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

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? (Via Goodreads.com).

Pages: 433

Release Date: October 9th, 2018

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review: 

What If It's Us was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2018. I was fortunate enough to read an advanced copy before its publication and I absolutely adored it. Adam Silvera is one of my absolute favorite authors having published two of my favorite novels, History is All You Left Me and They Both Die at the End. I have previously read and enjoyed Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the novel based on the movie Love, Simon. While I was excited to read the novel, I was the most curious on how the novel would end because Adam Silvera writes notoriously sad novels while Becky Albertalli writes notoriously happy and uplifting novels. What If It's Us was absolutely fantastic, it perfectly melded their two writing styles and characters into a cohesive and amazing novel.

The novel follows Arthur and Ben, two boys that differ in their perspective on fate and the universe. Arthur is an optimistic in terms of fate while Ben is a pessimist. After they meet in  a New York City post office they both start searching for each other and eventually reconnect. While their meeting seemed to be straight from a romance novel, the rest of their story does not and they have to reconsider if the universe really meant for them to be together. Their relationship was adorable and they were definitely opposites attract. Arthur is much more outgoing and bubbly while Ben is more reserved and quiet. They make an amazing duo.

The novel is constructed of chapters alternating in Arthur and Ben's perspective. Becky authored Arthur's chapters while Adam wrote Ben's. While I enjoyed both characters, I preferred Ben's character. I did, however, relate to both of the characters. They were two distinct and lovable characters that I would love to read about again or see a cameo appearance in one of their upcoming novels. I hope they plan to write more novels together in the future, their writing styles perfectly pair with one another. I do hope for more standalone novels as well, but I hope they continue coauthoring together. Some authors are better coauthoring or only writing by themselves; however, Adam and Becky succeed at both.

While the romance was sweet, I also loved the friendships and side characters of the novel. Arthur, who is only in New York City for the summer, left his two best friends, Jessie and Ethan, in Georgia and is in constant contact with them. Ben, a Brooklyn native, is always with his best friend, Dylan, who has a revolving door of girlfriends. In addition, Ben's ex-boyfriend, Hudson, and Dylan's ex-girlfriend/Hudson's best friend, Harriett, are in the mix. While you want to dislike Hudson and Harriett at first, they are both highly developed and lovable characters. Even Arthur's coworkers were incredibly fun and involved. Of all the side characters, Dylan was my absolute favorite. He was hysterical, extremely supportive, a coffee snob/addict, and falls in and out of love a little too quickly. They all made a great squad that I would loved to have been a part of. 

Another great component of the novel was the family dynamics. Both Arthur and Ben's parents were extremely supportive of them and were the typical embarrassing parents when it comes to dating. They were constant throughout the novel and one of the highlights.

An interesting dynamic within the novel was Ben being in summer school. That is one thing not typically shown in Young Adult novels. Summer school in my opinion has a bad reputation. In media, students who are not too bright or do not care about school are typically depicted as summer school student; however, many people there simply struggle with school and the material they were learning. While Ben does admit that he and Hudson were more caught up in their relationship than school, Ben struggles with learning. Ben is not necessarily there because he does not care about school, he just struggles with it. 

What If It's Us is one of the best books I have read this year. The characters, plot, and writing were fantastic. While Adam and Becky are amazing authors by themselves, both of them together added another dimension to their writing abilities. Their styles melded perfectly and the end was the perfect middle ground for both of their styles. I hope to see more novels co-written by the duo, but I am also looking forward to their own standalone novels. I highly recommend What If It's Us if you are looking for a cute romance.