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Book Reviews

Here's To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

11/14/2022

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SYNOPSIS
Ben has spent his first year of college working on his fantasy manuscript with his writing partner Mario, who is a great Spanish tutor, and an even better kisser. So why can’t he stop thinking about the fact that Arthur’s back in town two years after they called it quits?

Arthur is in New York for a dream internship on Broadway, with a boyfriend back at home that he couldn't be happier with. But when he comes upon Ben cuddled up with a mystery boy, he starts to wonder if his feelings for Ben ever truly went away.
​
Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can't seem to help running into each other in the present. Is the universe forcing them to question if they’re actually meant to be?
Possibly not. After all, things didn’t work the first time around.
Possibly yes. After all, the sparks are still flying.
Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and raise a glass.

Here’s to celebrating old friends!
Here’s to embracing new beginnings!
Here’s to believing in second chances!
Synopsis from Goodreads

PERSONAL REVIEW
I can't believe it's taking me so long to read Here's To Us but I finally got a copy from the library and am thrilled that I did! (If anything, I'm kicking myself for not picking up this adorable love story earlier). I had such a great time reading What If It's Us? and was both nervous and excited to find out what happened to Arthur and Ben. In case you're in the same position, rest assured, this book does a beautiful job with their story. 

Became an Arthur fan

Don’t throw arrows, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Arthur in What If It’s Us?  I found him entitled and annoying, especially compared to Ben’s maturity. But this time I really enjoyed him! While his head is still in the clouds a lot of the time, I appreciated the joy he brought to his friends lives and got into his story a bit more. His internship is often hilarious and I enjoyed reading about him finding his footing. His seemed more realistic in this book; he’s a happy guy (just his personality) but it was the first time I felt like he was fully understanding and appreciating the people and world around him. I came to love the emotional, wonderful character that he is.

Secondary Characters are Wonderful
I think I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the secondary characters from What If It’s Us?, but man did I fall back in love with them and with the new characters in this book. Dylan is AMAZING (unsurprising) and I had such a blast reading about him whenever he was with Ben. I also really liked Mario! I thought he was such a good addition to Ben’s life and just feel like he was a cool guy. Honestly, Albertalli and Silvera did such a good job creating a full world for Ben and Arthur; while the story is obviously about them, it really helps them develop, and make the story richer, to have such well-created secondary characters.

The Romance of It All
Yes, they both have boyfriends. And yes, I genuinely liked both their partners. But let’s be honest - we’re all here because we want Ben and Arthur to get back together. But the journey to that point - watching them become friends again, seeing how they handle being each other’s lives - is so well done, I don’t fault the authors for making me wait so long for them to get there! Honestly, they were both so young in the first book, it’s not surprising that long distance got a bit too hard for them. So I loved that we get to see them reunited with some time and maturity on their side. Also, the final chapters? Literally everything I could want in a multiple chapter time jump of an epilogue!!

Overall, this book just made me so happy. I read it in a day because I didn’t want to leave Arthur and Ben alone until they were together again. I loved the journey that got them there and think the Albertalli/Silvera writing duo is incredibly strong (I’m hoping they give us more books in the future!).

What did you think of Here’s To Us? Did it give you the same warm fuzzies if gave me or am I just too excited about it? Let me know!

FINAL RATING: 4.5/5


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    About Me

    Hi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband. 

    I absolutely love to travel, but home will always be in Toronto. Books come with me everywhere and I can't wait to hear if you agree or disagree with my reviews. 


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  • Book Reviews
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