I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

This was sweet with some very dark lines. Ruben and Zach (and Jon and Angel) are excellent. So well-written and endearing. The plot was good, interesting and not what I expected. I will definitely read more by these authors going forward!!

If This Gets Out takes a boy band romance to the next level with introspective struggles with sexuality and taking charge of yourself and your art. The book did an excellent job of not just rushing into a romance between these two characters but giving each one time to digest and work through their wants while continuing to develop exterior friendships.

It’s a great queer YA book that is a fun but sometimes dark read. In no way would I call it fluffy but there are definitely sweet and touching moments. If you are a fan of some special fan theories about certain past boy bands...this hits a sweet spot.

Occasionally, I felt there was a bit too much rumination of the Zach and Ruben’s thoughts. Sometimes pages of their anxieties, which felt a bit over explained.

But overall this is a great read that I would definitely recommend!

Rep: gay Spanish-American MC, bi MC, biracial Black character, Vietnamese character

TW: substance abuse (drugs and alcohol), underage drinking, homophobia, forced closeting, parental abuse/neglect, talk of calories

I know everyone thinks this is a Larry Stylinson-type book, but it's not :D - just to clear things up. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading IF THIS GETS OUT, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised. The book not only explores Ruben and Zach's individual struggles with sexuality and identity but also the pressure and confines of the entertainment industry, which I found very insightful. Having grown up seeing celebrity "scandals" all over social media, this book seemed like a more first-hand look at celebrities from the perspective of them.

I liked the two main characters, Ruben and Zach, and their narrative voices were very distinct. I will admit, I did get a little bit frustrated with them and found their relationship slightly repetitive at times, but overall, they're super sweet and great protagonists. I also love how the book emphasized the true bond between the four band members (Ruben, Zach, Jon, and Angel), and the way that they put each other's happiness over what their managers wanted them to be. I think all four of them had pretty significant character development, especially towards the end of the book, and I relate to Ruben. A lot. Oops? I enjoyed seeing them explore the world of being young stars and establishing their own identities in contrast to the boxes that their careers put them in.

This book also covers some heavier topics, such as Angel's struggle with substance abuse, which adds to the commentary on the entertainment industry. Furthermore, the book and its discussion of constantly being in the public eye and the concept of identity (especially for POC and members of the LGBTQ+ community) paralleled reality very well, and it allows the reader to examine their lives a bit. I know I said that this didn't give Larry Stylinson vibes, but the way that the other two band members (Angel and Jon) were shipped kind of did; that whole #Anjon situation definitely dives into invasive fandom and dealing with the huge influx of public opinion once you're a celebrity. The band definitely had its fair share of experiences with everyone everywhere having an opinion on their lives, and that's very reminiscent of the experiences of celebrities today, so I'm glad it was covered.

I do have a couple of critiques: the first being character development outside the band and the second being conflict resolution. I was unequivocally frustrated with every single adult in this novel except for maybe two (which...I mean...I guess that's the point), but in terms of character development, there were some characters who I think I needed to be fleshed out more instead of being shown as strictly one view or perception. I think my biggest issue is that the ending felt rushed and unresolved. This book kind of suffered from the whole "everything gets resolved in the last chapter" scenario, and there were smaller issues brought up throughout the novel that were never fully addressed. For example, Ruben's mom's toxic parenting (I just felt like I needed a bit more closure), Angel's perspective on racism in the entertainment industry, and restrictive dieting.

Despite that, though, I really did enjoy IF THIS GETS OUT, and I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book definitely fills a hole in YA literature. With a resurgence of boy band culture, the premise is sure to appeal to a wide audience of teens.

Readers will likely see their own struggles mirrored in the repeated theme of the struggle with identity (seen in all the boys as they struggle to match their identities with the false ones supplied by Chorus).

The only downfall of this book is that is juggles a lot of different storylines, but it doesn’t do it as well as it should. Following so many characters (from the point of view of only two of them), leaves a lot of disjointed moments as we jump from one crises to another to another.

Overall, I would still recommend this as a fun read with a cute romance.

Omigosh! This book! So cute! I was so excited to read this book. It’s definitely a blend between Red, White, and Royal Blue and the One Direction (or really any boyband) romances that fans have fictionalized over the years. Because of this, I was initially fearful that If This Gets Out would border on fan fiction but boy was I wrong! This book has everything. It’s not just a romance between two fantastically written and nuanced characters but it also deals with the struggles of fame, drug addiction, and the abuse that many artists are forced to accept not only by management but sometimes even at the hands of a stage parent. It discusses how the lines between personal relationships and business blur and how that impacts social dynamics in the industry. At the center of these heavy hitting topics is the coming out story and romance of two teenage boys who want nothing more than to just be able to be together publicly. Zach and Ruben go on a harrowing journey of discovering sexuality, identity, and how to stand up for themselves throughout the novel and the ending will leave any reader with a full heart.

Amazing! I read this in one sitting! I love the aspects of friendship, love, and most importantly FINDING YOURSELF! Also I have to admit this fulfilled my boy-band romance fantasies.

If This Gets Out

I laughed out loud and shed some tears throughout this book by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich. But honestly, this book was NOT what I was expecting. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. But I am so glad it is the book that it is. It was just the diversity I needed without being controversial. I feel like in most things, you can’t have one without the other and Gonzales and Dietrich delivered here!
The beginning is a little slow but next thing you know, you’re 80% finished with the book and so much JUICE is happening and you’re wondering how you got this far without noticing and you don’t want it to end. The book itself is about a queer couple in a boy band. Yep, they did that. Everyone always associates the two without anything to back it up. Gonzales and Dietrich gave, what I feel, a probably very accurate description on the goings on when you are young, queer, and famous.
The book touches on coming out, dealing with homophobic people, drug use and your basic adolescent challenges. You meet Ruben, Zach, Angel and Jon as Saturday! They are all four best friends and have been since summer camp days, where they were initially discovered. The band lands a European tour, and I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Europe brings out all the secrets. And that’s just what happens here. The boys no longer want to feel trapped and caged by their management team but also know that they have no choice but to abide by their rules. Until…. They don’t. And it’s all downhill from there. Or is it uphill? I guess that depends on who you’re rooting for.
The book was truly one of diversity and I’m glad I got my hands on it. I hope to see more of Saturday in the future. These authors did an excellent job writing together.

Its THE boyband. Zach , Ruben, Jon and Angel who together form Saturdays. They are the best singers, dancers , performers. A trend and a brand, beautiful to the public but what is happening behind the scene stay behind the scene... Their managers and publicist will make sure of that.
Ruben- openely gay only to his family, management and boyband friends cause of course it will be a nightmare for the band's brand and their agency image if it get out...-well, he have a little crush on zach.
As they go on their first europe tour things are getting tense between the boys. From list of the more handsome to interview's drama, they have to get their shit together and fix their problems. By doing it, things are said and done and maybe some feelings are mutual after all.

As the start is fluffy and get into the romance building of the two main character, the continuity get deeper and stronger with dramas. It's no secret, the music industry is hard and cruel. Focusing on beauty, money and selling but behind that is a person, an artist, with a personality that they delete to make something sellable and trendy. Less on what they want and need or their own arts choices. A prison, suffocating in their dream job.
It's no chock that even now there is still hashtags like justice for fifth harmony, little mix and one direction. That they felt miserable and didn't have a lot to say on their choices. ( Like i really love some unreleased song of fifth harmony that never was on the albums, listen to "no filter" on YouTube 🥰).
And in this story, to shut them up about who they are and who they love. And im sure its happening in real life too to LGBTQ+ artists.

If you didn't have the chance to get it, pre-order it now, out in December 2021. Let's show the music industry we cheer artists being gay.

in if this gets out we follow the story of the band saturday, consisting of zach, ruben, angel and jon. the plot is pretty straightforward: zach and ruben fall in love with each other. their management doesn't think it's a good idea for them to come out. but there's more to it. there's the boys exploring their identities, figuring out how to be themselves, who they want to be, while being pushed into the spotlight as members of one of the biggest boybands in the world.

as someone who spent most of her teenage years as part of (boy)band fandoms and has read quite some fan fiction, this sounded like an ideal book for me. so i was incredibly excited to get my hands on this arc!

and i liked it. it felt like coming home in a way, everything was familiar, the tropes, the situations. but to be frank, i didn't love it. i think my expectations were too high. while i had fun in the beginning and i loved the ending, in the middle i didn't really feel like continuing. i just wasn't invested enough. well, here's some rambly thoughts:

what i liked: i think there's some very important conversations happening in this book about the music industry and exploitation. how artists, especially queer ones, are treated and forced to hide who they really are is something most of us are aware of, but i think in general this isn't spoken about enough. we like to pretend that these people we get presented by the media are happy, and healthy, and don't need protection. but some of them aren't, and most of them do.
i liked the story, i liked angel's humor. i also enjoyed the romance, which was very sweet, if maybe a bit rushed.

what i didn't like: when you read actual fanfiction, you know the characters. you don't need set up or characterisation because they're already familiar. but this isn't actually fanfiction, this is about a fictional band the reader doesn't know before starting the book. and considering that, i felt this was somehow lacking. till the end i was struggling to tell the povs apart, for me angel and jon were both more memorable than the protagonists zach and ruben (i have to say tho, i was also pretty slow with reading this and took lots of breaks, since there's a lot of other things going on, so that might be the main problem here - but that also goes to show that i wasn't that invested, or else i would have picked it up more).
besides that, outside of the band there were very little established characters. most of their team and management were nothing but a name on the page, totally interchangable, and none of the boys had any friends back home or any contacts besides their parents, their bandmates and some superficial acquaintances with other famous people.
i'm a character-driven reader, and if none of the characters sticks out to me, a book will have a hard time keeping me interested.

however, i think most of my problems were more me-problems than book-problems. this is a fun, queer ya story (be aware though that it also deals with some more serious topics like drug abuse), and i'd definitely recommend it if the blurb sounds interesting to you.

An absolutely wonderful and joyous book that charters the murky waters of finding love while rising to international stardom. The novel is at its' strongest when it covers questions of how to be true to oneself when forced to present a pre-ordained picture to the public. Who are we really when all the labels that are assigned to us are wiped clean? Are we strong enough to fight for what is most important to us? Be it another person or simply living as our authentic selves. Two members of a boyband find out.

I don't want to start off too strong but I literally cannot say enough amazing things about this book. I have no criticism of this book at all. This book was everything I never knew I wanted it to be. Bravo Sophie and Cale...

So lets start at the beginning... there is a boy band and this story is about them. Specifically this story is about Zach and Ruben within the group who's deep friendship forms into a romance. Ruben has wanted to come out as gay to their fans but management has always found a reason that this little fact needs to be said at the right time, but it seems that time never comes. The amazing thing about this story is that there are depths to the other band members too and the challenges they face. They all feel so real and raw with emotion. I am rooting for them every step of the way, even when some of them are not particularly nice to the others. Trying to overcome all odds to just be able to be themselves was a joy to read.

The pace of the story was perfect. I never found myself getting bored in some chapters. There was enough going on all the time that it kept my interest and I found myself staying up way too late reading just so I could know what was going to happen next. There are moments when I may have even gasped out loud, in bed, at midnight, to just myself.

I don't know how anyone will be able to wait until December to read this book. Find a way... pre order this now!

Would I recommend this book?
- A million times yes to literally anyone who will listen to me speak.

I try to give these authors a fair shot. I read Gonzales and I've liked her work but Dietrich, man oh man.. I could not.

This felt more like a fanfic than an actual published book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for approving my request for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. (spoilers ahead)

If This Gets Out is about openly gay (to everyone but the public) Ruben Montez and 100% straight (or is he?) Zach Knight. The book is told from Zach and Ruben's point of view so we get to know what is going on in both of their head's and how they feel. They are best friends and bandmates and have been since they (and Angel and Jon) went to a music camp together around two years before the start of the book and decided to perform together. Jon's dad, Geoff, decided to discover them and thus their band Saturday was born.

If you read the description and you're thinking what I think you're thinking...no! This is not a published Larry fan fiction!

When the book starts, Saturday just finished their last show of the American leg of their tour and are about to start the European leg. One night in Europe, Angel throws a party in his room, everyone gets drunk, Zach offers a drunk girl and her friends his room, and crashes with Ruben in his room. While in his bed, Zach kisses Ruben but Ruben pulls away because he thinks Zach doesn't mean it and isn't thinking straight (no pun intended). The next morning, Zach asks for space to process it.

Zach starts questioning his sexuality and remembers that he did have crushes on guys when he was younger, but would always distance himself from them and repress his feelings. He comes to the conclusion that he's bi.

The romance between Ruben and Zach is great and I loved reading about it. It's also super healthy, they communicate their feelings and issues with each other, especially by the end after they went through their character development.

This book isn't just about their romance though, it also deals with exploitation and how controlling things can be in the music industry. Each member of the band was given a persona that they are dressed as by their team and have to act as in interviews and when performing at concerts. Angel even develops a drug problem because of how trapped he feels by their management.

Their management is also very against Ruben and Zach coming out, under the guise that they're doing it for their sake. Ruben has been dealing with this for the past two years, ever since the band was formed, but their manager, Geoff, kept making excuses about why he should put it off. When Zach enters the picture and they start coming up with more excuses, Ruben realizes that they're never going to let them come out. Zach and Ruben decide to do it publicly at a concert without telling their management. Their fans are super supportive, their management is not. After seeing the positive response from fans, Geoff comes back and says he wants to work things out with them and the band declines. The book ends with the band on the way to a meeting with another management company.

There are a lot of great things about this book that I enjoyed, like jokes that the characters told, and I can't include them all in this review. I really enjoyed it and you should definitely read it once it comes out on December 7 of this year.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a super quick and fun read, which is made even more impressive because I didn't read the synopsis. So, going into this, I had no idea it was about a boy band. Or that I was about to be sucked into a world of music, drama, and controlling management.

My favorite thing about this was definitely the friendships between the different members of the band. They were such great friends, and the dynamic was so interesting. I'm still curious about what's going on between Jon and Angel, as I feel Anjon might have some substance...

I also loved the relationship between Zach and Ruben. They were so sweet together, and I loved how they were there for each other throughout every hiccup. Although their relationship was the driving cause for drama in this, the drama never felt unnecessary.

One of my only complaints here was that the ending felt unresolved. From Ruben's emotionally abusive mother, to Angel's growing addiction problem, I wanted resolution. I wanted to see them started on the right path, not just the relationship between Zach and Ruben succeeding. It felt like several of these issues were glossed over, which was disappointing.

Although I wasn't super happy with the ending, I loved the rest of this! It was the perfect cute summer read, and I definitely see myself rereading it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sophie Gonzales, and Cale Dietrich for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was cute, and fans of books like Red, White and Royal Blue (or other LGBT+ YA or NA romances) will enjoy this. Some of the writing didn't flow between chapters (likely because each author wrote the chapters from one characters' POV), but overall, the story was fun. This was a sweet romance between a gay character and a bisexual character who spends the book discovering his sexuality, and examines the consequences of media figures being out of the closet. I can only imagine what it's actually like behind the scenes, but it gives an inside look at the business behind celebrity, as well as finding the balance between being a team player/a figurehead, and being true to yourself.

There were parts of this book I really enjoyed. I loved the banter and relationships between all of the band members and I especially loved Angel. He has got a lot of charisma and something crazy going on in his head.

Zach and Ruben together were pretty entertaining. My problem was that the book is SO repetitive. It seems like every chapter all that's being talked about is how their relationship can't come out and how management doesn't want them talking about it, etc. etc. It's basically force fed to us with a shovel the entire time. That ultimately ruined this book for me. It made me want to scream WE GET IT! STOP GOING ON AND ON AND JUST GET TO THE STORY. Because the parts of the book that weren't talking about it were actually good.

I admit I didn't like the lack of steam either. Everything was pretty fade to black, which isn't really my thing.

Overall, this book didn't wow me. I liked the concept, just not so much the execution.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have to begin by saying this book is what my inner boyband fan girl has been craving for YEARS! Saturday is such an amazing group to follow throughout this story and gave me so many feels from my fan girl days in 2013. If you liked Red, White and Royally Blue by Casey McQuinston, I can almost assure you you will be attached to this book as well.

In this story we follow Ruben and Zach on their journey and love story. I can’t help but love both of their characters so much and have grown so attached to their stories. The same goes for Angel and Jon. They are such a fun group of characters and so easy to love.

I feel like the pacing of the story was great even though the end felt a little rushed to me it still had me on the edge of my seat screaming at my ereader. It kept me engaged throughout and for the lovers of drama out there I assure you that you will get your share in this story.

My only grievance is I will have to wait so long to share my love of this book with every single person I know so we can cry over Zuben together. In all I DEFINITELY recommend you add this book to your wishlist!

*3.5/5 stars*

If you knew me, you’d know I’m obsessed with Sophie Gonzalez based on how much I talk about “Only Mostly Devastated” and “Perfect on Paper”, so (even though I haven’t read anything by Cale Dietrich) this was obviously one of my most anticipated books of the entire year. My expectations were set pretty high, and even though it didn’t live all the way up to them, this book was still a great read that I think is definitely an easy recommendation.
We follow the band Saturday, comprised of Jon, Angel, Zach, and Ruben, who all met at a music camp and were then signed by Chorus Records, a company owned by Jon’s father, Geoff. Ruben is gay, and has never been allowed to come out publicly, despite voicing many times his hope to. Zach and Ruben are best friends, and Ruben has always had an unrequited crush on Zach until one night that changes their entire relationship. As their friendship becomes something more, it becomes apparent to them they’ll always have to hide who they are from the world and their fans. Tensions are running high on the European leg of their tour, and it’s not just Zach and Ruben taking the brunt of it.
I thought the writing of this book was great, as I’ve come to expect with Sophie Gonzalez, and am glad to see in Cale’s writing as well! Sophie is one of the queens of diverse YA romance to me, and I’m definitely now planning to pick up more of Dietrich’s books in the future. The topics covered in this book felt very important. Ranging from addiction, coming out, and the general issues that come with bands in the music industry. The pacing of the book was just right to me, it stayed fast paced enough that you didn’t get bored, but also made the touring feel realistic in its timeline. The biggest downfall for me in this book was the lack of development for our relationship, and the (what felt unrealistic) turnout for the big ending. I just felt like we didn’t have enough background in Ruben and Zach’s relationship before it developed to understand where their romantic feelings came from, but that didn’t mean I didn’t like them together! When it comes to the ending, I obviously don’t want to give spoilers, but after our big event at the end of the book, there are resolutions that happen that (maybe since I don’t fully understand the music industry, but I don’t think so) just felt too unrealistic for me to get behind. I really liked and appreciated what happened for the band but I just couldn’t make it feel believable. That being said, I would still really recommend this book! It has good writing, a cute romance, a TON of drama that kept me on the edge of my seat, and great diversity!

Super sweet book that will appeal to so many readers. I loved the genuine love and care the characters had for one another. Issues of substance abuse and homophobia are handled with grace and compassion.

4.5 stars

This may be a surprise, but I am a huge One Direction fan. Reading this brought me back to the days of 'stanning' and staying up to watch the guys and wondering if there were any secret relationships and I loved it! It also felt very realistic when it showed the boys hiding who they really are and being on an insane schedule. Boy bands are seen as a money making machine so they're pushed to their limits and very restricted in what they can do or say and I felt like this book really nailed it.

Ruben and Zach are great characters with their own personalities and goals and switching between their points of view was great. I really felt like I was able to understand how they were feeling and what they wanted. They had some bumps in getting together, but Ruben really cares for Zach and tries to protect him and Zach just wants Ruben to be happy.

I felt like the ending was a bit incomplete. It's a bit open ended and we don't find out for sure what way the band is going. I also wanted a scene where Ruben confronts his mom about how horrible she is to him, but nothing came of that. Another chapter or an epilogue would be appreciated. Since this is the ARC, I can't be sure if there will be changes or not so I'll have to check out the final copy!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the copy.