WHAT IF IT’S US by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (Review)

Amazon | TBD | Goodreads

448 Pages

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 thinks the universe needs to mind its 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 get separated.

Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can’t nail a first date even after three do-overs?

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 play?

But what if it is?

What if it’s us?

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I pre-ordered this one a week before it released, and I was really looking forward to it!

I’m going to be straight out, I’ve never read anything by either of these authors (I know…). But here are some of my (probably unpopular) opinions about it.

I had multiple issues with this one, that I can’t seem to get past.

I want to state, firstly, that I really enjoyed the characters, Ben and Arthur, and I was really rooting for them throughout the way (but let’s face it, Dylan was my favorite).

But the issues that struck me from completely loving this one were:

• I just re-read the synopsis, and I felt like I just read the first 300 pages of this book.I don’t think it goes without saying, because it says it in the description above, but Ben and Arthur go on a mad hunt for each other, they find each other, and then have complications. That’s a good 300 to 350 pages of the book. I feel like it’s like those movies where the trailer spoils everything. There was never anything that kept me really on the edge or completely shocked.
• Pop culture referencesWhile a couple are fine, I felt that there seemed to be some sort of recent pop-culture reference on every page, which makes me believe this book is going to date horribly. One or two are fine, but when it’s constant, I just don’t feel it.

The things that gave this one bonus points, in my mind however, were it’s use of language. I feel Albertalli and Silvera really captured how teens talk today and how harshly they react to things, which is refreshing.

In the end, I really enjoyed this one, but there were just a couple things described above that really frustrated me and what I believe kept this review from being a solid five. I believe my overall experience with a book (enjoyment wise) is a huge factor for my end rating, however. And, like I said, in the end, I enjoyed this one, and that’s one of the main, huge factors, from tipping this to a 3 star, I believe.

If you’re looking for a light, cute, funny read, I would definitely pick this one up.

Rating:

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Have you read What If It’s Us? What did you think? How did it compare to Albertalli’s and Silvera’s previous works? Let’s talk in the comments!