“…a quick, enjoyable, YA LBGT romance book!”
~ Under the Covers
Ruben and Zach are two 18 year old members of a four-person boy band at the peak of their success. They’re just finished their US tour and are about to embark on their European tour. However, in the face of the European tour a lot is going on: Ruben is starting to feel stifled by their management team who are preventing him from coming out. Zach (who thought he was straight) is starting to think he might rely on Ruben more than he thought and the boys, who have been best friends since meeting a music camp are starting to feel rifts in their friendship. If This Gets Out follows the boys as they discover themselves come into adulthood, and realize how to stand up for themselves.
This was a solid four-star read for me. The plot summary sounded a bit light to me at first, but once I got into the book I realized that there are a lot of heavier issues that add a lot of substance to what I thought was “a YA book about a boyband.” The authors address issues such as the pressure of coming out, being yourself, addiction, and social acceptance. While this book is about a famous group, I think the issues the authors chose to address are ones that everyone can relate to in some way, whether you’re a part of a famous boy band or not.
What really stood out to me was the narration style. The book alternates between Ruben and Zach’s perspectives and the voices the authors use for each are very unique—I was never confused as to who was narrating. But beyond that the styles of narration were great. Ruben and Zach have dry humour and sarcasm lacing their narrations, which really worked for me. I thought it made the book very conversational, easy to read, and easier to connect to—like you were talking to a friend. This style was something I thought the authors did an exceptional job with.
I had intentions to read the e-ARC of this book back during Pride Month because of its queer representation. I wanted to (and still continue to make efforts to) diversity my reading. If this is a goal of yours too definitely pick this one up. It reminded me a lot of Julie Murphy’s latest YA book Pumpkin. If she’s an author you like, or if you liked that book, then you’re sure to like this one as well. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one as a quick, enjoyable, YA LBGT romance book!
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[about-author author=”Sophie Gonzales”]
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