Let’s face it…we’ve been waiting for a book like this!! 🎤🏳️‍🌈❤️ Secret boy band love!!! Friends to lovers!!!

This book follows the band “Saturday,” a four member boy band. Jon, Angel, Ruben, and Zach have been in the spotlight for years and letting management dictate their every move. The duel POV features Ruben and Zach. Both of their voices and personalities are clear to the reader, probably helped a bunch that two separate authors wrote their chapters! Ruben is gay, and has been told for years he could not come out and to “wait for the right time.” Zach and Ruben have always been best friends…and one night changes everything between them! 🥰

I loved the whole band and how different they were. The book had a sweet romance between Zach and Ruben but I loved how they explored the entertainment industry. Zach’s journey figuring out he was bi and coming out was well done! I also enjoyed how sex positive this book was and safe sex was a topic of various conversations. I only dropped a star because I wish the book ending had more! An epilogue could’ve really bumped this to 5 stars.

Solid 4⭐️ read. Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC!

I adored this! The story and characters were so easy to fall into. I'm not suprised at how much I liked it since I've liked many other books by this author.

This was absolutely such a cute read. My first book from both authors so now that I’ve read this I’ll definitely read their other books – I believe Dietrich has like two YA mystery/thrillers that are very appealing to me. Which is great! I love when you read books that have two authors or even anthologies that have a lot of authors and then you can find more authors to read from! I recently reviewed two anthologies with new-to-me authors that I’ll definitely be reading from their backlists or looking at their upcoming books!

I spent most of this book grinning like a total fool because it just was so cute! Literally in the first few minutes of the first chapter I know it would be a 5 star read. And that I would read it quickly – which was a relief as some of my reads lately have been taking long

It didn’t take me long to love all four members of Saturday, the fictional band in If This Gets Out. Ruben Montez quickly established himself as the one who isn’t allowed to be himself (although you could argue that the whole band isn’t allowed to be themselves). He isn’t allowed to show his theatre background. He’s not allowed to come out or even sing the higher notes – which he definitely can hit (which I still don’t really understand why he isn’t allowed).

Zach Knight, whom Ruben says he’s like a puppy – and that’s true – but the band’s marketing team makes him out to be dark and twisty.

Even though the novel does focus on Zach and Ruben we get to know the other two band members very well. It’s like Jon Braxton and Angel Phan switched personalities. Angel’s pushed into outfits that make the fans think he’s the fun and innocent when he’s more like how Jon is shown as. Even though Jon definitely doesn’t want to dress in really tight clothing.

Knowing all of that and seeing it in action – telling the boys to act this way or to not act that way – all to keep that perfect image, was really sad. They’re teens and they’re taken advantage by adults who want to make money off of their talent. And you know this will have consequences for them later in their lives! You always see the child actors going rogue after they turn 18 or even before and it’s like yeah! You wonder why?

Zach and Ruben were so, so cute together. I loved seeing their budding relationship – which is interesting as I’m not really a fan of friends-to-lovers. I’d read every friends-to-lovers there is if it were written like this. They had so many cute moments together – even before they actually got together. I’m definitely a big supporter of them two because they’re just so cute!

Like I said, we get to know Angel and Jon pretty well (there’s a scene with Angel’s parents that I chuckled so hard at). There’s a strong friendship between the boys – difficult not to when they’re around each other basically 24/7. And even when there’s issues within the band, there’s still that feeling that they’ll remain friends.

Most of the plot is tied to Zach and Ruben so I won’t go too much into it – other than to shake my fists at the management that decided to force these boys into personas and reprimand them for acting like themselves anywhere near a camera! What I will say is that I loved there was a good balance between plot and characters. Neither seemed to play a bigger role, one didn’t overshadow the other one – all well-balanced!

Amazing! The perfect YA/NA crossover romance! I absolutely adore anything by Sophie Gonzales and this did not let me down at all!

This book was so much deeper than I expected. I went into it thinking it was mostly centered on the romance between Zach and Ruben and how their relationship affected the band and their careers. And while their relationship is a big core to the story, it was so much more about the music industry, how these boys were treated and how they were impacted by that treatment. I loved seeing the dynamics of the friendships between all the boys and how they really became unified by the end. I also appreciated that while Zach and Ruben did have to deal with some relational challenges, and Ruben was really able to challenge Zach, it wasn't centered about them coming together and Zach exploring his sexuality; but was centered more about how they were being censored and discriminated against by Chorus. Overall I enjoyed the book and am grateful this story is told as its one that is not told enough and we need more of this representation.

As you can probably guess, after watching series one and reading all four Alice Oseman's "Heartstopper" over the early May Day Bank Holiday weekend, I craved more queer romance. I didn't expected to find anything close to the light, almost wholesome-ness of "Heartstopper" but I wanted to carry on riding that wave. So, when I remembered I had "If This Gets Out" on my kindle (gifted to me by publisher via NetGalley), I decided that it was time! And I was quite excited to dive in as desperate to read more teen queer fiction.

Ruben and Zach are two members of the boy-band Saturday, with Angel and Jon. The four are close in front and behind the camera, but cracks are appearing behind the scenes. The one easy banter between the four are strained and Ruben confides in Zach that he's feeling smothered about how management and their pressure to keep his sexual identity a secret.

As the band go onto their European tour, Ruben and Zach begin to rely on each other more and more till, one night, the pair share a kiss. What will happen next to them after that night and how can they move forward with a relationship when they realise that the support they desperately need is never going to come?

I read this in two days. TWO DAYS! And one of them was a Bank Holiday Monday so you can figure me for reading it at warp speed (blame "Heartstopper" if you want), but what surprised me about this, barring how easy I flew through this book, is how dark this book is when, on the surface, it looks like a light queer romance.

I keep hearing this a lot when this first came out: how this book looks like and breezy when, actually, it's not. I think even the authors pointed it out on an occasion, but this book does look at the darker side of fame. We have one band member who has an alcohol and drug dependency, another who's parent is their management and seems to care more about the band's image and profit than about his son and fellow band members, a third who is desperate to come out of the closet but is being forced to stay in the closet by management and his controlling parents (mainly his mother) and the last band member beginning to question his sexual identity and has little to no support from those in charge.

I think we all look at what happened to Britney Spears and other celebrities and go "Oh, there are people in the media industry that don't care about the person, but the image/money/sales". But to see it in this light, from the inside looking out had a different feel as we got told, time and again, this is for the "better good", "for your own protection" and "for the fans" has a sinister edge to it. And we need to remember that all the band members of Saturday (not The Saturdays, as I had to keep reminding myself every few chapters) are in their late teens. Not legally adults in the US and in most European counties.

As for the romance, I liked it hugely. And I like how we saw Ruben and Zach fell for each other and how both tackle their own issues separately and together, and while I had a few times when I went "But do they really like each other or is it because they're in each other's space all the time?", I liked these characters and am intrigued to see what happens next...

I do plan to read more from both authors. Actually, I have a book from each ("Only Mostly Devastated" by Sophie Gonzales and "The Friend Scheme" by Cale Dietrich) on my TBR and I am ready to dive into these over the summer! But this was a fun read that, while have a romance at its heart, take a look at the darker side of fame.

(and before you say it, yes, I can see why many of you read this has One Direction fanfic. I saw it too and went happily along for the ride!)

The book provides insight into the pressures of fame and the sacrifices individuals make to follow their dreams. All the members of the band, Angel, Jon, Ruben, and Zach, have had to compromise parts of who they are to obtain fame and success. I thought this aspect of the novel was conveyed very well, but it wasn’t what attracted me to the book. I'm a hopeless romantic.

Gonzales and Dietrich sent my emotions into a flurry with Zach, Ruben, and the tension. My emotions were all over the place from the pain of unrequited love, the anxiety of crushing on someone you shouldn’t be crushing on, and the fear of losing what you already have. Because the romance was my favorite aspect of the novel, when the tension disappeared, my attention also began to dwindle. I still found Ruben and Zach to be extremely adorable.

If This Gets Out provides a backstage pass into the lives of members of a boy band, providing a glimpse of the effects of fame and the consequences of being forced to be someone you’re not. At the center is a romance I mooned over nearly as much as the leads made eyes at each other. For a YA novel, this one is a bit steamier than most I have read, but I loved how sex-positive it was. If you’re a fan of boyband ships, this will certainly be a pleasing read–substitute Zach and Ruben for your biases and your ship will come true. (4.5 stars rounded to 5)

I was actually surprised by how deep this novel was. I was expecting a light and fluffy romantical book, but I got way more. (Not saying that there's anything wrong with a fluffy rom-com.) The two main characters, Zach and Ruben were extremely relatable, for various reasons. I loved how they helped each other to get better, but the authors didn't magically solve all their problems once they got together. Instead, they realistically showed that the right person can help you evolve, but they won't make all your problems go away. I also appreciated the talks about mental health in this book. Both of them struggle with their mental health, and it's helpful for young readers to see that they are not alone in that. All in all, this was a really great novel about the music industry, and how it treats marginalised voices, like queer people.

This book follows Ruben and Zach, two members of the sensation boy band Saturday. All four members of the band have their lives controlled by their management, from the clothes they wear, to their haircuts, to where they stand on stage during their performances. We see the story told from alternating chapters between Ruben and Zach, best friends who become more and the pressures they face trying to navigate a new relationship behind closed doors. I thought the portrayal of how controlled their lives are was very realistic (although I suppose I don’t actually know, not being a boy band member myself). The additional struggle of being in a gay relationship that is clearly not supported by the management team and the panic of coming out to both families and the bad, and the public, made it all so real.

This is the first book I have ever read by either of these authors, and I loved it! I felt all the emotions, and at some points I was SO MAD at the adults I could SCREAM! I am looking forward to other books by these authors!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Loved the book. Fulfilled the love of fanfic in a real book. Author did a wonderful job portraying the high stress environment of being an international pop star while still feeling very relatable and human. The romance was cute and the multiple perspectives are done well.

It's a 100% my go to read book. The story of Zach is quite heartwarming because it proclaimed that it was okay to find sexuality later in life and that you identity is valid even if you're in your sixties.

Ruben and Zach’s friends to lovers was incredibly sweet to watch it unravel.
The dynamic they had between them felt soft. Nothing can break a romance + music industry trope and this goes on the top.

Also being a huge One direction fan, I kinda still found it relatable.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters and the writing style very interesting. I have been recommending it to my friends. I liked reading the dual POV as this is something I have always enjoyed reading in other books. I also really enjoyed reading about a band which I wasn't expecting when I started but it was a really nice surprise.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion… And while this story proved a slow build (for me), the last 100 pages were more than worth the wait!

‘If This Gets Out’ follows a seemingly typical boy band as they struggle to live their lives on their own terms—while feeling entirely boxed in and dictated to by their narrow-minded management company.

Ultimately the story explores prejudice, perpetuation of stereotypes, complicated familial relationships and the pressure of expectation (on both personal, internal and public fronts), the battle for freedom of self-expression with the desire to please and appease others, and the search for self-fulfillment through love, friendship, family and career.

I loved all four characters—though Ruben and Zach were (likely as intended) my favourites, and I connected with/related to the latter most of all. All together, I feel like there are so many layers to this story and characters that most any reader will find an element of the journey to relate to—and in the end it left me with a huge smile on my face. 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

The characters are so vivid and lively. It's easy to picture them on stage or messing around behind the scenes. Each character is unique with their own quirks. The plot is captivating, like a rollercoaster ride. Alternating POV is one of my favorite things in a book.

An interesting and compelling read for boy band lovers or just music lovers to delve into and completely obsess over afterward. The dual author aspect usually puts me off a book but it didn't seem so disconnected with this one.

Is it strange to wish a fictional band would actually release their music? Saturday's four members, two of whom are our narrators, are at the peak of their worldwide cultural relevance. At the start of their first international tour, something is changing between these four friends who are moving from boyhood into adulthood.

Gonzales and Dietrich do a great job of creating distinct yet cohesive stories for their narrators: Ruben and Zach, respectively. Somehow, the authors are able to address a panoply of topics for young adults without it feeling overly preachy or like a Wikipedia article.

I appreciate that everything is not carefully tied up with a bow in this book. While ultimately hopeful, the authors knew to leave the reader with questions and wanting more: the ultimate goal of any artist.

A fun read that left me smiling throughout at how cute the main characters are. Four stars.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that I loved this book.

Young love? Boy bands? A bisexual awakening?

Could it scream ME any more?


I absolutely loved the inside look at a successful boy band and everything their management does to them, and while this is a work of fiction I suspect that not everything in this book is entirely false in that regard.

While I expected a cute and fluffy romance (which I definitely got! So many swoony moments here), there were also many heavy moments in this book that I was not expecting but we’re handled incredibly well

A character’s side plot with drug abuse, another character’s side plot with a toxic relationship with his narcissistic mother, and a huge incredible moment of clarity for a character discovering he is bisexual

All of these things were handled with immense care by the authors, and it all wrapped up into one sweet little book that I will for sure be thinking about for a while.

Just Wow!!!

If This Gets Out tells the story of two guys finding themselves and falling in love, with the backdrop of being members of a boy band forced to deny themselves.

I went into this book expecting a cutesy rom-com set in the music industry but boy was I wrong. This book tackled some serious topics and I was here for every second of it.

If This Gets Out had me feeling so many emotions. I felt sad, hurt, scared, and angry as I progressed throughout this book. Zach, Angel, Jon and Ruben had to deal with so much, just so they could live their dream of becoming pop-stars. The authors did a wonderful job of highlighting a lot of the issues and concerns which normally crops up in boy bands. They also did not shy away from how controlling management teams have been suspected of being throughout the years.

I also enjoyed Zach and Ruben’s relationship. I loved watching how it slowly developed and blossomed. It was a pleasure watching Zach work through his sexuality and discovering himself, not only as a boyfriend but as an individual with his own, specific wants and needs. Their relationship felt so healthy and organic and it was a joy to read about.

If This Gets Out was just all-around a great read for me!

Content warning: drug and alcohol abuse, homophobia, emotional abuse, absenteeism, car accident

I was so engrossed in this book, I really didn’t take enough notes to properly write this review, so I’m sorry if it’s not long enough or good enough. I just… REALLY loved it, so much. Even if I HAD taken proper notes, I don’t know if I’d be able to properly put into words how much I loved it. It was just beautifully written, and the characters were incredibly relatable. The plot was intriguing. There were moments where it was just fun and entertaining, seeing this group of friends live their dream, traveling across Europe and performing for their fans. And then there were moments that were incredibly heartbreaking, watching these characters try to live as their authentic selves while fighting against their management team and public image.

I absolutely loved Ruben and Zach and their dynamic. I loved that Ruben was a musical theater nerd, and I loved how down to earth and relatable Zach was. Zach’s confusion was relatable, and I loved watching his journey and seeing his growth from beginning to end. The way his and Ruben’s relationship unfolded just felt so authentic. I loved the band as a whole, and how each member interacted with each other. My heart broke for Angel, especially.

The ending was just… Absolute perfection. I don’t want to spoil anything, but… It was just absolute and utter perfection. This was my first Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich book, but it definitely won’t be my last. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who loves queer romance, coming-of-age stories, and books about characters living in the spotlight. I know words are kinda failing me on this review, but seriously, go buy this book! You won’t be disappointed!

So much fun! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. And it subverted quite a few romance tropes, which I was happy about. The ending could have been stretched out a little bit, I think, but overall this was a very enjoyable read. Recommended for boy band fans and anyone who enjoys YA romance. 4/5 stars