If This Gets Out

If This Gets Out is about 4 members of a boy band, 2 of which fall in love, but it's also about all 4 struggling to be themselves while constantly being under control.
I absolutely loved this book! It was one of my favorites of the year so far, and I don't see it being dethroned anytime soon. I was up reading it all night until 7am, just because of how difficult it was to put down, and how much I enjoyed reading it.

When I started reading, I thought it would be mainly about the romance, so I'll comment on that first. Zach and Ruben are so incredibly cute together! From the moment you start hearing from their perspectives and how they react to each others' presence, there's such a bond between the two, and a beautiful and accurate depiction of having a crush. I had flashbacks to high school and crushes and how every small thing meant so much when it came from that certain someone. All of that is done so well in the book. And that's just the beginning, Throughout the book, I truly felt the bond between the two, and everything from their growing love, to the chemistry between them, from their arguments to how they support each other was so beautiful.

Romance is not what this book is all about, in fact, I'd say that other plot lines are more important and poignant. Since the band is so big across the world, the 4 members live their lives under the thumb of the record company. As the book goes on, the pressures increase and they're under constant scrutiny. These kids have to deal with so much, from toxic parents, to substance abuse, being forced to stay in the closet, and other emotionally manipulative and abusive behavior from people who are supposed to be looking after them. I loved how the psychological pressure was handled. Even if you don't relate to being a mega world star, their struggles and how they react to it feel incredibly relatable, and more importantly very genuine. It's impossible to not feel for these 4, and not to find something from yourself or from your life in them.

The four characters are also written so well. Even only based on what is being said, you can guess who's speaking, because they truly feel like completely distinct characters that are well fleshed out. I know I would love to have these 4 as friends and getting to read about their world, and feeling like I was there was just delightful.

Aside from the plot though, I also found this very beautifully written. This might be one of the books that I highlighted the most. There were so many instances of lyrical prose, I was in awe most of the time.

Overall, as you can probably tell from my gushing review, I adored this book, and I don't even have a single nitpick. This will stay with me for a while. The only thing that makes me sad is that it won't be out for another 6 months, so the rest of my friends won't get the experience this book until December.