*Thank you NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.* 4 out of 5 stars In If This Gets Out, Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich tell the story of Ruben and Zach- two members of the world-famous boy band Saturday. Ruben is feeling suffocated by his management’s insistence on him hiding that he is gay. Zach dreams of one day recording and performing his own music. During an overseas tour, Zach and Ruben become even closer, and soon a romance begins. When they decide they are ready to announce their relationship to the public (with their bandmates’ blessing), they soon realize that their management has no intention of allowing this. Will Zach, Ruben, and Saturday be able to find and live their happily ever after? I want to start this by saying I was a bit wary about the plot of this. As someone who absolutely LOVES boy bands, I thought it sounded fun. But as someone who lived through all of the One Direction shipping nonsense, I wasn’t too sure. Yeah, it may seem fun to analyze band members' relationships and all that, but it can be so damaging to assume they are in romantic relationships with each other. It can negatively affect their real-life, true friendships. It can also be damaging to make assumptions about a person's sexuality. As fans, it's important to respect their privacy and not make assumptions. Now, back to the book. I thought it was a fun read. It really examines the struggles artists go through, especially in regards to image. It’s heartbreaking to think about how these people (especially teens) are forced to fit into certain molds and hide their true selves, all in an attempt to achieve their dreams. This book handles that really well for each member of Saturday. Aside from just their relationship, Ruben just wants to live out and proud and Zach wants to write and perform his own music. Angel feels stifled in his role in the band and begins a downward spiral, while Jon is struggling to please his father, who also happens to be their record label’s manager. This was the heart of this book. Especially because while the main focus was on Zach and Ruben’s romance, it also focused on all the members and their relationships with each other. And each character felt real. Overall, I really liked this book. It was fun, sweet, and had a lot of heart. The characters were written well and their stories felt authentic. Now I’m going to go listen to some Backstreet Boys and BTS. ***SCROLL DOWN FOR MY SPOILER-FILLED RAMBLINGS*** ***BEWARE! SPOILERS!*** Spoiler-filled ramblings:
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Since I don't write full reviews for every books I read (at least not yet), I decided that I'm going to do monthly wrap-ups. Generally, I try to do a short Goodreads reviews so I remember what I liked/didn't like about each book. So at the end of each month (or beginning, depending on how well I keep on top of things), I will compile those little reviews and post them here! So, here is my April 2021 Wrap-up. This list does not include Cazadora or 14 Ways to Die, since I wrote full reviews for them. I also left out another book which I will be posting a full review of soon! April 2021 Wrap-Up 1. The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz 3 out of 5 Stars Trigger Warning: Abduction, trauma Wow. This book was a wild ride. I spent most of the book confused and really not sure what was going on, and that was great. 2. Muted by Tami Charles 2 out of 5 stars Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, gas-lighting, abuse This book is not an easy one to get through. I almost didn't. But it is beautifully written. I loved that it was in verse, which felt fitting. That being said, I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more, but I couldn't help but compare it to "Grown," since I recently read it. 3. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson 3 out of 5 stars I thought this was a good second book. One of my favorite things about the first book was the format, using Pip's field notes, etc. I liked that this book was similar, but not exactly the same. Instead, we get Pip's podcast and interview transcripts. I can't really talk about what I didn't like, because spoilers. But basically, it lost me towards the end. Overall, it was a good book. I didn't think the first book needed a sequel, but I was surprised. I'm skeptical about further entries into the series, but maybe I will be surprised again. 4. Bruised by Tanya Boteju 3 out of 5 stars Trigger Warning: trauma, self-harm I spent about half of my reading time disliking this book, but by the end, I really liked it. It was hard to read about Daya's struggles with her trauma and self-harm, and for a while I wasn't sure that the book was handling it well. However, in the end I think it was done relatively well. Also, this is a queer roller derby book, so that in itself is awesome. 5. The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) by Alyssa B. Sheinmel 4 out of 5 stars Trigger Warning: self-harm, eating disorders, mental illness I am very sensitive when it comes to books that include mental illness. I have read so many that handle it very poorly, and some that are downright offensive. However, Sheinmel knows how to write respectfully (I felt the same about What Kind of Girl). Thank you NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. 1 out of 5 stars 10 years ago, Jess’s mother became the first victim of the serial killer who would become known as the Magpie Man. The Magpie Man now has 13 victims and has yet to be caught. But Jess has a plan. She will become one of the stars of a new online reality TV series and remind people that this monster is still on the loose. And if she can also draw the killer out of hiding to come after her, that’s even better. Whatever it takes to catch the man who destroyed her life. The blurb of this book had me immediately. I loved the idea of using social media to bring attention to a case and potentially find new clues. But oh my goodness. I just did not like this book. One issue I had was with the format itself. There were 144 chapters in this book. A majority of the chapters were one page (maybe two) long. It might be better in a print copy rather than an e-reader, but it was slightly jarring to read. It’s hard to discuss much without giving anything away (full review with spoilers will be posted on my blog soon and I will link it), but it just felt very disjointed. As you’re reading, it feels like there are so many unrelated threads. By the end, they seem to magically intertwine, but it just didn’t work for me. It felt like there was too much time spent jumping around that it wasn’t enjoyable to read. Instead of tying things up in a neat little bow, this book was tied up in a huge knot. I like when twist endings catch me by surprise and this book did. But I also like when they actually make sense and there have been hints leading up. I feel like this book just threw in an ending out of nowhere. And some of the characters’ motivations just do not make sense. I also felt like there were some harmful portrayals of mental health, but I can’t get into that here because spoilers. Overall, this book was a miss for me. I would have just done a DNF, but I rage finished it so I could write this review. *******SCROLL DOWN FOR MY SPOILER-FILLED RAMBLINGS******* *******BEWARE! SPOILERS!******* Spoiler-filled ramblings:
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AuthorI'm HaileyAnne! I'm a queer librarian who loves books and kpop. Archives
August 2023
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