User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
“Maybe this isn’t how life works. Maybe it’s all about people coming into your life for a little while and you take what they give you and use it on your next friendship or relationship. And if you’re lucky, maybe some people pop back in after you thought they were gone for good.”So. This was the most anticipated book of 20gayteen. And I have to say that I expected a little more from this fabulous collaboration.
In fact, I do have a lot of criticism. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy this book. It was a quick, cute and obviously super gay read. But the fact that Becky and Adam are two of the biggest names in the YA industry made me have the highest expectations. Here are three major points where the authors could have done a better job:
Pop culture referencesI won't lie, I always love to see authors make Harry Potter references. And I don't mind when a character is a big fan of a franchise that I have never given much attention before. But when the pop culture references are so numerous that they threaten to overpower your own original content, you should maybe think about restraining yourself a little. When content that you have not even created yourself - in this case it's
Hamilton - takes up so much space in a story that people forget about the original material, you should be worried. I've seen both Adam and Becky doing this in their own books as well. And it has become a trend in YA to reference lots of non-fictional fandoms, franchises, etc.
What If It's Us took all of that to a whole new level, though, and it didn't do the book any good. Especially because it doesn't exactly promise a bright future for a book when the characters keep talking about things that might be entirely out of fashion in ten years time.
Teen dramaLook. When you think that a relationship is too smooth and you need to fill the pages with more drama because it might get boring otherwise, please find a valid reason for a fight or just leave it out altogether. Don't just fish for something irrelevant to construct a ridiculous fight that could have been avoided altogether. It makes me doubt your creativity as a writer when you make up drama just for the sake of including drama. And, man, these are
two talented and experienced authors who have written several good books so
how did they manage to write scenes that felt so...amateurish? Arthur and Ben are teenagers, yes, but they're not 13 years old. They are a little more mature than that. Make them act like it, too, please.
HomophobiaWhen people make fun of Trump and Putin kissing or even having sex with each other, that's
not funny. Why is that? Because these kinds of jokes and cartoons seek to diminish their integrity and masculinity. (I'm not saying they have integrity but simply pointing out the effect that this kind of method has.) And what makes them less masculine, less respected, less powerful in such jokes? Not the fact that they are incompetent or close-minded leaders but the fact that they are gay.
So I do not understand why Becky and Adam would buy into this kind of narrative. There were two instances when such jokes were made in this book. They were not as crude or explicit as you might imagine, but they still crossed a line that YA authors should never cross. Especially when they write about gay characters. Especially when they happen to be gay themselves.
Lots of stuff to think about that could have easily been avoided or ironed out during the editing process. It would have been so easy, really. I know this was a heavy dose of negative criticism - but keep in mind that I am this critical because I actually admire Becky and Adam a lot and just expected a little better of them.
But here is the good stuff:
The endingSpoilers ahead!
The ending was my favourite thing about this book. I think it was done really well, especially because it's so realistic. When Arthur and Ben decide to end their romantic relationship and try to stay friends, it is not the most romantic outcome, but definitely the healthiest and most logical one. A couple of weeks of romance do not ensure a life-long relationship, especially when that relationship has to be a long-distance one. At 16 or 17 you might be in love with a person, lose your virginity to that person, but it's unlikely that that person will be the last one you will ever love or have sex with.
I do love that the possibility of a shared future remains, though. Ben and Arthur still have feelings for one another, and I am confident that their paths will cross again.
RepresentationThis book has a gay Puerto Rican main character and a gay Jewish main character with ADHD. And it was written by OwnVoices authors - they gay, Puerto Rican author wrote the gay and Puerto Rican character, the Jewish author wrote the Jewish character. It also features a variety of characters with different ethnic and social backgrounds, and topics like anxiety, privilege and homophobia are openly discussed. I'm glad that YA has come this far and is still growing.
The charactersWhile I didn't always connect with Arthur and Ben, who often managed to annoy me, I really liked some of the side-characters. Jessie seems to be a really good friend. Samantha is an adorable character with a big heart. Namrata and Juliet are my personal sarcastic heroes and made me laugh a lot.
In a nutshell: an entertaining novel with ups and downs.
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Rating: really liked it
never in literature history have the gays won so hard until this collab
Rating: really liked it
sounds gay, can't wait
Rating: really liked it
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH <3 I shall be talking about it more in my upcoming Stories I Ate video, but UGH SO CUTE SO HAPPY MAKING SO WONDERFUL!!!
Rating: really liked it
I really loved this book! I have been waiting for this book since the moment it was announced and it truly did not disappoint!
CW: cheating, homophobia, racism, panic attacks
I of course enjoyed the writing style of this novel. Adam and Becky were able to perfectly co-author this contemporary, making Arthur and Ben’s individual personalities present, whether they were writing their respective character’s chapters or writing the other’s in their own scenes. I feel their two styles blended together perfectly, creating a cohesive story full of fluffy romance and detrimental heart break *insert evil laugh here*. It is heartwarming, humorous, awkward, and inspiring. I virtually had to force myself to put it down when necessary and could not wait to pick it up again. If you are a lover of Adam and/or Becky’s work, you won’t want to miss their debut project together.
I really loved the romance between Arthur and Ben. Not only does it feature a gay romance, but Arthur is Jewish and has ADHD while Ben is also Puerto Rican. I truly loved the set up of their story – not only the charm having a “missed connection” to find each other later, but also the hilarity of their terrible, terrible dates! It’s a fantastic twist on a typical meet-cute. In that respect, they have a very unique love story that I feel is absolutely worth reading. I also loved the fact that I was able to get annoyed/angry with both main characters so frequently. I LOVE characters who’s reactions make me mad while also enabling me to see their viewpoint and fully understand their reactions. Arthur and Ben are both complex, layered characters. They are easy to love, yet remain flawed; exactly as I feel realistic characters should be, and their love story is the same.
My one main critique of the story is it felt a bit predictable. There were only two significant events throughout the entire story that I had not anticipated beforehand – One being the ending which on the plus side, was EXTREMELY surprising and closed out the story in the most satisfying way possible. (A lot of y’all probably won’t like it but if you can set aside a personal opinion for the sake of a fantastic literary ending, I think you’d really appreciate the value of it.) I just wish it had pushed the boundaries of what is to be expected of a typical young adult contemporary romance a little more. I can’t say much of my other critique without spoilers, but I would have liked one of the more intense moments of the story to be more impactful. I attended Epic Reads Day with Adam and Becky where on their panel, they discussed a scene they disagreed over regarding a character’s response to a certain plot point and how that dictated the storyline. I have a strong feeling this is the moment I was underwhelmed by and while I completely understand their reasoning for the decision based on that conversation and how it played out in text, I was left wishing for more.
Overall, I really loved my time reading
What If It’s Us. If you are someone who is excited for this story, I don’t feel you will be disappointed. I would definitely recommend to all my lovers of diverse contemporary romance!
This book was sent to me unsolicited and for free by Harper Collins. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
When Becky and Adam announced that they were teaming up to write a story, I was so excited. At the time, I’d only read one book each of theirs. While I found Becky’s writing lacking, I enjoyed her characters and loved what I’d read of Adam’s work, so it was easy to buy into the hype. As its release date grew nearer, I attempted to read two other works by Becky (both failures) and read another book of Adam’s (a massive disappointment), but I still held out hope that their teamwork would be exactly what I wanted in a cute rom-com contemporary.
I just think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path. Even on random Monday afternoons in July. Even at the post office.
Unfortunately, most of my worst fears for
What if it’s Us came true. While the characters have their cute moments, there’s
no real plot besides the romance, and worse still,
the romance falls short due to a COMPLETE lack of chemistry. The initial meet-cute in the first chapter was sweet and fun, but it immediately went downhill once any semblance of a real relationship began to form.
“Infinite do-overs.” “I like that,” he says. “It sounds like us.”
As you can gather from the synopsis, there’s space between their meeting and their reunion, in which Arthur is brought to the point of slightly stalker-like tendencies in his obsession to find “Box-Boy”. There are some secondhand embarrassment moments and a bit of development into their respective friendships, but beyond that, it felt like a placeholder. Given how long the book is for a YA contemporary, you’d think that timeframe would have involved some legitimate drama, but it’s mostly just a lot of repetitive moments with Arthur pining over Ben, while Ben pines over his breakup.
I barely know him. I guess that’s any relationship. You start with nothing and maybe end with everything.
Once they reunite,
the painful absence of chemistry between them is like a train wreck. I thought at one point that the whole synopsis was one big “gotcha!” and they were about to go their separate ways and find their
real love interests. Ben spends most of this part of the story treating Arthur like crap.
I hated Ben’s perspective chapters for most of the book, because the way he views Arthur is
terrible! He’s constantly reflecting on how Arthur is too short, or talks too much, and there’s the fact that there is an entire chapter dedicated to Ben whining internally about how bad Arthur is at arcade games—when Arthur never even wanted to
go to the arcade, and Ben only dragged him there because it was somewhere Ben used to go with his ex.
(I’m getting pissed off writing this review because it’s reminding me of how much I can’t stand Ben’s character. I think I just accidentally lowered my own rating another star.) All I can think about are all the things I want to know about him.
They do
eventually reach a cutesy point, but it’s too late, it never feels authentic, and then the ending? I have never raged so hard at the ending of a fluffy contemporary book.
I was LIVID over this ending. If you’re going to try this hard to convince me that these two kids need to be together, you had finish on a higher note than
this garbage.
I’m right for him and he’s right for me and that feels beyond right—the universe knew it was love before we did.
On a less rant-y note, there are elements that I enjoyed. Dylan—Ben’s best friend—is hilarious and incredibly awkward. I loved the moments with him and his love interest, Samantha, and I loved the fact that he felt like a fleshed-out character who was going through his own issues and growing pains. On Arthur’s side, I thoroughly enjoyed every single scene with his father, who felt like a total homage to Simon’s dad in
Simon vs., as he’s super supportive and well-meaning, and really wants to get hands-on and involved in helping Arthur find a boyfriend (that Craigslist scene killed me).
I don’t like that the same world that brought us together is also scaring him.
I also have to mention the representation:
Arthur is gay and Jewish, and has ADHD, while Ben is gay and Puerto Rican. There’s not much time spent on Arthur’s family being Jewish, but we do get to spend a little time reflecting on how Ben feels about being Puerto Rican, the pride he takes in his heritage, and how painful it is to have your culture erased because you’re white-passing. There’s also a moment where the boys have to face off against a homophobic father on the train, which is painful, but necessary, as it shows Arthur that there are bigots everywhere—not just in the south, where he’s from.
People like me should come with a mute button.
Overall,
What if it’s Us is not a total disaster—and I think with my low rating,
at 2.5 stars, I’ll be in the minority here. A lot of people love both Becky and Adam way more than I do, and those people will have a field day with this book. There are also endless references to Harry Potter and Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, so if you’re into any (or all) of those fandoms, you’ll enjoy the in-jokes and trivia for sure (though I felt like it reached the point of oversaturation at times).
Sadly, the story overall just didn’t work for me. I feel like I wasted hours of my life that I’ll never get back, and it is with a heavy heart that I confess:
I’m probably retiring from reading anything by either of these authors. I appreciate the representation they offer to the world, and I know their stories mean a lot to so many readers, but there are too many queer YA contemporary authors in the world who do a better job.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to HarperTeen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
Rating: really liked it
you: Avengers: Infinity War is the crossover event of the year
me: an intellectual and contemporary YA fan: knows the real crossover event of the year Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli dropping What If It’s Us
“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.”
IT'S HERE. The much anticipated release from best friend writing duo Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, finally droppe. The Gay agenda is thriving, 20GayTeen is unstoppable.
This book has been on my radar ever since it got announced and I’ve been yelling with glee about this collab forever. So when an ARC of this hot little book fell into my hot little hands let me tell you, I was close to tears. I adore both Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera and have read all of their books, so this was pretty much my dream team up.
In many ways this book has all the hallmarks of a Albertalli/Silvera team up you’d except. We follow Arthur and Ben, who meet at a post office in New York. Ben is mailing back his ex boyfriends things when he runs into Arthur and the two instantly hit it off, but things go wrong and they don’t get each others number. From there we follow the two as they attempt to find each other through next level internet sleuthing and then go on a series of bad dates. Along the way there’s all the fluff and ridiculous yet unputdownable drama you’d expect from an Albertalli book and all the complicated relationships between friends, parents and ex-boyfriends, as well as discussions around identity, you’d expect from a Silvera book.
Both Ben and Arthur are gay, and Ben is also Puerto-Rican. This is OwnVoices for Adam Silvera. Arthur is Jewish and that is ownvoices for Becky Albertalli. As usual, I loved the nuance of the discussion around identity that Silvera embeds into his writing. I really liked that this wasn’t a coming out story and both kids were out to their parents and friends. It was really nice to have a kind of “post coming out” queer story. I also really liked that Ben had already had a boyfriend because I just really enjoy stories where one or both characters have already dated people, for some reason.
When I'm out in the hallway, I text Arthur back. Everything is good. Dylan is very Dylan. I take a deep breath. I really want to see you. Can I meet you somewhere?
My phone buzzes.
Yeah, I'll meet you in the waiting area in ten seconds. Don't be late.
What.
I look up.
There he is.
My favourite thing about this book was it’s maturity. Even though it’s a YA contemporary romance and it’s still corny as heck in some parts, a lot of this book takes it’s time to dissect romance tropes and interrogate how these tropes can’t be played out in real life, because real life is so goddamn messy. Ben has an ex-boyfriend he may or may not be over, and he regrets messing up the friendship group because of their breakup. Arthur can’t help but feel jealous of Arthur’s experience and brings unrealistic expectations into the relationship. The grand expectations of a New York romance you get from Hollywood and Broadway are brutally torn down here, and I really enjoyed it. Real life romance is messy and that is showcased here, but at the same time it kept enough fluff and cuteness that I didn’t feel sad reading this.
The friendship dynamics were also done so well here. Both Ben and Arthur have a friendship group that is going through some turmoil. Ben’s group has been torn apart by intra-group dating and Arthur feels distant from his friends since he moved to New York, and he’s sure one of them doesn’t accept him coming out as gay. I really liked how the friendship complications were done here. Friends are just as complicated as relationships and I thought it was so realistic to portray the groups this way. Ben’s issues with his group falling apart because some friends are now exes resonated with me a lot and the idea that the saddest thing about a relationship falling apart is also losing that friendship was something I related to a lot. I also have to give a special shoutout to Dylan, Ben’s best friend, whomst I LOVED. He was hilarious and added the comic relief to some parts of the book and I literally adored him. Please write his story next Silvertalli.
Character wise, I really enjoyed the character development here. Both the main boys have lots of flaws that keep them from connecting properly. Ben is really proud and doesn’t let anyone in. He struggles to be vulnerable and portrays this cool exterior so no one can really hurt him. Arthur is over-eager and jealous and decides things in his head without letting other people share their perspectives. Throughout the book you really see how they change and develop, and how the relationship improves them both as individuals. Although it’s not as subtle as some of the best character work I’ve seen, especially from Silvera, I thought it was still really well done. The contrast between the boys in the prologue and epilogue was really stark and I loved that.
In saying that, lets talk about that ending. I personally loved it but I know it’s going to be divisive. I think the reason I loved it is because it really drives home the maturity of this book and the focus on modern romances. I don’t want to say much and spoil it, but I’ll just say I think it was really cathartic and realistic, and actually made me happier then anything else would have.
But there were a few negatives I spotted out that kept me from really enjoying this. First off, it’s so hard to tell the perspectives apart at the beginning. I found it so confusing, knowing which character was Ben and which was Arthur. I admit this may be totally my fault, but when the cover came out I thought the tall one was Arthur and the shorter was Ben, and when it was the other way around it threw my mind on a total loop.
I also think there was a real over saturation of pop culture references here. I love a good reference in a book, but there was so much and so much I didn’t understand too. I get this was supposed to be about New York and New York culture but I just felt so overwhelmed by it all. I haven’t seen Hamilton or Dear Even Hanson and that is fine, but I don’t think it should prevent me from understanding whole paragraphs of dialogue. I do think the references were good in that it really situated this in the present and realistically people do talk about things they like a lot, but it was just so overwhelming at points.
While I really liked this, I think I was maybe expecting something just a little bit more from these authors. Overall it was really cute and a page turner, but it wasn’t groundbreaking. But I appreciate how this wasn’t that formulaic and it’s not the typical YA romance you’d expect. I definitely enjoyed reading it, and I think lots of people are going to really love it. The characters were really well written, and the focus on friendship groups here earned a big tick from me. Though, I will say the character development is maybe not as great as I’ve seen Adam Silvera do before. This was a pretty ambitious task to take on, but Adam and Becky wrote such a cohesive book where their writing styles meshed so well, and I really hope they collab again in the future because I’d love to read it.
What If It’s Us is going to please so many people, I know it. It’s cute and dramatic, but also realistic and grounded in the exploration of two deeply flawed characters who are trying their best to make it work with that they have.
ALSO, WE'RE GETTING A MOVIE AND I AM ABSOLUTELY SCREAMING
Rating: really liked it
ARC provided by HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. “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.”
My dear friend, Jules, dubbed this a “queer, modern day,
Sleepless in Seattle, set in New York” and she was so damn correct. Friends, I loved this book. It was seamlessly and so very beautifully written. The characters felt so real, that I’m still convinced that they have to be real people, walking the streets of New York while you read this review. And the romance? Lord, this was the sweetest, but most realistic, romance I’ve read in years.
➽
Arthur - White, gay, 16 (but a 17th birthday does happen), and just visiting New York for the summer, because he was able to land a very good intern position.
➽
Ben - Puerto Rican, gay, 17, and trying to mend his broken heart, because he and his ex just broke up, and now he is forced to see him every single day in summer school.
And these two boys met by chance, in a post office one July day, and it changes their lives. Yet, the constant question of this book is if that meeting, given to them by the universe or some higher-power, was meant to bring them together or to keep them apart.
“I guess that’s any relationship. You start with nothing and maybe end with everything.”
I very much related to Ben, who is constantly self-conscious about his white-passing looks. That is, until he and his privilege get completely checked. This was such a minor side story in this book, but it meant the freakin’ world to me. Both, him feeling not as much in touch with his culture when he is away from his family, and when he realizes that a lot of privilege comes from being white-passing.
“Not looking the part of Puerto Rican messed me up. I know I get some privilege points from looking white, but Puerto Ricans don’t come in one shade.”
Also, this book wonderfully touches upon how Arthur has ADHD, and how he lives a better life because of Adderall (which I know isn’t for everyone, but it still made me really happy to see). He and his family are also Jewish, and that is always as at the forefront of this story, too. And it is beautifully mingled with Ben’s very catholic family.
“We’re not old-school Catholics who live by the Bible and conveniently ignore all the verses that contradict the hate coming out of their mouths. We’re the kind of Catholics who think people shouldn’t go to hell for being nonhetero, and that was before I even came out.”
This is just such a beautiful story about these two boys coming together, by fate, while trying to discover who they are and who they want to be. Life, and the world we live in, is such a vast thing, and seeing these teenage boys try to understand it with each other, knowing they only have a summer together, is something so awe-inspiring that I don’t even have words for it.
Other important juxtapositions are in this book, too. Like, Ben’s family isn’t the most wealthy, but they get by, where Arthur’s parents are able to spend the entire summer in New York. Arthur also has plans of going to a very good school, where Ben is just trying to stay afloat in high school. But Ben’s parents are very much in love and happy, where Arthur’s parents just have a different way of showing each other love. Seriously, this book has so much good in its’ four-hundred pages!
Plus, this book displays some beautiful friendships, too. Ben’s best friend, Dylan, was so amazing in this book. Like, I feel like I keep saying the world “realistic” but it’s honestly the perfect fit. And Dylan lives with extreme anxiety and a heart condition. I also was living for Arthur's best friends, Jess and Ethan, and all their facetime calls. I ended up loving this entire friend group! And, of course, I ended up completely head over heels for both Ben and Arthur.
And this book also just feels authentically “teen” I guess I’m trying to say? I mean, I’m not a teenager, so I guess I’ll say that this book feels authentically “twenties” or something along those lines. But from the
Hamilton,
Harry Potter,
The Sims,
Dear Evan Hansen (which I haven’t seen, listened, or read, but I probably should because of the title of this book), and so many other references, this just feels authentically 2018.
“How lucky we are to be alive right now, right?” “Oh my god, you’re speaking Hamilton—I’m just so into you. I’m helpless.”
Overall, I loved this book entirely. I bet it makes my “best of 2018” list, come December 31st. Also, I can’t believe this book was written by two different authors, because it was seriously seamless perfection. This was one of the best and most realistic romances I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. And even though I didn’t entirely love the epilogue at first, now I actually think it’s one of the best epilogues I’ve ever read. The perfect amount of not enough, and enough. I mean, that’s the beauty of this book being magically and expertly crafted. Seriously, friends, please read this masterpiece; it’s so very heartwarming and I think this is the happiest I’ve been while reading a book all of 2018.
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The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.Trigger and content warnings for one homophobic scene that is very quickly done and completely challenged (Chapter 20) and a very serious panic attack.
Buddy read with Julianna at Paper Blots & Jules at JA Ironside! ❤
Rating: really liked it
[ they didn't seem to be working which obviously was partially because of the breakup and Ben's reservations but then magically they were just f
Rating: really liked it
“I guess that’s every relationship. You start with nothing and maybe end with everything.”
One of the unexpected sweetest books I’ve read all year about
failing at perfection, but finding something close anyway. What If It's Us follows two characters on a summer in New York forming a very-imperfect and very-cute relationship.
✔Ben - Written by Adam Silvera. Puerto Rican and gay. Way too relatable. Thinks about prices more due to being from a low-income family. Just went through a breakup where he was the dumper but also feels like he was the one who cared more. Basically the epitome of thinking fate is fake and wanting to believe in love but also not really believing in love. His dynamic with Dylan, Hudson, and Harriet was so great, and his family dynamic is
so sweet.
✔Arthur - Written by Becky Albertalli. Jewish, gay, and has ADHD. Did not enjoy as much at first and then he grew on me. His paranoia over his guy best friend, Ethan, being subtly homophobic was way too real; I loved his relationship with him and Jessie, and with his parents, and most importantly, with two interns at his parent's workplace. I felt his complex around everyone finding him too enthusiastic so hard; I feel like my persona on this website is the most enthused version of myself and I love her, but trust me, I am not as much like this with the general population in real life.
I feel like all of Goodreads has been waiting for this all year - a collab between two of our most popular authors!! This is the fourth book for both of these authors, and having read all of Adam’s previous work (and most of Becky’s) I was of course hyped. But I was also concerned. I love Becky’s sweet books, but they often have a certain lack of plot structure. And I love Adam’s sad books, but they often get caught up in the sad of it all. Most of all,
I worried that the two halfs of the book would not blend.That was
not the case. Actually, I think this book was the best of both worlds, and it is
perfect. Becky’s tone falls closest to her cute but realistically flawed Leah on the Offbeat and Adam’s closest to my absolute favorite book of his, They Both Die at the End. I feel like Becky is generally a much more fun writer, while Adam has a bit more of that quality factor; here, I felt like their different stiles both got those good qualities. I never once found myself thinking about Becky writing one chapter and Adam the next.
And I think their collab lends this book a unique tone; both of these characters are flawed, their relationship is flawed, and things aren’t ever perfect, but things don’t always suck, either. I absolutely adored the balance between realism and subversion of typical romantic tropes - their first date is awkward, their first kiss is not magical - and dramatic romantic gestures - a two-sided search through New York, a romantic last-date scavenger hunt, and THE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE.
Can I just emphasize that even with the nice rom-com tropes, it reads very
realistic? The characters do struggle with jealousy, and with miscommunications, but it always read as fairly
real to me. The three-part structure of this book is excellent on this front as well - each one has a different “goal” for the characters that then lends itself to a now-what question. It feels like a really good representation of the tumult of life. I feel like the pop culture references in this will be somewhat polarizing - I thought they were cute. Like, yeah, I think saying they went a little overboard is
fair, not all of them
completely rang true, and I think I once had the thought that not even theater kids think about the line "not throwing my shot" this much, but on the whole I was quite pleased by the dialogue and banter of this.
And I have now seen several reviews saying this was meant exclusively to appeal to "booktubers," which, I'm sorry, are booktubers the only people who like Harry Potter.........? ?
[No spoilers here, but if you really want to know nothing, skip this.]
And last but not least, fuck you ALL for making me think I would be mad about the epilogue of this. May I just state right now and forever:
the epilogue is absolutely fantastic. I heard “realistic” and I was expecting “tragic” as in they lose touch and I cry for years. That was not what I got. The epilogue is so strange because it’s
not a typical happy ending, but it made me happier than almost anything else I’ve read this year. This went from a rounded up 3 1/2 to a solid five exclusively because I adored the epilogue so. much. It’s absolutely what will keep this book stuck in my head in six months;
the perfect acknowledgment that not everything always ends perfectly, but sometimes you can find something even better.TW: racism, homophobia, panic attacks, past cheating.
✨
Arc received from the publisher via Edelweiss for an honest review. [
releases: 9 October 2018.]
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Rating: really liked it
“Hollywood will make a movie about you two. And a Netflix spin-off about your gay children.” Okay, no. I’m not accepting that ending. Just nope.
Otherwise, Becky and Adam pretty much created magic with this book.
The word (or has it become a term now?) ‘cinnamon rolls’ gets thrown around quite often for your cutesy kinda characters and while granted, a lot of them exist, I think Ben and Arthur take the damn cake. They were a match made in New York.
This was just everything a romance novel should be and Becky and Adam captured the initial stages of crushing on someone so well, the online stalking (jeezus, I related to that!🌚), the first few dates, the awkwardness because you’re not sure where this is going to go but then it beautifully settling into this rhythm you knew was there but hadn’t reached yet.
Ben and Arthur made my heart swell with happiness. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I AM NOT ACCEPTING THAT ENDING, OKAY? I don’t care for fuckin realism, GIVE ME MY DAMN CHEESE GODDAMNIT! I needed (flawed) perfection throughout, because these two deserve the ultimate best. They became so real to me.
Aside from those two cinnamon rolls, we have their families who were just beautifully accepting of their sexuality and supportive of their lives. Plenty of cheesy parental jokes thrown around. Just overall great parents! Their friends who were incredible, especially Dylan. I can’t WAIT for you guys to read the shit my guy comes out with. I adored him and his bromance with Ben was the best thing to read!
Themes that were touched upon included money problems, homophobia, and race.
There’s fandoms, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, plentyyyy of Harry Potter references (Samantha has said it: Richard Harris was THE Dumbledore!), and the most important aspect of all, sweet ol’ gay romance.
This was just a beautiful story! I couldn’t stop smiling half the time and I hope Becky and Adam collaborate again!
THANK YOU, Simon and Schuster Children’s UK for sending me an arc. It’s been a privilege.——————————————————
Pre-reading feels!
YOU GUYS!
I JUST RECEIVED AN ARC FOR THIS!
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Rating: really liked it
Yikes, okay, here we go.
This book had so much potential!! And even though I only gave it 2 stars, I still think it has some quality stuff, like
- lots of diversity
- sex positive and CONSENT!!
- DYLAN (omg Dylan was the real MVP of this book let's be real)
- aaaaand to be honest that's about it
Here's what I had issues with:
- For the first 200 pages, i literally couldn't tell Ben and Arthur apart. Their voices sounded exactly the same to me
- This book is SO slow and apart from the romance, has hardly any plot whatsoever
- Ben and Arthur had ZERO chemistry for the majority of the book and then all of a sudden they were like a married couple?
- The petty, stupid things that kept getting them into arguments with each other (it was such high school drama and i'm an old lady who is not about that life anymore)
- kinda cringey writing if i'm being totally honest (again, maybe this is because i'm a grandma)
- the ending was ... i don't even know? underwhelming?
- parents conveniently disappeared a lot of the time
There's probably other things but it's late at night and am v tired, but yeah, super sad I didn't love it :(
Rating: really liked it
this book was an interesting reading experience for me because its co-written by one author i absolutely adore (silvera) and one that i strongly dislike (albertalli). and i honestly thought my love would outweigh my hate - but in reality, it just left me split right down the middle.
this was a cute enough story, if youre into that over-the-top meet cute, insta-love kind of thing. its light and fluffy and basically everything you would expect from these two authors. but honestly, there was no substance. unless you count three cringeworthy dates a plot. and dont even get me started on the overdone pop culture references. we get it, becky. you love hamilton. goodness me.
i have no doubt this book is everything people have dreamt of and more, and i love that. im so happy for those who enjoyed this. but i really wish adam silvera had jumped ship before he went down sinking with miss becky albertalli.
whomp whomp. ↠ 2.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Lately, when I read something I end up hating, I wonder if the problem is me and not the book. However, the problem was definitely the book this time.
All these four and five star ratings people are throwing at it? I don't understand. Did we read the same book?
I would talk about a plot, but there really wasn't a strong one.
I'd talk about the characters, but none of them were interesting enough to discuss.
And I'd talk about the chemistry, but the only chemistry in this book was the test that Ben probably should have failed. Wait did he fail? I honestly don't remember.
About half this book was Hamilton references that could have been cut out completely. I love Hamilton just as much as the next guy, but Arthur has made me not want to listen to the soundtrack anytime soon. Plus mix in references to other musicals and Harry Potter on every other page. It was one, giant 400 page billboard. Especially to the company Lyft, which was mentioned no less than
5 times.
Also, Ben's fantasy fanfiction of his life has obliterated all excitement I had for Adam Silvera's upcoming fantasy book. It was literally the least interesting book-inside-a-book ever.
Also, speaking of fanfictions. This entire book felt like one. And not in a good way. I have all the respect for fanfictions, but fanfictiony writing is not for me.
I think I'm just gonna avoid every Becky Albertalli book from now on. I don't have one nice thing to say about any of her last three books. But Adam, darling, I know you can do better.
Rating: really liked it
I still can’t believe I got an ARC for this! 😱🤩.
Funny, interesting, cute, realistic (too much in my mind, but oh well, life) and with friendships/families/relationship goal.
The writing, I’m in love with it. Is so beautiful and the story? YESSS.
This book really shows that sometimes everything happens for a reason and maybe not in the circumstances or way that we expected, but still it happens and it might not end the way we want but afterwards, we find out it was for the best and you would want it to change.
=>Arthur, I love him. His personality is so great and how he doesn’t full around and just goes with it is really refreshing and I highlight every chapter of his POV, it was just so, so awesome.
=>Ben, I love him too, he’s such a great character and the development that he has in the course of this book was just amazing and I really like how his vision about the universe change and why.
=>Dylan, IS THE BEST BEST FRIEND EVER. Every time he appeared I was so happy. He’s a rain of sunshine. His support and love for Ben are just so heartwarming. I love him.
=>The parents were so supportive, loving, respectful and just GOALS, and I adore them.
Okay, I love everyone in this book. Is just that good. And I really didn’t expect anything less.
I had very high expectations and all of them were achieved.
This was a light-warming read, that I will definitely reread at some point this year.
This is definitely in the “Best reads of 2018” and I could be happier.
I would love it if there were a possibility of a sequel in the future.
And a book with Dylan POV or short story, really anything, I’ll take it. Thanks, *lol.
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Thank you Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
