Only Mostly Devastated

Only Mostly Devastated

Children's, Teenage & Young Adult
Paperback Published on: 05/03/2020
£7.99
13 reviews
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Bookseller Reviews

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Only Mostly Devastated
This book is The One That (You) Want!
(Apologies for the pun...it feels necessary!) My heart has been torn apart, and then mashed back together by this book
Martha Bradley
Only Mostly Devastated
Sweet, heartwarming and utterly addictive!
This is a modernised version of Grease, and oh how I loved it. Somehow it managed to be a light hearted, fun YA romcom, whilst also dealing with complex an... READ MORE
Isi at Oxford
Only Mostly Devastated
Greased Lightning!
As someone old enough to have loved the film Grease first time round, I loved the references and take on the tale here and I can’t see how any teen reader ... READ MORE
Rachael at Altrincham

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Older Readers Prize 2021

Ollie and Will were a summer fling; now they're classmates. But only one of them is out...

It was the very last Wednesday of August when I realized Disney had been lying to me about Happily Ever Afters. Because, you see, I was four days into mine, and my prince was nowhere to be found.

"Please don't lose contact. I need to see you again," he'd said. So why was I here, banging my head against a metaphorical wall, weighing up the pros and cons of sending another message? This wasn't a big deal. It was just a guy texting another guy. A guy who knew all my biggest secrets, and had Seen. Me. Naked (TM). A guy who'd convinced me he really, really liked me. A guy who'd better have been abducted by goddamn aliens...

When Ollie meets Will over the summer break, he thinks he's found his Happily Ever After. But once summer's ended, Will stops texting him back, and Ollie finds himself short of his fairy-tale ending.

A family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country - Will's school - and Ollie finds that the sweet, affectionate and comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn't the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, a basketball jock and, well, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie isn't going to pine after a guy who isn't ready for a relationship. But as school life repeatedly throws them together, from music class to the lunch table, Ollie finds his resolve weakening.

With the noisy drama of their friends as the backdrop - from ambitious Juliette and frosty Lara, to big-hearted Darnell and king-jock Matt - Ollie has a decision to make.

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?

  • Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
  • ISBN: 9781444956481
  • Number of pages: 368
  • Weight: 240g
  • Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 26 mm

Customer Reviews

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Only Mostly Devastated
It's Gay-rease Lightning
The queer re-imagining of Grease that I didn't know I needed in my life and now can't live without. Funny, moving and super romantic, with just the right n... READ MORE
Alfie at Ashford
Only Mostly Devastated
Amazing LGBT+ retelling of Grease
I was so sold on the pitch of an LGBT+ retelling of Grease that I had to request it on Netgalley (and then I won a physical proof, so I can always hold thi... READ MORE
Emily (ashortbooklover)
Only Mostly Devastated
Overt fun with a realness that cuts you to the quick
4.5 stars I feel completely gushy about this book because I’ve devoured it in a day and it gave me fun, laughter, heartache, tears and complete escapism a... READ MORE
Micky - bookphenomena
Only Mostly Devastated
It's The One That I Want!
Only Mostly Devastated is everything I thought I wanted from an updated, LGBTQ reimagining of Grease and more. Ollie and Will enjoyed their Summer Nights... READ MORE
Joanne Hodgson
Only Mostly Devastated
Loved it
Grease was one of my favourite movies as a kid, so I was so excited to read this retelling. This book broke my heart and put it back together again! Ollie... READ MORE
Jill Jemmett
Only Mostly Devastated
Everything I want a contemporary YA book to be!
Ah 'Only Mostly Devastated' was everything I want a contemporary YA book to be. Now I am quite easily impressed but I LOVED it. It made me angry, it made m... READ MORE
Laura Lawrence
Only Mostly Devastated
Funny, teen angsty and heartfelt
This novel is everything that I want a YA Rom-Com to be, funny, heartfelt, teen angsty and yet full of beautiful moments. Ollie is a fantastic MC, shy but ... READ MORE
Francesca Brindle
Only Mostly Devastated
A brilliant story
I bought this for my 13 year old and read it myself and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s so well written and captures Ollie’s angst, disappointment and confusio... READ MORE
Anna Higson
Only Mostly Devastated
Pure Joy In A Book!
I loved every bit of this book. While on its surface this is a gay retelling of Grease, it’s so much more than that. Every character feels fully realised a... READ MORE
Ryan Creely