October 27, 2022
“Maybe this isn’t how life works. Maybe it’s all about people coming into your life for a little while and you take what they give you and use it on your next friendship or relationship. And if you’re lucky, maybe some people pop back in after you thought they were gone for good.”
So. This was the most anticipated book of 20gayteen. And I have to say that I expected a little more from this fabulous collaboration.
In fact, I do have a lot of criticism. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy this book. It was a quick, cute and obviously super gay read. But the fact that Becky and Adam are two of the biggest names in the YA industry made me have the highest expectations. Here are three major points where the authors could have done a better job:
Pop culture references
I don't mind when a character is a big fan of a franchise that I have never given much attention before. But when the pop culture references are so numerous that they threaten to overpower your own original content, you should maybe think about restraining yourself a little. When content that you have not even created yourself - in this case it's Hamilton - takes up so much space in a story that people forget about the original material, you should be worried. I've seen both Adam and Becky doing this in their own books as well. And it has become a trend in YA to reference lots of non-fictional fandoms, franchises, etc. What If It's Us took all of that to a whole new level, though, and it didn't do the book any good. Especially because it doesn't exactly promise a bright future for a book when the characters keep talking about things that might be entirely out of fashion in ten years time.
Teen drama
Look. When you think that a relationship is too smooth and you need to fill the pages with more drama because it might get boring otherwise, please find a valid reason for a fight or just leave it out altogether. Don't just fish for something irrelevant to construct a ridiculous fight that could have been avoided altogether. It makes me doubt your creativity as a writer when you make up drama just for the sake of including drama. And, man, these are two talented and experienced authors who have written several good books so how did they manage to write scenes that felt so...amateurish? Arthur and Ben are teenagers, yes, but they're not 13 years old. They are a little more mature than that. Make them act like it, too, please.
Homophobia
When people make fun of Trump and Putin kissing or even having sex with each other, that's not funny. Why is that? Because these kinds of jokes and cartoons seek to diminish their integrity and masculinity. (I'm not saying they have integrity but simply pointing out the effect that this kind of method has.) And what makes them less masculine, less respected, less powerful in such jokes? Not the fact that they are incompetent or close-minded leaders but the fact that they are gay.
So I do not understand why Becky and Adam would buy into this kind of narrative. There were two instances when such jokes were made in this book. They were not as crude or explicit as you might imagine, but they still crossed a line that YA authors should never cross. Especially when they write about gay characters. Especially when they happen to be gay themselves.
Lots of stuff to think about that could have easily been avoided or ironed out during the editing process. It would have been so easy, really. I know this was a heavy dose of negative criticism - but keep in mind that I am this critical because I actually admire Becky and Adam and just expected a little better of them.
But here is the good stuff:
The ending
Spoilers ahead!
The ending was my favourite thing about this book. I think it was done really well, especially because it's so realistic. When Arthur and Ben decide to end their romantic relationship and try to stay friends, it is not the most romantic outcome, but definitely the healthiest and most logical one. A couple of weeks of romance do not ensure a life-long relationship, especially when that relationship has to be a long-distance one. At 16 or 17 you might be in love with a person, lose your virginity to that person, but it's unlikely that that person will be the last one you will ever love or have sex with.
I do love that the possibility of a shared future remains, though. Ben and Arthur still have feelings for one another, and I am confident that their paths will cross again.
Representation
This book has a gay Puerto Rican main character and a gay Jewish main character with ADHD. And it was written by OwnVoices authors - they gay, Puerto Rican author wrote the gay and Puerto Rican character, the Jewish author wrote the Jewish character. It also features a variety of characters with different ethnic and social backgrounds, and topics like anxiety, privilege and homophobia are openly discussed. I'm glad that YA has come this far and is still growing.
The characters
While I didn't always connect with Arthur and Ben, who often managed to annoy me, I really liked some of the side-characters. Jessie seems to be a really good friend. Samantha is an adorable character with a big heart. Namrata and Juliet are my personal sarcastic heroes and made me laugh a lot.
In a nutshell: an entertaining novel with ups and downs.
Find more of my books on Instagram
So. This was the most anticipated book of 20gayteen. And I have to say that I expected a little more from this fabulous collaboration.
In fact, I do have a lot of criticism. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy this book. It was a quick, cute and obviously super gay read. But the fact that Becky and Adam are two of the biggest names in the YA industry made me have the highest expectations. Here are three major points where the authors could have done a better job:
Pop culture references
I don't mind when a character is a big fan of a franchise that I have never given much attention before. But when the pop culture references are so numerous that they threaten to overpower your own original content, you should maybe think about restraining yourself a little. When content that you have not even created yourself - in this case it's Hamilton - takes up so much space in a story that people forget about the original material, you should be worried. I've seen both Adam and Becky doing this in their own books as well. And it has become a trend in YA to reference lots of non-fictional fandoms, franchises, etc. What If It's Us took all of that to a whole new level, though, and it didn't do the book any good. Especially because it doesn't exactly promise a bright future for a book when the characters keep talking about things that might be entirely out of fashion in ten years time.
Teen drama
Look. When you think that a relationship is too smooth and you need to fill the pages with more drama because it might get boring otherwise, please find a valid reason for a fight or just leave it out altogether. Don't just fish for something irrelevant to construct a ridiculous fight that could have been avoided altogether. It makes me doubt your creativity as a writer when you make up drama just for the sake of including drama. And, man, these are two talented and experienced authors who have written several good books so how did they manage to write scenes that felt so...amateurish? Arthur and Ben are teenagers, yes, but they're not 13 years old. They are a little more mature than that. Make them act like it, too, please.
Homophobia
When people make fun of Trump and Putin kissing or even having sex with each other, that's not funny. Why is that? Because these kinds of jokes and cartoons seek to diminish their integrity and masculinity. (I'm not saying they have integrity but simply pointing out the effect that this kind of method has.) And what makes them less masculine, less respected, less powerful in such jokes? Not the fact that they are incompetent or close-minded leaders but the fact that they are gay.
So I do not understand why Becky and Adam would buy into this kind of narrative. There were two instances when such jokes were made in this book. They were not as crude or explicit as you might imagine, but they still crossed a line that YA authors should never cross. Especially when they write about gay characters. Especially when they happen to be gay themselves.
Lots of stuff to think about that could have easily been avoided or ironed out during the editing process. It would have been so easy, really. I know this was a heavy dose of negative criticism - but keep in mind that I am this critical because I actually admire Becky and Adam and just expected a little better of them.
But here is the good stuff:
The ending
Spoilers ahead!
The ending was my favourite thing about this book. I think it was done really well, especially because it's so realistic. When Arthur and Ben decide to end their romantic relationship and try to stay friends, it is not the most romantic outcome, but definitely the healthiest and most logical one. A couple of weeks of romance do not ensure a life-long relationship, especially when that relationship has to be a long-distance one. At 16 or 17 you might be in love with a person, lose your virginity to that person, but it's unlikely that that person will be the last one you will ever love or have sex with.
I do love that the possibility of a shared future remains, though. Ben and Arthur still have feelings for one another, and I am confident that their paths will cross again.
Representation
This book has a gay Puerto Rican main character and a gay Jewish main character with ADHD. And it was written by OwnVoices authors - they gay, Puerto Rican author wrote the gay and Puerto Rican character, the Jewish author wrote the Jewish character. It also features a variety of characters with different ethnic and social backgrounds, and topics like anxiety, privilege and homophobia are openly discussed. I'm glad that YA has come this far and is still growing.
The characters
While I didn't always connect with Arthur and Ben, who often managed to annoy me, I really liked some of the side-characters. Jessie seems to be a really good friend. Samantha is an adorable character with a big heart. Namrata and Juliet are my personal sarcastic heroes and made me laugh a lot.
In a nutshell: an entertaining novel with ups and downs.
Find more of my books on Instagram
