What If It's Us - Review

Book Review:
Title: What If It's Us
Author: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: October 18th 2018 (UK)
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“I barely know him. I guess that is every relationship. You start with nothing and maybe end with everything.”

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 quite nail a first date . . . or a second first 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 play?
But what if it is?

ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE. ADORABLE.

Have I mentioned how adorable this book is?
I had such high hopes for What If It's Us, knowing that Becky and Adam are such fantastic authors, and they delivered on every. single. aspect.
Romance? Check
Friendships? Check
Family matters? Check
The most lovable characters? Check
Realistic? Check
Everything else? Check Check Check

Becky and Adam's book-baby was exactly what I always crave when I pick up a contemporary.
Arthur and Ben have a meet-cute, but end up leaving without knowing much or anything really about each other. After finding each other again, they try their hardest to have the most perfect date, which fails...on multiple occasions. Arthur and Ben were a disaster at the start of their relationship, but they were the kind of adorable (have I said this word too much now?) disaster that you continue to root for against all odds. Fate somehow keeps pushing them apart, while pushing them together. They're both young so as much as we want, life is going to get messy and everything is not going to be simple. It's a whirlwind romance that will constantly leave you grinning amongst all the occurring disasters!

Alongside the romance, there were some great subplots. As stated previously, this book explores the ups and downs of friendship too. We meet two of Arthur's closest friends, as well as Dylan, who is Ben's best friend. Dylan was hilarious - I loved him so much. He's the kind of friend who is constantly cracking jokes and trying to make everyone smile. As much as I loved Arthur and Ben, Dylan was my favourite character. If we can't get a sequel about Arthur and Ben, can Becky & Adam give us a spin-off about Dylan please? I would love to learn more about him while devouring more of their gorgeous writing!
Along with friendship this book explores family dynamics, religion, mental health and racial identity. This story is about Ben and Arthur and their relationship, but it was so lovely to see all these other topics discussed and not glossed over. I don't want to delve deeper and talk about these topics more, because I want everyone to experience everything the book has to offer first hand, but just know that I loved it. I really, truly loved the conversations had in this book.

What If It's Us takes place over the course of about a month, so things do essentially move quickly, but never once did it actually feel that way. Reading their story, everything felt like it was moving at a natural pace and it felt authentic and realistic. And I think that was down to fact that all was not plain sailing. In the span of 4 weeks, as stated previously, Arthur and Ben had their fair share of up and downs. And the ending of this book? I loved it. It wasn't exactly what I had hoped for, but it still left me with a smile on my face and feeling optimistic.

So in conclusion, if it wasn't clear already, I loved this book!
What If It's Us is the perfect novel for any romance lovers and even if you're not the biggest romance lover, still give this book a shot, because it's so pure and uplifting. 100% recommend!!

5 Stars
Goodreads