Cale Dietrich

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect this.” This quote is a great representation of the book If This Gets Out because Zach and Ruban are doing anything and everything they can do to keep themselves and each other safe so they can be together, and so their fans know that it’s ok to be who you are.

The two main characters are Zach Knight and Ruban Montez, two of four boys in a boy band called ‘Saturday’ who are friends at the beginning of the book, but end up dating each other closer to the middle. The boys want to come out to their fans, but Geoff Braxton (their manager) won’t let them because he believes that they will lose fans and sooner or later, lose money.

The book starts with the boys in the U.S. but they go on their tour through Europe because they want to see all their fans from all corners of the world. They are often either in their hotel rooms or on stage, but sometimes the boys will be doing an interview or eating in a restaurant. At the end of the book, the boys are back in the U.S. and are focusing on a few things, like the lawsuit between them and Geoff, and Zach and Ruban trying to figure out how to come out.

The book's conflict is that Geoff Braxton won’t let Ruban come out, and eventually won't let Zach and Ruban tell their fans about their relationship. Because of this, Zach and Ruban have to keep their relationship a secret from everyone outside of ‘Saturday’. They eventually have to hijack their first show after Angel’s accident, and, end up telling the entire audience about their relationship. The fans are happy because they relate to the boys. There is also a lawsuit between the four boys and Geoff, but we don’t see how that ends.

The author is reminding us that no matter how hard you try to control someone they will ultimately find a way to do what they want. The author tells a story of how Geoff Braxton was controlling the two boys and they wanted to come out to all their fans, so instead of listening to Geoff, they took over a show and came out.

I recommend this book because there are a lot of interesting topics and details, like drug usage, and how when the boys are in Europe they are legally allowed to drink and do other stuff because they are 18. It is legal, along with what life is like behind the curtain for celebrities, although, there is also drug abuse and controlling of people, so if you are sensitive to those topics I would not recommend reading If This Gets Out. But for those who like stories about how people will do anything to show who they are to those who matter to them, If This Gets Out is a good book for you to read.… (meer)

I received and advance copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

The premise of this book is fantastic and sounds like something designed in a lab specifically for me. Inverting the usual slasher tropes by having a fraternity be the target of a masked killer? Gays in my horror story? Sign me up! The story elements are all there and largely deliver on their promise. Overall this was a neat, if slightly formulaic slasher style book with a compelling twist near the end.

However, The Pledge fails to live up to its potential in a few areas; mainly characterization (so many people were being offed left and right so soon after being introduced and with such little direct portrayal in the story that I found it difficult to keep them straight, even when you have your tried and true archetypes, The Horror Fan, The Murder Podcaster, The Gym Bro, etc.) and the connective tissue of the writing. The plot and action were good but the writing stringing them all together was sometimes dull and prone to leaning on uninspired word choice.

Overall I definitely enjoyed this one and would look forward to reading anything else this author might put out.… (meer)