ARC Review: What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Title: What If It's Us
Authors: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 448 Pages
Publication Date: October 9th, 2018

Summary: 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? What if it's us?

OH MY GOSH I LITERALLY JUST CLOSED THIS BOOK AND I HAVE TO WRITE MY REVIEW RIGHT AWAY WHILE ALL OF THE EMOTIONS ARE STILL FRESH BUT YOU GUYS OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG MY HEART.

Okay. *takes deep breath* I'm calm now. I'm collected. Everything's fine.

This book absolutely ripped my heart out but then it patched it right back up, only to rip it out again. It was so super cute and I just loved it so much and AGH I KNOW I NEED TO WRITE A MORE COHERENT REVIEW WITH MORE PROFESSIONAL THOUGHTS BUT ALL I WANT TO DO IS SIT HERE AND FANGIRL ABOUT THIS BOOK ALL DAY LONG.

As the summary explains, Arthur is in New York City for the summer, interning at a law firm with his mom. Ben is a NYC native, and the two end up crossing paths at the post office, and there's an immediate spark.

The only problem? Ben vanishes before Arthur can catch his name.

So then Arthur and Ben have to jump through hoops to find each other again, which is hard to do when you live in New York City with all of those people. So then the rest of the book once they meet up again (I won't tell you how, though -- check that out yourself!) and how shaky their relationship starts off. Things aren't immediately love at first sight -- there's a lot of awkwardness and missteps and a whole lot of first date do-overs. But throughout it all, they can't help thinking -- what if the universe is pushing them together on purpose? What if they're meant to be? 

I loved absolutely everything about this book, but the alternating perspectives between Arthur and Ben were definitely my favorite. I really loved how different their characters were while they still had a lot of underlying traits that made them the same. Arthur was really funny and eager with the way he fell so hard and so fast, and he blurted things out a lot that immediately made me blush or cringe because I felt so bad on his behalf. Ben was a little more quiet and kept to himself, but his chapters really gave me a deeper perspective on how he felt about things, and it was super sweet. Both boys were super cute and adorable and ugh I just loved them both so much and I wish I could give them a hug because they're both so dang cute.

Another character that I really loved in this book was Dylan. He was absolutely hysterical, with his rash statements and hilarious quips and nicknames for Ben, and even how he reacted with Samantha. Every time Dylan was in a scene, I was doubling over with laughter. He reminded me of some of my own best friends and he kept me smiling throughout the whole book. He was someone who was fiercely loyal but also unwaveringly sarcastic, and that's what I loved about him!

Something I appreciated the most about this book was the way it demonstrated that love isn't always perfect, it doesn't always happen at first sight, and sometimes there are a lot of bumps along the road. My parents met their freshman year of high school, but they broke up for awhile before they eventually got back together and got married and here I am! But that's something that's really important for me to recognize -- that their love was great, but it wasn't perfect. It didn't all fall into place right away. The same way Arthur and Ben had a few do-overs on their dates before things really started to settle into place.

(*SPOILERS AHEAD so please skip to the next paragraph if you don't want this book spoiled for you!) Okay, so that ending though. I was both really satisfied and also really sad (but in a good way -- the kind of sad that any Adam Silvera book makes you feel). I wanted them to stay together so badly, so when they didn't, I was really sad. But I also like how the epilogue left things off. Ben and Arthur were best friends and still checked in with one another, but they weren't the same as they once were. But there's still that potential there for something more down the line. And that's why I do like how the book ended, even if it left me a totally emotional mess. In a way, you get to decide for yourself what happens to them, while also not having the power to decide at all. If that makes any sense. I'd just like to think they found their way back to each other again, down the line, the way my parents did.

Overall, I absolutely loved What If It's Us. If you're looking for an emotional book to tear your heart out and stomp all over it, but then have it pieced back together and put back lovingly, then this is the book for you. I'm so glad that two of my favorite writers joined together to create such an emotional and adorable book, set in one of my favorite places and covering one of my favorite things -- meet-cute stories! If this book isn't on your TBR yet, then it definitely should be, because this book is an emotional roller coaster that everyone needs to ride!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find some tissues to take care of this waterfall on my face.