A New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller!
Critically acclaimed and bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera combine their talents in this smart, funny, heartfelt collaboration about two very different boys who can’t decide if the universe is pushing them together—or pulling them apart.
ARTHUR is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, … apart.
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 nail a first date even after three do-overs?
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?
What if it’s us?
Plus don’t miss Yes No Maybe So, Becky Albertalli’s and Aisha Saeed’s heartwarming and hilarious new novel, or Infinity Son, the first book in Adam Silvera’s epic new fantasy series, both coming in 2020!
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The category for one of my book clubs was to choose a book from a genre I don’t usually read. For me, that’s a YA romance.
I’d read Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and adored Simon’s voice, so another Albertalli book was an easy selection for me. Ben and Arthur are just as charismatic, and super nerdy in their own ways. After their meet cute, they finally locate each other in an amusing way. I laughed over some of their conversations, and first dates, yes, plural, that were awkward and disastrous. The friendships are done so well, and one of my favorite things about the book, as are the characters’ relationships with their parents.
Yes, it was a bit predictable, but I was so pleased with the ending. No spoilers here. What If It’s Us is heartwarming and amusing, with characters you’ll fall in love with, and a pleasure to read.
With all the hype in the last few years about these authors, I knew I needed to read one of each of their books. I requested a few from the library and got placed in the queue to wait my turn. This was the first novel that showed up, so I get to sample them both at the same time. It was a fantastic read, and I ended up just shy of 4.5 stars hence rounding down to 4 on the ratings charts. Let’s dive into my thoughts…
While the first few chapters drew me in on many levels, I squirmed a lot over the dialog and viability of the scenarios. I live in New York City. I’ve been to this post office many times. I couldn’t visualize it based on how things were laid out. It definitely could happen; however, between the dialog of the characters and this meet-cute scenario, I thought they were mid-20s at first. On the flip side, I’m not in my 20s now, so it’s possible I’m a tad removed from how things currently work in the dating world! What this book ultimately made me do / think after finishing 90% of it was… how in the world do people date in today’s times? These two guys are ~17 in NYC riding subways on their own and going all over the place. In my day (wow, that makes me sound way older than I am) I was a scared little boy who wouldn’t have (a) been allowed to nor (b) felt comfortable doing it. Perhaps that’s more of a comment on me and not the book, but I couldn’t imagine having a conversation with my parents about ‘dick-picks’ from people online. However, in 2018, it’s probably warranted with so much technology and social media in our hands.
My only other concern with the book was the ending. If you prefer not to know, skip this paragraph. If you are okay with small spoilers, keep reading. So… I’m reading along wondering if the book will be a happily-ever-after story or a heart-crushing painful one. I’m definitely more like Arthur minus the Jewish background and desire to attend Yale. I have a free spirit like Ben but I would never show up late nor be friends with an ex the way he was. At 95% in, the book ends with Arthur going back to Georgia for his senior year (was in NYC with parents just for a summer). We don’t know how it ends… but in the epilogue, we do. They go off to college / career separately and have different lives that still intersect. I don’t want to give it all away, but it made me stop and think… isn’t letting go of love hard? I’ve had two prior long-term relationships (5+ years each) end before I met my current partner. Going thru that at 17 (a precocious 17) must be worse.
Yikes, this is a review about a book. Why am I being so personal? I suppose it means the writing, characters, and story were that strong… I connected on many levels. To see how two young guys in high school learn how to date, how not to get mauled on a subway by a bigot, to deal with parents meeting one another, to be out at such a young age… it’s all a challenging and eye-opening experience. I see it with younger friends and family, but to read about it with two kids you just want to hug is a different sort of emotional heart-string tug. I admit I teared up in the end, and Ben’s grand gesture was adorable.
So… I’ll definitely read more from both authors. I recommend this book. Some will find it trite / overdone / simple… but honestly, they just like to complain and have no heart (no offense intended, I respect our differences)… I always look for the wonderful sentiments in a book and enjoy when my boundaries are pushed to think about things differently. Kudos for making it happen here.
I love What If It’s Us, it is soooo amazing!!!! Ben and Arthur are so cleverly written, and I love how they had to try again a couple of times to make it work!!! You have to read this book!!!!
A sweet coming-of-age summer romance, between a recently heartbroken NY teen, stuck in summer school and writing a fantasy novel, and a high-strung Broadway fanatic in from Georgia for a summer internship and feeling a bit lost in his new surroundings. Heartfelt and funny at times, with a large dose of teen angst, this was a solid read, but not an absolute favorite for me. I really enjoyed the initial meeting, the multiple “do-over” dates and the bits that focused on the novel construction. It was something I liked reading that didn’t feel like a waste of my time, but probably not a re-read, since there was just something missing for me to push it past enjoyable into obsession-inducing…
“I don’t know if we’re in a love story or a story about love.”
This book was both a love story and a story about love. Starting from the perfect meet-cute all the way to the most perfect realistic ending. (No spoilers, I promise.)
I’m a total sucker for meet-cutes which meant that I fell in love with this book immediately. My favorite character was, of course, Arthur Suess (p.s. love the name), whose constant word vomit had me equal parts laughing and cringing. That being said, I related more with Ben Alejo, who, like me, is an NYC native with a love of writing and a fear of sharing it. The character for both MC’s growth was fantastic throughout the novel, but I definitely felt Ben’s on another level. Not to mention that the secondary characters were a delightful supporting cast. While there were bits of each that I didn’t care for, they contributed well to the flow of the story.
I think my favorite part of this book (other than the MC’s of course) is the realism. This book is literally an authentic “teenage romance” where everything regarding love (especially first love) feels bigger and more permanent. Not that their love isn’t, but they also show a level of maturity throughout the story (which I really can get into without spoilers) that makes this a great read.
It would be easy to sit and talk about this book for hours without getting bored, but I’m trying to give spoilers because this is definitely a book to read. It’s a sweet, realistic read with an out-of-the-world meet-cute and a whole lot of love; romantic, platonic, and familial.
Personally, I’m glad that I read it now…because the sequel is coming out this December. And even though I have an aversion to book series that follow one couple, I can’t wait to dive into ‘Here’s to Us.’
A great story told so well!! I wanted to crawl into the book and be friends with Arthur and Ben. These two characters are hilariously meant for one another, and I hope we get to see more of them.
A sweet and charming queer rom-com that has likeable characters and an engaging story. Good to read a romance that treats the main couple as individual and important iterations of their ever growing selves, and acknowledges the way that people, friendships, and relationships change over time based on what’s right for you, whilst still keeping that heady romantic glow.
Harry Potter aside, this is my first YA novel I’ve read and I absolutely loved it! Such a fun read about first love amongst two teenage boys and the obstacles the universe throws at them. A thoroughly enjoyable read with wonderful and witty characters!
And for what it’s worth, the sexual identity of Becky Albertalli is irrelevant…she along with Adam Silvera, wrote a great book!
This was very sweet with great characters.
The ending was not what I expected, but I found it was still happy. Ben and Arthur had me laughing every couple pages, and the story felt real even while being a bit far fetched (fate worked wonders for them, though it didn’t always feel realistic in the way things would work out). It was a wonderful story and the messages it convey are good, such as that not every love story is meant to last forever, but that doesn’t mean that the love can’t stay. Both stars are realistic and well fleshed out, I found myself pitying or wanting to yell at or applaud them at various points throughout the book.
My second read in a row without a real ending… I mean, what’s a girl gotta do to get a happily ever after around here? *Dramatic Sigh* Okay, here’s the thing. I didn’t want, need or expect a happily ever after out of this book so complaining about it feels wrong but I still feel the need to point it out. These boys are 16 and 17 years old. A HEA wouldn’t be believable and the book worked SO HARD to make these characters believable, sometimes to the point of me wanting to smack them upside the head like I do most actual teenagers these days. (Insert, wow, I sound like my mother moment here). I just wish the authors had tied things up a little better than the maybe we were left with. Oh, and about that whole believability thing, I often found myself wondering if everyone in this book wasn’t trying just way, way too hard. The main characters kept redoing their first date because they wanted it to be EPIC but in reality, they just didn’t seem to have anything in common. I never really did figure out what exactly it was about each other than was just so amazing they HAD to make this relationship work. Maybe that’s the thirty-something skeptic in me but I don’t think teenagers try this hard, at anything, really. I did enjoy the book though perhaps my review pointing out all the reasons I’m not in love with it doesn’t prove that. It was an enjoyable read, most of the time. Sweet and heartfelt and even if I was just going to give it 3 okay stars, the first time sex scene (off page nothing graphic) was so so well handled, it earned that 4th star all on its own. I want more YA LGBT reads and if possible, a follow up to this one to see where the boys are in another couple years, so all in all, give it a go if teen angst is your jam.
This was a really great book, just the ending really left me empty and wanting more
I need a sequel though
Adorable and realistic novel about two guys who meet the summer before senior year in NYC.
The meet-cute is totally NYC-ish.
The friends encircling (or retreating from) each of the guys is so realistic for that age.
I laughed and ached and hoped and cheered and gasped and enjoyed this one so much.
Did I mention how adorable and fun this was? Because OMG SO ADORABLE AND FUN.
This book is a beautiful mix of queer romance, drama, and comedy. I read it as an e-book and it was such a page turner, I read it in like 2 days. I highly recommend, although I didn’t like the ending.
Loved this booked!
I FREAKING LOVE THIS BOKKKKKK ITS SO CUTE AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A SECOND ONE
It was a really nice, easy read. The ending was a little mediocre, but overall it was ready cute!
This was such a cute, funny read! It made me laugh out loud and it made me tear up. Arthur is convinced he met Ben because of fate and the universe but when he realizes he doesn’t even know Ben’s name, he’s forced to help the universe bring their paths back together. This could not have been more of my catnip and I loved how Ben and Arthur finally found one another again and even more so how they still had to get to know each other and see if there was more to their relationship. They were such well-developed characters and I loved seeing how they grew across the story. The story explored class, religion, and race differences in some really nuanced, compassionate ways and this made Ben and Arthur’s relationship even more believable for me. The ending left me filled with hope. Fingers crossed Albertalli and Silvera team up again!
I loved this book. These guys, Arthur and Ben, are the cutest couple. I bought the book and the audio book as well so I’ve listened to it rather than read it, but I really think that the two actors who read it made it even better. There was such personality to both boys, it just jumped off from the story. Being an adult romance writer I wanted a happy ever after but this is about two high school boys who have all the time in the world to be tied down to one relationship, so the ending was satisfying and full of hope for a HEA in the future. I loved how Arthur hyperactivity and lack of filter and Ben’s lack of self-confidence came through loud and clear. I was a bit worried about their inevitable first time having sex with each other but the authors wrote it beautifully–it was heartfelt, sensitive, and it totally reflected that first-time feeling without a single graphic description. Well done. I have to be honest, when I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda I was a bit disappointed. It was sweet but there was something missing (not quite sure what), but What If It’s Us more than made up for it. Great story.