Here’s to Us – Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: After an amicable break-up, Ben and Arthur haven’t kept in touch, but Arthur’s internship in New York City provides an opportunity for them to reconnect before big life changes have the potential to pull them apart for good.
Expectation: An unnecessary sequel to a book I enjoyed but didn’t really remember.
Reality: Unnecessary and predictable, sure, but it’s filled with humor and heart that makes it 100 percent escapist fun.
Recommended For: Fans of the first novel, “What If It’s Us,” and those looking for lighter reading.
Why I Read It: I wasn’t planning on it since I didn’t remember much of the first novel, but reviews were positive, and I’m glad I did.
My Take:
“What If It’s Us,” the predecessor to “Here’s to Us,” holds the distinction of being the first gay young adult romance I ever read. It was February 2019, and I was a few days shy of my 37th birthday.
While the book was imperfect, I was truly amazed that stories like that were easily accessible to teens today — a drastic change from 1990s, my teen years. Below are snippets from that book’s review:
If art reflects a generation, then I'm happy for teens today, especially those that are questioning their sexuality. When I was a teenager, there weren’t many positive mainstream representations of what it meant to be a gay man.
Films heavily focused on HIV/AIDS (which made sense for the 90s), but I couldn’t relate to the characters, and if anything, the themes of isolation, resentment and fear created more internal homophobia than hope that I could live a “normal” life as an out gay man one day. Other portrayals, say from “Will and Grace” and “The Birdcage,” were caricatures of the flamboyant and fabulous gay man, which was not how I viewed myself.
All that to say, “What If It’s Us” — while not a perfect book — is an important book. It bypasses the after school special lessons and instead presents us with two teens, that just happen to be gay, trying to find love in New York.
While the book utterly celebrates being yourself, refreshingly, gaining acceptance is not the central story — hell, it is a minor a plot point — since Ben and Arthur are already out and fully embraced by their friends and families. Instead, it narrows on the roadblocks in navigating that first love, which finally gives young gay kids — those in the closet and out of it — a story that feels authentic and mainstream, not thinly-veiled heteronormativity.
Young Adult romance is not for me. I rolled my eyes in frustration at many points in “What If It’s Us,” but I’m damn glad that a story like this is out in the world. It means something to me as a 30-something, and I know it would’ve meant the world to me as a 16-year-old.
Well, three-and-a-half years later #Bookstagram has introduced me to lots of gay YA (romance and otherwise), but you never forget your first time, so Ben and Arthur still hold a special – and significant – place in my heart.
Was “Here’s to Us” necessary? No. Did I love it? Yes.
I found it to be better paced and more realistic than “What” as Ben and Arthur are navigating college life, and their first taste of adult problems like letting others down, big moves, jobs and relationships with friends and family evolving.
Honestly, I didn’t remember much about the plot of “What,” but Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera do a good job of re-introducing you to characters and situations without making it feel like a formal recap.
Two years after the events of “What” Ben is in New York, attending a local college and working on his Wizarding World novel. He’s dating Mario, but they haven’t put a title on things, and he wonders if it’s for the long haul.
Arthur, meanwhile, is dating Mikey, an awkward but goodhearted co-ed who isn’t thrilled with Arthur heading to New York City for an internship rather than spend it with him as a camp counselor.
While Ben and Arthur haven’t kept in touch lately, it’s only inevitable their paths will cross again. It doesn’t take an advanced degree to figure out what’s going to happen.
Even with the plot predictability and more serious undertones, Albertalli and Silvera kept the dialogue snappy and the positive queer representation firmly in place. As with the first novel, grabbling with sexuality or acceptance from friends and family is never used to create drama.
There were still some ridiculous plot points — they have the best luck of any twentysomethings ever — but overall, I enjoyed this one even more than its predecessor. It was the perfect palate cleansing read after several heavy stories, and the epilogue made my heart swoon and tears swell.
Plus, the audiobook narration is fantastic. Noah Galvin (Arthur) and Froy Guiterrez (Ben), reprise their roles and have a lot of fun with story. Galvin, especially, had me laughing out loud during Arthur’s over-caffeinated antics and Guiterrez, while always solid as Ben, brought some depth to Dylan a side character in “What” who has more time to shine here. Their performances make this the perfect summer road trip book.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: June 16 – June 22, 2022
Multi-tasking: Good to go. It’s easy to follow the plot and the narration is engaging, so most activities that still allow you to pay attention to the story are fine.
