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Only Mostly Devastated Paperback – March 9, 2021

by Sophie Gonzales (Author)

4.5 2,202 ratings

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease, from NATIONALLY and INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING author Sophie Gonzales

A 2021 Rainbow Book List Selection
A 2021 Southern Book Prize finalist
A Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 finalist
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An Indie Next Pick

“Only Mostly Devastated is the kind of book I wish existed when my kids were younger―a charming, funny, laugh-out-loud teen romance that reminds all readers love comes in a multitude of flavors, and they are ALL sweet.” ―Jodi Picoult, New York Times–bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light

“A delightful, heartwarming, heartrending story about family, love, friendship, and living your most authentic life. I couldn't put it down.” ―New York Times–bestselling author Sandhya Menon

Will Tavares is the dream summer fling―he’s fun, affectionate, kind―but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairytale ending, and to complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to…except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted―and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts “coincidentally” popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.

The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

Right? Right.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publication date

March 9, 2021
Grade level

7 - 9
Reading age

13 - 18 years
Dimensions

5.4 x 1 x 8.2 inches
ISBN-10

1250787432
ISBN-13

978-1250787439
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Only Mostly Devastated is the kind of book I wish existed when my kids were younger―a charming, funny, laugh-out-loud teen romance that reminds all readers love comes in a multitude of flavors, and they are ALL sweet.” ―Jodi Picoult, New York Times–bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light

“A delightful, heartwarming, heartrending story about family, love, friendship, and living your most authentic life. I couldn't put it down.” ―New York Times–bestselling author Sandhya Menon

“A queer YA romance that just got everything right at every turn was enough to break through the firm brick wall that has become my being and make all the feelings flood through.” ―BookRiot

“Sweet and earnest.... A worthwhile romance for any collection.” ―Booklist

“Gonzales turns in a witty, smart, credible, and irreverent contemporary romance that handles all these elements skillfully and with heart.... The power of this fun Grease retelling is that it normalizes the spectrum of sexual orientations. Recommended for all teens.” ―School Library Journal

“Heartfelt and charming, Only Mostly Devastated is a touching and delightful YA contemporary romance. Highly recommend for fans of Nicola Yoon, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and Sick Kids In Love.” ―YA Books Central

“A delight! This heartfelt, queer update on Grease features a diverse cast of teen characters and a charmingly earnest protagonist in Ollie. Gonzales handily balances lively banter with somber issues, and the compelling will they/won't they storyline warmly illustrates a timeless truth: love is love is love.” ―Jenn Bennett, author of Alex, Approximately

“There can never be enough queer stories about romance―and when they are told with this much heart, humor and a swoon worthy story line, you never want them to end.” ―Angelo Surmelis, author of The Dangerous Art of Blending In

“Irresistibly cute, hilariously sweet, this book warmed my heart with its characters and love story” ―Mason Deaver, author of the national bestseller I Wish You All the Best

“Oh my gosh, Only Mostly Devastated is SO GREAT! Funny and sweet and super gay, fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda are going to be all over it. It’s totally swoon-worthy!” ―Cale Dietrich, author of The Love Interest

"Outrageously funny and terribly sweet, Only Mostly Devastated will tug at your heartstrings until they break, then weave you new ones made of pure gold." ―K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King

"Wry but earnest, sweet but irreverent, heartbreaking but hopeful. With wit and authenticity, Only Mostly Devastated tells the story of what happens to a summer romance after summer is over. You'll be rooting for Ollie and his messy, wonderful friends from the first page to the last." ―Hannah Capin, author of The Dead Queens Club and Foul Is Fair

“With razor-sharp wit, masterful comedic timing, and heaps of heart, these hilarious, lovable, heartbreakingly real characters make Only Mostly Devastated an instant hit and Sophie Gonzales one YA author to watch.” ―Julia Lynn Rubin, author of Burro Hills

“Narrator Ollie is deeply sympathetic.... Gonzales...gets most U.S. details right in this Grease reboot, creating an inclusive cast and giving weight to many parts of Ollie’s multifaceted life.” ―Publishers Weekly

About the Author

SOPHIE GONZALES is a young adult contemporary author. She graduated from the University of Adelaide and lives in Adelaide, Australia, where she can be found ice skating, painting, and practicing the piano. She is also the author of Perfect on Paper, Only Mostly Devastated, and The Law of Inertia, and If This Gets Out with Cale Dietrich.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wednesday Books (March 9, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250787432
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250787439
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 18 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 1 x 8.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #730,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #615 in Comedic Dramas & Plays

Customer Reviews:
4.5 2,202 ratings

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Sophie Gonzales
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Sophie Gonzales writes young adult queer contemporary fiction with memorable characters, biting wit and endless heart.
She is the author of THE LAW OF INERTIA and ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED. PERFECT ON PAPER and IF THIS GETS OUT (co-written with Cale Dietrich) are forthcoming in Winter and Fall 2021 from Wednesday Books / Macmillan.
When she isn’t writing, Sophie can be found ice skating, performing in musical theatre, and practicing the piano. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia where she works as a psychologist.
She is represented by Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency.
See more on the author's page
S. Gonzales
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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Sophie Gonzales writes Young Adult queer rom coms with memorable characters, biting wit and endless heart.
She is the author of THE LAW OF INERTIA, ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED and PERFECT ON PAPER.
When she isn’t writing, Sophie can be found ice skating, performing in musical theatre, and practicing the piano. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia where she works as a psychologist. She is represented by Moe Ferrara of Bookends Literary Agency.
See more on the author's page

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4.5 out of 5

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A. Crew

Excellent all around

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020

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I admire this book for so many reasons, I think I'll just list them (and I will NOT give spoilers because I hate it when people do that in reviews!):
-First of all, it's a wonderfully fun, romantic read that I finished in a day because I didn't want to put it down.
-The HEALTHY BOUNDARIES some of the characters draw for themselves and then stick to. Not a common thing in YA fiction, tbh, and it was refreshing and empowering.
-The characters had things that mattered to them beyond just relationships, and that made them interesting.
-The epiphany the main character has about the problems he's bringing to his romantic relationship--honestly, I didn't see that coming. (I hadn't really thought of the situation that way either, so it was skillfully done.) He really eases into his self-awareness in a way that I think is inspirational and, again, not common in YA (or any fiction, or even RL for that matter).
-The girl squad, aka "the Roses." Everyone who reads a lot of LGBTQ YA with a non-straight male main knows there's usually a Female Best Friend, and more often than not, that character ends up fitting some basic trope or other and is never really actually LIKABLE imo--she's just there to further the main's storyline. This book offers us three best friends whose personalities and relationships with the main character are very different and complex, and they're all incredibly likable. I loved every scene with the Roses.
-The depiction of grief. Very, very real. The author is apparently in the mental health field and her wisdom and experience shine through, both with how the boys (and other characters) handle their own personal journeys, as well as how the family copes with what they're coping with.
-THE ENDING. I want to say more but i promised no spoilers, so...yeah. The ending made me really happy, full stop.
If you're on the fence about this one, buy it! It's well worth reading.

One person found this helpful

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Ulysses Grant Dietz

Richly textured, 3-D characters, and a gentle, generous sense of humor.

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

This excellent YA novel is one of those that really seems to dig into the psyche of the modern teenagers. It makes me wonder, as all good YA novels do, whether I’d even survive being a teenager now. It was tough enough back in the 1970s.

Gonzalez puts all the tropes in place: attractive and smart boy, non-athletic, with a gaggle of female friends; the star jock surrounded by other jocks. The two things that the author does that really set this book apart are the diversity of the cast and the context of the romance between the nerd and the jock.

The context is a summer fling at a lake in North Carolina, where Oliver Di Fiore and Will Tavares find romance that seems real for both of them. Then Will disappears back into his world and Oliver prepares to head back to San Jose, California, with his parents.

Then Will seems to ghost Oliver, and Oliver’s parents drop the bomb on him that they’ve decided to return to California only to pack up and move back to Collinswood, North Carolina, for the next year or so. This is the other part of the context: Oliver’s aunt Linda has cancer, and his mother wants to be there for her family.

We know what’s going to happen, at least in part, because that’s how these things go. Oliver, very cleverly written by the author, is an over-thinker, and sometimes gets in his own way. He is not whiny, nor entitled—indeed he’s a fantastic babysitter for his little cousins and steps up to help his family. He’s a musician, and cooler than your average out boy in a YA book. His almost-instant circle of friends—Juliette, Lara and Niamh (Gaelic, Neev, and I’m grateful the author took care of the pronunciation) are just what you want from a group of BFFs. Only Lara is white. This story quickly takes on the feeling of the marvelous Brit TV series “Sex Education,” where a semi-rural high school in Wales is completely diverse ethnically.

The other shoe drops when, on the first evening after the first day of school, Oliver is taken to a big party and finds himself face to face with Will—in a basketball letter jacket, surrounded by his jock friends, including Darnell and Matt, who become the counterpoint to Oliver’s female trio. Will, of course, all but pretends he doesn’t know who Oliver is, and there you go.

What the story becomes is a study in social dynamics with periodic additions of wisdom from—wait for it—the adults. Oliver’s aunt Linda has met Will, and gets her nephew to talk to her about the mess in which he finds himself. Oliver’s three female friends also play mediators—wary of this newcomer’s intentions and fearful that he might “out” Will to assuage his own emotional upset. There is the added twist that Oliver is not the only LGBT student in the school, apparently, and this fact works its way into the carefully-plotted turmoil.

The equal time given to Oliver’s family life, his relationship with his parents, his aunt and uncle, and his little cousins, is so very important in the realistic texture of this book. Oliver is not the only person with problems, and for him the most difficult lesson of all is learning to look around himself, outside himself, to fully grasp what he needs to do. How do you learn to take care of yourself without forgetting to take care of others along the way?

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Amazon Customer

Beautiful

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

It was so cute and sweet I loved the back and forth between the characters and the surprise events I highly recommend this book

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Jessica B.

Loved the voice of this author

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024

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This was my first read by this author and I loved it! The voice of the main character was really interesting and humorous. The interactions with family and friends and just navigating life were 100% authentic. You know how sometimes there’s real-life teenagers or friend groups and then there’s the sort of Disney or Hallmark version that you only ever see in books or on tv? This was the more realistic version.

Shocked to find out the author is Australian because the book felt genuinely American. No slip-ups whatsoever. Although, maybe she is an American who just lives in Australia. Anyway, I would love to read more written in this author’s voice. I enjoyed the flashbacks, but was disappointed we didn’t get more romance. Most everything happened off page - either referenced in a flashback or hoped for in the future, but 99% of the book is the MCs apart. Hmm, maybe I should knock off a star for that. We don’t get to see a lot of lovey dovey romance going on, we get the in between moments instead.

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Winnie

Only mostly amazing

Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

I will admit that I was initially disappointed that this was different from the author's other book I loved so much - Perfect on paper. However, the characters really grew on me and I loved watching them grow. Everything made sense in the end and I really loved this book. Sophie Gonzalez really knows how to write YA fiction that is thought provoking, relatable, and enjoyable at the same time!

Beatriz

A Great Retelling

Reviewed in Brazil on November 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

I loved this book very much, I already love grease, I've seen it so many times. But the thing is, this is somehow better than it.

The characters are extremely interesting and each one has their own thing going on, they're all trying to fit into something and learn what they want do do with their lives. Cause that's what highschool is, specially senior year where everyone is rushing to find out what uni they should apply to.

There's themes of homophobia, ed, internalized biphobia, the importance of family and relationships which are all handled really well. Ollie and Will are extremely interesting and their love story is fun to read.

I love You're The One That I Want but it has nothing on this ending, just read it.

Dennis

Ottimo libro!

Reviewed in Italy on February 21, 2023

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Lo consiglio

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Emm Campero

I loved it.

Reviewed in Mexico on January 13, 2021

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Really funny and sweet. Filled with amazing moments, some sad events, great comebacks and a huge heart. I really, really loved this book. I'm so happy I bought it on a whim.

Zaza - Forum Boulevard des Passions

Un YA sympathique mais pas à la hauteur de mes attentes

Reviewed in France on May 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

Ce
petit YA que je voulais lire depuis longtemps, alors quand j'ai vu par hasard qu'il allait sortir chez PKJ, je me suis empressée de commander le paperback en VO.

Alors on est vraiment dans du YA de lycée bien classique, le héros a 18 ans, mais je lui aurais facilement donné 1 ou 2 ans de moins. C'est l'histoire assez classique du petit nouveau qui arrive dans un nouveau bahut, un nouvel État même, suite à un déménagement forcé par des circonstances peu réjouissantes. Bye bye la Californie donc, et bonjour la Caroline du Nord (2 salles 2 ambiances en matière d'horizon politique et de tolérance pour les droits LGBTQ+, soit dit en passant).

On retrouve les classiques scènes de cours, de repas où on a l'impression d'être au zoo tant les faits et gestes des uns et des autres sont scrutés et commentés, ces fameux groupes de lycéens bien stéréotypés, avec notamment cette bande de sportifs qui pue la masculinité toxique, avec leur humour lourd et sexiste.

Ollie se fait quand même assez vite une place dans ce lycée, il se fait une amie dès le 1er jour (et c'est complètement improbable, d'ailleurs) et est rapidement intégré dans une petite bande de filles. Et puis bien sûr il y a les retrouvailles avec Will, avec qui il a passé une partie de l'été. Sauf que le Will du lycée n'a rien à voir avec le Will qu'il côtoyait au lac ...

J'avoue ne pas avoir trop accroché au personnage d'Ollie, que j'ai parfois trouvé agaçant et immature, égoïste aussi. Je trouve que c'est un personnage un peu plat, qui manque de nuances, en fait, mais comme tout le livre finalement. Il y a pas mal de clichés, de scènes qu'on retrouve plus ou moins dans tous ces YA ou ces teen movies. Ça manque un peu d'authenticité pour moi, ce petit truc en plus qui fait qu'un roman se démarque, tant au niveau de l'écriture que de ce qui s'y passe. L'autrice a voulu aborder beaucoup de sujets, et se montrer très inclusive, mais du coup, pour moi c'est un peu trop démonstratif et académique, un peu comme si elle avait coché une to-do list du parfait petit YA bien inclusif au fur et à mesure de son écriture (tolérance, homosexualité, grossophobie / body shaming, masculinité toxique, premiers amours, amitié, deuil ...).

Cela dit, je pense que c'est un livre qui saura trouver son public, mais pour moi, ça n'a pas trop fonctionné.

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