Immediately your mind jumps to One Direction although this is fiction. I found the pacing to be slightly off and the character development for all the boys was just not there for me. Overall it was an OK read but I wouldn't pick it up again or recommend

I picked this up because I’d like Sophie’s previous works and I thought the concept of this was one that I’d really enjoy. And I absolutely loved getting to see Ruben and Zach be adorable and feel the highs and lows of their relationship! I giggled a lot reading this - despite covering a lot of serious topics around how the band is treated, there is still so much humour.

I want to say that there’s content warnings for drug and alcohol abuse, and stuff that borders on homophobia and child abuse that’s more about the context it’s served in. They are all treated seriously, and it’s always shown from the boys points of view, so we can see them being frustrated, and knowing it’s not right.

I also loved the moments of “oh dear you stilly boys just TALK” that happen, but they felt pretty realistic rather than annoying!

Definitely a book I’d recommend if you like queer contemporaries! 4 stars

What a book. What a story. I fell in love with these characters and genuinely didn't want this book to end. Clearly so much research has gone in to the music industry which made this so believable. Fan fiction at its greatest in this novel! Please write a sequel #zuben

It is a story that we know all to well. A band get extremely popular and before long an implosion happens. Usually due to management trying to control certain aspects of what can and cannot be revealed to the fan base. In If This Gets Out that aspect is sexuality. I've seen it several times in my lifetime - Boyzone, Westlife, Steps - it seems a bit insane that the world of entertainment - the fabulous and flagrant world of entertainment - should expect audiences to not understand that some people are gay.

I suppose the premise of If This Gets Out is this very theme. A person's sexuality doesn't dictate their worth, nor is it indicative of their talent. The story exposes the motive behind the mindset - money.

As for the love story between Ruban and Zach, yeah it was cute but if I am perfectly honest, it took me a while to care for the characters. Strangely, it was secondary character Jon who I felt was most intriguing and his story needed exploring more.

Overall, If This Gets Out was a pleasant enough read but I didn't care for the characters in the way I wanted to which I felt was a disservice to the story.

If This Gets out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich is available now.

For more information regarding Sophie Gonzales (@sgonzalesauthor) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Cale Dietrich (@caledietrich) please visit his Twitter page.

For more information regarding Hachette Children's Group (@HachetteKids) please visitwww.hachettekids.co.uk.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read this as I had issues with my kindle, however I don't want to give it bad feedback as it's no fault with the book.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group, Hodder Children's Books for my ARC.

So from the moment I picked this book up I really struggled to put it down. For me, it was just one of those books that grabs you and it's all you can think about.

This is a dual pov story about two members of a very famous (fictional) boy band who are best friends, until things start to change.

I adored both Ruben and Zach and could very much relate to Zach's internal thought process around realising he's bisexual.

I, obviously, have no idea what it's like to be famous or in a boy band but the lives of these *literal teenagers* was terrifying and claustrophobic and so so many of the things they went through enraged me.

Despite knowing these characters are teens I did feel like their inner monologue made them sound older - like early / mid twenties. But that could be because I am old, or because they've had to deal with a lot from a young age. Either way I feel like this maybe could've worked a bit better as a New Adult age range rather than Young Adult, but I still loved it.

Definitely check out the content warnings on this book because there are some dark themes.

CW: homophobia, toxic parents, toxic relationships, toxic workplace, drug use, drug abuse, alcoholism

If This Gets Out is the story of Saturday, a boy-band, one of the biggest acts in America. Four boys, each with a carefully curated image meant to appeal to broad sections of their target audience. Ruben, Zach, Angel and Jon have the roles management want them to play, but while on tour in Europe, the pressures, constrictions and overbearing management start to press down on all four.

The novel focuses on Ruben and Zach, in alternating POVs, and though their story is the focus, we get quite a bit of how the boy-band lifestyle is impacting both Angel and Jon, too. It’s a thoughtful look at being incredibly famous, and the constraints that come along with it. Everything these boys post to social media has to be checked by their team, they can’t leave their hotels without security, and despite travelling around Europe, they don’t get to see much beyond their rooms.

In some ways, it touches on similar aspects as Stars Collide, including the lack of freedom and the desire to meet fans while maintaining privacy. Ruben feels forced into the closet by their management, while Zach wants to write songs that mean something to him, which the company won’t allow. Jon is very much forced to often play peacekeeper, at times distrusted by the others because his dad is the manager. And Angel is going through his own issues, relying more on drinks and drugs which constantly gets overlooked by those who could help.

The romance aspects are wonderfully written, with the boys’ insecurities and worries causing some issues between them, and there’s a sense of coming-of-age to this, too, as they are each trying to work out who they are and what they want beyond what has been forced onto them.

There’s definitely real-world parallels in the treatment of various girl- and boy-bands throughout the last few decades (not to mention mixed groups), the heavy control on both public and private lives, the damaging effects of fame and celebrity on younger performers, and the way fans can both be the strongest supporters and most fierce critics.

This is a wonderfully written book, with real warmth and heart at its centre.

This book was amazing! It was so engaging from start to finish and the writing from both the authors was great. Each perspective felt like a unique voice but the styles blend together so well that you wouldn’t have guessed two people wrote this.

I loved the core relationship, I was so invested in their story and how their romance and relationship bloomed. But even more so, I loved what this book had to say about the music industry and the treatment of young musicians. This book made me so mad in all the best ways and I didn’t want to stop reading. I absolutely flew through it.

I was worried it would seem very fanfictiony and it really didn’t, it felt like it’s own story with its own unique characters, despite some similarities to real life

Overall just a great read!

I will read anything Sophie Gobzales reads! I love her books so much, the representation is always lovely to see and she writes such good romances!

I can definitely see the appeal of this one and I think I may have enjoyed it when I was a bit younger and in my fandom days, but at the moment this book wasn't for me and I didn't end up finishing it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the writing or characterisation and I may attempt to give it another chance at some point.

This was a very powerful story and I adored the relationship between the two main characters and the band. It makes you think about how people have to hide who they are if they are in the media spotlight and if they should do that

Unfortunately this was a DNF.
I didn't DNF because I wasn't enjoying it, not by any means, but instead it just wasn't the right time for me to read it as I fell into a massive slump. However I'm definitely going to pick this back up again at some point in the future as I have so far enjoyed what I have read.

A very interesting dip into the ever expanding pool of media that looks at what it's like to be extremely famous, particularly when you're in a boy band. I found the romance compelling and lovely, and the exploration of fame, and its detrimental personal effects to be realistic.

This book was such a lovely read, really emotional and sweet. The voices of the two POV's were very distinct, but still cohesive enough that I didn't realise that the authors alternated chapters until after I was finished! I also really loved the pacing, and how it kind of strayed away from the typical YA contemporary romance.
The characters themselves were really dynamic and fleshed-out, and I loved how they complimented each other. The themes of friendship, resilience and self-discovery were well done and had you rooting for them the entire time. And the 'villains' were just so good to hate!

This took me a bit longer to read than expected but I loved it!

I love Sophie Gonzales' books and have been following their work since their debut. I'm in love with this story as well and I can't wait to read more from Sophie and Cale.

This Definitely reminded me of some of my favourite webtoons and some of the fanfiction I read years ago.

Ok, as soon as i saw the description for this book i INSTANTLY knew i had to read it! A contemporary romance that included two boyband members is such a perfect idea! Throw in some DRAMA and lots of behind the scenes Music Industry toxicity and you've got this book!

I fell in love with the romance so quickly and the bands friendship is so beautiful, I was sucked into the love of them pretty quickly. I loved how it was based in a tour like setting, because it changes to the usual settings and it shows how tiring it actually is with all the behind the scenes stuff that actually happens behind the big stage shows!

I loved this book - it reminded me of “I was born for this” by Alice Oseman.

As a fangirl of a boy and when I was in my teens so much of this book resonated with me and I found myself addicted to the story.

The characters were believable, and likeable. Their flaws were realistic.

Overall this book was a joy to read and it ticked all of the boxes for me.

This book was a good read, I did enjoy it and there were plenty of twists and turns imbedded in it, however it didn’t grip me to start with I ended up sticking with it and I love how it finished

*a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review*

I took a while to start this book but when I actually got into it, it took me no time at all to finish!

The four members of the boy band Saturday are all cute, adorable and relatable in their struggles dealing with fame, overwork, lack of privacy, and manipulation by their management. Ruben is a closeted gay theatre nerd dealing with an overbearing mother and wanting to be out. Zach is a quiet 'straight' songwriter feeling creatively quashed but always doing what's best for everyone else. Angel is a pocket-sized sex beast, the life and soul of the party, forced into a pastel cinnamon roll shaped box. Jon is a straightlaced religious do-gooder stripped bare, oiled up and pimped out!

The summary for this book is pretty much the whole story minus the last 8% of the book. This makes it fairly easy to read and follow. But at 400 pages there is certainly much more going on than just summarised. The main aspects that I liked was the gay pining, the bisexual awakening (always here for that!), the mental health and lack thereof of main characters, the decent into drugs, the romantic development of the main charcters, the emotional manipulation of parents - is this emotional abuse? I think so!

There was a lot more in this story than just a sweet gay romance. A lot of reviewers have likened it to 1D fan fiction - which is not a bad thing. But I do think that that is a disservice - there is a lot more in this book than just romance - although that was the reason I picked it up! I don't usually pick up books dealing with fame and celebrity but I enjoyed this due to the exloration of those themes!

Fanfic overload that's calling to fangirls everywhere! Quite a sweet book but unrealistic elements at times.