Title: Only Mostly Devastated
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, LGBTQI
Dates read: 24th – 25th October 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Hodder
Year: 2020
5th sentence, 74th page: Did you do this on purpose, or what?

Ollie falls for Will over the holidays, but once Summer’s ended, Will stop texting him back.

Enrolled at a new school – Will’s school – Ollie finds that the affectionate and comfortably queer guy he knew from Summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This version of Will is a class clown, a basketball jock and, well, a bit of a jerk.

The last time Ollie gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would be a fool to truth him with it again. Right?

Not only is this a fantastic and fun LGBTQI+ romance, but it is also a really sweet coming of age story. It made me cry. I’m incredibly hormonal with the whole being pregnant thing, which may be why I started to cry. But still… tears. And feelings. It was wonderful.

I’ll move onto the romance aspect that I enjoy in a moment. But part of what made me cry and connected me so strongly with this story was the way in which Ollie is dealing with his own family dramas. Set with a backdrop of getting older, having confidence in oneself and just finding a new path in life, Ollie’s journey is powerful. He is able to take on board things that I know, I, myself have found difficult. But he’s able to finish off this tale with pride and his head held high. In the most adorable way possible.

Family is such a backbone of this story. It’s a great driver for the tale. But, there is also the aspect of friendships. Ollie makes some amazing friendships from the very beginning of his time at Collinswood. But he also has to work hard for some others. I like that it’s not this picture perfect joining of people that come together. Ollie has to negotiate different personalities and motives. But, eventually, he’s able to find his own “secondary family”.

Will and Ollie are an incredibly cute and fun couple. There is a lot of complications and negotiations. Much drama. But, all in all, both Will and Ollie are able to find themselves and what they want in their lives. I love the ending of this story. They’re heading off into an unknown future that is full of beautiful potential and everything just feels… settled. Not complete. There is a lot of life left to live. But there is also so much hope.

<- The One That Got Away

Perfect on Paper ->

Image source: Hachette Australia