Review – What If It’s Us

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?

Authors: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s UK
Rating: ★★★★★

So this is my first review in a long time. Before I get into it, I’m gonna do some rambling about my personal life. Feel free to skip! The main reason I’ve been gone for so long is that blogging was not helping my mental health, to the point where I was even struggling to read. Instead of forcing myself, I took a break. I honestly don’t know if I can say I’m doing better, but I want to see if blogging helps. And What If It’s Us earned its five stars by being the book that made me want to blog again.

I met Adam and Becky at a signing a week ago in Manchester, along with a couple of friends including Beth and Pete who both write on thebooksareeverywhere. It was super interesting to hear them both talk about what they had each contributed to the book and the writing process. It was cool to learn that Becky wrote the chapters narrated by Ben Alejo, and Adam wrote those of Arthur Seuss (the opposite authors’ initials!).

I didn’t expect to have anything bad to say about the book as a whole, and I was not disappointed!

My favourite thing about both of the authors writing is how real their characters are. Something important Adam mentioned at the signing was that there are readers who read certain books as if they’re only doing it to tick an item off a checklist. He said, “you can’t just read one book about gay people and think you’re woke”, and he was right, but the same goes for authors too.

Sometimes you read a book with some sort of representation, whether that be diversity in terms of race, sexuality or inclusion of individuals with physical/mental illness or disabilities, and it can all feel forced. None of Becky’s or Adam’s characters have ever felt like that for me, and the same is true for everyone they write about in What If It’s Us. Obviously, both of the main characters are gay, and Arthur is Jewish and has ADHD, while Ben is Puerto Rican. All of these things were written in as part of the plot without feeling like they were mentioned just so Adam and Becky could say “hey, we’re inclusive!” (which obviously they wouldn’t do).

None of the characters were perfect, I could get mad at something they did or didn’t do while still loving them and understanding why something happened the way it did. The plot was unique, which made it even more enjoyable, and many of the different things that happened throughout the book fit in so that the characters were not always seen as perfect individuals, without them doing something predictable each time.

One thing that was definitely unpredictable was the ending. Without spoiling anything, both Becky and Adam described it as “open” to further exploration of the relationships between the characters, and I’m not sure what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t what actually happened. It leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader as well as the possibility of Becky and Adam writing a sequel!

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed previous books by Adam and Becky, as it follows a similar flow of both the characters and the plot feeling real and natural. The writing is seamless and I hope this leaves an opportunity for Becky and Adam to write more together.

“Arthur, the universe just got the ball rolling,’ he says. ‘We made us happen.”

Find this book on Goodreads

Happy Reading xo