star
- the background of the music industry and how they mold their clients to fit their image

Things I didn't like:
- it was sometimes difficult to distinguish the two narrators from each other and I was often confused as to who was telling the story at a specific point
- they glossed over body image and calorie counting which should've been addressed more
- some chapters felt really similar in regard to what was happening

I feel like this is a great book to read if you're ever missing your favorite boy band. The 'behind-the-scenes of the music industry was really eye-opening to see what these kids have to go through. I felt like everything that happened with Angel was skipped over. I also feel like Jon was only there to hold a personal connection to the music company, and didn't do much else. I would love to see this book turned into a movie so we get to hear the songs that are mentioned.

I mostly enjoyed reading this book but wish some themes would have been explored more.

Things I liked & thought were done really well:
+ how Zach figured out his sexuality + his inner coming-out process; even though he was struggeling in the beginning bisexuality was never not an option or something he didn't know existed. I'm always happy whenever I read books with bisexual characters that actually are bisexual, use that word and never have that "oh, I must be gay then"-phase when they start developing feelings for someone of their own gender
+ the communication surrounding sex and STIs was really great! I wish all books had this much (good) conversation about the topic
+ no forced outing to the whole world (I have read a few "rockstar romances" in the past where that was the case and hate that trope so it was nice that coming out to their fans and everyone else was their choice
+ the depiction of the band member's friendship and how pressure by management etc. and constantly being together influenced it; how the found a way to stand together against their abusive management

What I didn't like as much/what could have been done better:
- (more) positive female characters throughout the book (for example through a friendship with someone not in the band)
- the control & pressure over food was sadly sort of brushed over/not really addressed enough in my opinion
- the accident, Angels drug use and the rehab also felt too brushed over and as if it was more a plot device than anything else; I think it could have used more explicit discussion

Overall I liked the book and would recommend it to people who are looking for positive bi+ representation and like queer YA romance that addresses difficult topics but has a positive message about finding out who you are and standing up for yourself.

I was excited for this book but also a bit anxious as one is when they are excited about something. Expectations pile up and it's difficult to see past them, but this book exceeded all my expectations in the best possible way. It was heartfelt and emotional and authentic. I could physically feel Zach's indecisiveness and anxiety, I could feel the pressure Rueben's mum put on him — I don't think I have ever felt emotions for any of the characters I read this intensely. I am definitely going to make so many of my friends read this book. What an excellent journey!

**3.5/5***

Have you ever started reading a book and guessed at exactly how it would end? I'm not saying this book was predictable in a bad way, I'm saying that this book ended exactly how I wanted it to.

Overall, the beginning was a little slow, and it took some time to get used to the writers' style since I have never read either one of their previous books. After the first couple chapters, however, I started to get really into it and I couldn't put it down all day!

This book is mostly about two queer bandmates, but it also dives into other important themes. Overwhelmingly, the book touched on important issues that plague the music industry, such as: being closeted to maintain a certain image, feeling like you you've lost control of your life and the pressure that lead to drug abuse, and even the pressure that parents place on their child artists to be perfect in order to stay relevant.

Ruben and Zach were also very cute, even if--to me--it felt like the story was missing a stronger flow with how their relationship was developed. In the end, however, I still enjoyed reading this book and would still recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an advanced readers copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

"...Everyone wants the world to see them as they are. The truth isn't the problem. The problem is that the world doesn't always make the truth safe for us to share."

I have to preface this review with a note for all of the Directioners that are going crazy about this book...the ship in this book is not Larry. It's essentially the equivalent of Ziam, Niam, or Ziall because the fan base of the band in the book ships one ship like crazy, but that's not the one that actually ends up being canon.

Anyways, on to the actual review. I have to start out by saying that the idea for this book is not very original, though its plot totally is. At the beginning of the novel, I found myself constantly comparing it to Red, White & Royal Blue, however as I read more and more I began to see that it was completely different from RW&RB, though the premises were similar. So, if you're wondering if it's valuable to read this after already having read RW&RB, I'd say yes, because although the premises are quite similar, they're completely different books.

If This Gets Out is a boy band romance. Yes, a boy band romance. I'm pretty sure Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich have just created a new genre of YA romance, which is so cool. But the reason that this book is so awesome is because it's not just a fluffy romance. It's because it deals with so many real issues; specifically the problems with our music industry, how queer celebrities are sometimes forced to stay closeted, verbally abusive relationships, substance abuse, and being overly passive. One of the reasons I love Sophie Gonzales's books is because while she does write romances, they always have real, hard-hitting issues that must be discussed embedded in them (such as cancer and biphobia). As someone who loves YA romance, I really appreciate this aspect of her books, because it gives them so much more depth, and plots that aren't only about the romance.

I found that this book had the perfect balance of romance and real-world problems, which is incredibly important. I knew almost nothing about the repressiveness of the music industry until reading this book. And, although I know not all management companies are like the one in the book, I was shocked at the fact that performers can be treated that way. Books like this need to be written because its so important that we talk about these types of things. When this book is published it will open up so many doors for discussion about the dark side of the music industry and how we treat queer celebrities, both of which are things we definitely need to be talking about.

All in all, this book, although it does have some fluff, is not just a rom-com. Its dissections of deeper topics make it an interesting and thought provoking read that deserves to get lots of recognition. If you want to be enlightened on topics necessary to think about in today's world, but also have fun with a romance, this book is definitely for you!

I really enjoyed this book. The romance was adorable, the drama was at just the right level. It kept you interested but didn't go over the top. I also really appreciated that the conflict was about things external to the relationship rather than just being a misunderstanding between the characters that could easily be fixed with a conversation.

I enjoyed the exploration of fame and the pressures that can create when you are forced to live up to a particular image. I don't always enjoy books where the main characters are famous but this was one of the better examples I read.

Overall this was a great book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun, quick read that also pulls on your heartstrings a little.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books(St. Martin’s Press) for a free e-arc of if this gets out in exchange for an honest review

When I read the synopsis I immediately thought of a certain international boyband that has been on a 6-year long “hiatus” and, of course, Larry Stylinson. My inner One Direction fan girl had to jump on this book immediately.

[tw: Alcohol/drug abuse, parental abuse/neglect, homophobia]

Though there are elements of the story that reminded me of One Direction, it is not an exact reflection of the band. If This Gets Outs offers a glimpse into the controlling and intensive nature of being in a bubble gum pop boyband under very strict management that dictates your every move - virtually, personally, and professionally. I thought the characters were well developed and multi-dimensional. Each band member had a distinct personality, usually very different from their media-portrayed personas, and their own struggles with management, fame, or family.

I loved the dual POVs from Ruben and Zach. However, the transition between perspectives in the first half of the book was very disconnected in terms of how much time had passed in between and plot line so it required a little effort to connect the dots, but this improved in the second half of the book.

Overall, this was a fun YA contemporary with a happy ending to escape into.

If This Gets Out tells the story of boy-band members Ruben and Zach as their friendship blooms into a romance on tour - and what this might mean for the band's future.

What I liked:
- the way the story centred the immense pressures of working in the music industry, especially when starting very young, there was no romantisation of the "pop star life", which I appreciated
- the family relationships, particularly Ruben's and Zach's respective relationships with their mothers and all their complicated nuances
- our four band members: their individual characters and relationships to one another
- the portrayal of the duality of fandom: the power it can wield in both negative and positive ways

What I didn't like:
- for some reason I can't quite put my finger on I wasn't super invested in the central romance. don't get me wrong, I did care about the characters individually and the friend group as a whole, but the romance didn't really grip me (this may also be due to the fact that I am a slow-burn kind of person, this all happened very quickly, which makes sense knowing they've been friends for years but the reader only gets to witness very little of that, which isn't what I personally prefer)
- the pacing: around the middle the story lost a lot of momentum and despite me appreciating the themes being tackled, it became quite a slow read for me in the 2nd half
- some issues, relationships and arcs that I would have liked to be more fleshed out or that were simply dropped and never addressed again. Zach's body-image issues and disordered eating were so prominent in the first half of the book and it felt like it was just entirely dropped in the second half.
- a hotel in Cologne serving Weißwurst for breakfast. Yes, this is a nitpick. Yes, it traumatised my German breakfast sensibilities lastingly. Not to mention the regional intricacies of German sausages. I know I shouldn't blame the poor Australians but this is an image that will live in my head now so it deserved its own bullet point. Do with that what you will.

Overall, I think If This Gets Out explores a number of interesting topics and offers likeable and flawed characters to root for. While it may not have worked for me on all ends, I do think many people will end up enjoying this, particularly for its critical angle towards the music industry.