If This Gets Out

I'm too old to know enough about One Direction or BTS to tell if the MCs of this novel are based on real people. The popular boy band of my 1970s childhood was The Bay City Rollers, and I can't imagine shipping any of their members - or even knowing what "shipping" meant! Fortunately, If This Gets Out is a strong book that doesn't require any knowledge about the bands that are currently trending on Twitter. The romance between Ruben and Zach is swoon-worthy, but the relationships between all four members of Saturday, and the effects of the highly protected and curated life in a manufactured boy band, are arguably even more compelling.

Ruben, Zach, Jon, and Angel went from being in a summer camp music group together to being superstars show more with millions of screaming fans. Every minute of their public life is strictly controlled for optimum impact on popularity and sales. Each boy has a designated persona targeted to a certain type of girl. Ruben has agreed to keep his homosexuality a secret from the public to preserve the band's fantasy image, but one day he hopes he can truly be himself. Meanwhile he is struggling to hide his crush on Zach, his straight BFF.

When Saturday embarks on a European tour, the pressures and restrictions increase and the boys start showing signs of stress. Angel's occasional recreational drug use intensifies, and Jon, whose father is their manager, desperately tries to keep him from going overboard. Meanwhile Zach and Ruben's drunken kiss and its confusing aftermath threatens the boys' friendship and the band's cohesion. Even if Zach and Ruben can get past the fear and miscommunication, the fact remains that if their romance is revealed, the band's popularity will likely plummet - and hundreds of people who depend on them, from hairstylists to roadies, will lose their jobs.

This book is co-authored by Sophie Gonzales, whose breakthrough novel [b:Only Mostly Devastated|45046743|Only Mostly Devastated|Sophie Gonzales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558716772l/45046743._SY75_.jpg|60447162] was a pleasant surprise, and Cale Dietrich, a new-to-me author. Their voices are distinct but their writing styles mesh well, so it reads like Zach and Ruben are definitely different characters living in the same story. There is a little too much predictable lack of communication after the boys first get together, but once things move past that point, the plot becomes much more satisfying as their relationship growth takes place against Angel's increasingly erratic behavior, complex family dynamics, and their manager's deviousness in claiming to accept the boys' relationship while actively sabotaging it. I was less worried about the survival of "Zuben" than the band's, and the resolution to both issues was satisfying in the best possible way.

These authors should consider co-authoring another book, as this one hit all of the right notes.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review. show less

Ah, If This Gets Out was so very good! I figured that I would love this book, from the moment that I read the synopsis. A story about a boy band, their behind the scenes lives, rounded out with a romance? Yes please!

First off, let me give some love to the authors for writing such stellar characters. Ruben, Zach, Angel and Jon were all such vividly written people, each with their own personalities and flaws. It always makes me happy to see characters who are still going through growing phases. I mean, what could be harder than trying to be a teenager while simultaneously trying to be a famous singer? This story doesn’t glorify the bright lights of fame, but instead shines the light on what they can put people through. Each of the boys show more has their own baggage that they’re already carrying around, and fame only makes that burden a lot heavier.

That’s not to say that this book is all doom and gloom though. Like I said above, the boys are vividly written and lovely to read about. Their relationships with one another felt genuine. A strong love for one another, maybe laced occasionally with a bit of exasperation or worry. Even their witty banter and bickering felt realistic to me. I giggled a lot, especially at Angel’s sense of humor. It’s something that really elevates the rest of the story, and makes you root for the boys as they navigate their separate lives and separate issues.

As for the romance, well, I can’t say too much without spoiling so I’ll keep it simple. Ruben and Zach’s relationship truly felt natural and believable. It was a slow burn, and watching Zach navigate his true feelings made me smile and tear up in equal measures. What I especially appreciated about this particular part though was how open they were with one another. As an adult, I know for a fact that nothing is solved when people refuse to communicate to one another. That is something that is highlighted in this story. These two went through a lot to get what they wanted, and I truly adored them for it.

The absolute only reason that I gave this a four star rating was that it’s a dual POV book, and that is always rough for me to keep up with. The only difference between the two sets of chapters was the name of the boy under each chapter header. Since they essentially sounded the same while speaking, it made it hard for me to distinguish between the two. I found myself stopping to double check that I knew who was speaking, more than a few times. This is not say that others will have this same problem, so take that with a grain of salt! The book is definitely more than worth it. show less

If This Gets Out is the first collaboration of Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich. I have read books by both authors, and it seems to me that their skills combine well to create a book that’s pretty adorable but still manages to delve into some serious issues.

This book seems to be marketed as a queer YA romance, but I would argue that it’s much more than that. There’s a lot of substance in this story and it’s great to see the genre expanded to include some relevant and serious issues.

Ruben, Zack, Jon and Angel are the members of the boy-band Saturday. They are a fully managed band that appear to have it all together in front of the camera. The problem is that things behind the stage seem to be starting to unravel.

Ruben has known show more for a long time that he was gay, but his management has insisted that he keep his sexual orientation “discreet.” What does that mean when you’re in a boy band? It means that you can’t ever really be yourself. Things get even more complex when Zach… whom Ruben has long harbored an unrequited crush on – kisses him.

While the romance plays out behind the scenes (and in fade to black scenes that are really well written) the business of being in a boyband is also explored. The authors do a great job of shining some light on the contractual process that may be involved in making music and many other issues: Lack of creative control, lack of personal time, all work-no play, mental health issues, paparazzi, fans and more.

It may seem ambitious to tackle so many issues in one book, but the authors do a great job of exploring the ins and outs of the music industry.

The book becomes a battle between the band members and their management. They’re all becoming young men and some of them are dealing with the challenges of fame better than others. Each of the band members is dealing with something different and it certainly makes for interesting reading.

Jon is the son of their manager and seems to be discovering that he’s more of a commodity to his father than a son. Angel is seeking excitement and freedom in unhealthy ways. Ruben’s mother is controlling and tends towards being a little cruel – he just wants to come out and be “himself”. Zack… oh Zack (I did love this character) is a people-pleaser and is finding out that just may mean he doesn’t actually know what he wants for himself.

The POV switches between Zack and Ruben. This is the way that Gonzales and Dietrich chose to co-write. It works quite well in the book. I particularly loved that the different POVs were printed in different fonts. It seems small but it was an extra clue for my brain when I was reading.

This is a YA book and could be considered new adult as the band members are all 18 years old. It’s feels as though it’s firmly planted in the YA universe. I loved the voices of the characters and think that it would be a great read for young people, or for people like me who just love YA.

This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more collaborations from these two authors. show less

Title: If This Gets Out
Author(s): Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich
Format: Audiobook

Synopsis: 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 show more 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.

Thoughts: I wish I could give this book 1000 stars because I loved it! I'm a horror/mystery/thriller girl, so I rarely read romance (unless it's a dark romance/smut lol). However, If This Gets Out has changed my opinion of contemporary romance. Apparently not all of them were written in the Nicolas Sparks template....not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not my jam. I would love to read a sequel, like the aftermath of the ending, because I adored the characters. Ooh, or even a book(s) from the POV of Angel and/or Jon! Yeah, I may have gotten too emotionally attached too quickly to the characters! In my defense, it was hard not too when the characters were so likeable lol.

I'm familiar with One Direction's discography (I get turnt all the way up dancing to What Makes You Beautiful on Just Dance) but I didn't follow their coming and goings like that. So I had no idea that people shipped the boys until I was reading the recommendations and reviews for If This Gets Out. And then when I was reading it, I couldn't unsee the comparisions. However, my mind's eye kept seeing Zayn as Ruben and Harry as Zach, since Ruben was the POC and Zach had longer hair, though it was darker. I'm not sure that was the ship the reviews were referring to but that's just how I read it. And now I'll have to add Zayn/Harry as a favortie tag on AO3 because I'm curious and invested lol.

I'm looking forward to reading more from Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars show less

I have never been a boyband stan but holy crap. They were all adorable and I loved the relationship with Ruben and Zach.

The low key gaslighting and abusive behavior from their management team was so quietly insidious and I found myself doing a shoulder shimmy during the climax of the book when they addressed it all.

I'm a big fan of both, Sophie and Cale. When I saw this synopsis my directioner heart lost a beat, but the read was so not the fanfiction I was expecting!
You can see some resemblance with the boys, but also with a lot of boybands and girlbands over the times, I liked a lot the relationship between them as a group, very close but also some tension between thinking of the others as friends or work colleagues.
The plot was dense, the drama was close to zero when it comes to their relationships, they just were really good to each other, never fighting hard, never lying, just some small misunderstandings that were resolved almost instantly.
The book was mostly about the industry, actually, about closeting, toxic relationships in the family or show more at work, being gaslighted, outed, threatened, substance abuse, and so many things that we don't talk enough about, when we really should.
It's really a lot bigger than just a ship, being the actually ships being truth or not, doesn't matter, what does matter it's why, when we have 3% of the worldwide population being LGBTQIA (this of the people that are actually out, in friendlier countries this can be over the 20%), how can in the media we have so few examples? This makes us think that one of two things is happening:
1- the LGBT community doesn't get to be between the biggest stars
2- the LGBT community is there, but closed
And why? This can only reflect the prejudice of the public, the media and everyone that manage this industries. We, as the public, need to show support. If we are showing to the wrong persons, like the Saturday's fans that were over heels by Anjon when they're not the real couple in the band, well, that was a honest mistake, but this still showed to them as a band that they would be just as loved by the fans even if they were not straight as the media painted them.
Even if the authors said that the book was not inspired by any real ship, and I believe it, they obviously made the research about the ones that are actually in the media and used this in this book. It was very respectful with all the real artists, and nothing but perfect, as it always is with the books by these two. show less

this is pretty good. it was fun and sweet and not without tension and angst. i appreciated the friendships and that the relationship tension was all realistic and reasonable, nothing that felt forced by the genre. i also liked the different levels of parental involvement and relationships that existed with the boys. i had no idea that celebrities are managed to the extent that they are in this book; but it does make sense that this may be reality. while a fan thinks they know and like a certain member of the group, that persona is entirely made up by their marketing team. i wonder how often that's the case.

i only wish the voices of the boys sounded more distinct, as each chapter could have either been ruben or zach, they sounded exactly show more the same. i could only keep them straight by their mothers, because otherwise they sounded too similar. the book is also probably 50% longer than it needs to be, and i wish it was shorter and tighter. but the messaging is good, the queer rep is good and felt really true, and the writing is pretty good. all around enjoyable. show less