I loved this book so much. Arthur and Ben are such dynamic, passionate characters who have such chemistry. The world building that happens with them makes you root for everyone in the story and hope for the best. It’s so much fun and sweet and real, I am so glad we got a sequel.

𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚:
What happens when you meet the love of your life at 16, but you live in different states so you just try to move on with out each other?

𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:

Ok so..”What if It’s Us” one of my favorite books. A book that got me back into reading… did it need a sequel…no. Was I happy with that books ending no…

But THANK GOD there is Here’s to Us. I’m not gonna lie. I came for the Ben and Arthur ending WE DESERVED the first time. BUT the story we got with Samantha and Dylan that just left me smiling from head to the tips of my toes! Is Dylan my new favorite character!?!

This book was a roller coaster of emotions that had me rooting for relationships I didn’t want and relationships I did. If you haven’t checked these stories out..WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!!

THAT’S HOW YOU END A SERIES!! Seriously I liked the first one quite a bit, but I loved this one. I truly didn’t know how it was going to turn out, and so happy with how it did. If you read the first one, you NEED to read this one. And if you didn’t read the first one, what are you doing? Go read it! And then come read this one! These characters are wonderfully real and these writers know what they are doing. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

i went into this not loving the first book, and i still didn’t love this one. there definitely are some personal preferences like i don’t love pop culture references in books. it also seems like these authors haven’t talked to a teenager in years. it doesn’t feel authentic like many other YA books do. i couldn’t connect with the characters at all. i didn’t love the ending of the first book, but i would’ve rather been left with the open ending. 1.5 stars rounded up

Excellent sequel that I was highly anticipating. Albertalli and Silvera are dynamite coauthors. Characters are compelling and plot situations are reflective of real life issues and concerns.

Gosh was this the sequel I needed in my life. I loved the first book and I appreciated and respected the ending AND I’m so glad they came back with this follow up. If you liked the first one you’ll love this one too.

With the distance, the boys’ friendship has died down. But then they end up back in New York together, except now they’re both seeing other people. And totally over each other. Right?

DNF 49% in. The sequel that never needed to happen in the first place. I stopped listening to this because nothing was happening and time is books and I have other books to read you know?

I wasn't sure how I would feel about a sequel to What If It's Us. That's a book I didn't feel needed a sequel. It ended perfectly. However, when I had the chance to read an ARC I jumped on the chance. I love Becky and Adam's writing styles and they compliment each other so well. The characters, while sometimes outrageous, were lots of fun (especially Dylan!). I enjoyed Arthur and Ben reconnecting and finding their way to one another. I did feel this book was a little too long and could've used some sharpening (cutting). Teens will eat this one up, just like they did the first book.

Three stars. I liked the first book better. This one was over the top with the drama. Arthur and Ben are young adults in this book, but they seem like they're still teenagers. Drama, drama, drama. AT least there was a happy ending though. That got the third star from me.

Thank you so much, HarperCollins Children’s books, for allowing me to read Here’s to Us early!

What If it’s Us? is one of those epic YA books I recommend to all my students. I mean, they’re written by not one but two popular YA authors. Becky’s and Adam’s writing is so different and so fitting together simultaneously. Both (being different and so fitting together) also applied to Ben and Arthur. I loved the first book and was so happy when the sequel got announced. More Ben and Arthur, just a few years older but in the same universe. New York, the places they visited, the same friends. And maybe a HEA after all? I read the book in less than twenty-four hours. This is a must-read for all those students who’ve read its prequel. And for those who haven’t read the first book, I will urge them to pick up What If It’s Us? as soon as possible and continue with If This is Us immediately after finishing part one.

This sequel delivers everything I didn't realize I wanted, Like the first book, it's a look into the realtime feelings of two young men, who at this point once loved and are trying to move on. I appreciated the heck out of the first book for being messy and real and this one continues that trend without unnecessarily heightening drama for drama's sake. Here's to the authors for taking a book I read a couple years ago and making me care again like I'd read it yesterday.

First, as a disclosure, I did not read What If It's Us before reading Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera's sequel Here's to Us. And I don't think you need to in order to enjoy the sequel.

There were some things I really loved and some things I was disappointed in. Albertalli and Silvera did not navigate writing a sequel well. The first 20% of the novel drowns readers in exposition that essentially summarizes the first novel. It's a YA, but even so, I think a little more faith could've been put into young readers. If the background information had been less heavy, it would've been worlds better. Additionally, there were significant grammar issues that needed to be resolved--that should've been resolved prior to ARCs being sent out. My assumption is that these were resolved prior to publication.

Onto the parts I LOVED: queer dynamics were incredibly represented. The authors truly captured the conflict in the lives of many young queer people of trying to remain friends with an ex and trying to navigate overlapping friend groups post-break-up. While obviously many readers could relate to this, it's a more prominent conflict in the lives of LGBTQ youth. I also enjoyed the dynamics between different characters--Ben and Dylan, Mario and Arthur, Dylan and Samantha, etc. The story itself and its characters were truly amazing. The heavy exposition in the first chunk of the novel really hurt what could've been a solid YA.

Wow, what a satisfying sequel. It was everything I wanted in the ending of What if it’s Us. With some contemporary sequels I’ve found that some authors have a hard time picking up the character’s voice years later, but it was impressive how much Arthur and Ben felt exactly the same as they did in book one. Both authors have such a gift for writing smile-inducing romances and I will continue to pick up their books and recommend them to teen (and adult) readers!

This book did not disappoint!! I LOVED the first one and even more the open ending the authors left us with. I did not need a second book, but here we are and here's to the book I didn't know I needed! We jump right back in with Ben and Arthur and it feels like we never left them. The authors did such an amazing job co writing these masterpieces. I love my latin boys!! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review.

HERE'S TO US is a cute do-over romance that makes you wish for the chance to re-do your high school romances - however, it felt a bit juvenile for my PERSONAL taste. If you are a fresh-eyed romantic who still believes in people changing for the better in a do-over, then this is perfect for you.

It’s rare to find a sequel that’s stronger than the original, but Silvera and Albertalli have done it! A great continuation of Arthur and Ben’s journeys.

I was pretty excited about this book. I really enjoyed the first one. When I saw Adam at Y’all fest, he seemed pretty excited about it and I understand why. Still, I just didn’t connect with it. Our leads have not grown up at all. In fact, it seems as though they’ve regressed. I know that happens in the first summer after college, but it makes no sense here as Ben is still in the city and didn’t move home. I think it should have stayed a one and done.

One thing I loved about Here's to Us is that it deals with messy aspects of young love that YA often doesn't address. How do you know if you love someone? Just because someone is a good person doesn't mean they're right for you. It's possible to have feelings for more than one person at a time. Are you dating someone if you've never explicitly said it? Is long distance doable?

I'm not saying those things NEVER get addressed in YA, but this duology dives straight into the messy aspects and does it better than any YA I've read at this point.

Overall, I enjoyed the messy feelings and relationships in this duology, and I'm so glad I got to see where Arthur and Ben's relationship leads! If you liked the first book (or even of you were mad about how What If It's Us ended), I think you'll enjoy this sequel! The ending was very lovely.

Here's to Us is a good sequel to a book that didn't need one. I love the both authors and they make a good team. I recommend this one.

"Here's to Us" masterfully continues the story of "What If It's Us." Ex boyfriends Ben and Arthur again find themselves in New York City and have an increasingly difficult time keeping away from each other. Both are in relationships with others and they work to navigate the tricky terrain of being friends with someone you used to be in love with. They're also working on their career passions--Ben is writing his fantasy novels and Arthur has an internship with a prominent director. This book builds on the original in a very pleasing and highly readable way. It's a real tenderhearted epic, romantic coming of age.