Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartthrobs in front of the cameras and best friends backstage.
But privately, the pressure to stay in the closet has Ruben confiding in Zach.
On a whirlwind tour through Europe with an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, the two come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben realize they will never truly have the support they need.
How can they hold tight to each other when their whole world is coming apart?
When I read the synopsis of this book I knew it would be a book for me and I was pretty confident that it would be a book I enjoyed. It had everything I wanted in a story, a successful boy band, friendships, representation, the best friends to lover trope and a lot more, so of course I had to read it immediately.
I was worried that this book would not live up to the hype but how wrong I was. I cannot put into words how much love I have for this book, the fictional band it is about and so much more. It was perfect. This book is told from two perspectives. We see the perspectives of Zach and Ruben in alternative chapters. I love multiple POV books and this does that is such an incredible way.
If This Gets Out shows how close the friendship is between the band members of Saturday and I loved it. We get to see the band have arguments, laugh, joke and always look out for each other. It was just nice to see a band enjoy being in each others company and what happens behind closed doors. Also, I loved that this book covers the relationships that the band members have with their parents. We do not really get to see this with bands in real life. So, it was nice to see parents care for their children and want what’s best for them. Also, to have these relationships explored even if sometimes they are a dysfunctional one.
I was not expecting this book to cover so many serious topics throughout but it does. It covers drug abuse, power games, band and label dynamics, emotional abuse, the dark side of the music industry, the pressure of being famous and being forced to not come out. It covers even more as well. All of these topics are covered incredibly well and open the readers eyes to what bands members and celebrities may be facing behind closed doors. Each topic is written as openly and honestly as possible and it is eye-opening and powerful.
My heart was so full watching Zach and Ruben go from best friends to lovers. I found myself smiling at the book so much and I just couldn’t help it. The pair communicate with each other so well and I feel that is not quite often seen in YA which was refreshing for me. It is nice to see the cute moments but also the struggles they face and how they always try their best to talk things out. We get to see a cute and adorable relationship but also how hard it is to deal with the pressures of being famous and having to hide your relationship from the rest of the world.
The characters arcs in this book are incredible. Not just Ruben and Zach’s but the other band members as well. Seeing them face their problems head on despite being aware of the consequences and doing it to find true happiness was so heart-warming. I adored the way all this played out and how the decisions they and others made affected them.
Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich have wrote such an amazing story which addresses so many issues that those in the music industry face and they’ve done so in a sensitive and respectful way. I love both their writing and will definitely be reading more from them in the future. If you are fan of boy bands, shipping famous people together and are just part of fandoms in general, then this book will be perfect for you!
Overall, I absolutely adored If This Gets Out and cannot recommend it enough. It is an adorable, fun and eye-opening book. It tackles serious issues, has the found-family trope and is a very character driven story. I loved this one and I’m sure you will too.
Loisreadsbooks 