'If This Gets Out' by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"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 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. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?"

Review:

As usual, both Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich have done a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life. Our two main characters, Zack and Ruben, alternate narrating each chapter, and it's clear to see how much fun the authors had while writing their story. Fans of writing by Sophie and/or Cale may be able to identify which perspective was written by whom.

This story is so many things, a coming out story, a coming of age story, as well as a light cast on boybands and the music industry, highlighting the lack of control performers have over their public persona, their wardrobe, and their time. 'ITGO' does not contain any forced outings, but does contain forced-closeting.

As usual with a Sophie or Cale book, I could not put it down, and wanted to re-read it the moment I finished. This book is perfect for fans of YA contemporary, and LGBTQIA+ contemporary. 'ITGO' is for all fans of any young musical act which goes on tour; could be any boyband or any musical dance group; this is not specifically tied to any single group out there, nor is it an attempt to mirror any real-life performers.

Cover art by the amazing Sophie Gonzales!

Grab 'If This Gets Out' on December 7th.

#Zuben #IfThisGetsOut #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'The Grimrose Girls' (Grimrose Girls #1) by Laura Pohl

 4.5 stars

Book Blurb:

"The Descendants meets Pretty Little Liars.  

Four troubled friends, One murdered girl... and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed.

After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled it a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events they couldn't have imagined. As the girls retrace their friend's last steps, they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies, discovering they're all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle.

This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school. While investigating the murder of their best friend, they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it's too late."


Review:

Really enjoyed this well written thriller/mystery spin of a fairy tale re-telling with a full LGBTQIA+ cast.  The 4 leading ladies alternate narrating the chapters, so we see 4 unique perspectives, including how each girl's fairy tale affects their feelings and actions.  It was fun to guess which fairy tale was associated with each character, including beyond the 4 narrators.  It was also great to see so much representation: F/F pairing, characters who are pan, on the ace and aro spectrums, and also chronic illness, mental health, and neurodiversity.  A boarding school was the perfect setting for a thriller/mystery and though part of the mystery is resolved in a satisfying way, there is still a larger mystery at play.  Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Grab a copy of  'The Grimrose Girls' on August 1st.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. 

'The Pick-Up' by Miranda Kenneally

 

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"When Mari hails a rideshare to a music festival, the last thing she expects is for the car to pick up a gorgeous guy along the way. Mari doesn't believe in dating--it can only end with a broken heart. Besides, she's only staying at her dad's house in Chicago for the weekend. How close can you get to a guy in three days?

TJ wants to study art in college, but his family's expectations cast a long shadow over his dreams. When he meets Mari in the back of a rideshare, he feels alive for the first time in a long time.

Mari and TJ enter the festival together and share an electric moment but get separated in a crowd with seemingly no way to find each other. When fate reunites them (with a little help from a viral hashtag), they'll have to decide: was it love at first sight, or the start of nothing more than a weekend fling?"

Review:

At first glance, 'The Pick-Up' is a quick and fluffy read, where two teens meet and get separated at a huge music festival. But there is more substance to Mari and TJ's story. In the alternating chapters narrated by each of them, readers gain insight to their home lives, their families, and how they've come to think the way they do about relationships and the future. Author Miranda Kenneally highlights consent and compassion, as Mari and TJ support each other through some family stuff, all while figuring out how they feel about each other, and if this new-found attraction can last longer than one weekend.  

Pick up 'The Pick-Up' on September 1st.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Never Saw You Coming' by Erin Hahn

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Raised by conservative parents, 18-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. Instead of taking a gap year before college to find herself, she ends up traveling north to meet what’s left of the family she never knew existed.

While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship about the church. The clock is ticking on Pastor Allen’s probation hearing and Micah, now 19, feels the pressure to forgive - even when he can’t possibly forget.

As Meg and Micah grow closer, they are confronted with the heavy flutterings of first love and all the complications it brings. Together, they must navigate the sometimes-painful process of cutting ties with childhood beliefs as they build toward something truer and straight from the heart.

In Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to find yourself. "

Review:

Wonderful YA/NA contemporary about self-discovery. Readers follow Vada’s bestie, Meg, from ‘More Than Maybe’ and newcomer Micah on their paths to self-discovery and finding happiness with each other. Both have had their worlds forever shifted by their parents’ actions and are figuring out how to balance expectations put on them by their families, their church communities, and society at large.

‘Never Saw You Coming’ can stand on it’s own, even if you haven’t read Erin Hahn’s excellent ‘More Than Maybe.’ You also don’t need to be part of a church community to enjoy this book.

Grab a copy on September 7, 2021. 

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.