WHAT IF IT'S US by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera | Book Chat with Kenzie
- 12:39 PM
- By Kenzie
- 8 Comments
If you know me then you must know that my tbr pile is quite fearsome at the moment. (I say that like there might actually be a day when it isn't lol we know that's not true.) And I'm only referring to my physical pile-- my goodreads tbr pile is thrOUGH THE ROOF. But... Guys. I totally caved on this one. EpicReads was giving away free pins to whoever preordered the book and I just had to.
I am super excited to talk about this adorably gay contemporary with y'all. Becky's writing is one of my favorites, and despite this being my first Adam Silvera book, I'm very eager to check out some of his books. If anyone has read an Adam book, please let me know which one I should pick up first! She asks as if her tbr pile isn't haunting her enough already.
The Plot
What If It's Us is a meet cute, insta-lovey story. It's about two boys who meet at a post office and find themselves interested in one another. However, they leave without giving each other any sort of contact information (or names for that matter!). The first part of the book is about them trying to find each other in hectic NYC.
The story centers around the concept "was this meant to be?" and "is the universe bringing us together or pulling us apart?" which was totally up my alley. It felt very real because in life, certain moments occur and you sometimes you feel like they were meant to happen.
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie that was so cute and light and funny that you didn't want to finish it because you didn't want it to end? This book was that for me. It wasn't something super groundbreaking as compared to Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. In a way, I felt like it was more simple than that. You know what I mean? The characters are what really made the story.
The Characters
I'm a sucker for really good characters. Like, forget the plot. What even is a plot? ALL I WANT ARE REALLY LOVEABLE CHARACTERS WHO MAKE MY HEART BURST WITH HAPPINESS. And Arthur and Ben did just that.
The book switches POVs between the two boys and I loved how I was able to know who was Becky's creation and who was Adam's instantly. ;)
Arthur is a #hopelessgay who literally bursts with sunshine and rainbows. He is super extroverted and has a very contagious smile (I know this because I couldn't stop smiling while reading his parts). He's never been in a relationship before but he is so ready to be the best boyfriend eVER.
Ben is a bit more introverted. Even though he is also a hopeless romantic, he is still a little more reserved than Arthur. WHICH MAKES THEM SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER.
What I loved most about these characters were their flaws. WE LOVE CHARACTERS WITH FLAWS. Arthur is insecure due to never having been in a relationship and has so much love to give, he feels he isn't getting the same in return. Meanwhile, Ben has a hard time showing his feelings through actions. He's afraid of getting hurt again due to his ugly break up with his ex-boyfriend.
There were so many moments where I wanted to just grab Ben and ask him "what the heck are you doing??" But at the same time, I related to him a lot. And I related to Arthur! Flaws in characters are good, people. We can relate to them more.
Another thing I loved where the side characters! Ben's best friend Dylan was tHE BOMB. He had me cracking up every time he entered the scene. I loved his relationship with Ben and how loyal the two are to each other. I even loved both of their parents. They were super funny and cute and loving and just asdfghjkl. <3
Writing Style
Perfect as always. Reading the book felt like I was watching a rom com. (And now I can see why it is being turned into a movie! I really hope it will be a Netflix original because I feel like it would do soooo well as that. Like To All The Boys I've Loved Before but gay.)
Creativity
I don't think the story itself was super creative and unique... In a way it was, yes. Because there certainly aren't a lot of light gay rom coms out in the world. The story didn't center around the subject of their sexuality or coming out-- it was just a meet-cute love story about two boys! I really liked that and it makes me even more excited for the movie to come out (hehe pun not intended).
Aesthetic
The aesthetic was so vivid and made me feel like I was walking down the streets of NYC with my precious cinnamon rolls. :')
Pace
Okay, so it is an insta-lovey story which means the pacing in here is pretty quick. The events of the book happen within the course of three weeks, I believe? Yeah... I mean, it didn't bother me but it might for some people. In the book, Arthur is only staying in NYC for the summer until he returns back to Georgia. So, in a way, it did feel like their relationship was rushed into given their circumstances.
Cover
SO CUTE. CAN'T EVEN. OH MY PRECIOUS BOYS. <3333 Whoever did the cover design... Can you please move into my home and draw my favorite characters every day? Thanks. ^-^
Overall
It's very much a 4.5 star book but when I think about the characters and how much I actually enjoyed the book... I gotta give it that other .5 mark. ;)
TALK TO ME!
Have you read this book yet? What did you think? ARE YOU A FAN OF BECKY OR ADAM'S WRITING? Which book of Adam's should I read first? DO YOU FLAIL OVER CUTE ROM COMS? BECAUSE SAME.
Caution warnings
language, minor drinking, vivid discussions about sex, a non-detailed sex scene, a scene where Arthur and Ben encounter a homophobic father on the subway that made me want to cry.
