What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

What If It's Us 

By Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Published: HarperTeen, 2018
Pages: 438
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Amazon, Goodreads

I drink him in: rumpled hair, brown eyes, shiny, tear-streaked cheeks. "I love you," I say. "I'm really glad the universe made us happen."

"Arthur, the universe just got the ball rolling," he says. "We made us happen."

About the book

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it's that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben things the universe needs to mind its own business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn't be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend's things.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

Maybe nothing. After all, they separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can't quite nail a first date.. or a second date... or a third?

What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work... and Ben doesn't try hard enough?

What if life really isn't like a Broadway show? But what if it is?

Review

What If It's Us is a cute, funny read centered around the budding romance between two young men in New York. I REALLY enjoyed this one!

I was so happy to find an LGBTQ featuring romance between two guys. In the story, characters's different sexualities are normal; there is, however, a scene in which a passerby on the subway makes homophobic comments which shows readers that while the LGBTQ community is becoming normalized, progress still needs to be made.

The characters were my favorite part of the novel. Arthur is a short, Jewish kid from a well-off family while Ben is a tall, Puerto Rican from a struggling family. The characters are so relatable and have a lot of substance. I loved the modern references - especially all the Dear Evan Hansen-ness! The dialogue is great; it's full of awkwardness and is exactly what my friends and I would say.

To me, What If It's Us shows the reader the importance of hope. Hope and faith in the universe and in yourself that you can control your life and your future.

The ending is fantastic and very realistic. I can't say anything else without spoiling the storyline, but it's not too over-the-top that wouldn't really happen or depressing.

RATING (out of five puppies)