Book Review: What if it’s Us?
A Chance Meeting Leads to a Dream of a Summer
“What If It’s Us?” is a YA Fiction book written by two best-selling authors: Becky Albertalli (author of “Simon vs. the Homosapien’s Agenda) and Adam Silvera (author of “They Both Die at the End”) in 2018. These two authors have also written a variety of other popular YA books, so I’m certain that if you read this genre, these names will be familiar to you. This book is also geared towards young adults, being part of the YA genre and all. The age range 13–17 seems about right, and this book was definitely suited for people of this age range, with the content and language used in writing it. Both Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera generally do a good job of adhering to the proper age range for their books.
Because, at least for me, this book was relatively slow-paced (in comparison to other YA Romance books), I’d recommend reading this book before bed, as it’ll really help you get sleepy enough for a good night’s rest. Not that it’s boring! Well, not exactly. Just a little lighter on the action and drawn out a little longer. In all honesty, though, this book can be read during any time of day, so have fun with it. Here’s a short summary of the book.
Summary
Arthur is entranced by the magic of New York City, even though he’s just here for the summer to intern at his mother’s law firm. That doesn’t mean that he’s still not a firm believer in all things romantic and dramatic. After all, why can’t life in the city be like a Broadway musical?
Ben, on the other hand, is living a less-than-magical life, having just gotten through a breakup, and is now sentenced to spending summer school with the other person involved in the said break-up.
When these two boys have a chance meeting outside of the post office, only to be broken apart again, they believe it could very well be a case of the universe sending them a message. This lighthearted novel follows the two teens as they experience being pushed together and pulled apart numerous times, battling do-overs and arguments and first times. In the end, it’s up to them to decide whether or not they could have a chance at becoming something for real before their time runs out.
General Opinion
While reading this novel, the themes explored in it were pretty much adhering to their demographic — although, I would say it is geared towards the slightly older kids in the teenage years (say, high school?). Now, as to the actual book, I had some mixed feelings regarding my final impression.
This book was a sweet and enjoyable read about the romantic adventures of two boys trying to make the most of their time together. It was really refreshing to be able to read an LGBTQ+ story that isn’t a coming out story (there’s nothing wrong with those, of course), instead portraying their relationship as normalized — as the LGBTQ+ community should be. However, at some points I found myself counting down the pages until it was over. For the first half of the book, I couldn’t distinguish between Ben and Arthur, for they had no individual voices. The pop-culture references, while relatable for the first part, quickly became overwhelming with the sheer amount of times they were used. Finally, there seemed to hardly be any chemistry between the main characters, and other than their on-again-off-again romance spurred by petty arguments, there was no other engaging plot.
This isn’t a book that I would read again (I apologize to those who truly love this book, it just was a little overbearing for me). On the plus side, there were definitely some pros to this book as well that I can’t deny. There were many things to enjoy about this book. First of all, it was very friendly in terms of diversity. The two main characters were, after all, Hispanic and Jew respectively, and were also members of the LGBTQA+ community. The beginning of the book leading up to them finding each other (after initially being separated) was very cute to read, and the way the novel handled the issue of losing one’s virginity was realistic and non-explicit (keeping in mind the teenage audience). Its tone was lighthearted and playful throughout.
Pacing/Understanding of the Book
This book was paced rather slow in my opinion, leaving me simply waiting for the book to end at some points. While that’s not to say that this wasn’t a good book, I just found the action to be a little lackluster plot-wise. It can be a great book to read before bed, as it has a soothing, calming, and (let’s face it, very slow tone) that can be good for something. Perhaps for some people who like a more low-stakes kind of book, this would be perfect, but for me, it felt a little lacking in those aspects.
The Author’s Style
Now, my opinion of the author’s style changed drastically as I continued on throughout reading this book. In the beginning, I loved the informal style of writing, making it feel as though you were simply having a conversation with one of the characters as you would your friends, with all of the references to pop culture that one might use with those they are close to. However, after getting a good couple of chapters in, I realized why it’s advised to use some form of elegance and distance in your writing. The multiple pop-culture references started to become overwhelming, with the style feeling more and more like a dictionary of the youth. The author’s style, while nice in some capacity, simply wasn’t my favorite.
Emotions While Reading the Book
Usually, when I read a romance novel, I always find myself deeply invested in both of the characters, feeling as though I am in the book myself, watching two of my closest friends locked in a will-they, won’t-they battle of their feelings. With this book, I ended up being rather detached from both the characters and the outcome of their romantic journey. Don’t get me wrong, they both seemed nice enough. They simply didn’t have individual enough voices for me to distinguish between them enough to care, and there weren’t really any high stakes in this book for me to root for. It felt more like a blip in the summer, a passing thing, leaving little to no impression on me or my emotions.
Factors to be Aware Of
While it is a teenage-geared book, there are some factors in this that parents may want to remain aware of for their children, and the teens should check to make sure they are comfortable with some of the things that are included. Delving into LGBTQA+ culture, there is a scene where the two characters face blatant homophobia that they must stand up for themselves in. They also have sexual humor from time to time, including exploring the loss of one character’s virginity. It is portrayed in a realistic way (with consent) and doesn’t explicitly describe any scenes that may make readers uncomfortable. Still, though, everyone has their own comfort level regarding literature, so it’s important to know what you are comfortable with prior to reading.
Best Quotes from the Book
“I believe in love at first sight. Fate, the universe, all of it. But not how you’re thinking. I don’t mean it in the “our souls were split and you’re my other half forever and ever” sort of way. I just think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path.”
“It’s this strangling fear that we’ll be sitting there and we’ll run out of something to say and I’ll be able to witness the exact moment someone falls out of love with me because I don’t have enough substance to keep a conversation alive over a meal. Why would you want to talk to me for the rest of your life?”
“But what if the story should quit while it’s ahead?” “How do you know unless you give the story another chance?”
Final Comments
This novel can also teach us many things about growing up, LGBTQ+ culture, as well as racial diversity. This novel educates readers on LGBTQA+ culture, seeing as how the love story is between two teenage boys. It also includes racial diversity, teaching readers a little more in-depth about both Hispanic and Jew cultures and practices. Finally, it implies the loss of a character’s virginity, handled in a way such as that no explicit scenes are shown, though the lessons of consent are still able to come through. I don’t want to give anything away in the book, but it also really depicts the realistic scenarios that come with summer love, and it leaves you feeling satisfied with the realistic portrayal of teenage relationships to a large extent.
This novel was pleasant to read at some points, but if I had the choice to go back and choose to read the book again, I’m afraid I’d pass on it. The numerous pop-culture references quite honestly felt like they were being shoved down my throat, and other than the constantly unsteady relationship between the main characters due to petty arguments, there was no truly engaging plot. The efforts of the authors are clearly shown, but there have been better books. That’s also my recommendation to you, though it’s always best to form your own opinion. My review is simply just a guideline — the real opinion is formed by you as a reader.
Some books that are similar to this are “They Both Die at the End”, “Here’s to Us”, and “Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda”, as all of these books also deal with the LGBTQ+ community, coming out to people you love, and dealing with homophobia and teenage relationships.