Originally Published: March 3, 2020

By: Sophie Gonzales

With the plot sometimes strongly and sometimes loosely following an updated version of Grease, Sophie Gonzales’ Only Mostly Devastated manages to be a heartfelt LGBTQ+ comedy-drama.

Ollie and Will have an epic summer romance in North Carolina only to conclude with Ollie having to move back to California. But when Ollie’s parents decide to stay in North Carolina, he finds himself at Will’s school where Will is a straight jock.

The romance follows the typical will-they-won’t-they pattern and falls into the cliché of gay high school romances where one or both characters aren’t out of the closet yet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t root for them.

A strong subplot comes in the form of Ollie’s Aunt Linda’s cancer battle and the family’s ability to cope with death. Ollie’s reactions really strike chords.

Final say: Devastating in a heartfelt way. ★★★★☆