I DEVOURED this story in one sitting! I love the queer rep in this story, and Ruben and Zach have my heart. The doubt, the yearning, the secrets, juxtaposed against their very public life as boy band stars... LOVE the premise (boy band members! falling in love!) and the supporting cast--their bandmates and family--were great, too. I also like how music, songs, and lyrics play a major role in the story, especially at the end. Incredibly sweet. Five stars! I’m a huge fan, Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich!

This was a great read. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. The characters were well developed (and endearing). There were parts that had me laughing and others really sucked me in to the action. This is not quite a spoiler but one of the things I really liked was that the third act conflict was really well done - it felt like a real and valid and proportionate conflict - which can be hard to find.

IF THIS GETS OUT is the perfect book for anyone who loves boy bands, who is an avid fan, and who loves to ship.

After reading the blurb I expected the book to be a fluffy rom-com, and was surprised by how much more the novel had to offer. Especially when it came to the workings between management and band, and singers and parents. And the more emotional topics gave the novel a realistic and authentic vibe.

I really enjoyed the boy band aspect of it all. It was so easy to fall in love with the members of the band. The dynamic between the band members was heart warming, and enjoyable. They reminded me of every boy band I ever crushed on as a teenager. But the book also made me think and wonder how much freedom these kids have when it comes to their contract and management.

As with every boy band I ever cared about I had a favourite, same with the four main characters, mine was Ruben. And as always some of the drama became irritating the longer it dragged out. But overall the book was enjoyable, with solid writing, an interesting plot, and great representation.

4.5 stars rounded down!

Overall, enjoyed this so much. It really took a look into the pop band life and what a huge management company can do to ruin the people they're representing, all in the name of image, image, image.

All four main characters - Ruben, Zach, Jon, and Angel - were well fleshed out and full dimensional characters. They're in a huge boy band named "Saturday", possibly the biggest boy band in America, and they're all 18 year old now, a few years into their band fame. And tiring out on how Chorus, their management team, manages them.

Ruben and Zach are our main characters and main romance. All 4 of the boys met at this music camp when they were 15, and when they performed together at the end of the camp, Jon's father, Geoff, who is a huge music producer, decided to form their band and make them stars. And that is where Ruben and Zach meet.

Ruben knows he's gay, has been wanting to come out since he was 16, but has been silenced over and over and over again by Chorus. For the past year or so, he's been having feelings for Zach, but doesn't want to ruin their friendship by saying or doing anything, because for all he knows, Zach is straight.

But it turns out, Zach has been doing a lot of denying, because he is definitely also into girls. But he's had small crushes forming on guys before, but has stamped them down and pushed them away before they can fully form, so he can go on thinking he's straight. Whether conscious or not, he does it.

But Zach, more and more, since he can't push Ruben away or run from him, is starting to get feelings for a boy again, only these are stronger than ever before, and eventually he can't ignore his feelings anymore.

But once these two finally kiss, Zach does have a sort of freak out. It pushes him to really realize that he's bisexual, and wants to be with Ruben. But let's just say, there's some drama before that happens.

But once they do get together, they're fairly solid for the rest of the book. It's just Chorus they have to do real with.

I did give .5 stars off for this and rounded down mostly because of two reasons. Once these two did get together, I didn't feel like enough time was dedicated to their romance. We got scenes, of course, but I felt like the main focus shifted from them and their romance to them dealing with Chorus who wanted to hide their romance and their sexualities.

Which is a big deal, and I still enjoyed this book as I was reading them starting to stand up for themselves, but I feel like a little bit of the romance that was so good in the first half got a little lost in all the drama about Chorus. I just wish there had been a better balance between the two.

Also, the ending felt slightly too abrupt, in my opinion. Unless the ending is solidly wrapped up and it feels like the couple has their HFN or HEA has been all squared away and every issue resolved with that, endings without epilogues never feel quite complete, and always a tad abrupt.

Now don't get me wrong, these two have a solid HFN, maybe even stretching to a HEA - but they are 18 years old, so I'm cautious to think of it as a HEA - but it felt like there were a few plot threads left hanging a bit, and I wasn't expecting the very end to have been the end. Also just an epilogue with seeing these two settled into their HFN is always a plus. I think epilogues, for most stories, but especially romances, are authors friends and they should use them as often as they can.

It just would have been nice to get epilogue, or if not that, then just one more chapter to really see these two, and the whole band, settled into their happier life. It cut off too early, imo.

But other than those two frustrations, I loved this, and highly recommend it. It is YA, so all sex scenes are fade to black, but that's fine as it's a YA and I expect that from a YA novel. But in case you were wondering about that, just letting you know. So, very little steam - we get kisses and making out, but that's as far as we really get to see - but it is abundant in the romance department (for the first half, before we unfortunately get less of it. But it is still there in the second half, just less.)

So overall, two thumbs up from me, and if you're into YA, band stories with two members falling in love, and all the drama that comes with being a famous boy band, then this is definitely for you and you should check it out.

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

TW: Car Accident, alcholism, queerphobia, self-harm, drug use, hospitalizaiton, abuse parents

Rep: Gay Spanish American MC (Ruben), Bi MC (Zach), biracial Black promiant character, queer side characters, Vietnamese promiant character

Disclaimer: I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion whatsoever. 

Once you've learned shame, it settles into your skin like a tattoo. You can cover it up but you can't scrub off the sense of inadequacy.

If This Gets Out is one of my most anticipated releases this year and in December. Sophie Gonzales has been on my 'I must read' author ever since Only Mostly Devastated and Perfect on Paper that talked about a lot of personal issues I don't see a lot in books. This time, If This Gets Out by one of my favorite authors and an author I have never heard of, but I'll certainly be checking out his work when I get the chance. 

This book came into my life when I needed it the most. I'm so glad that it is coming out later this year, because this book is so meaningful for me. There are a lot of topics that are talked about, and there is even a questioning character in this book and I'm still getting soft over this book. 

If This Gets Out follows a boy band, Saturday, that consists of Ruben, Zach, Angel, and Jon. They are wildly popular and Ruben grows tired of the constant pressure from their management and keeping in the closet for reasons such as Russia, and parents. During Saturday's Europe tour, Ruben and Zach grow close together until they want to come out to their fans. The only problem is, their management will never let them. 

This book is probably one of the cutest things I have read. Trust me, when I say you'll be smiling for the entire book because this book is that cute and adorable. It's also a good thing I read this before I got my teeth out or else I'll constantly be in pain while grinning like an idiot.  I had a grin on my face the whole way through because there are just certain scenes especially the ending that made me feel warm and bubby from reading it. It's also a great book for just wanting to read something quick, because I FLEW through this. 

This book is a great quick read especially since it talks heavily about questioning oneself, toxic parenting and how a management team can be toxic and be controlling. 

There's a discussion about toxic parenting and how hard it is in cutting them out. I'm a victim of the abuse, and toxic parenting and the damage that does to you, is therapy's worth. Seeing, Ruben deal with his mom's parenting had mirror my own in a similar manner. They could always say I love you, but toxic parenting will always criticize you on your work and you will never feel like you could live up to their expectations. 

I think the main difference between mine and Ruben's is the fact that mine is nice to everyone when around people, but behind doors, it's a different story. Ruben's mom is just plain terrible all around and really reminds me of my grandpa's wife who's a downright bitch to everyone. 

It also talks about the boundaries and how hard it is in setting your boundaries up when it comes to toxic parenting. It's such a hard feeling because you feel like you have to drop everything and listen to everything the parent says because they will kill if you dare to do anything about. Boundaries are so hard, but seeing Ruben try and make in difference and try and cut his mom out is so meaningful. While I'm certainly not in a position where I can't do so, I'm trying to set my boundaries on not letting people walk all over me until I'm in a position where I could cut off my family. 

The questioning rep was so meaningful and really touched my heart that there was actually a main character who was questioning his sexuality. I don't see those type of things in Fiction often, and many times books its always a 'one size fit all' situation. The main characters especially in YA, always have them to where they know their romantic and sexuality and frankly, as someone who has questioned everything about theirself-there's simply not enough books. 

It's incredibly isolating as a reader because it makes it seem like we have to figure it out. We have to know who we are because there's not enough books that feature questioning. Anyways, I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself about my feelings on that-but there are certain books where the emotions and living as a queer person is super positive. It's not something that I don't think a cishet writer can write about especially the issues about questioning. In Zach's case of questioning whether he was queer or he was straight. 

Gonzales and Dietrich captured those feelings perfectly and it was actually a super important thing in If This Gets Out. It's also probably one of my favorite things in this book because the questioning rep was just perfection and captured my feelings when I questioned everything. 

This book also touched upon how difficult it is in coming out especially if your famous. It's been touched upon heavily about the difficulties in coming out especially as a queer artist. Ruben wanted to come out to the world as gay, but the management team always gave him the excuses about "Russia" (queerphobic country), and "the parents".

As everyone knows, artists are not treated well in the industry and it shown how it could make someone lose it and spiral into suicide. The deceptions of mental health was also important and the way that was explored through Angel. It was so interesting to see how fame can mess someone up really quickly. 

If This Gets Out is a YA RomCom that features an M/M relationship. Romance in books are always a fifty fifty for me. I usually hate them, but this book made me fall in love with it. There are healthy deceptions of relationships in this book and shockingly both Ruben and Zach have chemistry together.

*Thank you NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.*

In If This Gets Out, Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich tell the story of Ruben and Zach- two members of the world-famous boy band Saturday. Ruben is feeling suffocated by his management’s insistence on him hiding that he is gay. Zach dreams of one day recording and performing his own music. During an overseas tour, Zach and Ruben become even closer, and soon a romance begins. When they decide they are ready to announce their relationship to the public (with their bandmates’ blessing), they soon realize that their management has no intention of allowing this. Will Zach, Ruben, and Saturday be able to find and live their happily ever after?

I want to start this by saying I was a bit wary about the plot of this. As someone who absolutely LOVES boy bands, I thought it sounded fun. But as someone who lived through all of the One Direction shipping nonsense, I wasn’t too sure. Yeah, it may seem fun to analyze band members' relationships and all that, but it can be so damaging to assume they are in romantic relationships with each other. It can negatively affect their real-life, true friendships. It can also be damaging to make assumptions about a person's sexuality. As fans, it's important to respect their privacy and not make assumptions. Now, back to the book.

I thought it was a fun read. It really examines the struggles artists go through, especially in regards to image. It’s heartbreaking to think about how these people (especially teens) are forced to fit into certain molds and hide their true selves, all in an attempt to achieve their dreams. This book handles that really well for each member of Saturday. Aside from just their relationship, Ruben just wants to live out and proud and Zach wants to write and perform his own music. Angel feels stifled in his role in the band and begins a downward spiral, while Jon is struggling to please his father, who also happens to be their record label’s manager. This was the heart of this book. Especially because while the main focus was on Zach and Ruben’s romance, it also focused on all the members and their relationships with each other. And each character felt real.

Overall, I really liked this book. It was fun, sweet, and had a lot of heart. The characters were written well and their stories felt authentic. Now I’m going to go listen to some Backstreet Boys and BTS.

Listen, I’m a simple girl. I read a synopsis of a book that reminds me of 2013 one direction, I’m going to read it.

Sure this is a work of fiction but it very clearly was taken out of 2012-2014 One Direction craze. I was there so I know about the discourse of Modest Management separating two members of the group after they got a ship name. And maybe the ship was never real, but if it were I wish it would have ended like this one ended in the book because it was hopeful and cute.

It was hard for me to separate Saturday and One Direction because it felt very familiar and I think that’s why I liked it so much because I was a very active 1D fan so I remember seeing these members separated and talked about. I liked this book a lot and I think other boy band crazed readers will as well.

> Diversity Representation: Gay MC, bi MC, Asian American secondary character
Content Warnings: homophobia, recreational drug use, drug addiction, car accident, underage drinking, racism, forced closeting, internalized biphobia,

**Sweet, romantic, exciting, frustrating, beautiful, and loving**

If This Gets Out is way cuter than I anticipated. I really enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the internal dialogue between the two main characters, and I loved how each of the boys had such different personalities. **I found myself more than one time smiling at myself while reading because I felt like I was a teen falling in love at the same time.** Well done!

If This Gets Out follows an incredibly famous boy band, Saturday, and it's members. It mostly centers around Ruben, who is gay, but forced to be silenced by the record label, and Zach, who believes himself to be straight, but ultimately just hasn't explored his sexuality yet. It starts out with these two best friends switching between their perspectives as they steal glances at each other. After they venture onto their international tour, **tensions rise and everything changes when they share a stolen kiss.**

I love how this was written. This book is co-authored by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich, which makes a lot of sense considering how many characters there are. **I loved that they ended up dividing the two main characters, so each author wrote one of the main characters. It really allowed them to delve into the characters internal thoughts better and really picture what they would have been feeling.** I think it really made for a more organic understanding of each character!

I loved getting to know Ruben and Zach's relationship. It was delightful to see them grow from friends to boyfriends and the struggles that comes with. It was nice to see a romance book come with struggles toward the end, but there was never an absolute break up because of the struggles and reconciliation all wrapped up quickly at the end (which I am never quite convinced works). **They spoke to each other of their problems and through that they were able to grow. Not just in their relationship, but as people.** It was really sweet to read!

Another really sweet thing about this book was the relationships of the characters with their parents. They both have such different relationships with their parents, but I loved seeing the evolution of their relationships. **Regardless of where they started, Zach and Ruben are able to grow together and encourage each other to make healthy life and relationship choices surrounding their parents.** I don't want to give away what happens with these relationships, but I really enjoyed the growth that happened and that bit of family focus.

# Summing it all up

If This Gets Out is a sweet boy band romance. It will make you smile just as much as you would hope. The growth of all of the relationships are so comforting to read, this is truly a great fluffy comfort read.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I loved loved loved it. It felt like everything I'd ever wanted from a YA romance and I was living for it. It reminds me a little bit of Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston in the tone and themes and general bi-panic, so if you liked that book you will LOVE this one.

I had pretty high hopes of what I was hoping I would get out of this book when I started it, and it delivered in every area. What I loved most about this book was how it wasn't afraid to go to the toxicity of the music industry and the environment these boys are living in and how they respond to it (the good AND the bad). This book took some turns I wasn't expecting and I loved seeing how it effected everyone.

I also loved both of our narrators. Both Zach and Rueben felt like very unique individuals with their own struggles and their own perspectives on the situations around them. I also loved all the side characters, specifically our other two bandmates, Angel and Jon. The dynamic between the four of them was perfectly balanced with the romance making it a found family story in addition to being a sweet romance.

I did feel like the ending was a little bit rushed, but I still feel happy with it? A lot happens in the last 12% or so of the book that I feel like deserved more time to be aired out and to see what happens with it, but it was still well captured.

This book was fast-paced, easy to read, light hearted while still dealing with some dark moments, and very sweet. I loved it and it will be my agenda now to force everyone to read it once it's out. This book will be special to a lot of people. I can feel it.

This is a YA book, which is not something I typically read anymore, but it was cute. Ruben and Zach face adversity in their relationship, but it is manipulative. There are a lot of things that these boys face, such as drug problems, and the need to come out publicly but "what would they think?" I think that there are many young people that want to read stories such as this. I wish there had been a little more development, but overall a good story.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I completely surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this book and how quickly I managed to finish it! Being a huge fan of boybands such as One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer, in my younger years, I appreciated the focus on how challenging the lives of these superstars are, behind the scenes. The band, Saturday, are paying the true price of fame, through an endless cycle of abuse from the record company and scruitny from a power hungry music industry. Each and every move of the band members is thoroughly analysed and evaluated, before a decision is made about what they can and cannot do. As the band embarks on their European tour, it is clear that the strict regime is catching up to them as their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing begins to significantly decline. Amidst this, we have a romance between Zach and Ruben, how have always felt a connection, and are finally taking the steps to act upon their feelings. Apart from his loved ones, nobody knows that Ruben is gay and Zach has just discovered he is bi-sexual and management wants the both of them to keep their relationship secret and prevent the news of their sexuality from leaking.

The author’s did a fantastic job of balancing the harsh reality of fame that many members of big bands undergo whilst also writing engaging characters who, as a reader, you rooted for and wanted to succeed from the beginning. There are some strong themes that I am happy to see receiving representation and I wish that the author’s had carried through with these themes and provided a sufficient explanation or conclusion to them. I adored reading about Zach and Ruben and whilst the ending was very hopeful, I did feel that things came to a close quite abruptly and a little unrealistically.

Whilst I did go in expecting a cute and warm romance, I found this book held so much more and really resonated with the quote “all that glitters is not gold”. At times heart breaking, at times thought provoking and a true ode to finding your voice and believing in yourself, this book was a fantastic read!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book!

"If This Gets Out" by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is a contemporary young adult novel featuring a romance between two members of a popular boy band, Ruben and Zach. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt all characters had very distinct personalities. Homophobia is still pretty big in the entertainment and music industry so I'm glad a book like this exists to show the challenges that queer people face in those industries.

The beginning of the book was a little frustrating as there was a lot of misunderstanding and lack of communication between Ruben and Zach. Luckily, The dynamic between not only the two MCs but also the other two members of the band (Angel and Jon) was fabulous and it really showed the similarities and differences each boy has with one another. Readers are able to see the relationship and the love Ruben and Zach have for one another and we can see them navigate a closeted relationship.

I definitely enjoyed this book, it was a very fun read and I found myself smiling and laughing through the entire thing. I wouldn't say that there was anything that especially stood out to me about it other than the relationships between the characters. I liked the boy band trope and how close all of the members were to one another, the authors did an incredible job of portraying the dynamics between the characters. Whenever I am reading, I look for compelling characters and I think this book definitely had that element. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.

What I expected: a sweet romance between two members of a popular boy band, with lots of pining, clandestine meetings, stolen kisses, and some pressure from band management to keep it a secret.

What I got: all that, plus a really thoughtful exploration of what goes on behind the scenes of a popular band, the stress, the pressure and the exploitation in the music industry.

I loved it, I'm now a Saturday fangirl (no screaming or unsolicited touching, though).

Ruben and Zach are our narrators, but Jon and Angel are no less vivid and distinct as characters. The authors did an amazing job showing the wonderful connection between the four members of Saturday, how they truly care about each other and are like a family. They really made me care about each one of them too!

The romance was lovely - I was rooting for Ruben and Zach the whole way through, even when they hit some rough patches. As you'd expect, sexuality, self-acceptance and being able to be yourself were a big focus. I thought it was all very well done.

What struck me the most was the depiction of the dark side of popularity in the music industry, how it can stop being fun and can become extremely harmful. Especially if your management team stops seeing you as human and only sees you as a resource to be exploited for maximum profit, regardless of the impact it will have on you.

It's making me think back to the boybands I liked as a teen, and wonder if they went through the same things too. I can totally see it happening, yet I never thought about it back then (or since).

Great writing, too. It was funny at times, tense and suspenseful at others, and always very introspective.

Oh my goodness this book was so good. It was sweet and funny and also very serious. I also liked how there was a fair lack of internalized homophobia; that was nice to see. The main characters were also very relatable and funny so I appreciated them, and the critical eye that the book examined the music industry with was really interesting. Overall, one of the better gay books I've read and certainly a fun concept to explore. #IfThisGetsOut #NetGalley

An exploration of the pressures artists face in the entertainment industry, featuring: a suuuuper cute relationship, found family, and a very badass coming out scene.
I love the open, honest, healthy communication between Ruben and Zach when they start dating. Talking about their issues and working through them together is just …. *chefs kiss*. The last 15% of the book I especially loved, it felt like everything was coming together; all the set up from the previous chapters paying off! Also, Angel is such a BAMF I love him.

Have you ever been in a reading slump and feel like you might never get out of it? That's how I felt when I was approved for this book, and I was nervous to start it because I thought my mood my spoil my excitement to read it. I have been looking forward to this novel since the synopsis first found its way to my social media feed, and I wanted it to be good. Well, let me tell you, it's not good...it's great! I was smitten with the characters within the first two chapters, and was so enveloped by them the whole time. As someone who works in live events, the world was built with real understanding of what happens behind the scenes; the good and the bad.
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There is a desire in young people to be famous, and the dark side of fame is rarely touched upon in media geared toward these same teenagers. To have a young adult book that demonstrates the struggles of fame and how overwhelming it can be is so important. This is not just closeting, but drug use and drinking, and also the emotional struggle to be who the world wants you to be and fitting a mold that you don't fit so comfortably in. These aren't just the struggles of celebrities, but of teens everywhere, and this book gives them a look at what can be solutions to these hard moments. Overall, I adored this novel. I found myself on more than one occasion looking at how much I had left and simultaneously wanting to not put it down, but also to slow down so it wouldn't end too quickly. I want more of this world, more of these characters, and more from these authors. Waiting until December to be able to discuss this with more readers will be so difficult, and I'll probably read it a few more times between now and then.

If This Gets Out, a story about a boy band struggling under oppressive management, will hit home with many queer readers. As a queer reader myself I found it easy to relate to Zach and Ruben’s fears and problems with feeling censored. Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich did an excellent job at making their feelings accessible to many when the circumstances of the story are not.

I read this book in one sitting. I did not expect that, but it pulled me in from the first chapter. I would recommend this book to fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston as both stories deal with a coming out story with public implications.

Zach, Ruben, Jon, and Angel make for a lovable cast of characters with their own idiosyncrasies that make them unique. Everyone can find something to love about this story.

This bought all my boyband loving days of my youth flooding back to me. A stunning read that addresses so many hard hitting topics

First of all, thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!

TW: homophobia, addiction, abuse

I’d like to say that although this was supposed to be a book about closeting in the music industry, I did not expect it to do as well as it did with such hard hitting topics.

This book was incredible. It was so well written, discussed so many issues and it was still such a cute romance! The way closeting in the music industry is discussed n this books is mind blowing. So many people don’t realize that this stuff still happens: Freddy Mercury, James Dean, Elton John, David Bowie, Cher… the list goes on. This is a fact that isn’t openly discussed by most, but it’s 2021, and we need to acknowledge these terrible things that happen and spread awareness about them and this book handles that so, so well.

Aside from forcible closeting, it also discusses the boundaries that artists have to ignore, the people they are forced tp become with no regards t how all this affects their mental health. It handled addiction, parental abuse, as well as coming out. Not only coming out to family, which is hard enough, but coming out to a whole fandom, a whole planet basically. It talks about the kind of pressure placed on artists to fake date, or mot date at all if they’re queer. It shows how people are given alternate personalities from who they actually are and turned into someone fans want to see on stage. Further onto that, it shows the impact this has on mental health and someone’s wellbeing.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, I knew the was going to be well written but I didn’t expect it to talk about all of the things it did and in a way that seems to manage to combine was many experiences of so many people into one book.

Also, #zuben for life.