Book Review - Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA meets CLUELESS in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease Summer love...gone so fast. Will Tavares is the dream summer fling―he's fun, affectionate, kind―but just when Ollie thinks he's found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairy tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it's the same school Will goes to...except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn't the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted―and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk. Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn't ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts "coincidentally" popping up in every area of Ollie's life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening. The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

I was so excited to read this retelling of Grease! Not only was it now based in the modern day but it was also a queer retelling. I am so thankful that we are getting more and more diverse protagonists (and antagonists) out there for our youth to see. A story like this would never have been avaliable to me when I was a teenager. The plot is a fun filled romance but also deals with some serious subjects along the way. I enjoyed the author's style of writing and dealing with these heavy topics. I am not normally a fan of YA contemporary but I felt that this story was done in a clever enough way to remain honest yet entertaining. I give this book an easy 4.5 stars.

Thank you Hachette Australia for this copy in return for my honest and independent review.