This book is so adorable and makes me laugh and then proceeds to throw my face-first into the void.
Which is a skill. I acknowledge this skill. I admit that firstly (1) I said “ooh I’ll review this later!” and forgot everything about it of ever, so I have in fact read it twice in 2018! And also (2) I do have mixed feelings about it (particularly the ending) but it’s still a good story.
Also I’d like to acknowledge that this is the DREAM COLLAB TEAM. The bio says that said they were collabing on this like right after their debuts sold!!!! They are so amazing!! I love both Becky Albertalli (Simon Vs is my fav from her) and Adam Silvera (History Is All You Left Me is my fav from him) so so much. Their signature styles and quirks were STRONG here and I loved how it combined.
WHAT TO EXPECT
✧ ok this is most definitely a romcom so squishy lovey feelings ARE the focus!
✧ it is a little bit about fate pushing two people together but also about how relationships take work
✧ it is queer here, there, and everywhere
✧ huge focus also on friendship dynamics and how they change as you move through highschool
✧ DESSERT APPRECIATION (if you take a chocolate chip cookie from Arthur then his face will collapse like the saddest puppy)
✧ dorks being adorkable
✧ scenes that will make you laugh so. much. ahhh!!!
✧ there are Easter Eggs about the Love Simon movie and one to Adam’s book (History Is All You Left Me!!)
The focus of this story?! CHARACTERS and solely characters.
I’m liiiiving for this because I just read a book that was so plot-centric that I missed getting to know characters so entirely and wholly. Ben and Arthur’s lives are the kind you can easily get caught up in. Both the boys wobble so delicately on the line that is “yes you are being a nasty little slug” vs “you are having tremendous growth and I love it you’re doing great sweetie”. Honestly my heart IS caught by both of them.
☆ ARTHUR: He is actual most hyper thing ever with zero chill. I mean, seriously, he can’t shut up, he is on speed 10000 at all times, he’s freaking hilarious. I love !! Arthur!! Although, honest time right now: I was frustrating how he was so so jealous/possessive of Ben and so easily jumped down his throat. But Arthur is 16. When I was 16, I was immature and deluded and jealous and also had never eaten a churro. So I think Arthur could be grit-your-teeth-frustrating, but he was so sweet and energetic and adorable. I have a weakness for characters with no chill.
☆ BEN: He is the softest introvert™ and just the fact that he loves living in his head, playing Sims and writing fantasy novels, afjdksald it just made me really connect to him. I absolutely think it was too early for him to get into a relationship after 2 weeks-post break up with Hudson but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ the universe decreed apparently. Seriously Ben stole my heart and I adore him. I think he was a lot more humble about his faults too and willing to do better.
THESE TWO. Seriously the characters were incredible and just leapt off the page with the BEST banter.
The secondary characters were all great too! Dylan reminded me of someone who faceplanted out of a John Green novel. And both boys had such wholesome (albeit messy) parents which was nice!
Themes of “friendship breakups” were explored as well as romance.
I think that’s so important. And sure the focus of the story is Ben/Arthur with the “will-they-won’t-they-work-out” story line, but I appreciated how ti talked about friendship dynamics changing and how friendship-breakups can ALSO break your heart. I don’t think this gets discussed enough in YA!! How many of us have had a devastating friendship-fall-out as teens?! I sure have and it still haunts me 7 years later, so I’m glad this book explored both (A) forgiveness and working through it, and (B) letting go.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
It’s also a Quiet YA™ story.
I did like that about it. The world is about BEN and ARTHUR and their universes collide and tremble and change, but the world just moves on around them. It touches on homophobia and failing school and worry about divorce…but the central conflicts are mostly Ben and Arthur needing their heads knocked together because they ARE NOT PERFECT. Adorkable. But wow do they need work.
Can we have a sec to talk about the ending?!
So basically it is soft and sweet and entirely captivatingly written and dID THINGS to my feels.
Maybe the ending leaves me annoyed, but the rest makes up for it. Like the writing just draws you in and the characters utterly steal hearts. I can’t even. This book has so little chill I love that. (I just really love when books crack me up!) Although I don’t think it has the complexity of the authors’ other books.
ALSO BY THESE AUTHORS
THANK YOU TO SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silver is published October 2018.
★★★★☆
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?
What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?
Goodreads Booktopia Publisher Book Depository
IM GETTING THIS ON SATURDAY I CANT WAIT AHH!!!!! I skipped past the spoilers obviously 😉
Also ANOTHER BOOK OF YOURS CAME OUT WHEN DID IT!!???
I love your displays as well – how on earth do you make them?!
Rhi xxx
Very good for skipping the spoiler section.😂But yesss. I want them to do more collabs!!
(And my second book is called The Boy Who Steals Houses and it’s not out till April haha.)
I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL APRIL!? Unfair 😂
I know, I was very restrained!
HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME IS MY FAVOURITE BY ADAM SILVERA AND SIMON VS. IS MY FAVOURITE BY BECKY ALBERTALLI WAT. I scrolled down here to say this. Back up I go!
SAME THOUGH. WE ARE THE SAME PERSON BASICALLY NOW.
Ok so I haTTTEEEE harming my books (my BaBIES) but the ending screwed me over Soo bad (I was seriously crabby all.day and snapped at my friends) because I feel it goes along with the same “queer characters don’t get happy endings”. I’m really tempted to just tear the ending out, or tape it to the back cover so I can’t read it again (I own the book btw). I thought we would get a happy ending, or even a hopeful, but instead it was really crappy.
This is my dream author collab! I freaked out when I heard that they were writing a book together. I’m excited to read it. I’m glad you mostly liked it.
IT IS A DREAM COLLAB!! I think they mesh so well together too which is just perfect. I hope you love it too!!
AHHH THIS LOOKS REALLY GOOD. I’ve heard a bunch of bad reviews from people who love both authors, though, people saying they’re stopping reading Silvera and Albertalli because of how much they disliked this book. So I’m torn! But I think your review may have convinced me . . . and the snippets you included are really cute + funny.
Eleanor | On the Other Side of Reality
Omg seriously?!?? I can’t imagine why people would say that. 😳😳Honestly that makes me really sad…like sure, don’t love a book (not every book is for everyone!) but boycotting an author forever after is extreme and ridiculous bleh. ANYWAY. I hope you do try it and see what you think!! I don’t think it’s the best I’ve read from them, but I liked it!!
I knew this one was going to be good and honestly, I don’t know why I’ve been putting it off. I’m especially intrigued about how relationships impact friendships aspect. I need to pick this up soon!
Thanks for sharing, great review!
~Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles
Yesss do! I actually haven’t seen many bloggers reviewing it, and I’m keen to compare thoughts. 😂😂😂
It really is a dream collab, OMG. I just devoured the whole book this past week and LOVED it. Dylan is my favorite bro ever. He and Arthur had such great, intense personalities. And the first 20% of the book had me laughing and grinning like an idiot. It was so funny! I did have similar thoughts about the ending, though. I would’ve been completely fine with the epilogue not existing at all. If we didn’t have it, the final chapter would’ve been bittersweet and ambiguous and hopeful and perfect. Maybe I”ll just try to forget I ever read the epilogue in the first place.
YES! If the epilogue just wasn’t there I WOULD’VE BEEN FINE. It would’ve been perfectly bittersweet and allowed us to imagine what we want. But **SPOILERS** I felt like the story put a pretty firm CLOSED CASE on it and that was it. 😳 I wish I hadn’t read the epilogue and had all my wondering left…hmph.
BUT AGH DYLAN WAS SO GREAT. He was so hilarious haha.
I thought this book was completely adorable too! But I think there were some problematic themes with Arthur’s overbearing personality/jealousy (I mean he literally got jealous at Ben LOOKING at Hudson yet he kept all these pics of him on his instagram, double standards)? Also how the whole relationship basically eventually from obsessive online stalking…kind of hard to think of it as cute at that point! The ending was wonderful though and kind of felt realistic to me…I definitely think what we want to happen, does eventually!
Yeah I totally agree!! Arthur really did feel like a 16 year old though 😂so I kind of understood why he did a lot of the stupid/immature things he did, especially going into his FIRST relationship with a boy who was clearly not over his ex. But that’s not really excusing him?! The amount of self-sabotaging both of them did to each other omg.😂And IDK but the zero trust Arthur had in Ben was also sad. How can you have a relationship with so little trust?
This is a great review, Cait! I LOVED these characters so, so much and this was such a sweet read, I felt so invested in their romance. I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about the ending, but personally I liked it, because I found it realistic and also I want to believe that last line you wrote in your spoiler section (keeping it obscur because I don’t want to spoil anyone reading comments!) ACTUALLY HAPPENS and marshmallow-me is happy hahaha 😀
I do think it was realistic! I just wish there hadn’t been the epilogue and then we could’ve been wondering more?! Instead of having like…the door slammed.😂
* This is a very good review
* Arthur and Ben are both ridic cute, but I must admit full partiality towards soft introvert (TM) Ben
* Dylan as a John Green character is spot-on insightful
* I mostly agree with you about the ending (I’m pretty much to the point where I always consider epilogues to be author-written fanfic), but…
* I found the book to be almost an anti-romcom that kept setting up these expected beats and then subverting them, so the ending kinda fits with that (hopefully that’s vague enough for a public comment)
Ahhhh yes yes Ben’s introvertedness was SO relatable. I was like !!! this boy!!! I understand him! 😂
I just wish the epilogue hadn’t existed and slammed that door on our fingers.😂
This review looks awesome! I’ll have to read this book! I can’t believe we get a book by THE Becky Albertalli and THE Adam Silvera?? It’s perfect!
(oh, I’m sorry to bother you and I don’t mean to be rude. But I really don’t like when people use queer as an adjective; since it’s also a slur and means weird, odd, etc.)
I know right?! The are like THE authors of the era at the moment ahhh !! I love them so much!
Lots of people have reclaimed the word “queer” and don’t see it as an insult. It’s a personal preference. Sorry you don’t like it, but since the authors also have used the word on social medias and such and I have many lgbtqia friends who use it in reference to themselves, I use it.
They really are the dream team!!!! I’ve been starting books before wandering off to the next one like some commitment-phobe so maybe this one will get me out of this TERRIBLE reading slump I’ve gotten myself in.
I’ve enjoyed both of their books’ in the last few months and while I didn’t really like that it might be similar to Autoboyography which ughhh I’m so sad I didn’t like, I LOVED They Died In The End even though it broke my heart and I know this might too aaack.
Omg Autoboyography is one of my all time favourites 😂😂
But yay I hope you get to try this!
I’m sooo happy and can’t wait to read it. I love both Adam and Becky so much 🙂 I have read all of Adam’s books, just read Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda by Becky. I love the story of Simon and every books Adam writes is so fantastic, amazing and emotional. Love the way they both writes their stories and looking forward to seeing something they have done together 🙂
I seriously need to stop procrastinating and just read More Happy Than Not 😫😂Then I’ll have read both of all their books! BuT AGH, ADAM LOVES TO BREAK HEARTS OMG.
I can’t wait to read this – I’ve seen it everywhere for so long and now it’s finally come out!! I can’t believe Backy and Adam have done a book together it’s like the DREAMMMM collaboration! I loved Simon Vs. The Homosapien Agenda and They Both Die At The End made me cry so muchh! Gorgeous post as always Hun, your reviews always make me smile 🙂
http://gracelouiseofficial.blogspot.co.uk
Isn’t it just?!? WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED AHHHHH and omg They Both Die At The End was VERY unfair. ❤️💔
I’m hoping they write a sequel to this book. ***SPOILERS*** I can definitely see Arthur and Ben getting back together. After all, Ben hasn’t seen anyone since Arthur and neither has Arthur, really. It’s obvious that the two of them are still very much in love with each other.
This book sounds great!! I’ve only read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda so it’ll be interesting reading Albertalli’s writing style mixed with Silvera’s! Definitely putting this on my tbr!
Simon Vs is SO CUTE THOUGH!! I’m glad you like it and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one. 😉
Okay, so somehow my email system has failed me? Because I am not getting blog notifications for your new posts? I saw you post something on twitter and I was like, wait??? How was this not in my inbox?
SO HERE I AM TO BINGE READ ALL THE LATEST POSTS.
I just met Becky yesterday (Adam was sick and couldn’t come) AND BECKY IS A SWEET ANGEL. Hearing her talk about her books and Arthur and Ben was so heartwarming. I loved this story so much, I want to reread it RIGHT now. Except, I need to binge read all of your latest blog posts, too.
Nooo it’s failed ME. I’m so sorry. 😭😭It’s really devastating tbh. I have no idea how to fix it and I’m so frustrated gah. But am working on it!!
And aww that’s SO AWESOME you got to meet Becky!! She seems like the nicest ever. 😍😍
I haven’t read this book, but it sounds super cute!
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OMG YES THIS BOOK IS LOVE
ALSO SPOILER ALERT FOR PEOPLE SCROLLING THROUGH THE COMMENTS
Arthur and Ben were so adorable nd awkward I DIED. And seriously like squeeze their personalities together and you get MEEEE.
So both were relatable af! Omg yes the friendship dynamics! I love how both Becky and Adam always emphasise on friendships in their books and also friendship breakups are real, ask me I have a PHD in that -_-
ANYWAY, YES WTF WAS THAT ENDING?!
I swear I was so shocked and annoyed like excuse me how could you? I read this whole freaking cutesy book so that you could be best friends? BEST FRIENDS?!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!
I bet ky soul and all my books this ending was Adam’s idea, that devil loves to torture us T_T
But yes like you I choose to think at some point they smashed their faces together and became boyfriends because how dare they not?!
Hehe it appears I am not done venting out even after a month if reading the book.
I think my favorite authors to co-write would be Becky Albertalli and Rainbow Rowell 😍
CAN YOU IMAGINE THE FLUFF?
× INFINITY
We would be dead in seconds but yes that would be the perfect death ❤️
I AM SO FRUSTRATED. In the scene where they go to Times Square, the two are late because the train isn’t moving. Since it’s one stop away, we can assume that they’re taking the S train. However, the 7 train stops at both Grand Central and Times Square and they could’ve just taken that instead of wasting their time. Authors, you’re killing this NYer. Otherwise I could NOT put down this book at all. It was amazing and i loved it, especially following along with all the events and being able to imagine them happening in the New York I know. I’m still shocked that they actually went to TS but i guess if you’re willing to go there for your boyfriend, it’s true love.
I would have NO idea because I do not understand how NY works at all.😂But I’m glad you still enjoyed it apart from the inconsistencies with the setting!
I absolutely chewed through this book over the weekend because I was so intrigued and invested into the world of these characters. I was on page 23 when I opened the book on Friday, And I finished it on Sunday.
It was such an amazing story, it had me laughing and crying uncontrollably at the same time.
Those final 2 chapters though…
I literally could not stop crying and tears were streaming down my face, I could barely read the words!!
I feel so empty yet so complete after finishing this book!!