I was so excited for this sequel and it did not disappoint! The continuation of Arthur and Ben's relationship as they strugge with growing up and creating their own libes.

Personally, I enjoyed this more than the original! Here's to us felt more honest and less fairytale. The issues facing the characters, regardless of their sexual orientation, were real issues that I see teenagers grapple with every day. I think that this is a great follow up and gives so much closure for those who loved "What if its Us". The characters are realistic and the love is pure. Definitely a wonderful read!

I absolutely loved Ben and Arthur in the first book, and when I found out a sequel was coming, I was truly ecstatic. I will ready anything Becky Albertalli writes, and this was no difference.

It was nice to see how Ben and Arthur grew and developed over the past two years, and watching them rekindle was everything I needed. I also freaking love the side characters (can Dylan get his own book?). There is so much comedy and chemistry, and I loved every second of it.

I feel like I finally got the Happy Ever After I had wanted, and I couldn't have asked for a sweeter way to end the book. Definitely recommend this to anyone who read the first one and wanted more Ben and Arthur!

Here's to Us is the epic conclusion to Albertalli and Silvera's amazing book What if It's Us.
Some may always wonder if the universe was trying to tell you something by putting a certain someone into your life at just the right time. In the case of Arthur and Ben, the universe has been at play since day 1. Time may separate people, but when they get the chance to reconnect, will they take it, or will they let other potential romances get in the way.
This story was absolutely adorable from page one. It will keep the pages turning until the very end. You get to see all your favorite characters from the first book and by the end the story is wrapped up with a nice little bow. Romance and LGBT+ book fanatics will love this story from start to end.

I loved being back in this world. I loved What If It's Us and was glad to revisit the characters, in addition to being introduced to new characters. This was very easily readable and the book flew because it was so fun to read.

I look forward to future collaboration by these two authors.

i personally was fine with where what if it’s us ended, but i’m guessing people who weren’t, will love this.

Absolutely love this writing duo. Listened to the audio book too and love both the voices Froy and Noah just make me love the characters even more. This is a great follow up to a best selling book. Teen love becomes adult love. While some reviews might not like the way the book progresses, I am glad to see the writers take the time to show each character and friends in their lives during the time between leaving NY and coming back. There are times in our lives where we make a choice, regret it?, and then circle back to see if we really made the right choice, and this book provides a storyline of that idea. I would love a book 3, once you read it, you'll know this book could totally move to New Adult and then Adult, cause who doesn't like a glow up story?

A fun and very satisfying sequel. Lots of angst, enough to keep things moving briskly, but with a lovely and over-the-top happily ever after that is a balm to read.

I read this book in like a day and some change. That’s unheard of for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fast reader, but I’m also a distracted reader. I have to take frequent breaks. However, I couldn’t put this one down.

This sequel lived up to all of my expectations. Just like the first book, this one does not depict a cliche love story. This shows the complicated and messy moments that accompany love. It shows how hard it can be to reconcile the head and the heart. It shows how people can sabotage their own love stories.

One of the most unexpected things for me is how much I loved Dylan this time around. I found him kind of annoying in the first book, but every time he is in a scene this time, I am charmed. His quips and one-liners ease the tension perfectly.

Overall, this sequel will certainly give readers the happy ending they wanted from the first book while still giving them an interesting read. I loved it!

Personally I think the authors needed to do a bit more research into how teenagers interact. It was again a very cute book and I was enjoyed it but a lot of times the interactions felt forces and contrived. I think high school age students would enjoy it.

<i>"And the thing about being a writer is that it's not only about telling stories to other people, right? It's also about the stories I tell myself. Anything and everything I can say that'll make me believe I'm happy. But I'm done rewriting how I feel because I'm scared of getting hurt again. All that's going to do is break my heart later when I don't get my perfect ending."</i>

TL;DR: Much like the first book: A fluffy contemporary gay romance about the messiness of first love.
BUT. The sequel is stronger and overall more enjoyable -- perhaps because Ben isn't constantly disparaging Arthur and hung up on his cheating ex. There are fewer pop culture references and while the focus is still romance, it feels more mature and <i>real</i> than the first book.
<i>Strong sequel, but honestly? I would read the crap out of a book about Abuelita and Bubbe. Just saying.</i>
<b><i>Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: The backstory of "Summer Lovin'" from Grease. But make it contemporary. And gay. And set in NYC, not a beach.
^^^
Still holds true. But a much stronger sequel than <i>Grease 2</i>.

Genre: Contemporary, True-YA Queer Romance
**Does border on New Adult a bit; the characters are older in this book 18/19ish, and are likewise a bit more mature.

Character MVP: <b>Still Dylan. This sweet, adorable, extra man-bun boy must be protected.</b> Once again, the Best Friend steals the show. In this case, it's Ben's BFF Dylan who is just so wholesome and sweet and supportive and snarky -- and has to put up with Ben (who is really kinda unlikable).

Verdict: I mentioned in my review of [book:What If It's Us|36341204] that a Bookstagrammer raved about an Albertalli/Silvera book -- I thought <i>Here's to Us</i> was a standalone, not realizing it was the second (?) in a duology. I read the first and hoped that it wasn't the one the Bookstagrammer was raving about. I'm pretty sure now it was this book, the sequel, and if so, I get it.

I did think that, overall, this was the stronger book in the duology (rare for a sequel, IMO), and I definitely enjoyed it more. I got some feels reading the book -- not ALL OF THE FEELS to make me love it -- but I did tear up a bit at the end. And, perhaps because the first book introduces us to the characters, and lets us see where they start, it was easier to get invested in the story and their arcs.

Was the ending a bit...extra? Yes, but it's no different than a rom-com, and I didn't mind it so much. Full disclosure: I am a big fan of endings where all the plot threads tie up and everything comes together and is resolved, and I think the sense of closure you get from neat endings is especially reassuring as we enter Year #3 of this pandemic.

Were the characters a bit young to find their Soul Mate and Forever Spouse? *shrug* Maybe. It wasn't my experience, but then again, my brother married his high-school sweetheart so...it happens. It's not unrealistic. And the time jump in the Epilogue was smart, because those events could only happen a few years down the road.

Was Ben still unlikable? Yes, a bit. I get that these are flawed humans in a story about the messiness of love, but Ben seemed to be missing some big Points. And, unlike in the first book, no one really called him out for it. (I wish Hudson had done so, because that scene could have been expanded a bit. It felt a little...disconnected.) After all, Ben is the one who broke up with Arthur in the first place, insisting that he didn't really want to do long-distance. And while that's a logical decision, his reaction to it at times just made me roll my eyes. He likes to go on and on about Arthur didn't keep him in the loop -- yet Ben is the one who stopped replying to texts -- and got mad that Arthur tried to move on. It's one thing if Ben had said, "Long distance is hard, but we can try and I want to try," but he just ended it and didn't tell Arthur how he felt. At one point he mentions $15 bus tickets to New Haven, but doesn't tell Arthur *anything* about it, and then just spirals when Arthurs calls him to tell he's moving on.
So, yes, Arthur's love for Ben is still weird for me.

Was this a charming, heartwarming gay love story? YES. And I loved that. I think we need more warm-and-fuzzy queer romances, where the drama and angst comes from the relationship drama and not other sources, because it normalizes those romances and doesn't situate them in Very Special Episode Of language. Don't get me wrong: those books and stories *are* important, but not every queer romance has to be one, nor does it have to be a Coming Out Romance.

Love is love is love.

This book was a heart wrenching read that dealt with all those awkward moments of what-ifs. I found myself getting frustrated with the characters. The epilogue seemed forced—but was ultimately what all readers wanted to see!

A messy, but great, sequel to What If It's Us by Albertalli. We have just purchased this for the university library and students have a waitlist to get it.

*4.5 stars
This is an excellent conclusion to this duology. I definitely teared up listening to the last bit because you go through so much growth and tension with these characters, and the end, I think, is a perfect culmination of that. The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me was because the plot felt just a little messy at times with characters weaving in and out, so it wasn't necessarily a new favorite. However, I think this is a great contemporary duology, which are rare, so I'll absolutely be recommending these books for years to come.

I was so very excited to receive this ARC from the publisher, because What If It’s Us is a delightfully queer & nerdy love story, set in NYC, and the ending actually felt somewhat realistic to me (disappointing, but not in a bad way, if that makes sense).

So, I read Here’s To Us, and I give it four stars … not because I LOVED it, per se, but because the two books together create a really good story of two realistic, complex individuals. This book felt like it dragged on at times - too much inner monologue, I think - and I wasn’t a huge fan of either of the boys’ significant others. (Which may have been the point, but it was off-putting.)

Regardless, I’m really happy they got to the happy ending - and what a cute ending it was! - but I just didn’t feel as into the storyline as I was with the first book. I’m happy these books exist (and there weren’t any HP references in the second like there were in the first), and that there are realistic depictions of queer relationships for teens/young adults - I just didn’t love this one as much as I thought it would.

I enjoyed seeing the characters from What If It's Us again. As someone from GA, it's always fun to read Becky Albertalli's books to see all of the references straight from my part of town. Some of the story seems almost autobiographical of Adam Silvera (Ben's authorship arc, especially). I'm pretty sure the two of them alternate chapters, with AS writing for Ben and BA writing for Arthur, so each character has a distinct voice.

Super cute but not gonna lie, I liked the ambiguous ending from the first book better. Everything was a bit too shiny by the end in this one for me.

Here's to Us is everything a sequel should be - I loved it! And I knew I would as I love everything from Albertalli and Silvera (separately and together). I read and reread scenes, hoping that the universe knew what it was doing, both to me as the reader and to Arthur and Ben, as the story and all the relationships would all of a sudden PIVOT (imagine in your best Ross's voice impression). The ending is definitely something to savor, readers, and I already have a student in mind to share it with. Thank you so much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #HerestoUs by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a great sequel to WHAT IF IT'S US. The back and forth POV chapters keep readers engaged and connected to the characters. Going between the characters added to the anticipation and desire for them to end up together. Readers who enjoyed WHAT IF IT'S US will enjoy the development of the main characters and secondary characters.

Slow in the beginning, but then it seriously picked up, and the last 2 chapters had me SOBBING on a plane! Another excellent, heart warming gay romance from these 2 YA power houses!