WOW! This was such an adorable read with a different take on a common trope. This book definitely met my high expectations, though I would expect nothing less from Becky (one of my recent favourite authors) and Adam (who I've heard nothing but good things from). I loved how much we got to learn about their characters and got to see all their interactions as their relationship developed. The diverse identities of each character and the more serious issues they are confronted by as a result of this gave the story a whole new depth and made me appreciate it even more. While the story does unpack the challenges of the whole meet-cute trope to an extent, I wish we got to see more of this. Also call me theatre trash, but I was kind of expecting more Broadway references. Not that there weren't already plenty, but I still wanted more... That aside, I had the most enjoyable time reading this book and could never bear to put it down. This definitely demonstrates once again how talented these authors are and I am eagerly awaiting any projects they choose to collaborate on in the future!

A big thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well it's cute, I'll give it that.

This is a cute book kind of in the vein of books like Jenny Han's 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before'. It explores themes of love, self-expression and discovery when you're a teenager or in that hazy period of transitioning slowly into adulthood.

Whilst I found it adorable and thought the writing was decent, I found it difficult to figure out whose perspective I was reading from. Although the chapter titles tell you the perspective, I kept getting confused. I realised that Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera have very similar writing styles as well. Due to being confused with the perspectives, it caused me to feel a bit disconnected from them at times. I also didn't really care for any of the side characters or friends. They all felt quite bland.

I found the ending interesting and refreshing, the diversity is awesome as always and I loved the descriptions of New York. The atmosphere was really good.

Overall, I am not sure what I was expecting going into this book but I did enjoy myself by the end of it. I would recommend this one :)

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?
What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?

I am a huge fan of Becky Albertalli and this book did not disappoint. I have never read a Adam Silvera but I have heard his books tug on your heart strings (I need to read his books after reading this). I think this was a perfect mix between Beckys happy endings and Adams sad endings (by what I have heard).

This book was such a quick fun read but at the same time had a serious tone to it. I love Ben and Arthur even when I wanted to hate them. These characters seem like every day people trying to find themselves and fit it in this thing called life and having issues finding their place. I loved the friend ships and the conflicts and how things aren't always what they seem. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say I needed more. The ending made me sad and I needed my happy ending, even though I don't think that was the point of this story I still wanted it.

I ended up giving this book a 4.5 star rating and like I said before I now have to add Adams books to my TBR (I have already read all Beckys). This was an amazing read and would love for them to continue on writing together. Hint, hint finish Arthurs and Bens story or even any of the other characters in this book such as Ethan.

Firstly I want to commend Becky and Adam on how seamlessly they’ve co-authored this book, it has flowed well. I found this an easy, enjoyable read and rated the book 4 stars overall.

Arthur is only in New York for the summer. Ben lives there but is fresh from a breakup with Hudson. After a chance meeting at the post office Arthur and Ben decide the universe wants them together, but this doesn’t necessarily mean things go smoothly. Also, being friends with your ex while moving on with someone new is never going to be easy.

I don’t really feel comfortable with how quickly the relationship moved, though for the sake of the story I understand why it did and each part felt like it was treated right. While not a main character, Dylan (Ben’s best friend) was my favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[REVIEW] – What if it’s Us {4.5}⭐️
ARC provided by @simonandschuster via @netgalley. Thank you ❤️
.
[WARNING]: Cuteness overload😍
.
Not very often we see two authors co-writing a satisfactory book so I was extremely pleased when I finished the book and I thought: Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli just created an incredible book. I had big expectations about this book because I’ve read all of Adam Silvera’s books and I knew this had to be good; I was not disappointed.
.
In this book we have the opportunity to meet Ben and Arthur; to guys who meet briefly at a post office in New York. The story develops with these two extremely cute and adorable boys first trying to find each other and then, getting to know each other however, let’s not forget Dylan because oh my God, I would love to have a best friend like him.
.
The insight from being inside Ben and Arthur’s head and getting to read from both their perspective is a big plus. Both have a story to carry before meeting each other and because of that, they have to overcome their own fears and insecurities to try to spend a short summer together. These characters are so relatable and freaking real: I just found myself wishing I could hug them many times whilst reading because that’s how cute they are.
.
This book is not only about a cute summer love; is also about confronting changes in our lives, forgiving ourselves, learning to listen to our friends and learning how to be brave enough to take huge leaps of faith. What else could you expect for an amazing contemporary YA? Romance, diversity, New York and the humour! This book will take some smiles from you I assure you.
.
And, ladies and gentleman, let’s not forget the constant references to Harry Potter, Pokemon anddddd (my favourite one:) The Sims! If you’re not convinced by this then I don’t think you’re human 😂

Even though I was slightly disappointed by the ending, it did and didn't make sense, I really enjoyed this book.

Ben and Arthur are really loveable, as are their friends and families - in particular Dylan.

Told from alternating perspectives, the story rolled along, with ups and downs, laughs and tears, but remained grounded and believable.

This was a great read, and left me wanting more.

I don’t know how to feel or process that book. It was just so real, and all the situations had me cringing and realising that this was REAL. I loved the writing, big fans of both authors. There were some cringing phrases ‘you’re cancelled’ etc, but overall really enjoyed the flow of it. Never would have guessed there were two seperate authors if I hadn’t known.

It was funny, a little try-hard sometimes, but warming when you least expected it. I’m still not over that ending and would kill for a sequel, but I got the message behind it all.

Very enjoyable read. Would recommend over and over again.

Oh. Wow! I loved this book, I adored this book, I never wanted this book to end. It was sweet, it was beautiful, it was funny, it was a bit sad, it was angst, it was everything you wanted in one Hamilton loving, Levain cookie eating package.
Arthur is fantastic. Funny and sensitive.
Ben is just as great. Hilarious and a little self deprecating but oh so cute.
The supporting cast, especially Dylan are the icing on the cake.
This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me smile so much! I loved it and I think you will too!

“I think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path.”*

This book has been sitting in my to-read list for almost a year, so you can imagine my excitement when it popped up on NetGalley for request, and then when that request was approved! Many, many thanks to Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started with a bang and sucked me right into Arthur and Ben’s world. I loved their story, and their connection. The surrounding characters were also very colourful and fun, and the kind of people I’d want to hang around with.
The writing was excellent, and seemlessly woven together by the two authors.

Having read previous works by both Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, I can honestly say that this one made me think more about the idea of destiny and people coming into your life at a particular time/place, it may be forever or it may be a short while, but those important connections stay with you even if the relationship/friendship is no longer.

I enjoyed this book, it’s cute and funny, and I positively consumed it in one sitting, but I am left feeling unsatisfied by the ending. This feeling is the only reason that I didn’t give it a full 5 stars.

*quote from an uncorrected proof and may not reflect the final published version.

What an absolutely charming read. I came into this book with the expectation that I was going to love it and I wasn't disappointed. Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera perfectly capture the anxiety and not-so-perfectness of a new, budding relationship set against the backdrop of today's social media driven world. I think everyone has had that moment where they briefly meet a perfect stranger and wonder "what if", well this book is that "what if". Arthur and Ben were written beautifully - both relatable and so damn cute. My only gripe is that I sometimes found myself getting confused when perspectives changed, particularly as I was just getting into the book, as the boys seemed so similar. Occasionally I had to go back to the start of the chapter just to double check who I was reading about. However, once I got more invested in the story it wasn't an issue (especially because I couldn't put the book down!).

I will definitely be recommending this to my friends.

Arthur is in New York for the summer doing an internship. Ben is in tatters following the breakup with his boyfriend. When the two cross paths at the post office, their lives will be changed for ever.

From the moment I picked this book up I was hooked. Ben and Arthur cross paths when Ben is trying to post a box of his exes stuff back to him. When Arthur discovers that Ben also likes boys, his world changes. But what does he do? Forgets to get his number. What follows is a beautiful romantic gesture to get the two back together. It is the thing of movies, the dream! When they finally meet again, they have a rocky start but quickly find their feet.

Despite absolutely loving the book, the ending really let it down. When Arthur goes back home, he and Ben are still so in love. Ben organised a big romantic gesture to enjoy their last day today. But the epilogue? They’re mutual “best friends”, Arthur has hooked up with other people and the two seemed to have made no effort to see each other. If they are both so in love and have both gone to big efforts to show it, why did they not make the effort afterwards? They clearly still love each other....they never “broke up” with each other, so why are they suddenly just best friends. Was a bit let down at the end to be honest and it left me a bit angry....I JUST LOVE LOVE OK!

Love these authors? Then you’ll love this book. I continue to enjoy the more diverse range of contemporary YA that is being published. Silvera and Albertalli deliver authentic characters and an engaging plot. Probably my favourite ending from a YA romance in the past couple of years.

While I loved that the intertextual references made it feel like the characters were part of our world (and I related heavily to pretty much all of them), they did feel a bit overdone. Sometimes it felt a bit like ‘how do you do fellow youths’. They’re all things that I’m a fan of, so it’s hard to say they bothered me...it’s more like they took me out of the story too often.

My only other gripe is that the authors writing styles are very similar - and while that works overall, sometimes you’re in the middle of a chapter thinking ‘who’s narrating this again?’. I read this as an ebook, so I hope they set the two different POVs in different fonts or something in the print version.

Seriously, if you like diverse contemporary YA, then this is a no brainer. It’s very much a product of that genre, and it’s a fun, light read. Thanks again to netgalley and the publishers for providing me a copy to review!

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*Becky Albertalli, who brought us 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens' is back and has teamed up with Silvera to bring the world another wonderful YA novel. As with a number of other offerings from Albertalli, 'What If It Is Us' focusses on the love lives of star-crossed adolescents. Who just happen to be gay. What I love about these books is how they normalise gay characters, but at the same time, do not shy away from tough topics. For example, in 'What If It's Us', the protagonists, Arthur and Ben are confronted by an angry homophobic man when trying to take the subway home. The book focussed on two teenage boys, Arthur and Ben and their unlikely summer romance. A chance meeting at the post office has unseen consequences and leads to a wonderful story. Here's hoping there is a sequel coming.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What If It’s Us is a cute co-written novel from Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. I’ve read and loved most of Adam’s previous novels, and I also enjoyed Simon vs.the Homo Sapiens Agenda from Becky. Going into this I did not know who wrote each perspective, though I have my suspicions now after finishing. The characters personalities were generally distinct enough for me to tell them apart, and the writing style wasn’t different enough for it to be jarring. I’m impressed with how well their writing styles blended together. Usually I am hesitant to read multi-perspective books since I end up waiting to get back to my favourite character’s point of view. This wasn’t the case with What If It’s Us. Each character had interesting relationships with their friend groups. I had a lot of run reading about their interactions and daily lives outside of the relationship.

The pop culture references were fun (I think I understood most of them too!). I haven’t listened to Hamilton yet and Arthur’s love of it made me want to do so immediately. I almost stopped reading the book to go listen to the soundtrack but I couldn’t bring myself to put it down for long enough.

I had a few issues with the formatting, which I am assuming was an issue with my kindle copy rather than something intentional. However, there were some scenes where there weren’t enough dialogue tags and I found myself losing track of who was actually speaking. I’m hoping this is something that is not an issue in the final copy.

Overall, I found this a really feel-good book. For the first half I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. The second half of the book definitely had its great moments too but the strength of the book was in the meet-cute and the tension when I was wondering how they would reunite after the initial post office encounter. The ending fell a bit flat for me and it’s another case where I think I might have been better not reading the epilogue at all.

Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli are two of my favourite writers. I don't read the blurbs when I see a new book by either of them; just pick it up. So when NetGalley offered me the chance to read this one in advance, I leaped at the chance. Thanks NetGalley!

It's a dual POV book about two guys, Ben and Arthur, who meet by accident at the post office. Arthur is only in New York for the summer, and Ben lives there year round. Arthur adores Broadway shows and believes in love even if he's never been in it. Ben is more cynical, having just broken up with his first boyfriend. Which was the reason he was in the post office to begin with - he was trying to return his ex's stuff.

The book follows Ben and Arthur through the rest of the summer as they meet, part, reunite and try again and again to make their first date perfect. Then a second. They are quite different people and even though they really like one another, their differences start to grate on each other. Ben is always late, which irritates Arthur. Arthur doesn't like arcade games which Ben loves. Ben is in summer school while Arthur has been accpted at Yale.

While the pair struggle to figure out how to make their lives fit together despite their differences, both boys start to wonder if maybe the universe doesn't mean for them to be togther.

But maybe it does...

I really enjoyed this book. The meet-cute was adorable, and everything that came after was too. I found myself reading with a grin on my face most of the way through. Arthur and Ben are great characters and the supporting ones, especially Ben's bestie Dylan, are pitch perfect.

If I had one quibble, it would be that it was hard to distinguish the two different voices. Even though this book was written by two authors and I imagine each wrote one POV, both boys sounded very similar, despite being distinctly different characters. When I put the book down and came back to it, I often had to check to see whose POV I was in because it wasn't immediately apparent until one boy referenced another by name.

But overall, I loved this book. Even the ending which I won't give away here. Sometimes an ending can be happy even when it isn't the ending you expect. This one felt very realistic which was refreshing in a romance.

So, I definitely recommend this one.

You can see the Netflix series playing out in your mind as you read this rather lovely book.

Arthur is working for his mum in her law office in New York, the family have moved there for the summer and Arthur has an internship doing the filing. He has cool gossipy workmates who are incredibly entertaining, they look out for him and make the job interesting and fun.

Ben is stuck in summer school, not his ideal way to spend the summer. He has broken up with his boyfriend, it is hard, he is a bit broken. Worse the ex is also attending summer school so he has to see him all the time and that is sad and hard.

Arthur meets Ben at the Post Office in the midst of a flash mob, it is the cutest thing. Love at first sight but then they spend the next while trying to find each other. They don’t have many clues, but this is love, they need to find each other. So investigations take place, they get everyone involved in the search and of course, when all seems lost they find each other. Ohhhh my poor wee heart just went all gooey! Now we have them working through all the stuff of the past, thinking about the future and dealing with life as it plays out for them. This is the summer of dreams but sometimes it is the summer of angst. There are heaps of lovely references to gay culture, musicals, coffee shops that are amazing – though I’ve had plenty of coffee in New York and I’m skeptical about these – this is a New York story with a thoroughly New York state of mind.

I feel a bit bad for the 3 stars, it is really a firm 3.5. I felt that it was just a bit wordy. It took a tiny bit too long for things to happen and while the chat in the book is so brilliant and witty and on point, there is just too much of it. The cuteness is just so lovely, the banter excellent, the families of the boys are so nice, so accepting of their interesting and complicated gay kids. I loved it when the two families had dinner together. Seriously, this is so nice! Like a romantic froth of powder blue tulle! Like puppies and kittens. Like my dog on Insta! It just needed a bit of substance.

I think this will be a huge hit. And I’m so pleased that books like this are becoming mainstream. Here are the authors talking about it.

I fell in love.

The characters were all so great, especially Arthur who was so relatable to me because of his love for musicals and HAMILTON!!! The amount of Hamilton references in this book was insane and it made me so happy! If you love Hamilton, just read it, you won't be disappointed.

The general story flowed nicely, it started with a meet cute in New York between the two main characters Arthur and Ben and, without going into too much detail, they get split up without having each other's contact details. Obviously there wouldn't be a story if they weren't reunited, so *spoiler alert* they find each other again and the story goes on from there.

I loved all the different little friend groups they both had. I feel like a big focus of the story as a whole was the friendships. Dylan was one of my favourite characters, and I loved his friendship with Ben.

To wrap this up, if you love cute contemporary romances, gay main characters, New York, musicals (especially Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen), Harry Potter, the Sims, Instagram, summer school, coffee, cookies and epic collaborations from amazing authors, then you need to read this book now.

Netflix, please turn this into a movie?

Oh my - I am in love with this story and these two boys! I loved the premise of two strangers meeting randomly and then somehow and someway meeting up again and the way this story was told just flowed. I also loved both Arthur and Ben equally - whenever I was reading Arthur's chapter I was thinking I loved him more but then when I was reading Ben's chapter...well I loved him more! (And don't get me started on the awesome BFF Dylan - he was a shining star).
I found both Arthur and Ben authentic characters, they made me laugh and cry and also swoon. I probably would have liked the ending to be a bit more concrete - but I guess it leaves it wide open for a second book!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster (Australia) for my copy via Netgalley.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! I never wanted this book to finish! This book had me smiling like an absolute goofball and also trying not to cry on public transport as well. It was just cuteness overload.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review

I loved the dynamics between Arthur and Ben so much. I loved how different they were to each other, but how great they were for each other. I'm not normally someone who enjoys the insta love trope, but I enjoyed it and it worked well for me. I loved the boys having to fight the universe for them to happen and work. I enjoyed that although this book is somewhat a light read, it also does tackle the harder hitting topics that are relevant in this day in age.

Yes this book is full of pop culture and theatre references, which as someone who enjoys it, I loved all of the references, but I do understand if these references are overdone for some.

The ending was probably my only issue with the book as it fell kind of flat for me in comparison to the rest of the book. However, it didn't take anything away from the rest of the book for me.

I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy as soon as it's released!

This book is so good the movie rights have already been acquired.

Fair warning, a lot of my thoughts on this book are just crying queerly. I have a lot of feelings about What If It’s Us, the gay meet-cute story we never knew we needed.

What If It’s Us begins outside a post office in New York, where Arthur - nervous, Jewish, intern at his mum’s law office - is on his way to pick up coffee for the real lawyers. Arthur, who I’m not sure if I was friends with in high school or if I was in high school, impulsively ducks into the post office when he encounters Ben.

Ben - awkward, Puerto Rican, in summer school because ADHD + hot boys = no studying - is trying to mail a box of things back to his ex so he can avoid ever having to deal with that whole mess, which is also intensely relatable.

They meet, they cute, but then they separate without learning each other’s names or phone numbers, and even though I knew from the blurb they would find each other I died inside. This turned out to be common throughout this book.

There are a lot of good morals about having healthy (and unhealthy) relationships here, woven in with the story of two strangers trying to get to know each other and themselves. There’s a lot of honest portrayal of how it feels to be LGBT(QIA) and trying to live your life, perpetually slightly worried that someone will somehow sense your queerness and attack you for it.

I have read literally all of Becky Albertalli’s books so it’s no surprise that I fell right into the writing style, which although I sometimes laugh at the sheer density of pop culture references, is as familiar as my tumblr dash. I have not read any of Adam Silvera’s books, but I think now I’m going to have to fix that.

Finally, and totally self-indulgently, I need you all to know that at one point in the book one of the side characters idly tells Arthur that she identifies with the SAME LABELS AS ME. THAT’S ME, YOU GUYS. I CRIED. I’M CRYING AGAIN NOW TELLING YOU. NEVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU REPRESENTATION ISN’T IMPORTANT.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for supplying the e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this was the ultimate contemporary for 2018. Ever since this was announced people have been going nuts and now I get why. This was co-written by Adam Silvera, the guy guaranteed to make you cry & Becky Albertalli, the gal guaranteed to make you smile.

I’m going to be honest here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to read (and enjoy) this one, and as soon as I requested it on Netgalley earlier this year I completely regretted it. So, imagine my surprise when I actually enjoyed the book!

“I believe in love at first sight. Fate, the universe, all of it. But not how you’re thinking. I don’t mean it in the our souls were split and you’re my other half forever and ever sort of way. I just think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path.”
Rep:

Arthur: Jewish, ADHD, Gay
Ben: Puerto-Rican, Gay
#Ownvoices Rep – Jewish (Becky), Puerto-Rican & Gay (Adam)

This book was so much fun! I definitely had my issues with it, and I’ll get into that later, but for the most part, I really enjoyed it! I found the characters, particularly Arthur to be really relatable – in that they’re quite mature but also act their age. They’re smart in their actions, they think about what they’re going to do before they do it, but they also act their age and react in a way that a 17-year-old would. Arthur and Ben are also quite emotional which I appreciated – because the way they reacted to situations really made sense to me, but unfortunately, in most media, boys/males rarely show varied emotions.

I wrote this above in my rep section, but a bunch of the rep in this book is #ownvoices so if you’re looking for authentic gay, Puerto-Rican &/or Jewish representation, this is a great book for you to pick up!

CUTE AF, BUT IT FLOWS TOO WELL?

This is a non-spoiler review so I want to keep it sweet and simple, so here it is: What If It’s Us is cute af. The characters are relatable, the romance is adorable & it’s such a pleasure to read!

The writing flows really well, but actually, that’s one of my main criticisms with the book – the writing flows too well. Unless Arthur was getting really hyper and talking about Hamilton I usually couldn’t tell his pov apart from Ben’s which got pretty frustrating purely because I had to be constantly swiping back to the start of the chapter to see who’s pov I was reading from.

Also, just a side note: This book deals with a lot of more mature subjects like alcohol & sex, as well as what it feels like when you’re so close to going into Uni/College as the MCs are both 17 by the end of the book.

Also also, just a side note: If you haven’t listened to Hamilton or Dear Evan Hansen before reading this, you probably should. Both musicals are a big part of the story and the characters so there are a lot of references (the same goes for Harry Potter) to the songs and the stories. I learnt this the hard way, having never listened to Dear Evan Hansen before – well, jokes on me because that’s where the authors got the title from.

“Box boy dates guys. I’M A GUY.”

Okay, so here we get to the part of the review where I talk about y issues with the book, and why I ended up only giving What If Its Us a 4 stars and not the 5 I could have done.

When I started reading this I really had no clue what it was about, other than it involved a Post Office & a break-up box. So, until the main characters actually met, I was loving it – I thought the characters were really interesting and I was really enjoying reading from their perspectives. And I’m talking laughing out loud on the bus kind of enjoyment, which is a total departure from the usual resting b*tch face I exhibit. I found them to be really dorky and much like my inner self so I was thinking I had finally found a contemporary I could see myself actually wanting to purchase and re-read for years to come – a feat no other contemporary has managed since I read Simon Vs. back in 2016.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the case – while, I can definitely see myself wanting a copy of this to tab up and highlight the hell out of in future, I don’t know if I will give it an annual re-read like I do with Simon. And, this is all down to one thing, really.

The first 30ish% of What If It’s Us revolves around the two main characters trying to find each other after failing to get the other’s number after their meet-cute at the post office. So, to cut to the chase, I fund this book creepy. *runs to the corner* *sorry*

The first 30% of this book revolved around the two love interests trying to find each other online and it really rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t want to spoil anyone, but the way they used and abused social media to find the other character was disturbing. Somehow, and in a totally realistic and creep way, one character, let’s call him boy 1, was able to get enough information out of a 5-minute conversation with a total stranger (aka. boy 2) that he was able to track down someone in boy 2’s life on Instagram and then find boy 2 irl. It honestly just freaked me out and turned me off the book in the beginning – and then as the story progressed I thought maybe it would be a commentary on the dangers of social media. But, no it was just a quirky cute thing that boy 1 did and everyone sees as a huge romantic gesture while I, a mainly sane person would be running for the hills while also calling the police.

“And I let Jonathon Groff drown them out. Because that’s what cute boys are for.“
Overall, this was a cute read with a fantastic ending and maybe I’ll re-read it again after I’ve actually listened to Dear Evan Hansen but it also isn’t perfect. I feel like this could’ve been a really good commentary on the dangers of social media & there could have been more conversation about privacy but it was never really brought up after the fact.

Either way, this is a great read for a readathon, maybe the next round of Contemporaryathon? This is also a really diverse read, in that there is rep for ADHD (he takes rescripted meds which helps in school), Jewish rep, Puerto-Rican & gay rep which I really enjoyed each as part of the story.

Also, and this is minor on the rep scale,, but there is a recurring Biromantic Asexual character and that honestly made my day when I saw it on the page.

TW: Cheating, Homophobia, Racism, Panic/Anxiety Attacks, Alcohol, Hospitalisation

I loved the characters in this book. They are funny, lovable and endearing. As they navigate their way through a new relationship you are constantly hoping that they can get their act together and that the universe is on their side and love will ultimately prevail. The authors have done an amazing and seamless job on collaborating on this novel.

OMG GUYS YOU ALL NEED TO READ THIS BOOK AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT!!!!

(Seriously, get keen. Your lives are about to be blessed.)

Being approved for an ARC of this was one of the greatest things that has happened to me this year, this is it guys. I have reached the pinnacle of my reading career!!

But seriously. This book is really good.

Also, cover is adorable!!!

And the humour is spot on, some bits are just so funny I can't even!!

Ben and Arthur are such cinnamon rolls omg I love them so much!

And the meet-cute honestly made my life!!

I don't even know what I can say about this book. Just pre-order it, go read it, and improve your life by at least twelve times.

But the ending tho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(GUYS, get keen!)

Also, brace your hearts!!

I love Becky Albertalli's books but have never seemed to get into Adam Silvera books but I finally did! This writing duo created such a beautiful meet cute (or disaster) love story. It also has own voices LGBT rep which is always amazing.

Overall I'd say this was a really cute story. I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to for some reason but I definitely squealed at some bits and was satisfied with the realistic ending. I love the contrast between Ben and Arthur's personalities and their relationship in general because I applaud them for actually trying hard to make it work instead of just giving up. The plot did seem a bit too unrealistic for my liking as a contemporary at some parts so I wouldn't go as far as saying I loved it but I liked the important messages it sent across ~ 3.5/5 stars.

Right now I must stop reviewing to run off and place a vote for Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera's What If It's Me.    It's a finalist in the Goodreads Young Adult Fiction category and having just finished it I understand completely understand why.   Before getting to the book I want to commend this clever writing duo.    They managed to seamlessly write together and imo was  a great team up, one I hope we see more of.

Ben and Arthur, two young guys in New York, first encounter each other in the Post Office.     Told from their respective points of view, as readers we know they were each attracted to the other.   Unfortunately though, it's was only when it was too late that they realised they should have exchanged contacts - or names at the very least.     What If It's Us was their story - of finding each other, getting acquainted and dealing with all the issues new and first love brings with it.  It was a story filled to the brim with pop culture and contemporary language.  It was about beginnings and endings and all the messy bits in between.   The novel explored friendships, relationships and the tricky territory of finding ones way back to friendship after attempting a relationship.  It provided a glimpse into (reminder of) what it's like to be a teenager with insecurities, regardless of ones sexuality.  

At one point Ben mused"<b> I don’t know if we’re a love story or a story about love.</b>

I think they were both and since they were all about the L word, I'm getting in on the act.

I loved this book from the beginning.
I loved the characters.  
I loved the story.    
I loved the way I was drawn into it despite it being almost too sweet.
I loved the way family and friends were not only supportive but accepting of these boys and their non-hetero sexual orientation.
I loved that despite being more of a baby boomer than a millenial or gen Z'er I felt I could relate and was left wanting more of these kids and their families and friends.

My thanks to the authors, Simon & Schuster (Australia) and of course NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to obtain a early copy of this book and I am very late with my review but nonetheless here it is. What If It's Us is a coming of an age book, in which it looks at self-discovery, self-acceptance, love, relationships and that transition between teenager and adulthood. The authors did an amazing job with the diversity represented, it was refreshing and were able to truly depict the atmosphere of New York.

Overall, it was a cute story and would recommend it, especially to those who adore contemporary YA books.

When this book got announced I think I — to be honest — lost my shit. I remember thinking how badly I wanted an Adam & Becky team up and then it happened and I didn’t know how to handle it. I went into this book with really high expectations. Adam Silvera is one of my favourite authors and Becky’s books (I haven’t read Leah on the Offbeat yet) have made me feel so happy. Seeing a lot of mixed reviews was a little worrying, but fortunately I was not disappointed. This really does have all the elements of a Becky and Adam book combined. I can see why people may have wanted more, but for me it was enough.

Representation wise this story has a m/m romance (both Ben and Arthur are gay and already out to their family and friends). Ben is Puerto-Rican and Arthur is Jewish, which is #ownvoices for Adam and Becky respectively.

Even though everything happens between Ben and Arthur relatively quickly it always felt believable. Their relationship was really awkward at times, but they didn’t know each other and were so different (Arthur is super practical and Ben is super lowkey) that it only made sense for things to not go smoothly. They have multiple first dates and like honestly that would be me lmao. The fact that it wasn’t perfect from the get go is why I loved it. Seeing the development between them and the way they grew closer was so great. They were adorable!

I absolutely adored the friendship groups in this book. They’re messy and complicated (Arthur’s dealing with the complications of keeping long distant friendships and Ben’s dealing with complicated dating among his friend group making things weird), but that’s what I loved about it. There was seriously such great dynamics between everyone. I especially loved Ben’s friendship with his best friend, Dylan. In fact, in general, I loved Dylan. He was such an incredibly well-developed side-character.

I know not everyone is a fan of pop culture references, but I dig them. This book has a lot of them so be prepared. Every time there was reference to Harry Potter or Hamilton I got way too excited. The only references I didn’t get where the ones for Dear Evan Hansen, but it didn’t really take anything away from the story for me.

One criticism I do have is that at the start of the book it’s kind of hard to distinguish between Ben and Arthur’s voices? The eventually do grow into their own characters and they have so many different personality traits, but at first they kind of blend together? And I had to check whose POV I was reading from. Sometimes Arthur really annoyed me …. like he definitely needed to Chill™ but I am an adult so that could be a bit harsh and also it’s probably just a personal preference because I prefer characters like Ben.

I think the ending, once again, is where a lot of people have a problem and I can see why. It almost makes the story seem redundant in a way, but for me I couldn’t see it ending any other way. It felt super realistic. Like, these kids knew each other for a month? Ben was still in the middle of processing a previous break up. Anything else, in my opinion, would have felt way too forced and contrived.

Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera are wonders. Together, I feel as though a masterpiece was born.

'What if it's Us' is a beautiful story that is romantic, powerful, relatable and so gosh darn cute I think I died several times over. I don't want to give away too much, but the characterisations of Arthur and Ben were so perfect for this story. Both characters came together with their own strengths and weaknesses; the narrative itself was one which did not sugarcoat emotional anxieties, but instead, I felt that both Albertalli and Silvera wrote the realities of a relationship and of growing up, without artifice. In Young Adult fiction, there needs to be more of this rawness in storytelling.

Although I could go on for thousands of words about Arthur and Ben and their story, I will keep it short. However, the reason as to why I only have this book a 4 out of 5 stars is because of two things. Before I delve into the reason, however, when it was announced that Albertalli and Silvera were to collaborate together, I wondered how their writing styles would work together in a non-abrasive way. I say this because Albertalli is known for her quite light, cute, endearing and happy-ever-after endings and stories; Silvera, on the other hand, writes intense narratives of love and loss, with less-than-happy endings. You can see the conundrum. It was the ending of this book which I felt could have given us more! It felt underwhelming, in my opinion, but I want every love story to end happily and not ambiguous at all. Another point of critique would be the 'conflict' that was written. Although it only lasted for a few pages, it felt like there had to be a conflict and it was just, kind of pointless. Although I do understand its purpose, to push the narrative to the next stage and of course, the relationship between Ben and Arthur, I just wanted more for these two incredible characters.

Overall, a fantastically written novel that is so utterly pure and beautiful, that it will make you laugh, smile and cry buckets.

What a cute romance!! I loved the way this was written and so character driven. The alternation of the chapter perspectives really added to the story, as you had moments where you were almost having conversations with the characters to push them into finding each other. For example the Craigslist add, and Arthur thinking of doing it, but then not, and Ben checking to see if he had. One problem I had with this story is that I really disliked Arthur, his whining and selfishness in so many of the situations really frustrated me. But I guess that demonstrates good writing, as not all characters should be perfect. I really liked the friendships threaded throughout the story and found this book to be targeted to a wide audience because of all the various themes throughout. Definitely has spurred me to want to pick up more books by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. Definitely recommend!

I finally got around to reading this book! It was so sweet and heartfelt, regardless of how many times Arthur made me want to punch him for being a nong.
I'm so glad this book didn't take course over one day, rather several weeks. I like how it also took into play the dynamics between exes and friends who get into relationships and what all of that stuff feels like (even though it did make me super confused. I had to constantly ask my friend who was who's ex...)
I just flew through this book, and it was such a great collab. I now need to read all of Albertalli and Silvera's books.

This is probably the most real teen romance that I think I've ever read, but I also understand why there were people who didn't enjoy it. As it turns out, the back and forthing and general weirdness that is so standard in teens who are in love doesn't make the most cohesive and convincing love narrative.

And so I viewed these characters as a collection of people who were just doing their best to get by, and I enjoyed it more that way.

Ben is in summer school because he chose to spend his year cutting classes with his then boyfriend, Hudson, who is also in summer school. The awkwardness of course is that they are now exes who are stuck in the same place for the next couple months. The friendship from before has been completely eroded.

I felt most sorry for Harriet in these earlier scenes. She sits next to Hudson at summer school, but she and Ben also used to be friends and she is doing her best to navigate not choosing a side.

However, Ben happens to be best friends--brothers even--with Harriet's exboyfriend Dylan. So that's understandably complicated.

Into all of this comes Arthur. He's on a summer internship with his mum's law firm in New York, however his family lives usually in Georgia. His father is meanwhile unemployed which is causing just a bit of a strain on a lot of things. But I really loved the relationship between Arthur and his father.

Arthur and Ben have a chance encounter in a post office where Ben is trying to return a box of Hudson's stuff before a flash mob of dancers comes in and interrupts them. Neither boy can stop thinking of the other after their chance encounter.

The thing I most loved about this story is that none of the characters are perfect, and none of the love stories are perfect. They are all different kinds of love and different kinds of relationship that suit the people involved. This novel shows the ways in which other people will look at the love within a relationship and either elevate it or devalue it and will often be wrong just from their outsider perspective. I particularly liked how this was shown with Arthur's parents.

Man I love Adam Silvera so much! This was fantastic and everything I wanted it to be. My favourite part? Diversity, complex characters, sex positivity and humour make this an A+ right out of the gate. While the story did slow in some parts, I couldn't help but be captivated by the characters and this journey they were on. Two amazing writers penning an amazing YA novel is about as book dreamy as you can get. Love, love, love it!