I read the NetGalley ARC; this is my honest review.

It's the perfect title for this plot, something I always admire. The boy band guys are distinct - and the two POV characters get different fonts, which helped me immeasurably as they each have (different) mom issues. The plot is given enough time to develop; the issues are taken from some real-world scandals. The individual ways the guys handle problems was great. And, I liked how it ended, which is key to gaining a fourth star. I didn't mind at all that it's fade-to-black (no sex scenes). The boy band/management issues felt real, and were creepy, but the entertainment industry can be, and if you don't know that, just remember: no business is your friend. The bottom line is inherently dangerous to individuals. It's an important message, particularly for young readers.

I had issues with how poorly one of the guys deals with his inner awareness, or rather how long it lasted. That's probably just me. It isn't my own experience at all.

I give this four instead of five stars because the prose is full of showing a feeling and then telling me what it is, so double-telling, which feels like distrust of readers to me. Each POV character over-describes his state of mind multiple times, another symptom of telling instead of showing. Done sparingly, it's fine. But here it is constant.

All in all, not sorry I came across this one and gave it a try.

If you're looking for an engaging, swoony romance to sweep you away for a while, this one's pretty good! While it's not ground-breaking, it's a fun take on the classic boyband romance, unapologetically queer, and reads very true to the experience of "oh no am I bi?" (at least in my experience!).

Thank you to NetGalley for making this book available to me.

I was excited to receive this early since it was on of my highly anticipated reads of 2021.
As a previous reviewer stated it had similar vibes of Red White and Royal Blue and I would say that is definitely an accurate statement. Felt like a mix to me of that and some good Larry Stylinson fanfic. (Yes, I said it)
I’m not a fan of boy bands but I highly enjoyed this story and found myself squealing at the end of chapters. I sign of a good book for me is one where I am thinking about the characters still when I am not with them and I found that happening here, they felt like real people and I felt for their trials and their successes. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the music industry even though it wasn’t really anything new if you’ve read stories like this before, rockstar romances, etc. My reason for taking off a star was I felt like the drama at the end of the book just dragged for a little long, could have used some tightening up in some spots.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books, for the chance to read one of my most anticipated reads of 2021!

Careful of spoilers!

TW: drugs, drug abuse, closeting, homophobia, toxic parents

Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturdays and along with their bandmates, Jon Braxton and Angel Phan are teen heartbreakers in front of the camera and best friends in the real life. But behind the scene all of them are suffering from the pressure of their management and fame, above all for Ruben, forced to be closeted. During an intense tour through Europe, Ruben and Zach start to rely more and more on one other, until their already close friendship develops in a wonderful romance. Wanting to live free and to tell their fans, Ruben and Zach right away realize their management will do anything in their power to keep their love secret and separate them. With the support of Jon and Angel, Ruben and Zach fight to be free to love one other and from the management homophobic rules and chains.

I LOVED reading this book, it was such a pleasure and a privilege to have gotten the chance to read before the release date and I can't wait to have the physical copy in my hands. A queer love in a boy-band? Sign me in!

Told by two POVs, Ruben's and Zach it's a journey, physical and emotionally, a journey that involves all the member of the band. The characterization is brilliant and even though the story is told by Zach and Ruben, so the reader gets to know them better, their fears, doubts, love and passions, Jon and Angel are not side characters. They are also skillfully written and complex, with their doubts and pressures, fears and desires.
The friendship between Zach, Ruben, Angel and Jon is beautifully written, with its ups and downs and fights, between friends who truly love and care about one other and who would do anything in their power to keep each other safe and happy.

Zach and Ruben are best friends and even though Ruben has ever had feelings for Zach, he has never told anyone (he was sure Zach was straight), but when something wonderful happens between them during the tour, their relationship changes, with cracks and tension, fear and confusion.
It was really intense, heartbreaking reading how Zach starts to understand his own sexuality, Ruben's fear to have lost his best friend, Jon and Angel trying to solve their tension and understand what happened between them.

I had to admit I feared misunderstandings and unnecessary dramas, but this book is perfect!
Zach's and Ruben's relationship changes and evolves in a romance and, after a moment of "crisis", silence treatment, tears and confusion, they emerge more strong and together than ever.
Their romance is adorable, I loved how they first feared to have lost one other, until they decided to finally talk and admit their own feelings. It was so beautiful, moving and satisfying and I loved how they were supported right away by Jon and Angel.
The romance is amazing, it made my heart sings and I love Zach and Ruben so much, I was squealing and swooning all the time, they are adorable together and I loved the way the author talked about their relationship, how it grew in something so beautiful and powerful, how they love, support and help one other, facing the world, the parents', the management together.

Through If this gets out and through Zach's and Ruben's romance, the authors talk about the awful pressure placed on artists, queer above all, within the entertainment industry, the invasion of privacy, the exhausting working conditions, the abuse of power, the closeting, documented by many other real artists in the world. It's not rare, expecially if they became famous at a young age, to hear about artists who struggled with unhealthy coping mechanisms, as drugs and alcohol, eating and psychological disorders, because they are forced to play a role imposed on them, because they wanted to escape the pressure and the control.
If this gets out explores this pressure, how someone can lose sense of oneself when forced to play a role they never choose, how they are abused and controlled by people in power and, also, in Ruben's case, how the pressure and abuse can come from one's family too.
It also tackles the homophobia in the entertainment industry, "justified" in their eyes, by sales and money issues, the sexualization of, basically, children and young men, how artists are treated as things and not people, how they are isolated, used and abused in order to make more and more money.

It was clear in every member of Saturday how they were forced by the management to be four different heartbreakers in front of the camera, to play a specific role, even though they were very different from it, how Jon was forced to dress and act agains his own feelings and morality, how Angel was struggling to escape the pressure and control through substances, how being forced to be closeted for so many years weighed down on Ruben, how Zach, who discovers his own sexuality, was separated by his best friend and love.

If this gets out is a book about love and friendships, about fighting against abuse of power, control and bindings, about fighting to be oneself and not to caged anymore by pressure and people.
I loved everything in this book. The romance is to die for, Ruben and Zach are the cutest boyfriends ever, Angel and Jon are amazing characters and the story is amazing, full of cute and funny moments, flirting, jokes, adorable, while tackling important issues and problems.

I definitely recommend this book to those who love queer love and the power of love and friendship.

The story follows Ruben and Zach, two members of the wildly famous boy band Saturday. There's a lot of focus in the story about how inaccurate celebrity personas are, how they're curated for maximum optimisation and sellable appeal, and how these personas fail to accurately reflect the personalities of the singers and the damage this does. I really appreciated this aspect of the novel. Being a celebrity sounds quite exhausting, and you really feel for those who are told who and how to be.

Constantly having to pretend to be something they're not is something the singers struggle with, especially Ruben and Zach. Jon and Angel are the other two members of Saturday. Being in the closest makes this even more complex, and Ruben's frustration with being told how to be becomes a driving theme of the story as he begins to fall for Zach.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher and authors for access to this book!! I've been so excited to read this ever since I heard about it, and I wasn't sure how I was going to wait for it to come out, so when I managed to grab it on here I was so thrilled!

If This Gets Out was an absolute blast. The relationships and friendships within its pages felt so real and vibrant, from the aching familial relationships to the closeness of the boys in Saturday, to the budding relationship between our sweet, wonderful protagonists. Everything was beautiful. The novel takes us on a journey that has many highs and many lows, and the entire time I was reading I was right there alongside the boys, worried for them, delighted for them, angry on their behalf. I always love it when a book makes you connect to its characters, and it's sometimes easier said than done, but If This Gets Out had no trouble at all on that front.

If you enjoy contemporary YA that delivers some lovely dramatic hurt/comfort, angst and one of the sweetest relationships I've read in awhile, then you're going to gobble this up with the same ferocity that I did. The ending was perfect and yet I find myself longing for a sequel, just so I can return and get another glimpse of the future of Saturday, and specifically Ruben and Zach.

After falling in love with Sophie Gonzales' writing when I read 'Perfect on Paper', shortly followed by the amazing 'Only Mostly Devastated', I was so excited to read 'If This Gets Out', a fantastic collaboration with Cale Dietrich. It is both a compelling and delightful romance (between two members of a boyband no less) paired with a scathing indictment of the music industry which exploits young artists. These two authors' styles meld seamlessly in this novel, perfectly balancing the love-filled delight with some darker messages.

Zach and Ruben are two members of the band Saturday, about to set off on a European tour with their bandmates Jon and Angel. It is clear there is more to the relationship of these best friends as sparks fly behind closed hotel doors (try not to smile at the romance between these two!). However, strife bubbles under the surface throughout the tour as the pair are forced to hide their romance, Angel dabbles with drugs and Jon struggles with his enforced status as the group's sex symbol.

I loved every minute of this novel, whether I was full of romantic joy for Zach and Ruben, particularly as Zach explores his bisexuality, or whether I was dragged to the depths of despair by every adult who exploits the group. I just wanted to protect them which shows us just how nuanced and realised these characters are on the page. It wasn't until the end that it was confirmed for me which author was the voice of which character but I felt Gonzales' trademark wit shone through in Ruben's chapters. I have not read any other of Cale Dietrich's works but the voice he gave to Zach made me certainly want to explore his back catalogue too!

Overall, this is a pretty long book given it is a young adult romance about a boyband, but I would easily have read a further 400 pages of this story. The boys of Saturday won my heart and I would not complain if they were given a sequel at some point in the future! I do not feel 'Guilty' and will not leave my opinion 'Unsaid' - 5 glorious stars!! *****

Zach and Ruben gave me all the Red White & Royal Blue feels in this!!!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review, and I adored every minute of this. There is depictions of drug abuse in this, just a warning for anyone who’s triggered by such. But the story had me feeling all sorts of emotions from beginning to end, from Zach having to deal with the realization he’s bi to Ruben deciding when enough is enough and announce he’s gay despite what their band management says.

There are a lot of obstacles for these boys to overcome and the ending pays off after the angst and hurt. I can’t wait to own a physical copy of this book when it’s released!

I went into this book with very high expectations and I wonder if that's why I found it to be so disappointing. I've seen several reviews comparing it to fanfiction, which is understandable given how common a premise it is, but I've read fanfiction that told the story much better. The writing was lackluster and I found the plotting to be weak. I didn't laugh at all until the last page of the book even though I think there were supposed to be jokes at points. The bad parts of it being fanfiction-like is that it often felt like the reader was supposed to have background knowledge of the band already, and certain details were subsequently glossed over.

I will still buy this for my library but I will not go out of my way to recommend it as a favorite.

This was good! Loved the rep and the exploration of sexuality. I do however think that a lot of the dialogue itself was corny and cringey. It’s like the authors have never seen teenage boys talk. These are 18 year olds. They aren’t going to talk...like that.

I loved this book.
As soon as I opened it, I fell in love with the characters. I loved Zach and how he deal with anxiety, because it felt like so much like myself. I loved that he had a healthy relationship with his mother, even if it had hiccups sometimes.
I loved seeing the troubles of the boy band - I'm a sucker for stories with musicians.

The only thing was I wish [spoilers] the management company wasn't such a monster at the end. I wish there was a happier ending with that. I also wish there was a more concrete ending. Or maybe I just want more of the story. Maybe with Angel, as his issues were interesting too and I would love to see more on just him.

Definitely this is a book I want to read again and again.

So, from the moment I knew this book was coming, I was excited. The fact that Sophie Gonzales was one of the authors was a very big plus, because I loved her debut novel The Law of Inertia very, very much. Impressive writing and an engaging story. And then the blurb, of course, because gay love within a boyband, well, let's just say that rings a lot of bells. It had a lot of potential and chances were high I was going to like it.
So when I was able to grab an ARC through NetGalley, I couldn't resist.

About the book: Zach, Ruben, Angel and Jon are the members of boyband Saturday. Their management and record company owns them. They tell them how to dress, how their hair should be cut, they've created a fake persona for each one of them just to please the audience, that mainly consists of young teenage girls. They are controlled beyond acceptable. Every interview is arranged because of a mile long list of prohibited questions and topics. Every step they take has to be questioned twice, because there's always someone with a phone or a camera to record and to get things out in the world through social media.
So, basically the four members are imprisoned by their success, forced to lie about who they really are. Nobody would be able to survive such a regime, and in the midst of their European tour, things start to fall apart. Eating disorder, drugs abuse, mental issues...it's an endless list of coping mechanisms that are only human. This book is written to question the music industry and the power the record companies have and the authors have done a wonderful job doing so. It's clear they've done a lot of research. The creepy thing about it is that it all seems acceptable in the beginning, but getting deeper into the European tour, disturbing things start to surface, both from the way the boys have to deal with their situation, as well as with the management team/record company, who force rule upon rule on them until there's no way they are able to deal with it in a healthy way.

Beside the complaint, this book is also a love story. Zach and Ruben have always had a certain feeling about each other, but it isn't until they are in Europe that they start to understand what those feelings mean to them. Ruben is gay, has always been out and proud to the people surrounding him, but the outside world (meaning: the fans and the press) don't know and he's tired of lying about himself. Tired of pretending to be someone he isn't. But management keeps telling him to wait for the right moment. Which is never. Then he and Zach become an item. Zach just discovers he's bi-sexual and just like with Ruben being gay, his sexuality has to be kept from leaking out. Their relationship has to stay a secret. Of course this puts extra pressure on them and on the group, above all the other pressure they are enduring.

I enjoyed this book. Great writing, engaging characters. It did take me a while to get into the story, though. It's told in both Ruben's and Zach's pov, and in the beginning I kept mixing them up, which is probably all me. But it was kind of annoying to have to scroll back to the beginning of the chapter to see who's pov I was reading. But then something happened. I can't really tell at what point, or which moment, but suddenly I couldn't put this book down anymore. It sucked me in. I wanted nothing more than these boys to find happiness, to be able to be the person they truly were instead of a fake persona someone invented. Not just Zach and Ruben, but Angel and Jon as well.
Of course things derail. They had to. Without spoiling, I'd say a big round of applause for the moms!!

I tried to read this book with an open mind. I tried not to compare this novel to One Direction and Stylinson. But I couldn't stop my mind from going there every now and then. For well, obvious reasons, I suppose. But this book is more than a story about queer guys in a boyband. Even if you're not a Directioner or into Kpop, (or whatever boyband is out there) this book is engaging enough to grab you, because it's also about two boys falling in love and it's a story about firsts and finding the one you were supposed to be with. So, yes, I highly recommend this book if you are into all those things! You won't be disappointed.

Im a fan of both authors' previous works, so when I heard they were teaming up I was excited. Then, to hear they were writing a queer boyband romance? SUPER excited.
And it was just as good as I hoped. Both main characters were flawed but loveable and while the story didn't have any major twists it was engaging and well-written anyway.
Seriously, this was so good I blasted through it in a few hours. Zuben has my heart.

A queer YA romcom about a boyband? What is not to love about that incredible premise? Plus a sweet romance, thoughtful bi rep, and behind-the-scenes drama within the music industry. This book is a must-read!

When I saw this book on twitter for the first time a couple of months back I was so excited because it had almost every single element that I look for in romance novels. I love reading about famous people dealing with the press and fans and this books was no different. I literally have so many nice things to say about this book so lets jump right in!

SUMMARY

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 heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.

On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach 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 start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?

REVIEW

If you liked Red, White, and Royal Blue this book is better. Actually, this book is everything! A lot of the times when books are written in more than one perspective, one character always ends up boring me, especially when they are written by two different people. This was not the case. Both Zach and Ruben felt authentic to me and I never cared who’s perspective things were in, which is rare for me to find.

This book also reminded me a lot about what went down with One Direction when they were still together and for a 1D fan it was almost eye opening. I was only like fifteen when they broke up and looking back now at what happened to them, I am truly shook (for lack of a better word). At the same time, though, this does not read as fan-fiction at all. There were times when I did compare it to One Direction but that is simply because I was such a huge 1D fan. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a published book.

CONCLUSION

To be completely honest I really have nothing bad to say about this book and for that reason I have awarded it 5 stars. If This Gets Out is set to release December 7th, 2021 and I will be preordering myself a copy so I can own this absolute masterpiece. Everyone needs to pick up this book when it comes out because it is actually that good and I will die on this hill.

Infinitely readable. This is the 2021 book we all needed! The characters were flawed but lovable (which is good, who wants to read about someone perfect?) As always with SG, the queer themes were spot-on and treated with the nuance they deserve. The portrayal of emotional abuse was also treated very well.

I also applaud this story for exposing the not-so-glamorous side of the entertainment industry, including homophobia/forced closeting and careful image control.

If This Gets Out is a story told in alternating points of view through the eyes of two members of a world-famous boy band, Saturday. The characters are Ruben, written by Sophie Gonzales, and his bandmate and best friend, Zach, written by Cale Dietrich. Ruben and Zach are half of the band Saturday, with their two other friends Angel and Jon. The boys are all eighteen in the novel, and are micromanaged and controlled by their management team as they have been their whole careers.

The story focuses on Ruben, who is gay and has been wanting to come out publicly for at least two years and has been forced to stay closeted due to the band's record labels homophobic agenda. Ruben is frustrated with this from the beginning, but it all comes to a head when he and Zach realize that they might think of each other as more than just friends. As their relationship progresses and Zach comes to terms with the fact that he is bisexual, they reveal their relationship to their bandmates and management team. Their bandmates couldn't be more supportive, and the record label does its best to look supportive as well, while continuously coming up with excuses for why the boys shouldn't go public with their relationship or their sexual orientations. This, along with other controlling aspects of the boy's lives, forces them to make a decision: be complacent and continue lying about who they are, or take a chance and go against management and publicly come out.

This book was a really wonderful queer romance, with two points of view that melded together perfectly, creating two incredible characters and effectively telling the story of how many in the entertainment industry are silenced and controlled, with a focus especially on queer people. This book also explores drug abuse, parental abuse, and the ethics of having sixteen-year-olds sign a multi-year contract that they don't understand, and what kind of abuses of power can happen when people have the wrong intentions. It was a really sweet romance with layers of moral dilemmas and interpersonal conflicts. It did not disappoint.

So I kind of dropped everything once I got approved for this, and I regret nothing.

This is the story (told in dual POVs) of Zach and Ruben, two members of the popular boyband, Saturday. As their friendship grows into something more, they face pressure from their management to keep it hidden. Will they finally be able to share their relationship with the world, or will they be forced to keep it a secret?

I liked how this wasn't a typical rose-colored glasses romcom. There's the pressure of maintaining the "perfect image." Zach grappling and coming to terms with his sexuality. Drug and Alcohol addictions. Toxic parents. Homophobia. Honestly, it's a lot for a romcom, and this book manages to have enough cutesy light moments to balance out the darker realities of the boyband lifestyle.

But given the subject matter, this is another young adult book that is almost new adult. (Speaking of new adult, this book is definitely one that fans of Red, White, & Royal Blue will enjoy - hey this even had the secret dating plotline, too)

Saturday is great! I really liked the friendship between the members. Angel, Jon, Zach, & Ruben's dynamic was so well done. Yes, they do get frustrated with each other, but they're a supportive family. I just want more of them. (Can we please get a sequel - or two? I'm not opposed to more Anjon ....)

All in all, this book tackles problematic people and gives us some pretty great ships. If you like boybands, LGBTQ+ romances, great friendship dynamics, and great characters, give this a try.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books (St. Martin's Press) for this eARC. I am really thankful that I got the opportunity to read this before its December 7, 20201 release!

Saturday is a boy band that has become an international sensation. Their management company oversees every detail of Ruben, Zach, Angel, and Jon's lives from what they wear to what they can say during interviews. As part of that, they have pressured Ruben for years not to come out publicly as gay. But how will that change when Ruben and Zach start dating?

This book was absolutely phenomenal. I am amazed by so many aspects starting with the collaboration between Cale Dietrich and Sophie Gonzales with Cale writing Zach as Sophie wrote Ruben. How they so beautifully put together a story is amazing. I am so impressed with the way in which they tackled the pressures of the entertainment industry, particularly for children. The depth of not only Ruben and Zach's characters and romance but also Angel and Jon's storylines and their relationships with their parents are all so detailed and real. I cared so much about the members of the band. I found the story simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting.

I had first learned of the book in an author chat with Sophie Gonzales when Perfect on Paper was being released, and I knew I could not wait to read the book. I recommend you not wait either.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.

I'll admit that I don't typically read "rom-com" because... well, to be honest, I don't have that good of a reason other than the fact that I'm typically drawn more toward SFF stories. But, from the moment I heard about this book being announced on Twitter, I wanted to read it - and I am so grateful for the opportunity to get the chance before this wonderful book is released in December.

From the writing style to the characters, I just had such a good time reading (even when my heart was breaking or I wanted to scream in frustration) "If This Gets Out". I had been in a bit of a book slump before starting this book, but from the first chapter, I was hooked. The pacing was quick, the story never dragging, and I just kept telling myself "one more chapter" before bed. From the very beginning and all the way to the end, I was rooting for Zach and Ruben. Honestly, I could gush about this book for ages (and likely will). Needless to say, I've already preordered a physical copy to display on my shelves.

It's the perfect standalone but by the end I was practically begging for a sequel just to get some more time with Zach, Ruben, Jon, and Angel. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up when it releases!