What If It's Us

So… here we are. We’ve been blessed by possibly the most anticipated collaboration from two YA authors, so how could I not read it? I’m big fans of both Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, so when my friend JM @ Book Freak Revelations offered his tour, I couldn’t say no. Add the fact that I’m in love with Dear Evan Hansen, from which the title of this book was based on.

Like Arthur, I’m a believer of the universe and how it affects people’s actions. I believe that the universe let me read this book because I really just love it when books toy with my fragile emotions.

This book is so… soft. It’s beaming with emotions so raw that I found myself either laughing or tearing up while reading. I love Arthur and Ben, flaws and all. I love how they complemented each other’s characters. Arthur was sort of the sappy hopeless romantic, while Ben, going through a tough breakup, seemed to be the jaded, chill kind of guy.

I also love the inclusion and depiction of the minor characters in the story. Friends from both sides were wonderfully inserted in the narrative so they didn’t feel like just a flat cardboard on the background. I particularly like Dylan and his antics. He’s always ridden with quips and I would literally fight for this guy and his sense of humor.

Becky and Adam made some references/easter eggs in the book that pertains to some of their books and people around them, like Dylan and Jessie who is based on David Arnold and Jasmine Warga. Beckminavidera FTW!

What felt lacking for me was the pacing and the characters voices weren’t that distinct. Don’t get me wrong, I like dual POVs, but I FRIKKIN LOVE it when it’s easy to distinguish who’s who. For the pacing, it just felt a little too long at some point.

But the ending… OH GOD THAT ENDING!!! I seem to enjoy and appreciate open endings nowadays and this one was just so PERFECT! I couldn’t ask for a better one. I could think of a million what ifs and I guess that was the point of the whole story.

Overall, Becky and Adam most certainly did not disappoint! What If It’s Us is a great story of finding love in all forms, set in New York City, which will definitely satisfy your heart no matter whether you’re a cynic or a hopeless romantic.

I’ve read both Becky and Adam books and What If It’s Us is a combination of the very best of both of them. Filled with so much heart WHAT IF IT’S US follows Ben and Arthur through New York as they spend the summer together. Ben a New York native just had his heart broken and will thank the universe to mind it’s own business. Arthur a hopeless romantic, is spending his summer in New York. When he meets Ben he thinks its fate bringing them together and he’s willing to put everything on the line to see Ben again.

I want to give trigger warnings for racism, homophobia, panic attacks, and cheating.

When I went into this book I wasn’t sure if we were going to get an Adam book or a Becky book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Becky and Adam came together to seamlessly blend both of their voices together. They created these two characters who are adorable, awkward, and so relatable. Ben is heartbroken and all he wants is to get through this summer. He’s more practical and more realistic about love and life. Arthur is the dreamer, the hopeless romantic, the one who believes that fate brought the two of them together. And what I love about this is that they both bring out those tendencies in each other. I loved the romance between Ben and Arthur. These two characters are different but they fit together and they bring out the best in each other. Also, can I just talk about how much I loved Ben’s best friend Dylan. He was funny and I loved the relationship between them. It felt like a friendship, one where you have known someone for a long time. You get them and they get you. Dylan was very much my favorite part about reading Ben’s chapters.

Ben is Puerto Rican and Arthur is Jewish and has ADHD. This book talks a lot about the privilege that both Ben and Arthur face but also the racism and homophobia they face daily. Ben talks a lot about his identity, both inside his home with his family and in the real world. And there are several moments where Ben will challenge the micro-aggressions he faces on a daily basis, as well as the blatant homophobia. It added a whole new aspect to this story and showed how we internalize and continue to perpetuate negative harmful beliefs or ideas. In a book where the focus is mainly on the romance, these moments were really eye-opening. The way each moment was handled was amazing and really well done.

I think my only negative with this book was that the problems Ben and Arthur face in their relationship were blown completely out of proportion. It felt like a non-issue and not something that they really needed to get into a fight over. In the overall book though that was a tiny negative in a sea of positive. This book was beautiful and full of heart. That ending though was not really at all what I expected. And while it was not my favorite I do appreciate how they wrapped up the book but also left it hanging where there could possibly be more. Overall I think Becky and Adam make such a great team. Their writing so beautifully combines to create this lush cast of characters who drop a whole bunch of nerd all over this book. It’s adorable and had me laughing out loud which is rare. If you haven’t picked up this book or you were hesitant I would recommend this one a hundred times over.