Only Mostly Devastated

A Novel

By: Sophie Gonzales

Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

"[Narrator Mark] Sanderlin convincingly shares this LGBTQ romance, with emotions ranging from snark to sweet and everything in between, and serving up a satisfying conclusion.... A fun listen on a variety of levels, but make no mistake: it packs some great messaging without any nasty aftertaste. Yum!" (Booklist)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"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 best-selling 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." (Sandhya Menon, New York Times best-selling author)

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 fairy-tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books

"Only Mostly Devastated [is] an instant hit and Sophie Gonzales one YA author to watch." (Julia Lynn Rubin, author of Burro Hills)

©2020 Sophie Gonzales (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Loved everything about this :)

The sweetest and mature story about teenage years.
Written well and remarkably narrated!
I recommend

Awesome youth romance/COA

I loved this book from the beginning. Sanderlin did a phenomenal job narrating and the story line ebbing back and forth from their summer spent together only added a fondness to the tale of two guys (Will and Olli) fighting stereotypes and fears to give in to their love for each other. It will have you laughing and crying - sometimes simultaneously. But it’s definitely one of my favorites, and I hope there is a second book so we can find out where Will and Olli’s relationship leads them as they navigate through college. Awesome job, Sophie!

Not Just a Love Story

This novel is an amazing story about love, friendship, family, and the fragility of time.

Great story with a lot of emotion

This was so emotional and sweet and sad and a great read!
Ollie and Will fell for each other hard over the summer, but when they meet again at school, everything is different. I get that Will wasn't out to anyone and that's his choice if/when to tell people, but he gave Ollie the cold shoulder and I had a hard time liking him for most of the book. Ollie respected Will's boundaries and tried to move on, but Will kept sucking him back in and giving Ollie hope which wasn't cool. No one should be a dirty little secret and I kept hoping Ollie would find someone else to be with. The ending redeemed Will a bit, but I still don't think they're great together.
The parts with Ollie's aunt being sick were so emotional and well done. I definitely got teary a couple times and really felt for the family. Great addition to the story.

Great narration on the audiobook and the pacing was well done. The Grease connection is a bit flimsy, but I can see it.

Happily ever afters aren't a singular event

An entertaining fish-out-of-water queer love story with an interesting "Grease" hook/spin. "OMD" is exceptionally funny at times, and tugs at your heartstrings at the right moments. It works well to balance teenage angst with the big picture questions it asks.

Beautiful :,)

It was beautiful. Pulled all the heart strings. :,)

Love is so wonderful. And I feel like a new person.

It took a while but it grew on me

So, I listened to this book again and it grew on me. The narrator is top notch and the story, although a bit muddled, is pretty good. There are a lot of characters in this book and at times the story meandered, but it was good.

Romance at Its Best

The book is a nod to Grease and written and performed really well. Loved it!

A sweet story. Not life-changing.

I enjoyed this book. Watching will and Ollie be romantic with each other is nice. It is, however, a little heavy on the drama. But ultimately that works itself out. I'd recommend it. A solid BL story. Nothing super impactful.

An easy read and a great story!

The added depth and complexity that the LGBT and family elements brings to the Grease-esque classic love story makes for an outstanding read or listen! I didn’t know if I wanted to slow it down so I could stretch it out or speed it up to see what the roses and Ollie would do next. If this were a movie it would be right up there with Love, Simon! Well done Sophie and Mark!