The book is told from dual perspectives, each written by one of the authors.
The result, the two agree, is a happy marriage of their two styles.
Silvera and Albertalli have exclusively revealed the cover (art by Jeff Ostberg) forWhat If Its Uswith EW.
Credit: Margot Wood; Decisive Moment Events
Read on below, and pre-order the book ahead of its Oct. 9 releasehere.
ADAM SILVERA:For sure.
It started off with us also just swapping manuscripts with each other to read.
HarperTeen
I readSimon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and Becky readMore Happy Than Not.
Our obsession with each other grew so deeply because we loved each others books so much.
We were just learning about each other.
[Laughs] I was that nerd who actually put a missed connection ad into the universe.
I was just sort of jokingly like, Oh, we should do this one day.
Weve been essentially talking about these boys since February 2014.
BECKY:And we still had not met in person, too.
Like, a lot of those details.
And Adam and I had not met yet in person.
So Becky would write a chapter and Id write one.
But we would text each other on what lines were making us laugh and what lines made us swoon.
This was a great opportunity to sort of write for one of your best friends and favorite authors.
BECKY:It was very different too.
Even really magical and exciting.
But it just requires a lot of trust.
I dont know how many people I could trust enough to do that with.
ADAM:Thats very true.
Beckys the only person I trust with my roughest work now.
You agonize over getting it right for someone whose work you admire.
If youre essentially writing to like one of your favorite authors, you cant do wrong.
Thats what led to a lot of great work.
Theyre also tag-teaming this.
BECKY:And theyre friends too.
There are way more fingerprints on this book than traditionally.
Their insights on this story were so happy with where we ended up.
It was so rare that they would give us a note that we didnt immediately cling to.
We would be like, Oh my God, yes, this has to happen.
These readers know us.
ADAM:They expect heartbreak from me.
[Laughs] Im the heartbreaker, and Becky makes you feel smarter and swoonier and happier.
But readers do have this expectation.
Thats one of the mysteries to the book.
I think when people read it, this is very much an Adam and Becky book.
Its one thing, and I wouldnt say it skews one way or the other.
ADAM:Its a great balance.
Youve both become popular by telling groundbreaking queer stories.
How much do you tap into that social significance as you write them?
I was deeply closeted.
I think we have to move with the times here.
Its been done before, but I was kind of nervous about doing this.
BECKY:Theyre blatantly checking each other out.
Its clearly a rom-com, and for me it feels like another coming-out.
It feels like Im no longer hiding the kind of stories that Im writing.
Im really proud of the love story that Becky and I have created.
BECKY:I dont think I can answer this any [better] Adam just said everything so beautifully.
