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Imogen, Obviously
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2023)With humor and insight, #1 New York Time s bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship in this timely new novel. Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she's got the World's Greatest Ally title locked down. She's never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There's Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And then there's Lili--newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends. Imogen's thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she's finally visiting Lili on campus, she's bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in. Even if that means bending the truth, just a little. Like when Lili drops a tiny queer she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero--not even Lili's best friend, Tessa. Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
1 pages, Audio CD
First published May 2, 2023
About the author
Becky Albertalli
16 books20.3k followersBecky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (film: Love, Simon), The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat. She is also the co-author of What If It's Us with Adam Silvera. A former clinical psychologist who specialized in working with children and teens, Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,550 reviews
August 9, 2024
Obviously, this book is one of the most anticipated and absolutely among the best YA fiction/romance novels of 2023, with realistic LGBTQ representation!
I cannot express how much I loved this book and how deeply invested I was in Imogen! She is a layered, well-crafted character—a brave voice you want to hear! I was captivated by her inner journey, as she navigates finding her place in her social circle, discovering her sexuality, and emerging from her shell to embrace her true self.
When her best friend Lili tells their friends they’ve dated before, Imogen’s pretend bisexuality evolves into a genuine exploration of her own sexual identity. She even discovers that she likes Lili’s friend Tessa more than she’s willing to admit.
This realistic, genuine, and unique portrayal of a girl searching for her true identity—without being defined by others’ opinions—makes it easy to resonate with the main character.
I’m obviously giving it five shining stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books / Balzer+Bray for sharing this fantastic digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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June 17, 2024
gretchen is such a chronically online twitter discourse addict
December 16, 2023
reading this book is like coming home after a long, exhausting day and watching your favorite show or eating your favorite food. there is just something so utterly comforting about it. and while it is sweet and wholesome, it also manages to weave in some meaningful themes.
imogen, obviously follows our titular main character as she questions her sexuality, struggles to reconcile her past notions and feelings with her current ones, and ultimately tries to understand who she is.
imogen is a people pleaser, an overthinker, a mirrorball girlie, if you will. she’s the kind of character that is so easy to root for. from the very first page, you just want the best for her. and when you’re able to connect to a character like that, you feel their experiences more acutely, even if you don’t know exactly what it is they’re going through.
for most of the book, imogen feels lost and overwhelmed because she doesn’t understand how to interpret her feelings. they are a sharp contrast from what she has believed to be true, and we see her struggle to accept this. but watching her slowly embrace these feelings and her newfound sense of self was beautiful. it is a romcom, but it is also an exploration of identity and sexuality, a reminder that you don’t need to know exactly who you are right now — you’ll figure it out. some things take time, and that’s okay.
quotes!
“what do you do with the fact that no two people seem to do queerness in quite the same way? maybe shared experiences shouldn’t be the foundation at all. maybe it should be a promise to hold space for variation.”
“it’s like there’s this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering. and then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you.”
“then she buries her face in the crook of my neck, and every breath she breathes feels like a love letter.”
—
one of the cutest romance books i’ve ever read 🥹 rtc <3
—
need a cute lil contemporary romance after tbona 😣
imogen, obviously follows our titular main character as she questions her sexuality, struggles to reconcile her past notions and feelings with her current ones, and ultimately tries to understand who she is.
imogen is a people pleaser, an overthinker, a mirrorball girlie, if you will. she’s the kind of character that is so easy to root for. from the very first page, you just want the best for her. and when you’re able to connect to a character like that, you feel their experiences more acutely, even if you don’t know exactly what it is they’re going through.
for most of the book, imogen feels lost and overwhelmed because she doesn’t understand how to interpret her feelings. they are a sharp contrast from what she has believed to be true, and we see her struggle to accept this. but watching her slowly embrace these feelings and her newfound sense of self was beautiful. it is a romcom, but it is also an exploration of identity and sexuality, a reminder that you don’t need to know exactly who you are right now — you’ll figure it out. some things take time, and that’s okay.
quotes!
“what do you do with the fact that no two people seem to do queerness in quite the same way? maybe shared experiences shouldn’t be the foundation at all. maybe it should be a promise to hold space for variation.”
“it’s like there’s this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering. and then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you.”
“then she buries her face in the crook of my neck, and every breath she breathes feels like a love letter.”
—
one of the cutest romance books i’ve ever read 🥹 rtc <3
—
need a cute lil contemporary romance after tbona 😣
May 2, 2023
If you follow Becky Albertalli on Instagram or other socials then you fully understand what this story is about. It’s a statement. A clear statement. Before I started reading, I already assumed this would be a very personal story, and the author’s note and the book are prove of that. Becky just pours her heart out, lets us feel her struggles, and gives her middle finger to all those people who bullied her and still bully her.
I’m not going to say a lot more. If you’re a Becky Albertally fan, you’ll definitely love this story. If you’re one of these bullies, I’d suggest to read Imogen’s story. It might surprise you. It’s easily readable, captivating, full of banter, and very vivid. Just dive into it and I hope that you’ve learned something after you finish it.
I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I’m not going to say a lot more. If you’re a Becky Albertally fan, you’ll definitely love this story. If you’re one of these bullies, I’d suggest to read Imogen’s story. It might surprise you. It’s easily readable, captivating, full of banter, and very vivid. Just dive into it and I hope that you’ve learned something after you finish it.
I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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July 17, 2023
➥ 5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
My "MARRY ME TESSA" statement still stands but gosh. I feel like my reviews usually take on an objective standpoint, balancing the pros and cons and lalala, but here you'll have to forgive me and understand that this just had me in my feels, sniffling and covering my mouth in awe and childish delight. Please note that you may not want to read the quotes, since they're my favourite moments and are probably worth experiencing in the moment if you decide to pick this up.
This is a YA contemporary, with a strong romance side-plot, and it's beautiful. Imogen (h) is our fmc, who feels like she can't be queer because she feels like the epitome of straight girl, but also because her friends and the people have put her in the straight girl box, to the point where Imogen isn't given space to explore or question anything. Then Tessa (h) comes along, the most wonderful woman alive, just being her adorable, glorious, soft-butch lesbian self, and butterflies start fluttering in both their stomachs.
I can't lie, I wasn't feeling very moved by the first half of the book, but by the second half I was invested, I loved the characters, the queer friendgroup was everything, the texting was pretty spot on, the dialogue seemed authentic and...I felt like Imogen was me. I didn't love her at first, because she was always apologising for everything, just doing anything to appease others and not having any opinions. But later, you slowly learn why she was overthinking everything, and why she didn't feel like she could have an opinion on many things.
Gretchen is the devil incarnate but there's always going to be people that fuck up, not necessarily in a way that's forgivable, and not necessarily in one specific moment - just all along. Her notions that queer girls don't wear heels, and her being overall invalidating (for the sake of not giving too much away), was all around awful, but something that Imogen grew from. Imogen needed to find the guts to disagree with her best friend, she needed to find support from someone that was there for her, she needed to leave the person that didn't want the best for her. And here she bloomed. She gained some agency, some lightheartedness.
🥺 Good god, the yearning, the nervous yet hopeful anticipation of seeing Tessa again. I could feel it myself.
Tessa, the girl who slow danced with Imogen so tenderly, the girl who warmed up Imogen's hands when she refused to wear her blazer, and then insisted on the blazer like a sweetheart.
So adorable, so wholesome - I couldn't deal, I can't. Deal. I could go on for quite some time, about how Albertalli nails certain aspects of the queer experience, but we'd be here forever. I'll mention this one though.
Gosh, my brain is mush. You'll just have to take it from me that I, too, have a fat crush on Tessa now. Their lil romance did something to my lil heart and I'll probably be thinking about this book for the next week. Just look at them.
And with that, I'm going to go daydream (it's 3:35am) about this book for a good handful of hours. I feel like saying that "this is the YA book of my dreams" might be a tad dramatic, but I'm seriously so grateful that I have access to something that so lovingly, and gently reflects something similar to what I myself am going through at this stage of my life. I hope that, if anyone else picks this beauty up, it moves them as much as it moved me.
Tessa leans closer, just barely.
I almost lose my breath for a second. I can read every freckle on her nose. "Hi."
She pushes a wet strand of my hair aside to kiss my forehead. And then she kisses my lips.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
My "MARRY ME TESSA" statement still stands but gosh. I feel like my reviews usually take on an objective standpoint, balancing the pros and cons and lalala, but here you'll have to forgive me and understand that this just had me in my feels, sniffling and covering my mouth in awe and childish delight. Please note that you may not want to read the quotes, since they're my favourite moments and are probably worth experiencing in the moment if you decide to pick this up.
This is a YA contemporary, with a strong romance side-plot, and it's beautiful. Imogen (h) is our fmc, who feels like she can't be queer because she feels like the epitome of straight girl, but also because her friends and the people have put her in the straight girl box, to the point where Imogen isn't given space to explore or question anything. Then Tessa (h) comes along, the most wonderful woman alive, just being her adorable, glorious, soft-butch lesbian self, and butterflies start fluttering in both their stomachs.
I can't lie, I wasn't feeling very moved by the first half of the book, but by the second half I was invested, I loved the characters, the queer friendgroup was everything, the texting was pretty spot on, the dialogue seemed authentic and...I felt like Imogen was me. I didn't love her at first, because she was always apologising for everything, just doing anything to appease others and not having any opinions. But later, you slowly learn why she was overthinking everything, and why she didn't feel like she could have an opinion on many things.
If I were queer, wouldn't I at least sort of know?
Gretchen is the devil incarnate but there's always going to be people that fuck up, not necessarily in a way that's forgivable, and not necessarily in one specific moment - just all along. Her notions that queer girls don't wear heels, and her being overall invalidating (for the sake of not giving too much away), was all around awful, but something that Imogen grew from. Imogen needed to find the guts to disagree with her best friend, she needed to find support from someone that was there for her, she needed to leave the person that didn't want the best for her. And here she bloomed. She gained some agency, some lightheartedness.
"So you've never kissed a girl," Tessa said, smiling and breathless.
"No, I have."
"Wait-"
"Tonight," I say. "Right after we left the party. Really cute freckle faced girl from Philly." I touch her cheek.
Tessa touches my mouth. "How are you real?"
🥺 Good god, the yearning, the nervous yet hopeful anticipation of seeing Tessa again. I could feel it myself.
How do I explain the part where Tessa’s smile made my chest hurt?
(...)
Our eyes meet, and in my brain, it's like daybreak.
(...)
When did everything but Tessa start to feel like background noise?
Tessa, the girl who slow danced with Imogen so tenderly, the girl who warmed up Imogen's hands when she refused to wear her blazer, and then insisted on the blazer like a sweetheart.
"Can we go inside?"
"Only if you take the jacket," Tessa says with a flash of a smile.
"Fiiiiiiine."
She helps me into it, giving the collar a quick tug, and then we step back out to the courtyard.
So adorable, so wholesome - I couldn't deal, I can't. Deal. I could go on for quite some time, about how Albertalli nails certain aspects of the queer experience, but we'd be here forever. I'll mention this one though.
It's like there's this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering. And then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you.
Gosh, my brain is mush. You'll just have to take it from me that I, too, have a fat crush on Tessa now. Their lil romance did something to my lil heart and I'll probably be thinking about this book for the next week. Just look at them.
"I want to be your girlfriend." It leaps off my tongue before I can stop it. "Okay?"
"Wait-" Her mouth slips open. "Really?"
"If you-"
"Are you kidding?" She springs out of the driver's seat and around the front of her car, closing the distance between us with one last bounce of a step. "Underlined, bold, giant-font yes."
I laugh and open my window. "Wow, you sound pretty sure about that."
"Tattoo it on my face."
"I can't wait for the part when you kiss me," I say.
And it's true: I can't wait.
I can't wait, so I don't.
And with that, I'm going to go daydream (it's 3:35am) about this book for a good handful of hours. I feel like saying that "this is the YA book of my dreams" might be a tad dramatic, but I'm seriously so grateful that I have access to something that so lovingly, and gently reflects something similar to what I myself am going through at this stage of my life. I hope that, if anyone else picks this beauty up, it moves them as much as it moved me.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
April 5, 2024
“Imogen.” She rolls back down beside me, scoops my hair back, and kisses me. “Do you need me to spell it out? I’ve been”—she kisses me—“losing my goddamn mind”—she kisses me again—“ever since that dog wandered over, and you just—boom”—another kiss—“dropped down and hugged her. The look on your face. And then you’re like, ‘My goat was named Daisy.’”
“She was!”
“I know!” Tessa laughs, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
Then she buries her face in the crook of my neck, and every breath she breathes feels like a love letter.
thank you, becky albertalli, for essentially sharing your story through the eyes of a shy bisexual high schooler who was unsure about herself. ♡ and thank you gloria for putting this on my radar. i wouldn’t have grown a strong interest if it weren’t for your review.
Tessa’s eyes catch mine, and her lips tug up at the corners, just barely. And the noise in my brain falls away.
All the times I said I’m straight. All the times everyone’s said I’m straight.
There it was, underlined and written in bold. How could I miss it?
Like finding Waldo and realizing he was never really hiding.
while not exactly a memoir, imogen, obviously is a fictional bisexual awakening story close to the authors heart, essentially because it is somewhat her own story. some may find this to be too much, but i found it courageous. for the author to find strength to write about a character struggling through what she went through takes a lot. the inner monologue imogen has is heartbreaking, especially as many individuals will be able yo relate. there’s a lot of discourse on what makes someone who they are, which imogen struggled with a lot. she’s used to just being an ally, and she’s proud of that. she doesn’t believe you need to be part of the lgbtq+ to be incredibly supportive, and everything she does is for the good of the community. her own realization takes time, but it’s a whole work in progress.
i think the story taking place within a week and a couple days worked so well. although frustrating and sad, i loved seeing imogen’s thoughts. she was so contradicting, but not in a negative way. she was unsure of herself and where she stood, but she was afraid of overstepping or crossing boundaries. imogen is a shy, anxious people pleaser, and i wish i could just wrap her up in a warm blanket and reassure her that no matter how she feels, her experiences and feelings are all valid. i understand peoples annoyance with her constantly apologizing and wanting to please others, but i could even relate to that, so i’m a little biased. for a 17-year-old soon to be in college, her teenage life was clear from the pages. she’s just getting started on embracing on this new journey only to discover a whole new side of her. i found imogen annoying at times but still couldn���t fault her entirely. i can see how she may come across quite immature or as if she doesn’t sound like her age, but again, i think it all stems from her being shy and a people pleaser.
i loved the small confidence imogen started growing as she started hanging out with tessa more. her awakening felt so real. i thought the author pulled off writing the relationship development through a span of a week, and imogens feelings for tessa felt so realistic. the relationship itself is so soft and wholesome. it’s of many firsts for imogen, but it’s also slow. imogen starts off thinking of tessa only as a friend, but the more she hangs out with her and texts her (the text messages were so cute!), she starts questioning why suddenly her heart is beating faster, why she’s feeling butterflies in her stomach, why she’s accepting her invitation to a party, why she’s feeling shy and blushing when in front of her. the romance is a pretty big part of the story, and it’s not something i would consider a side plot. i think the awakening itself and imogen coming to terms with sexuality goes hang in hand with the romance itself. neither felt like it was overpowering the other, and because i’m a romance reader first and everything else second, i loved this approach by the author. it made the story easier to get into and relationship easier to root for.
The way she’s looking at me gives me this liquid-gold feeling. I sink back until I’m sitting on the edge of her bed, pulling her down with me. She tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and kisses me again, until I can barely sit upright. She kisses my forehead, my cheeks, the crook of my neck, and I don’t know if I’m falling or blooming. The way our ankles overlap. The ache below my navel. I kiss her again, and my mind’s as quiet as snowfall.
tessa is downright funny, supportive, and kind. her adhd mind spirals a lot and boasts out random things, making reading the text messages very entertaining. she’s a joyous person, trying her best to lighten the mood. we don’t get her pov, but i didn’t think it was missing it either. we learn a lot about her from imogen, and the necessary information is given. i loved her character from the beginning. she’s mature, intelligent, and always finding a solution for problems. along with that, the other side characters (who are her friends too), were a fantastic addiction to this. we don’t learn almost anything about them besides the very basics, but again, considering this is a coming of age story of imogen and finding her new love, it didn’t feel necessary, or like something was missing. i will admit, sometimes the group did fit a tad bit too young, as if they weren’t the college students they were, and i’m not sure if that comes from not knowing who they really are, or if that’s just how they really are.
the romance in this is one word: soft. imogen starts having these feelings for tessa, which she finds difficult to interpret at first because it’s towards another girl, but she comes to grasp them and unconsciously accept them. the development felt smooth and natural enough. it’s teenage love, after all, but i found myself hopeful. it’s sweet and emotional, tender due to the first experience imogen is having. there’s a few doubts, a little bit of misunderstanding, and a heap of love. the shy glances, tentative touches, and uncertainties felt so open and vulnerable. i loved seeing how imogen came to accept her feelings, even if she started doubting and questioning towards the end. tessa is respectful, consenting, and in no rush. while she’s experienced, she understands the situation imogen is currently facing. i don’t blame imogen because i, too, have a crush on tessa. because this is ya and has more than romance focusing on the story, there isn’t anything graphic, but i can’t begin to state my appreciate and adoration for this girl.
“Oh! Oh no. Scott—Scotty. Hey.” She hugs me, and I bury my face in the spot where her chest meets her shoulder. “Don’t listen to the pink-haired girl, okay?”
I laugh tearfully. “I’m getting your vest wet. And I stole your blazer.”
“I love it on you,” says Tessa.
there’s more to the goodness of this book though, and the villain of the story lies in gretchen. gretchen, who think she can speak for all queer individuals because she’s queer. gretchen, who doesn’t realize she invalidates others itentities because she needs to put herself first. gretchen, who hates stereotypes but will contribute to them. gretchen, who believes one can only look or come off gay. she uses her gaydar to represent how she feels if someone else is gay, and implies that anyone who doesn’t look gay can’t possibility be gay. she’s the type of person who believes girls can’t be queer if they’re girly, wear high heels, or are very feminine, or if you listen to certain music, or hang with certain groups. you need to not only fit the label, but be the label. gretchen believes that only her experience is valid and is the only one to validate the rest. she’s the type to make her bad experiences her personality, ignoring that other people go through different experiences. gretchen, in real life, would be a liberal snowflake. she uses her bad experiences to guilt-trip people and make them feel like their experience can’t compare. she’s manipulating, toxic, and a terrible friend. whether she grew from her mistakes or not, we don’t know, but i don’t wanna know. i wanna pretend that imogen didn’t forgive her and go back to being her friend. i wanna pretend that imogen is in a completely safe space, where she’s accepted, valued, and not questioned. i’m gonna pretend that, now that imogen is attending the same college as tessa, she is currently spending her time there, curled up in her soft butch girlfriends arms, as she gives her forehead kisses and reminds her how beautiful she is.
I almost lose my breath for a second. I can read every freckle on her nose. “Hi.”
She pushes a wet strand of hair aside to kiss my forehead. And then she kisses my lips.
So I cup my hands around her face and kiss her back. In the middle of the day. In the middle of Penn Yan’s beautifully deserted rain-battered Main Street.
Tessa’s so close, but I press in closer, and she lets out the softest-edged sigh. Her hands trail the hem of my waterlogged shirt, and I swear it feels like taking off sunglasses. Clarity and brightness.
a lot of what imogen struggles with internally sometimes felt like i was reading about myself being asexual. sometimes i feel like there’s something about me missing for me to claim a spot in the community. is this not enough? should asexuality count? does asexuality count? but if i’m not attracted to my own gender or other genders besides male, does that still make me different? add in to that how i primarily read mm romance/lgbtq+ novels. i think it was all necessary and valid, showing a complex range of vivid emotions and thoughts. the struggle is a long process of coming through with how you feel, and having these moments of doubts and reassurances is always common. we’re taught from an early age what is right and what is wrong, putting ourselves in a box of one certain label, as if the rest aren’t okay.
It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can’t I just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyze it to death?
this is how becky felt, and we see it through imogen. it’s a self battle, and even though we as the reader know imogen will get that clarity she has been looking for, there’s pressure, anxiety, and the uncertainty of taking other people’s spaces. all in all, i really enjoyed this and found it sweet, endearing, and even funny at times. definitely a new favorite ya!
December 15, 2023
⭐️ 2 ⭐️
this book was INFURIATING to me. my humble guess is that it is meant to convey some type of wisdom about queer labels and how we define them, but never in my life have I read a book that is so blatantly inconsistent in its own message. it is ripe with stereotypes while simultaneously trying to push "queerness" as something undefined and ambiguous. literally every single character in this book makes their "queerness" their entire personality. you listen to mitski? you're sooo queer! you wear flannels? man, you're a GODTIER gay!
god fucking damn it, becky.
I can see how this book might have been MILDLY relevant to a curious 14 year old in 2015 who spends all of their free time on tumblr, but in 2023? I think the fuck not. I have never met a single sane person who introduced themselves by announcing their sexual orientation and, to be fair, if you feel the need to make your sexuality your blanket personality the way these characters do then I firmly believe you have some soul-searching to do. I literally can't think of a single trait any of these characters had other than them being queer, which shouldn't even be considered a trait to begin with. it honestly wouldn't surprise me at all if this book started out as a fanfiction for a fandom with pre-made characters and thus there would have been no need to properly describe their personalities because they would have been implied to the reader from the start. it just feels to me like the author forgot that we don't know the characters like she does and that we need her to introduce them to us. in that, I feel like she failed with this one.
it's not an entirely bad book. it has its cute moments, for sure, but those moments are unfortunately overshadowed by the sheer inconsistency of it all. there's just too much shaming and one-upping each other's queerness going on between the characters for me to take whatever message this book is trying to convey to heart. being queer is not a competition. you can't "win" at being queer.
last but not least, let it be known that I am saying all of this as a queer person myself, and had I been a character in this book then surely me writing this review would have been seen as even more "proof" of my queerness. I mean, writing a bitter book review? that's sooooo queer!
jokes aside, I hope everyone else has a better time with this book than I did!
this book was INFURIATING to me. my humble guess is that it is meant to convey some type of wisdom about queer labels and how we define them, but never in my life have I read a book that is so blatantly inconsistent in its own message. it is ripe with stereotypes while simultaneously trying to push "queerness" as something undefined and ambiguous. literally every single character in this book makes their "queerness" their entire personality. you listen to mitski? you're sooo queer! you wear flannels? man, you're a GODTIER gay!
god fucking damn it, becky.
I can see how this book might have been MILDLY relevant to a curious 14 year old in 2015 who spends all of their free time on tumblr, but in 2023? I think the fuck not. I have never met a single sane person who introduced themselves by announcing their sexual orientation and, to be fair, if you feel the need to make your sexuality your blanket personality the way these characters do then I firmly believe you have some soul-searching to do. I literally can't think of a single trait any of these characters had other than them being queer, which shouldn't even be considered a trait to begin with. it honestly wouldn't surprise me at all if this book started out as a fanfiction for a fandom with pre-made characters and thus there would have been no need to properly describe their personalities because they would have been implied to the reader from the start. it just feels to me like the author forgot that we don't know the characters like she does and that we need her to introduce them to us. in that, I feel like she failed with this one.
it's not an entirely bad book. it has its cute moments, for sure, but those moments are unfortunately overshadowed by the sheer inconsistency of it all. there's just too much shaming and one-upping each other's queerness going on between the characters for me to take whatever message this book is trying to convey to heart. being queer is not a competition. you can't "win" at being queer.
last but not least, let it be known that I am saying all of this as a queer person myself, and had I been a character in this book then surely me writing this review would have been seen as even more "proof" of my queerness. I mean, writing a bitter book review? that's sooooo queer!
jokes aside, I hope everyone else has a better time with this book than I did!
November 10, 2023
Reading Imogen, Obviously was like getting a big warm hug, with a touch of anxiety 😂 Becky Albertalli is one of my favourite YA authors, she always writes the sweetest characters and fun friend groups. Even though this book was 400+ pages I couldn't put it down, and flew through the whole thing in a couple of hours today!
Imogen, Obviously book follows Imogen, who visits her childhood best friend, Lili at college. She is 2 months away from grade 12 graduation, and going to this same college as Lili in the fall, so she's a bit nervous to meet Lili's friends. Imogen was an adorable main character, she felt so real, and I really related to her anxiety and overthinking!
Imogen and Tessa were so sweet! They're texts especially were adorable, I love when books include texts/emails. Imogen and Edith's sister bond was so heartwarming, the scene where they were talking about Imogen leaving for college really tugged at my heartstrings, especailly since my siblings were so young when I lfet for university. Gretchen pissed me off so much! I feel like we all know someone like that in real life, and the scene at the diner specifically had me fuming!
Overall, Imogen, Obviously was obviously an incredible read, especially for the end of Pride Month. It is so encouraging to see such good queer/bi representation in YA nowadays!
Random Note: I read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda when it came out in 2015, I was 14 at the time. I had a small book blog where I wrote reviews and I emailed Becky Albertalli to tell her how much I loved Simon, and she (or her team) sent me back a bookmark, buttons, and stickers for Simon and her upcoming book at the time, The Upside of Unrequited. It was such a nice surprise and made my year as a 14 year old to get book mail from an author! It is just another reason why I love Becky Albertalli and will always read her books 🤗
Read my reviews for Becky Albertalli's books here:
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - 5 stars (read in 2015)
Imogen, Obviously - 5 stars
The Upside of Unrequited - 4 stars (read in 2017)
Kate in Waiting - Currently Reading
Imogen, Obviously book follows Imogen, who visits her childhood best friend, Lili at college. She is 2 months away from grade 12 graduation, and going to this same college as Lili in the fall, so she's a bit nervous to meet Lili's friends. Imogen was an adorable main character, she felt so real, and I really related to her anxiety and overthinking!
Edith lets out a startled laugh. "This is wild. I don't think I've ever seen you just, like, completely lose your shit like this."
"No, I always lose my shit like this. Just not out loud."
She looks at me. "So this is what your brain sounds like?"
"I mean. Pretty much?"
Imogen and Tessa were so sweet! They're texts especially were adorable, I love when books include texts/emails. Imogen and Edith's sister bond was so heartwarming, the scene where they were talking about Imogen leaving for college really tugged at my heartstrings, especailly since my siblings were so young when I lfet for university. Gretchen pissed me off so much! I feel like we all know someone like that in real life, and the scene at the diner specifically had me fuming!
Overall, Imogen, Obviously was obviously an incredible read, especially for the end of Pride Month. It is so encouraging to see such good queer/bi representation in YA nowadays!
Random Note: I read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda when it came out in 2015, I was 14 at the time. I had a small book blog where I wrote reviews and I emailed Becky Albertalli to tell her how much I loved Simon, and she (or her team) sent me back a bookmark, buttons, and stickers for Simon and her upcoming book at the time, The Upside of Unrequited. It was such a nice surprise and made my year as a 14 year old to get book mail from an author! It is just another reason why I love Becky Albertalli and will always read her books 🤗
Read my reviews for Becky Albertalli's books here:
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - 5 stars (read in 2015)
Imogen, Obviously - 5 stars
The Upside of Unrequited - 4 stars (read in 2017)
Kate in Waiting - Currently Reading
May 29, 2024
Content warnings: coming out themes (central topic), underage drinking and alcohol consumption, forced outing, biphobia, internalised biphobia, internalised homophobia, discussions surrounding queerbaiting
Rep: Main character: Imogen is white and bisexual. Side characters: Lili is Brazilian-American and pan (also questioning demisexual), Edith is white and lesbian, Gretchen is white and bisexual, Mika is Japanese-American and non-binary and queer, Kayla is Black and queer, Declan is queer. Love interest: Tessa is white and Jewish and lesbian.
First of all, I need to give Imogen a hug.
Imogen is a sweet cinnamon roll who needs a BIG HUG. Like. Yes she does. I need to hug this sweet summer child. Or Halloween child, really. I love that her birthday is on Halloween, that is so epic of her.
This is probably going to be all over the place, but let’s see if I can actually cobble together a decent review.
Imogen is invited along to spend the weekend at her best friend, Lili’s college – the one she will also be attending when she has graduated high school.
Imogen is a little worried – Lili has all of these amazing queer friends at college, and Imogen has always been the token straight friend in all of her friend circles.
The weekend goes better than she could have hoped for and she walks away with something she never expected – a crush on one of Lili’s super cute friends, Tessa. Can one girl really shake up her entire sexuality? Imogen, Obviously is going about to find out the answer to that, even if it leads to a lot of hard questions and harder answers.
Now that my terrible summary is out of the way.
I loved this book. I loved this book from start to finish.
A little personal – I am someone who came out over 20 years ago *coughs* (shhhh, I know). I came out as lesbian when I was 16, and non-binary 17 years after that. This stuff isn’t linear.
There is a lot of discussion surrounding Imogen and feeling like she is appropriating queerness.
And now I am heading into spoiler territory, so heed that, thank you.
First read: 18-21/12/2022
Second read: 06-07/06/2023
Third read: 27-29/05/2024
I talk about books at these places: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog
Rep: Main character: Imogen is white and bisexual. Side characters: Lili is Brazilian-American and pan (also questioning demisexual), Edith is white and lesbian, Gretchen is white and bisexual, Mika is Japanese-American and non-binary and queer, Kayla is Black and queer, Declan is queer. Love interest: Tessa is white and Jewish and lesbian.
First of all, I need to give Imogen a hug.
Imogen is a sweet cinnamon roll who needs a BIG HUG. Like. Yes she does. I need to hug this sweet summer child. Or Halloween child, really. I love that her birthday is on Halloween, that is so epic of her.
This is probably going to be all over the place, but let’s see if I can actually cobble together a decent review.
Imogen is invited along to spend the weekend at her best friend, Lili’s college – the one she will also be attending when she has graduated high school.
Imogen is a little worried – Lili has all of these amazing queer friends at college, and Imogen has always been the token straight friend in all of her friend circles.
The weekend goes better than she could have hoped for and she walks away with something she never expected – a crush on one of Lili’s super cute friends, Tessa. Can one girl really shake up her entire sexuality? Imogen, Obviously is going about to find out the answer to that, even if it leads to a lot of hard questions and harder answers.
Now that my terrible summary is out of the way.
I loved this book. I loved this book from start to finish.
A little personal – I am someone who came out over 20 years ago *coughs* (shhhh, I know). I came out as lesbian when I was 16, and non-binary 17 years after that. This stuff isn’t linear.
There is a lot of discussion surrounding Imogen and feeling like she is appropriating queerness.
And now I am heading into spoiler territory, so heed that, thank you.
First read: 18-21/12/2022
Second read: 06-07/06/2023
Third read: 27-29/05/2024
I talk about books at these places: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog
May 19, 2023
I think I'm landing on 4-stars with Imogen, Obviously, mostly because I had a very hard time putting it down and read it in pretty much one day, which is impressive since I've been struggling with reading attention lately. However, despite that dreamy cover and a lovely romance plotline, it's not without it's flaws.
I feel a lot of big Ways about Imogen, Obviously, and it's abundantly clear that Becky Albertalli feels strongly, passionately, about this story. I'm very much aware of the author's coming out story, and I imagine that this book is a very personal one to Becky Albertalli. It feels like a big story, and the character's emotions feel extremely raw and close to the surface.
Things I enjoyed were the romance (dreamy!), Tessa (and actually the whole group of college friends), and the discovering-yourself plotline. Sexuality discovery stories will always hold a special place in my heart, and I adored that part of the story. Also, the chemistry between Imogen and Tessa was pretty electric, and I adored Tessa's flirting style and banter. A+ character development. The friends were pretty much the dream cast of accepting college friends, and it made me nostalgic for my college days. Just a cute dynamic between the friends all around. Honestly, there was a lot to love about the story, including a very well done writing style that kept me wanting more. There is a reason I keep coming back to this author.
There were a few things I struggled with in the story, however. For one, I think the big baddie gatekeeper did have a few valid points. There is no right or wrong way to be queer, and you should NEVER invalidate someone's sexuality, but there is something to be said for queer people getting to tell their stories or have their opinions heard in queer spaces. I think it's very true that you shouldn't make assumptions about people or their sexuality/gender identity, but I think that to frame the gatekeeper character (I won't say names to avoid spoilers, but it's pretty obvious) as sort of the villain isn't fully okay either.
To take a tangent into very personal territory, I had a lesbian, very out housemate in college when my best friends all went abroad, and her friends were ALL queer. For a full year, I spent every week watching new episodes of "The L Word," going to queer comedy shows and queer clubs, and being a part of that world. I was the Imogen, but straighter and with much less self awareness at the time. Reflecting back, I always debate if I was infringing on their queer spaces too much or getting too immersed in the community without being a member of it, and the fact that I am an avid consumer of LGBTQIA+ books has made my internal debate continue to this day. My conclusion is that I really don't know the right answers, but I think what I'm trying to say is that raising some concerns can be valid. Does that make sense?
I think this book veered a bit into being preachy about acceptance, mostly because the author personally feels so strongly about it, but I aside from that, I think it was a really well done story. I don't read enough sapphic romances, so when I read a story with a couple that really makes my heart sing, I latch on. I wish we got more of Tessa and Imogen's story from after they got together, or maybe this author could write more lesfic romances, because I thought she slayed that part of the story.
All in all, I love Becky Albertalli's writing style, and this book really lived up to my expectations. Though it wasn't perfect, I had the hardest time putting it down (I almost read my Kindle in the shower), so that makes it at least a 4-star read in my book.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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I feel a lot of big Ways about Imogen, Obviously, and it's abundantly clear that Becky Albertalli feels strongly, passionately, about this story. I'm very much aware of the author's coming out story, and I imagine that this book is a very personal one to Becky Albertalli. It feels like a big story, and the character's emotions feel extremely raw and close to the surface.
Things I enjoyed were the romance (dreamy!), Tessa (and actually the whole group of college friends), and the discovering-yourself plotline. Sexuality discovery stories will always hold a special place in my heart, and I adored that part of the story. Also, the chemistry between Imogen and Tessa was pretty electric, and I adored Tessa's flirting style and banter. A+ character development. The friends were pretty much the dream cast of accepting college friends, and it made me nostalgic for my college days. Just a cute dynamic between the friends all around. Honestly, there was a lot to love about the story, including a very well done writing style that kept me wanting more. There is a reason I keep coming back to this author.
There were a few things I struggled with in the story, however. For one, I think the big baddie gatekeeper did have a few valid points. There is no right or wrong way to be queer, and you should NEVER invalidate someone's sexuality, but there is something to be said for queer people getting to tell their stories or have their opinions heard in queer spaces. I think it's very true that you shouldn't make assumptions about people or their sexuality/gender identity, but I think that to frame the gatekeeper character (I won't say names to avoid spoilers, but it's pretty obvious) as sort of the villain isn't fully okay either.
To take a tangent into very personal territory, I had a lesbian, very out housemate in college when my best friends all went abroad, and her friends were ALL queer. For a full year, I spent every week watching new episodes of "The L Word," going to queer comedy shows and queer clubs, and being a part of that world. I was the Imogen, but straighter and with much less self awareness at the time. Reflecting back, I always debate if I was infringing on their queer spaces too much or getting too immersed in the community without being a member of it, and the fact that I am an avid consumer of LGBTQIA+ books has made my internal debate continue to this day. My conclusion is that I really don't know the right answers, but I think what I'm trying to say is that raising some concerns can be valid. Does that make sense?
I think this book veered a bit into being preachy about acceptance, mostly because the author personally feels so strongly about it, but I aside from that, I think it was a really well done story. I don't read enough sapphic romances, so when I read a story with a couple that really makes my heart sing, I latch on. I wish we got more of Tessa and Imogen's story from after they got together, or maybe this author could write more lesfic romances, because I thought she slayed that part of the story.
All in all, I love Becky Albertalli's writing style, and this book really lived up to my expectations. Though it wasn't perfect, I had the hardest time putting it down (I almost read my Kindle in the shower), so that makes it at least a 4-star read in my book.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok
June 7, 2023
3.5 stars
Becky Albertalli is an auto-buy author for me, I absolutely adore her books.
Imogen, Obviously is about a high school senior who goes to visit her friend Lili at the college she will attend next year. There, she finds out Lili lied to her friend group and said she and Imogen used to date. Except Imogen is straight, but is she? After meeting Lili's friend Tessa, Imogen begins to question everything.
This rating was hard for me, because I understood how deeply personal this story was for the author. It rang true in every aspect of this group. For those who don't know (and this is very much an abbreviation) the author was criticized and bullied for being a straight woman writing queer books, until the author came out publicly as queer. And a lot of this shows in Imogen's story, with her constant questioning, being sure of her straight identity. Her friend Gretchen in the book seems to be the masses who criticize other queer experiences.
I think I didn't love this because I am a millennial grown woman and not a teenager, and this was a book meant for teens. I'm not the target demographic, and that's okay! I think also knowing the authors personal story behind this book took away from it a little bit because while reading, it wasn't about Imogen but about Becky. That's not at all the fault of the author or the story, but I mostly felt really sad and stressed reading what was happening to Imogen, knowing that many queer people experience this all the time. I'm very glad that Imogen got her HFN by the end (even if she needs to drop that troll Gretchen as a friend still).
I'm very happy this book exists and I think it will help so so many people. It just wasn't for me.
Becky Albertalli is an auto-buy author for me, I absolutely adore her books.
Imogen, Obviously is about a high school senior who goes to visit her friend Lili at the college she will attend next year. There, she finds out Lili lied to her friend group and said she and Imogen used to date. Except Imogen is straight, but is she? After meeting Lili's friend Tessa, Imogen begins to question everything.
This rating was hard for me, because I understood how deeply personal this story was for the author. It rang true in every aspect of this group. For those who don't know (and this is very much an abbreviation) the author was criticized and bullied for being a straight woman writing queer books, until the author came out publicly as queer. And a lot of this shows in Imogen's story, with her constant questioning, being sure of her straight identity. Her friend Gretchen in the book seems to be the masses who criticize other queer experiences.
I think I didn't love this because I am a millennial grown woman and not a teenager, and this was a book meant for teens. I'm not the target demographic, and that's okay! I think also knowing the authors personal story behind this book took away from it a little bit because while reading, it wasn't about Imogen but about Becky. That's not at all the fault of the author or the story, but I mostly felt really sad and stressed reading what was happening to Imogen, knowing that many queer people experience this all the time. I'm very glad that Imogen got her HFN by the end (even if she needs to drop that troll Gretchen as a friend still).
I'm very happy this book exists and I think it will help so so many people. It just wasn't for me.
May 9, 2024
Imogen, Obviously follows super straight very cool ally Imogen as she spends her senior year spring break at her friend Lili's college with her and her friends. Right before Lili left for college she came out to Imogen as pansexual, now she has a great group of queer friends, and Imogen feels incredibly inadequate and has been avoiding talking to her for pretty much the whole year. Once we get to college we see that all of these fears were pretty unfounded and silly because Lili is the best, but get dropped a bombshell. Lili, who was feeling insecure as a baby gay, told her new friends that she dated super straight Imogen, so now Imogen has to pretend to be bi to keep the gag going. The problem? Lili has a super hot and cool next door neighbor, Tessa, who makes Imogen start questioning whether she actually is straight. But Imogen has always been surrounded by queer people - her sister, her two best friends, ... - and she'd obviously already 100% know if she liked girls, right?
This story really is so sweet. It's about our anxiety-ridden people-pleasing protagonist stumbling through discovering herself and finding an accepting community. Imogen is an incredibly relatable character, trying to ensure she gets everything right and doesn't upset anyone ever and losing a bit of herself in the process. Her blossoming romance with Tessa is a bit clumsy, but beautiful and realistic. I imagined Tessa as Ruby Cruz in bottoms (as seen below) so I really had no choice but to love her. I really really loved this relationship and the dynamic they had, so much so that it is probably my favorite relationship I’ve read about in a modern romance story?? I have to bring astrology into this because Becky brought it up first by telling us Imogen and Tessa's star signs, but I definitely related to the mcs because Imogen is a Scorpio (my moon) and Tessa is a Cancer (my sun) which was such a fun little surprise.
"Its like there's this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering and then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you." / "It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can't I just feel something and live inside it while it's happening and not analyze it to death?
While this book is a cute queer love story, it's primary purpose is pretty obviously to discuss and condemn the growing trend of chronically online (usually young) queer people forcing people to come out before they are ready and the harmful effects of putting people into boxes and stereotyping the queer community. This book is a direct response to Albertalli's own coming out situation, where she was forced out of the closet due to criticisms of her writing a book centering a gay relationship (Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda). There is also a situation discussed that is incredibly similar to Heartstopper actor, Kit Connor's forced coming out story in 2022 due to the backlash of an actor who was perceived as being straight playing a bisexual character. The main antagonist, who is also bisexual, weaponizes their sexuality and trauma to pretty consistently invalidate not only our protagonist (who is actively coming to terms with her sexuality) but also literally anyone she deems not queer enough. These people are all queer, they just don't fit in her little box of what it means to be queer. This is an issue that has become much more relevant in the past few years and Albertalli does an incredible job of exploring the nuances of why a person may act in this way while still showing how unacceptable the behavior is. Seriously, I've met or seen so many people like this and she absolutely nails it with this character, it gave me flashbacks.
Her family and Lili and her college friends show a different side. They represent wonderful acceptable people who understand that sexuality can be fluid and sometimes it takes a little longer to discover who you are. They directly contrast this idea of queerness that forces queer people into a box by accepting Imogen and making space for the way she is queer instead of trying to push her into that box.
"I've always had such a pliable center, I like being who people expect me to be. It's not that I'm trying to change who I am, I just want who I am to make sense."
Was the main character... me? Imogen is so in her head that she cannot figure out her emotions. Everything she tries to process has to go through the feelings of everyone else who could be affected before she even tries to confront it, and by then the thought is so watered down that it's barely anything. Once she realizes she has a crush on a girl, she takes endless quizzes to try and get other people to tell her what her sexuality is and is constantly so in fear of being wrong about her own feelings that she invalidates herself. I realized I liked girls when I was 15, I realized I didn't like boys when I was 25. The number of quizzes I took in an attempt to be told a definite answer of what my sexuality was both this year and 10 years ago was... staggering. The fears of telling people because what if they don't believe me? What if I'm wrong like I was before? Insurmountable. I loved these moments that Albertalli added in that really show what it's like for someone realizes they are queer later in life, it made me feel a lot more connected to the story.
It was so incredibly nice to be in the brain of someone who has the exact type of anxiety as me. Every time she was in her little overthinking spiral, I was just sitting there like girl you're so right!! Imogen realizes her sexuality relatively late in life and a lot of it is attributed to her existing in a way that caters to the existence of other people, by slightly changing herself with everyone she's with and not really having an opportunity to be her true self with anyone (same girl). When she is with Lili and Lili's college friends, you can see how she visibly relaxes and, while she still does it, it's significantly toned down and she is allowed a chance to discover who she is without the influence of more aggressive voices telling her who she should be.
Anyways I finished this audiobook in one night and, while I could've done with a lot less pop culture references, I'm starting to realize that maybe I do love cute romances - I've just been reading ones that I'm not exactly the target audience for. This was an absolute joy to read.
This story really is so sweet. It's about our anxiety-ridden people-pleasing protagonist stumbling through discovering herself and finding an accepting community. Imogen is an incredibly relatable character, trying to ensure she gets everything right and doesn't upset anyone ever and losing a bit of herself in the process. Her blossoming romance with Tessa is a bit clumsy, but beautiful and realistic. I imagined Tessa as Ruby Cruz in bottoms (as seen below) so I really had no choice but to love her. I really really loved this relationship and the dynamic they had, so much so that it is probably my favorite relationship I’ve read about in a modern romance story?? I have to bring astrology into this because Becky brought it up first by telling us Imogen and Tessa's star signs, but I definitely related to the mcs because Imogen is a Scorpio (my moon) and Tessa is a Cancer (my sun) which was such a fun little surprise.
"Its like there's this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering and then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you." / "It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can't I just feel something and live inside it while it's happening and not analyze it to death?
While this book is a cute queer love story, it's primary purpose is pretty obviously to discuss and condemn the growing trend of chronically online (usually young) queer people forcing people to come out before they are ready and the harmful effects of putting people into boxes and stereotyping the queer community. This book is a direct response to Albertalli's own coming out situation, where she was forced out of the closet due to criticisms of her writing a book centering a gay relationship (Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda). There is also a situation discussed that is incredibly similar to Heartstopper actor, Kit Connor's forced coming out story in 2022 due to the backlash of an actor who was perceived as being straight playing a bisexual character. The main antagonist, who is also bisexual, weaponizes their sexuality and trauma to pretty consistently invalidate not only our protagonist (who is actively coming to terms with her sexuality) but also literally anyone she deems not queer enough. These people are all queer, they just don't fit in her little box of what it means to be queer. This is an issue that has become much more relevant in the past few years and Albertalli does an incredible job of exploring the nuances of why a person may act in this way while still showing how unacceptable the behavior is. Seriously, I've met or seen so many people like this and she absolutely nails it with this character, it gave me flashbacks.
Her family and Lili and her college friends show a different side. They represent wonderful acceptable people who understand that sexuality can be fluid and sometimes it takes a little longer to discover who you are. They directly contrast this idea of queerness that forces queer people into a box by accepting Imogen and making space for the way she is queer instead of trying to push her into that box.
"I've always had such a pliable center, I like being who people expect me to be. It's not that I'm trying to change who I am, I just want who I am to make sense."
Was the main character... me? Imogen is so in her head that she cannot figure out her emotions. Everything she tries to process has to go through the feelings of everyone else who could be affected before she even tries to confront it, and by then the thought is so watered down that it's barely anything. Once she realizes she has a crush on a girl, she takes endless quizzes to try and get other people to tell her what her sexuality is and is constantly so in fear of being wrong about her own feelings that she invalidates herself. I realized I liked girls when I was 15, I realized I didn't like boys when I was 25. The number of quizzes I took in an attempt to be told a definite answer of what my sexuality was both this year and 10 years ago was... staggering. The fears of telling people because what if they don't believe me? What if I'm wrong like I was before? Insurmountable. I loved these moments that Albertalli added in that really show what it's like for someone realizes they are queer later in life, it made me feel a lot more connected to the story.
It was so incredibly nice to be in the brain of someone who has the exact type of anxiety as me. Every time she was in her little overthinking spiral, I was just sitting there like girl you're so right!! Imogen realizes her sexuality relatively late in life and a lot of it is attributed to her existing in a way that caters to the existence of other people, by slightly changing herself with everyone she's with and not really having an opportunity to be her true self with anyone (same girl). When she is with Lili and Lili's college friends, you can see how she visibly relaxes and, while she still does it, it's significantly toned down and she is allowed a chance to discover who she is without the influence of more aggressive voices telling her who she should be.
Anyways I finished this audiobook in one night and, while I could've done with a lot less pop culture references, I'm starting to realize that maybe I do love cute romances - I've just been reading ones that I'm not exactly the target audience for. This was an absolute joy to read.
June 6, 2023
the absolute comfort of it all
from her younger sister edith to her best friends gretchen & lili, imogen haș lived her whole life surrounded by queerness. she's never missed a pride alliance meeting & her favorite movie is but i’m a cheerleader. the thing is imogen is hopelessly heterosexual. but when she visits lili at college, finds out lili’s friends think she’s bi, & spends time with freckle-faced tessa, she begins to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with.
i spent most of college being quietly out. entering a new environment away from home gave me the space to explore my identity, to figure out & be who i needed to be. i did it slowly, casually slipped into conversations & texts, chewing on my nails wondering if people Got It.
it felt like becky had picked at my brain, at scabs that were still raw underneath. for all i talk about a quiet coming out, much of it revolved around anxieties. my queerness, for the most part, flies under the radar with more visible physical aspects at the front line. and more often than not, i don’t fit the bill. so what if no one believed me? what i got called out? what if i change? what would that mean? what if. what if. what if.
sometimes i put off reading a book if i feel it’ll hit too close to home. this wasn’t the case. i knew it would hurt and it did. very much so. but i dived in anyway. more than anything it eased something in my soul, the way every single albertalli book has.
it’s clear as day that becky has poured her heart into every line, a beating heart from personal experience and all that she’s been through. there's passion, there’s purpose, there’s soul in a way that only becky can write.
so much of imogen's journey resonates in that odd gray area of needing to slot neatly into a box to be fully accepted. a box that others have put you in; the one that’s terrifying to change that because this is who you are. this is the /you/ that you’ve spent your whole life building up to.
it's about growing into yourself, the one that’s ever-evolving. about love and doubt and fear, about fluidity and uncertainty and allowing yourself the space to simply exist. that there’s no right way to be.
and the way the story comes to a close? perhaps it never really ends. not yet, anyway. but that’s the way the journey goes, an endless cycle of growing and figuring out who you are. the ground beneath your feet shifting right as you begin to straighten your back. perhaps that’s the point of it all. one day, though, you’ll wake up and that hurt and fear won’t be the first thing you think of anymore.
(so i don’t fit the queer bill. but guess what? the bill is a lie. it doesn’t exist.)
“bi. bisexual. lili, i’m bi. it feels bigger than i want it to be. do i really have to announce this? can’t i just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyze it to death?”
from her younger sister edith to her best friends gretchen & lili, imogen haș lived her whole life surrounded by queerness. she's never missed a pride alliance meeting & her favorite movie is but i’m a cheerleader. the thing is imogen is hopelessly heterosexual. but when she visits lili at college, finds out lili’s friends think she’s bi, & spends time with freckle-faced tessa, she begins to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with.
i spent most of college being quietly out. entering a new environment away from home gave me the space to explore my identity, to figure out & be who i needed to be. i did it slowly, casually slipped into conversations & texts, chewing on my nails wondering if people Got It.
it felt like becky had picked at my brain, at scabs that were still raw underneath. for all i talk about a quiet coming out, much of it revolved around anxieties. my queerness, for the most part, flies under the radar with more visible physical aspects at the front line. and more often than not, i don’t fit the bill. so what if no one believed me? what i got called out? what if i change? what would that mean? what if. what if. what if.
sometimes i put off reading a book if i feel it’ll hit too close to home. this wasn’t the case. i knew it would hurt and it did. very much so. but i dived in anyway. more than anything it eased something in my soul, the way every single albertalli book has.
it’s clear as day that becky has poured her heart into every line, a beating heart from personal experience and all that she’s been through. there's passion, there’s purpose, there’s soul in a way that only becky can write.
so much of imogen's journey resonates in that odd gray area of needing to slot neatly into a box to be fully accepted. a box that others have put you in; the one that’s terrifying to change that because this is who you are. this is the /you/ that you’ve spent your whole life building up to.
it's about growing into yourself, the one that’s ever-evolving. about love and doubt and fear, about fluidity and uncertainty and allowing yourself the space to simply exist. that there’s no right way to be.
and the way the story comes to a close? perhaps it never really ends. not yet, anyway. but that’s the way the journey goes, an endless cycle of growing and figuring out who you are. the ground beneath your feet shifting right as you begin to straighten your back. perhaps that’s the point of it all. one day, though, you’ll wake up and that hurt and fear won’t be the first thing you think of anymore.
(so i don’t fit the queer bill. but guess what? the bill is a lie. it doesn’t exist.)
April 16, 2024
Gone are the days where I used to be able to finish a book in a day but then along comes Imogen, Obviously!!! I didn’t want to put it down for a single second. I was sat!!! Now I’m not going to really get into The Discourse but Becky we hear you!!! This was such a boss move.😎
We follow Imogen who is A Very Good Ally to her many queer friends. Until she figures out that maybe she’s queer, too. She learns that there isn’t a set timeline or deadline of when you have to have it all figured out by. And that friends don’t know everything, even when they insist they do. (Gretchen…I’m still mad!)
”Not me spending my whole life bragging about how observant I am.”
“Comp-het’s a bitch.” Tessa squeezes my hand.
Imogen is an endlessly relatable character and I wanted to give her a hug. My favorite perpetually anxious imposter syndrome having But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) loving bi girl!!!! She’s just like me fr. I feel like I’m always talking about that movie too lmaooo. She’s so funny and kind. Such a wonderful friend. I loved being in her head even if I also sometimes hated it???? Again….too relatable okay!!!!
The romance is just perfection. It gave me all the butterflies. It was full of tentative first time awkwardness. Does she really like me!!!! Did I make it all up in my head!!! So much sweetness. I was giddy. The banter was top tier and such a joy to read. And then Tessa the love interest…I have endless love for her. Literally no words I can say will do her justice she’s simply everything!!!! My best girl.❤️
This book rules. So many important topics are talked about in an extremely accessible way. If your friends demand that you’re a liar for daring to step out of the box they put you in, maybe it’s time to stop being their friend. (Gretchen…..I’m still so mad!!!!!) Sidenote: Becky really knows how to write friends of the main character that make me fume!!!😡 I’m looking at you - Love, Simon friend group!!! Queer people don’t owe anyone our identities. Famous or not. None of your business!!!! Stop the madness!!!! I’m sick of The Discourse. Someone’s identity is never something that should be up for debate. It is not the moral standing the Gretchen’s of the world think it to be. Fuck that! And always remember, there’s no right way to be gay.😙Anyways…read this wonderful book.🥰
It’s like there’s this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering. And then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you.
We follow Imogen who is A Very Good Ally to her many queer friends. Until she figures out that maybe she’s queer, too. She learns that there isn’t a set timeline or deadline of when you have to have it all figured out by. And that friends don’t know everything, even when they insist they do. (Gretchen…I’m still mad!)
”Not me spending my whole life bragging about how observant I am.”
“Comp-het’s a bitch.” Tessa squeezes my hand.
Imogen is an endlessly relatable character and I wanted to give her a hug. My favorite perpetually anxious imposter syndrome having But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) loving bi girl!!!! She’s just like me fr. I feel like I’m always talking about that movie too lmaooo. She’s so funny and kind. Such a wonderful friend. I loved being in her head even if I also sometimes hated it???? Again….too relatable okay!!!!
The romance is just perfection. It gave me all the butterflies. It was full of tentative first time awkwardness. Does she really like me!!!! Did I make it all up in my head!!! So much sweetness. I was giddy. The banter was top tier and such a joy to read. And then Tessa the love interest…I have endless love for her. Literally no words I can say will do her justice she’s simply everything!!!! My best girl.❤️
This book rules. So many important topics are talked about in an extremely accessible way. If your friends demand that you’re a liar for daring to step out of the box they put you in, maybe it’s time to stop being their friend. (Gretchen…..I’m still so mad!!!!!) Sidenote: Becky really knows how to write friends of the main character that make me fume!!!😡 I’m looking at you - Love, Simon friend group!!! Queer people don’t owe anyone our identities. Famous or not. None of your business!!!! Stop the madness!!!! I’m sick of The Discourse. Someone’s identity is never something that should be up for debate. It is not the moral standing the Gretchen’s of the world think it to be. Fuck that! And always remember, there’s no right way to be gay.😙Anyways…read this wonderful book.🥰
It’s like there’s this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering. And then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you.
May 12, 2023
2.5-ish
Ugh
I was SO excited about this book it sounded right up my alley and now I'm just feeling vaguely empty and disappointed.
I like Imogen as a character I like the cast of side characters Tessa as a girlfriend is fine they're cute together whatever.
I know Becky albertalli has gone through a lot of shit, mainly being forced out of the closet by people thinking she shouldn't wrote queer stories as a straight woman.
I feel terribly sorry for her, being outed is horrifying and scary and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Strangely, though, her reaction to that was to make her "haters" a personified, obnoxious, pink haired character with terrible takes on being queer.
I don't think Gretchen is a very nice person over all and she hurt Imogen and all of that is quite horrible, but it makes me feel weird that every other character gets at least some grace and leeway for shitty behaviour and Gretchen is given none. She's supposedly one of Imogens closest friends, yet Imogen talks shit about her every time she isn't around.
There are also a lot of valid things Gretchen brings up, like the concept of straight passing privilege but instead of seriously engaging with any of that, Imogen just starts crying and we're to infer from that that what Gretchen said was awful and terrible.
All in all, Jesus fucking Christ Gretchen is 18 and has experienced a shitton of homophobia in her life can we all just be a little less shitty to her thanks.
My other issue with this book is the portrayal of queerness as a whole.
Every single character only ever listens to queer music watches queer shows and reads queer books. Being queer is also the main part of their personality for them, we're literally introduced to the characters as "this is Lili and those are her queer friends" like? Is there anything else that's interesting about them?
This also applies to Imogen. The entire book is about how you can't infer sexuality from stereotypical traits someone has and that being bi doesn't have a certain look
And yet, Imogen falls into all the classic "closeted bi girl" tropes like "sits weird" "loves queer movies" "overenthusiastic ally", just with the "twist" that she looks very stereotypically femme so "no one ever thinks she could be bi"
Here's an idea
If you want to write about defying stereotypes then maybe... Don't rely on stereotypes while telling your story?
Over all this was a meh experience and I loved the romance but honestly for a good chunk of the book the cute romantic scenes were very much overshadowed by the dumb, unnecessary, contrived queer discourse.
Ugh
I was SO excited about this book it sounded right up my alley and now I'm just feeling vaguely empty and disappointed.
I like Imogen as a character I like the cast of side characters Tessa as a girlfriend is fine they're cute together whatever.
I know Becky albertalli has gone through a lot of shit, mainly being forced out of the closet by people thinking she shouldn't wrote queer stories as a straight woman.
I feel terribly sorry for her, being outed is horrifying and scary and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Strangely, though, her reaction to that was to make her "haters" a personified, obnoxious, pink haired character with terrible takes on being queer.
I don't think Gretchen is a very nice person over all and she hurt Imogen and all of that is quite horrible, but it makes me feel weird that every other character gets at least some grace and leeway for shitty behaviour and Gretchen is given none. She's supposedly one of Imogens closest friends, yet Imogen talks shit about her every time she isn't around.
There are also a lot of valid things Gretchen brings up, like the concept of straight passing privilege but instead of seriously engaging with any of that, Imogen just starts crying and we're to infer from that that what Gretchen said was awful and terrible.
All in all, Jesus fucking Christ Gretchen is 18 and has experienced a shitton of homophobia in her life can we all just be a little less shitty to her thanks.
My other issue with this book is the portrayal of queerness as a whole.
Every single character only ever listens to queer music watches queer shows and reads queer books. Being queer is also the main part of their personality for them, we're literally introduced to the characters as "this is Lili and those are her queer friends" like? Is there anything else that's interesting about them?
This also applies to Imogen. The entire book is about how you can't infer sexuality from stereotypical traits someone has and that being bi doesn't have a certain look
And yet, Imogen falls into all the classic "closeted bi girl" tropes like "sits weird" "loves queer movies" "overenthusiastic ally", just with the "twist" that she looks very stereotypically femme so "no one ever thinks she could be bi"
Here's an idea
If you want to write about defying stereotypes then maybe... Don't rely on stereotypes while telling your story?
Over all this was a meh experience and I loved the romance but honestly for a good chunk of the book the cute romantic scenes were very much overshadowed by the dumb, unnecessary, contrived queer discourse.
August 24, 2024
yes, i took almost a month to read this but in my defense, med school is killing me T_T.
but let's get into the goody goody stuff now.
this is clearly a very personal book for becky because i know she gave it her all here 'cause it shows. the thing is i have seen it all and it angers me. even now you get QUEER people calling books written by becky albertalli, casey mcquiston or the likes be shelved as written by cishet women???? i think a lot about how in today's time you have to be 'OUT' to apparently create queer art or you're going to be questioned about your identity or just be straight up harrassed. oh, you want to explore your queerness in your art before being sure? i'm sorry that is not allowed now because katy from twitter thinks you 'clearly write like a person whose never had gay sex.'
and so much of this rhetoric is hidden in biphobia & bi erasure. 'oh, she is married to a man!', 'oh but he held hands with a girl!' (yes, i am talking about kit connor who literally PLAYED a bisexual character. i'm starting to think some of you don't know the meaning of bisexual).
idk it doesn't make me feel safe. and these are clearly observations becky albertalli has made through her experience. idk what i'm trying to say here. maybe it's just my angry rant at so many shitty takes i've seen queer people perpetuate irl.
coming to the book, the romance was swoony but i don't think these characters are going to be together forever (sorry, i just don't see it) but god, i related wayyy too much to imogen. it feels like becky spied on me. the ally to queer pipeline is real & i can attest to that.
also,
the other supporting cast were literal gems though. i love lili so much she's such a good little bean and also, i need tessa's hand in marriage, thanks!
the only criticism i have about this book is that it just felt a little too fast for me? like the book takes place over a week and the main conflict is the only conflict in the book. it doesn't make it bad but it makes it a little bit lacking for me.
but i enjoyed it!! and i genuinely think becky needed to get this out of her system and i'm glad that she did.
------------------------------
pre read: as someone who thought they were 'just an ally' for the longest time, this book is for me!! i can feel it!!!
also the cover is so so so pretty!!
but let's get into the goody goody stuff now.
this is clearly a very personal book for becky because i know she gave it her all here 'cause it shows. the thing is i have seen it all and it angers me. even now you get QUEER people calling books written by becky albertalli, casey mcquiston or the likes be shelved as written by cishet women???? i think a lot about how in today's time you have to be 'OUT' to apparently create queer art or you're going to be questioned about your identity or just be straight up harrassed. oh, you want to explore your queerness in your art before being sure? i'm sorry that is not allowed now because katy from twitter thinks you 'clearly write like a person whose never had gay sex.'
and so much of this rhetoric is hidden in biphobia & bi erasure. 'oh, she is married to a man!', 'oh but he held hands with a girl!' (yes, i am talking about kit connor who literally PLAYED a bisexual character. i'm starting to think some of you don't know the meaning of bisexual).
idk it doesn't make me feel safe. and these are clearly observations becky albertalli has made through her experience. idk what i'm trying to say here. maybe it's just my angry rant at so many shitty takes i've seen queer people perpetuate irl.
coming to the book, the romance was swoony but i don't think these characters are going to be together forever (sorry, i just don't see it) but god, i related wayyy too much to imogen. it feels like becky spied on me. the ally to queer pipeline is real & i can attest to that.
also,
the other supporting cast were literal gems though. i love lili so much she's such a good little bean and also, i need tessa's hand in marriage, thanks!
the only criticism i have about this book is that it just felt a little too fast for me? like the book takes place over a week and the main conflict is the only conflict in the book. it doesn't make it bad but it makes it a little bit lacking for me.
but i enjoyed it!! and i genuinely think becky needed to get this out of her system and i'm glad that she did.
------------------------------
pre read: as someone who thought they were 'just an ally' for the longest time, this book is for me!! i can feel it!!!
also the cover is so so so pretty!!
June 11, 2023
i might think about this book every day for the rest of my life
between her best friends and her sister, imogen scott knows who she is: the picture perfect queer ally. but her best friend, lili, has told her new queer college friends that they used to date. when imogen puts on the bi label for the act, she finds it fitting more than she ever thought it would. but she’s straight, right?
when i was starting to understand my sexuality, i had a queer best friend. i started with the label “not straight.” my best friend was pan. as they told me about their queerness, explained their label to me, i borrowed it for a while, trying it on to see how it fit. i didn’t keep it, but it was nice to have been given to me for just a while.
in most versions of the imogen, obviously blurb i see, we talk about tessa. tessa, a new friend of lili’s who imogen develops a crush on. “one girl can’t topple your entire sexuality, right?”
my hot take: tessa isn’t imogen’s bi awakening.
it was lili handing imogen the label. saying: try this on for size. let me know how it fits. look how you don’t have to change, even if the way others see you “changes.”
there’s something so safe there. lili doesn’t do it on purpose, but she gives imogen the space.
there’s something beautiful there—a hand holding yours as you figure it out. knowing that when you’re ready to say the words, someone is there.
but it’s not always that—it’s scary, full of people who think they know you. who want you to always match the version of you they know. people who amplify the voice inside you that pushes you down. it hurts when that voice not comes from inside you, but someone you love.
i don’t think i need to tell you how important, how empowering imogen, obviously is. if you’re on this side of the internet, you know how much it means. how much it took to write.
i will never get tired of coming out stories. i hope they continue to be told, because for as long as straight is the default, there will always be someone coming out. to ourselves, to our friends who think they know us best, to the world. stories like imogen’s. like alex claremont-diaz’s, like ophelia rojas’, like nick nelson’s, like will tavares’. for anyone to see their label and want to try it on for size.
may there always be space to see how it fits.
“‘you made space. you took it seriously. you know there’s not a script for this, right?’
i nod.
she pauses. ‘you know. if you ever had something you wanted to tell me, i could make space for that too.”
between her best friends and her sister, imogen scott knows who she is: the picture perfect queer ally. but her best friend, lili, has told her new queer college friends that they used to date. when imogen puts on the bi label for the act, she finds it fitting more than she ever thought it would. but she’s straight, right?
when i was starting to understand my sexuality, i had a queer best friend. i started with the label “not straight.” my best friend was pan. as they told me about their queerness, explained their label to me, i borrowed it for a while, trying it on to see how it fit. i didn’t keep it, but it was nice to have been given to me for just a while.
in most versions of the imogen, obviously blurb i see, we talk about tessa. tessa, a new friend of lili’s who imogen develops a crush on. “one girl can’t topple your entire sexuality, right?”
my hot take: tessa isn’t imogen’s bi awakening.
it was lili handing imogen the label. saying: try this on for size. let me know how it fits. look how you don’t have to change, even if the way others see you “changes.”
there’s something so safe there. lili doesn’t do it on purpose, but she gives imogen the space.
there’s something beautiful there—a hand holding yours as you figure it out. knowing that when you’re ready to say the words, someone is there.
but it’s not always that—it’s scary, full of people who think they know you. who want you to always match the version of you they know. people who amplify the voice inside you that pushes you down. it hurts when that voice not comes from inside you, but someone you love.
i don’t think i need to tell you how important, how empowering imogen, obviously is. if you’re on this side of the internet, you know how much it means. how much it took to write.
i will never get tired of coming out stories. i hope they continue to be told, because for as long as straight is the default, there will always be someone coming out. to ourselves, to our friends who think they know us best, to the world. stories like imogen’s. like alex claremont-diaz’s, like ophelia rojas’, like nick nelson’s, like will tavares’. for anyone to see their label and want to try it on for size.
may there always be space to see how it fits.
January 14, 2024
4.5 stars ☆
“I won’t.” She reaches back and pulls her phone out of her pocket. “See? No butt-dials.”
“Love that for us!”
She taps my nose. “Wait.”
I smile up at her, taking in the soft line of her profile while she opens her music app. Her eyes crinkle at the corners—I know she knows I’m watching.
“Okay!” She stretches over me, setting her phone on the nightstand. The audio’s a little quiet—just a regular phone speaker—but even the first few instrumental notes make my heart flip. I trace her freckles with my fingertip from one cheek to the other and sing the first word along with David Byrne.
Home.
THEY’RE SO CUTE AND PRECIOUS AND I LOVE THEM. 😭 i loved most of the characters in this book and how relatable and real Imogen felt to me. the way she overthinks and kept apologizing for every little thing? relatable. Tessa was a sweetheart and i loved how fun she was. they were so cute together and i couldn’t stop smiling at their interactions (the text messages?? 🥹). i also loved the natural transition from their friendship to them having feelings for one another. Edith and Lili were some of my other favorite chars and the way Lili was all like “miscommunication trope? nope, we don’t know her”? MY QUEEN. this was such a fun read (even though i cried like maybe once towards the end during a certain scene lol) and i’m happy to finally find a good book after starting off the year with some misses. <3
“I won’t.” She reaches back and pulls her phone out of her pocket. “See? No butt-dials.”
“Love that for us!”
She taps my nose. “Wait.”
I smile up at her, taking in the soft line of her profile while she opens her music app. Her eyes crinkle at the corners—I know she knows I’m watching.
“Okay!” She stretches over me, setting her phone on the nightstand. The audio’s a little quiet—just a regular phone speaker—but even the first few instrumental notes make my heart flip. I trace her freckles with my fingertip from one cheek to the other and sing the first word along with David Byrne.
Home.
THEY’RE SO CUTE AND PRECIOUS AND I LOVE THEM. 😭 i loved most of the characters in this book and how relatable and real Imogen felt to me. the way she overthinks and kept apologizing for every little thing? relatable. Tessa was a sweetheart and i loved how fun she was. they were so cute together and i couldn’t stop smiling at their interactions (the text messages?? 🥹). i also loved the natural transition from their friendship to them having feelings for one another. Edith and Lili were some of my other favorite chars and the way Lili was all like “miscommunication trope? nope, we don’t know her”? MY QUEEN. this was such a fun read (even though i cried like maybe once towards the end during a certain scene lol) and i’m happy to finally find a good book after starting off the year with some misses. <3
January 30, 2024
The romance was cute but it was extremely obvious that Albertalli wrote this from a place of bitterness instead of a desire to tell a story. Other reviewers have correctly pointed out how over-the-top full of stereotypes it is, which is weird considering its "stop making assumptions about people :(" message. And as awful as Gretchen is, she....makes one or two valid points? I really, really hate that Albertalli equated treating your best friend like garbage with being rightfully concerned about queer safe spaces. There was absolutely no room for nuance -- you're either A Good Queer Who Says All The Right Things, or A Bad Queer Who Only Has Harmful Takes. Ultimately, it felt like Albertalli was implying that everyone is queer and just hasn't figured it out yet so queer people shouldn't make jokes about heterosexuals. It had an intense "uWu poor straight people, leave them alone" vibe that gave me (a non-binary lesbian!!!) MAJOR ick.
May 21, 2024
I’m on BookTube now! =)
”It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can’t I just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyse it to death?”
Can I say something before I write this review? Yes? Okay! I loved this book so, so, so much, you have no idea! It was perfect, just like “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” was and I’m so glad I dared to read another one of Becky Albertalli’s books. Not all of them were my cup of tea, so I’m even happier I can say that this was amazing! I think in some way “Imogen, Obviously” was everything I wanted “Leah on the Off-Beat” to be. Unfortunately, I was no big fan of Leah’s book and had a couple of issues with it, but Imogen? Wow! Please give me more books like this one, because the world needs them! I think by now it will surprise absolutely no one that I actually rated this five stars, right? I feel like I need to explain my deep love for this book, though so let’s just dive into my review and get to the facts. ;-)
”I almost can’t catch my breath for a second. But Tessa’s still smiling at me, so I smile back, except now I’m blushing, and I’m pretty sure the eye contact should have ended by now. Only I can’t look away, because Tessa’s so cute, and her smile is like sunshine on water.”
First things first: The plot! So we basically have Imogen who’s been an ally to her queer friends and sister ever since they came out. Despite being the best and most thoughtful ally in the world she considers herself to be totally hetero and only ever had crushes on boys. Well, that is until one of her best friends Lili goes to college and invites her to stay over for a couple of nights. It’s the first time Immy is on campus and Lili introduces all her cool new and very queer friends that instantly adopt her into their circle. There’s a little catch, though. Due to being a little intimidated by her friends and feeling insecure Lili claimed Imogen is bisexual and that they were in a relationship. Being the bestie that she is Immy plays along but soon realizes that she might not be as straight as she thought she was. Because every time she sees Tessa – one of Lili’s new friends – her heart is doing crazy things.
”She scrunches her nose at me.
A bubble of laughter rises up from my chest for no reason. But then Tessa clamps a hand over my mouth, and it makes something twist inside me.
The skin of her palm on my lips.
Oh gosh, those two were just so adorable! I loved their easy banter and their conversations! Also Tessa being Tessa was one of the best things about the book. I swear, I’m having a major book girlfriend crush on Tessa, because this girl is perfect. I adore her so much and it’s almost impossible not to fall for her, she’s girlfriend material through and through. The way Immy and her flirted and got to know each other was so much fun to read about and I could relate to Imogen’s feelings so much. A lot of queer people start out like her, thinking they are just an ally until they realize they’re not. Suddenly there comes a girl that turns your world upside down and you find yourself questioning everything you ever did. It sure as hell felt like that for me. So Imogen’s thoughts and her second guessing everything she did was extremely relatable.
”For a while, I was worried I shouldn’t be there. I spent weeks reading every blog post and Reddit forum I could find about allies and safe spaces, and whether it was even okay for me to show up at the meetings. Was I just another straight girl invading queer territory? Was I an outsider, sucking all the oxygen from the room?”
Also: Fair warning, it gets a little personal now! ;-) When I was a kid I loved Sailor Moon and watched every episode. I especially liked Sailor Uranus who was named Haruka and liked to dress like a boy. She was even in a relationship with Sailor Neptune who was also a girl and despite 8 year old me never being able to tell if Haruka was a boy or a girl (or both) that was in a romantic relationship with a girl, I just accepted it and liked her even more for it. I never really thought about that until I was a teen and fell in love with another girl. Looking at it in retrospective everything made so much sense. *lol* But of course 8 year old V was oblivious af and had no idea what it all meant. Later on there came that nagging question: Do I want to be like him/her/them or do I have a crush on him/her/them?! It was something that was always in the back of my mind but I never dared to acknowledge it. (The answer was both, actually. xD) Living in a country with relatives that are straight and very catholic will do that to you, but that’s a story for another day. Bottom line: Just like with Imogen the signs were all there, it only took a while to see them for what they truly were. ;-)
”Something’s glitching.
The way my heart’s pounding straight through my chest.
The way my brain’s completely stuck on Tessa. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think this was an actual crush.
But how do I know if it’s real?”
To get a glimpse at Immy’s thoughts and her feelings felt so good and there were many scenes, in which I found myself. I’m sure a lot of other people who read this book will be able to relate to her as well and I’m very glad there are books like this out there in the world now. Teen me would have needed those books so badly, I’m thankful they exists for the next generation, though. It might have taken me years to figure out myself but I eventually did. *lol* Anyway! Back to the book! Of course I loved all the LGBTQIA+ reps we got and Becky made sure to play the entire spectrum our rainbow has to offer. We had everything from non-binary to lesbian, gay, bi and pan. And haha I guess it’s true that queer people just can’t sit normal in a chair. I’m guilty of that too. XD
Lili was quiet for a moment. "But what's the solution? Not let anyone in the door until Gretchen decides they're queer enough?"
Still, not everything was rainbows and sunshine and I loved the way Becky tackled the topic of LGBTQIA+ people not always being save even in queer spaces. She did it by inventing a bisexual character named Gretchen and I think everyone who’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community either knows or knew someone like Gretchen. I came across a lot of Gretchen’s in my life and they always think that they are entitled to tell you how you feel and what you have to think. People like her just can’t let you be and always want to put a label on everything. They can’t seem to be able to accept that there are other identities as well and they never think about the fact that everyone is different and that everyone’s experiences are different too. For them there’s just one truth and it’s theirs.
”Well,” Gretchen says slowly. “If you had a crush on her, it would feel like a crush.”
“I think it does, though? Just a different kind of crush.”
Gretchen draws back, eyeing me appraisingly. “Okay, how about this?” she says finally. “Do you want to fuck her? No? Then you’re safe.”
The rage I felt when I read this! UGH!! I mean Gretchen WTF?! That woman was always so fast at pointing out the flaws of others but had absolutely zero self-reflection abilities. The way she gaslighted Immy and always turned everything into her being straight. There are so many reasons why that statement above is extremely problematic, just one of them the simple fact that there ARE people out in the world who are aro/ace or demisexual etc. I just couldn’t with Gretchen. No, seriously, if I’d still have toxic people like her in my life I’d give them a piece of my mind before I cut them out of it entirely. Still, Becky Albertalli inventing her character is a stroke of genius and I can only salute her for it. So many of us have been there and made experiences like Imogen and I’m about 98% convinced Becky Albertalli was there too and this is the reason why she wrote the story like that. I don’t even have to mention how toxic “friends” like that are when you’re already questioning and have enough on your plate. Also I loved Lili for feeling that “reptilian rage” with me. *lol*
”Some queer people just really seem to love shitting on other queer people. Every day, someone’s out there weighing in about whether bi and pan girls even count as queer to begin with. Or we’re only queer under certain circumstances. They’ll say it with their whole chest. Absolutely zero awareness that their very specific queer experience isn’t one hundred percent universal.”
Say it louder for the people in the back!!! So yeah, I couldn’t stand Gretchen but that’s exactly what Becky aimed for. She wanted us to question her character and maybe representation like that will animate some people in the queer community to think outside of their boxes in the future. Who knows? Just the fact it was properly addressed in here and pointed out will already mean a lot to many people, so no matter if you find yourself in Imogen or maybe even in Gretchen, Becky did her job. The fact there is no immediate and direct solution for the problem of queer people not accepting other LGBTQIA+ identities felt very realistic and I think at the end of the day we all have to decide how we want to deal with the Gretchen’s of the world. There’s no general solution and every situation is different so all we can do is to point out those prejudices and to work on them as a community. I’m convinced it will get better with time. It’s a process. ;-)
”That I thought I was straight.
Even though I’m not. And I wasn’t.
I don’t think I was.
But then again, do I really know that? Does anyone really, truly, one hundred percent know?”
Conclusion:
All told, I loved “Imogen, Obviously” and despite all the heavy topics it tackled, it still had many cute and adorable moments. The slowly growing romance was such a nice counterweight to all the serious stuff and I absolutely loved Imogen’s and Lili’s group of queer friends. They were so much fun and their antics and shenanigans were hilarious. Becky Albertalli totally delivered with this one and I’m looking forward to read her next book. =)
_______________________________
This is legit one of Becky Albertalli’s best books!
For me “Imogen, Obviously” is on the same level as “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” which basically means: I loved it and it was adorable af! <333
Also the topics Becky addressed! Chef’s kiss!
This was a win!
Full RTC soon! I have THOUGHTS to share! ;-)
________________________________
I’ve been curious about “Imogen, Obviously” ever since my bestie read and loved it.
I mean, this sounds like such a cute LGBTQIA+ romance.
A girl who thinks she’s totally straight and then discovers she has feelings for one of her bestie’s new friends who happens to be a girl?!
I love stories like that, so count me in. ;-P
Find me on:
My Blog
Instagram
”It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can’t I just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyse it to death?”
Can I say something before I write this review? Yes? Okay! I loved this book so, so, so much, you have no idea! It was perfect, just like “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” was and I’m so glad I dared to read another one of Becky Albertalli’s books. Not all of them were my cup of tea, so I’m even happier I can say that this was amazing! I think in some way “Imogen, Obviously” was everything I wanted “Leah on the Off-Beat” to be. Unfortunately, I was no big fan of Leah’s book and had a couple of issues with it, but Imogen? Wow! Please give me more books like this one, because the world needs them! I think by now it will surprise absolutely no one that I actually rated this five stars, right? I feel like I need to explain my deep love for this book, though so let’s just dive into my review and get to the facts. ;-)
”I almost can’t catch my breath for a second. But Tessa’s still smiling at me, so I smile back, except now I’m blushing, and I’m pretty sure the eye contact should have ended by now. Only I can’t look away, because Tessa’s so cute, and her smile is like sunshine on water.”
First things first: The plot! So we basically have Imogen who’s been an ally to her queer friends and sister ever since they came out. Despite being the best and most thoughtful ally in the world she considers herself to be totally hetero and only ever had crushes on boys. Well, that is until one of her best friends Lili goes to college and invites her to stay over for a couple of nights. It’s the first time Immy is on campus and Lili introduces all her cool new and very queer friends that instantly adopt her into their circle. There’s a little catch, though. Due to being a little intimidated by her friends and feeling insecure Lili claimed Imogen is bisexual and that they were in a relationship. Being the bestie that she is Immy plays along but soon realizes that she might not be as straight as she thought she was. Because every time she sees Tessa – one of Lili’s new friends – her heart is doing crazy things.
”She scrunches her nose at me.
A bubble of laughter rises up from my chest for no reason. But then Tessa clamps a hand over my mouth, and it makes something twist inside me.
The skin of her palm on my lips.
Oh gosh, those two were just so adorable! I loved their easy banter and their conversations! Also Tessa being Tessa was one of the best things about the book. I swear, I’m having a major book girlfriend crush on Tessa, because this girl is perfect. I adore her so much and it’s almost impossible not to fall for her, she’s girlfriend material through and through. The way Immy and her flirted and got to know each other was so much fun to read about and I could relate to Imogen’s feelings so much. A lot of queer people start out like her, thinking they are just an ally until they realize they’re not. Suddenly there comes a girl that turns your world upside down and you find yourself questioning everything you ever did. It sure as hell felt like that for me. So Imogen’s thoughts and her second guessing everything she did was extremely relatable.
”For a while, I was worried I shouldn’t be there. I spent weeks reading every blog post and Reddit forum I could find about allies and safe spaces, and whether it was even okay for me to show up at the meetings. Was I just another straight girl invading queer territory? Was I an outsider, sucking all the oxygen from the room?”
Also: Fair warning, it gets a little personal now! ;-) When I was a kid I loved Sailor Moon and watched every episode. I especially liked Sailor Uranus who was named Haruka and liked to dress like a boy. She was even in a relationship with Sailor Neptune who was also a girl and despite 8 year old me never being able to tell if Haruka was a boy or a girl (or both) that was in a romantic relationship with a girl, I just accepted it and liked her even more for it. I never really thought about that until I was a teen and fell in love with another girl. Looking at it in retrospective everything made so much sense. *lol* But of course 8 year old V was oblivious af and had no idea what it all meant. Later on there came that nagging question: Do I want to be like him/her/them or do I have a crush on him/her/them?! It was something that was always in the back of my mind but I never dared to acknowledge it. (The answer was both, actually. xD) Living in a country with relatives that are straight and very catholic will do that to you, but that’s a story for another day. Bottom line: Just like with Imogen the signs were all there, it only took a while to see them for what they truly were. ;-)
”Something’s glitching.
The way my heart’s pounding straight through my chest.
The way my brain’s completely stuck on Tessa. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think this was an actual crush.
But how do I know if it’s real?”
To get a glimpse at Immy’s thoughts and her feelings felt so good and there were many scenes, in which I found myself. I’m sure a lot of other people who read this book will be able to relate to her as well and I’m very glad there are books like this out there in the world now. Teen me would have needed those books so badly, I’m thankful they exists for the next generation, though. It might have taken me years to figure out myself but I eventually did. *lol* Anyway! Back to the book! Of course I loved all the LGBTQIA+ reps we got and Becky made sure to play the entire spectrum our rainbow has to offer. We had everything from non-binary to lesbian, gay, bi and pan. And haha I guess it’s true that queer people just can’t sit normal in a chair. I’m guilty of that too. XD
Lili was quiet for a moment. "But what's the solution? Not let anyone in the door until Gretchen decides they're queer enough?"
Still, not everything was rainbows and sunshine and I loved the way Becky tackled the topic of LGBTQIA+ people not always being save even in queer spaces. She did it by inventing a bisexual character named Gretchen and I think everyone who’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community either knows or knew someone like Gretchen. I came across a lot of Gretchen’s in my life and they always think that they are entitled to tell you how you feel and what you have to think. People like her just can’t let you be and always want to put a label on everything. They can’t seem to be able to accept that there are other identities as well and they never think about the fact that everyone is different and that everyone’s experiences are different too. For them there’s just one truth and it’s theirs.
”Well,” Gretchen says slowly. “If you had a crush on her, it would feel like a crush.”
“I think it does, though? Just a different kind of crush.”
Gretchen draws back, eyeing me appraisingly. “Okay, how about this?” she says finally. “Do you want to fuck her? No? Then you’re safe.”
The rage I felt when I read this! UGH!! I mean Gretchen WTF?! That woman was always so fast at pointing out the flaws of others but had absolutely zero self-reflection abilities. The way she gaslighted Immy and always turned everything into her being straight. There are so many reasons why that statement above is extremely problematic, just one of them the simple fact that there ARE people out in the world who are aro/ace or demisexual etc. I just couldn’t with Gretchen. No, seriously, if I’d still have toxic people like her in my life I’d give them a piece of my mind before I cut them out of it entirely. Still, Becky Albertalli inventing her character is a stroke of genius and I can only salute her for it. So many of us have been there and made experiences like Imogen and I’m about 98% convinced Becky Albertalli was there too and this is the reason why she wrote the story like that. I don’t even have to mention how toxic “friends” like that are when you’re already questioning and have enough on your plate. Also I loved Lili for feeling that “reptilian rage” with me. *lol*
”Some queer people just really seem to love shitting on other queer people. Every day, someone’s out there weighing in about whether bi and pan girls even count as queer to begin with. Or we’re only queer under certain circumstances. They’ll say it with their whole chest. Absolutely zero awareness that their very specific queer experience isn’t one hundred percent universal.”
Say it louder for the people in the back!!! So yeah, I couldn’t stand Gretchen but that’s exactly what Becky aimed for. She wanted us to question her character and maybe representation like that will animate some people in the queer community to think outside of their boxes in the future. Who knows? Just the fact it was properly addressed in here and pointed out will already mean a lot to many people, so no matter if you find yourself in Imogen or maybe even in Gretchen, Becky did her job. The fact there is no immediate and direct solution for the problem of queer people not accepting other LGBTQIA+ identities felt very realistic and I think at the end of the day we all have to decide how we want to deal with the Gretchen’s of the world. There’s no general solution and every situation is different so all we can do is to point out those prejudices and to work on them as a community. I’m convinced it will get better with time. It’s a process. ;-)
”That I thought I was straight.
Even though I’m not. And I wasn’t.
I don’t think I was.
But then again, do I really know that? Does anyone really, truly, one hundred percent know?”
Conclusion:
All told, I loved “Imogen, Obviously” and despite all the heavy topics it tackled, it still had many cute and adorable moments. The slowly growing romance was such a nice counterweight to all the serious stuff and I absolutely loved Imogen’s and Lili’s group of queer friends. They were so much fun and their antics and shenanigans were hilarious. Becky Albertalli totally delivered with this one and I’m looking forward to read her next book. =)
_______________________________
This is legit one of Becky Albertalli’s best books!
For me “Imogen, Obviously” is on the same level as “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” which basically means: I loved it and it was adorable af! <333
Also the topics Becky addressed! Chef’s kiss!
This was a win!
Full RTC soon! I have THOUGHTS to share! ;-)
________________________________
I’ve been curious about “Imogen, Obviously” ever since my bestie read and loved it.
I mean, this sounds like such a cute LGBTQIA+ romance.
A girl who thinks she’s totally straight and then discovers she has feelings for one of her bestie’s new friends who happens to be a girl?!
I love stories like that, so count me in. ;-P
Find me on:
My Blog
May 7, 2023
May 6, 2023
RTC
October 8, 2022
This is my most anticipated 2023 book.
Simon vs. is my all time favorite book since 2017, and although I gave every other Becky Albertalli book 2 and 3 stars, it won't stop me from reading everything she puts out until I find another 5 star. I'm nothing if not committed.
Plus look at that cover.
I've just had the misfortune of seeing the UK cover, and that is an actual crime what they did to it. Whoever is responsible, needs to go to jail.
RTC
October 8, 2022
This is my most anticipated 2023 book.
Simon vs. is my all time favorite book since 2017, and although I gave every other Becky Albertalli book 2 and 3 stars, it won't stop me from reading everything she puts out until I find another 5 star. I'm nothing if not committed.
Plus look at that cover.
I've just had the misfortune of seeing the UK cover, and that is an actual crime what they did to it. Whoever is responsible, needs to go to jail.
May 9, 2023
The Enthusiastic Ally to Bisexual Pipeline
In a social media graphic for the book, the author describes Imogen as having "queer discourse brainworms", which is a good way to put it. She tries to educate herself about queer issues, but just ends up thinking that there’s only one right way to be queer. She doesn’t feel the same way about girls as she does in her crushes on guys, so she concludes that means she doesn’t like girls at all. Even when faced with obvious evidence to the contrary, she convinces herself that she’s just trying to be bisexual for clout and that she’s a bad person for appropriating queerness.
Imogen longs to be part of the queer community, and while I’m sure there is some 100% straight and cis person this applies to in the world, it’s such a relatable queer experience. I was in middle school when I excitedly talked about looking forward to joining the Gay/Straight Alliance in high school, and how if I could choose, I’d be pansexual and panromantic. But, of course, I too was "hopelessly straight"…
Full review at the Lesbrary.
In a social media graphic for the book, the author describes Imogen as having "queer discourse brainworms", which is a good way to put it. She tries to educate herself about queer issues, but just ends up thinking that there’s only one right way to be queer. She doesn’t feel the same way about girls as she does in her crushes on guys, so she concludes that means she doesn’t like girls at all. Even when faced with obvious evidence to the contrary, she convinces herself that she’s just trying to be bisexual for clout and that she’s a bad person for appropriating queerness.
Imogen longs to be part of the queer community, and while I’m sure there is some 100% straight and cis person this applies to in the world, it’s such a relatable queer experience. I was in middle school when I excitedly talked about looking forward to joining the Gay/Straight Alliance in high school, and how if I could choose, I’d be pansexual and panromantic. But, of course, I too was "hopelessly straight"…
Full review at the Lesbrary.
December 14, 2023
✩ 5 stars
~
🎀anxious bi queens rise up🎀
~
“One girl can’t topple your entire sexuality right?”
•
“Bi. Bisexual. Lil, I’m bi. It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can’t I just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyze it to death?”
•
“Tessa leans closer, just barely. I almost lose my breath for a second. I can read every freckle on her nose. “Hi.” She pushes a wet strand of my hair aside to kiss my forehead. And then she kisses my lips.”
~
this book is like warm tea with a dash of anxiety.🌼
~
i thought i had heard relatable coming out stories but then i read this & it was a gut punch!👩❤️💋👩
~
i’m now off to make this book my personality bc me and imogen are the same person 💗
~
🎀anxious bi queens rise up🎀
~
“One girl can’t topple your entire sexuality right?”
•
“Bi. Bisexual. Lil, I’m bi. It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can’t I just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyze it to death?”
•
“Tessa leans closer, just barely. I almost lose my breath for a second. I can read every freckle on her nose. “Hi.” She pushes a wet strand of my hair aside to kiss my forehead. And then she kisses my lips.”
~
this book is like warm tea with a dash of anxiety.🌼
~
i thought i had heard relatable coming out stories but then i read this & it was a gut punch!👩❤️💋👩
~
i’m now off to make this book my personality bc me and imogen are the same person 💗
May 5, 2023
This is somewhat of a painful book. Painful because of what Imogen goes through with the self-doubt (exacerbated by a friend who does not behave in understanding ways for the majority of their interactions) but also painful because it's so heavily inspired by what the author herself went through. And so many others, in fact, who were forced to come out to be seen as an acceptable voice or presence in queer spaces.
This book is basically what it's like to exist online these days. All the discourse, the critiques, the questioning (in mostly negative ways), it's all in here. But thankfully there's also the other side, too. The found family, the acceptance, the reassurance, and the joy. I hope readers, of all ages, find some comfort in those bits. Because they were lovely.
Gretchen, though, wow. She was exhausting. I literally had to put the book down as the diner scene was ramping up because I knew it would be awful. I knew it would be bad. My blood pressure was spiked. But it's a true portrayal. Gretchens exist. And they aren't always coming from a bad place; her backstory was a perfect example of that. And while I highlighted a few bits I think this is the one that stands out the most and is what I hope most people come away realizing :
Maybe shared experiences shouldn't be the foundation at all. Maybe it should be a promise to hold space for variation.
I wish this book had a been a little less pointed. But I think it comes from a place where it was hard not to be. But it was equally hard at times to get through this; maybe because of the authenticity. There were a lot of feelings. Not all of them good. Which is fine, it's real. It just made me glad there were silly heart-eyes moments of sweetness with the texts. But being in Imogen's head, being suffocated by certain forces around her, yeah, it's a lot. She's so busy being the perfect ally, the straight friend, that she's never given the opportunity, or the space, to explore anything more. Until college changes everything. But even then, it's not smooth sailing.
Which, hey, this is another recent YA read that is actually in the imminently-leaving-for-college and early-days-college stage and can I say? I like this trend of moving outside of the highschool box.
It's so important for this story to exist, much in the way of RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE with Alex's journey with his sexuality, and so many others I am completely blanking on at the moment, because knowing that it's safe to come out, to be fluid, to evolve, at any time, at any age, is.. well, important. There is no one singular experience. And I hope this is helpful for anyone who might need to hear that right now.
I would definitely recommend this but would caution you that it is, as I've said, hard to read sometimes (maybe about fifty/fifty in the good and not so good bits). Though not likely any worse than scrolling through twitter these days. Just bear that in mind before you get distracted and swoony over that bi-you-tiful cover.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) and Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This book is basically what it's like to exist online these days. All the discourse, the critiques, the questioning (in mostly negative ways), it's all in here. But thankfully there's also the other side, too. The found family, the acceptance, the reassurance, and the joy. I hope readers, of all ages, find some comfort in those bits. Because they were lovely.
Gretchen, though, wow. She was exhausting. I literally had to put the book down as the diner scene was ramping up because I knew it would be awful. I knew it would be bad. My blood pressure was spiked. But it's a true portrayal. Gretchens exist. And they aren't always coming from a bad place; her backstory was a perfect example of that. And while I highlighted a few bits I think this is the one that stands out the most and is what I hope most people come away realizing :
Maybe shared experiences shouldn't be the foundation at all. Maybe it should be a promise to hold space for variation.
I wish this book had a been a little less pointed. But I think it comes from a place where it was hard not to be. But it was equally hard at times to get through this; maybe because of the authenticity. There were a lot of feelings. Not all of them good. Which is fine, it's real. It just made me glad there were silly heart-eyes moments of sweetness with the texts. But being in Imogen's head, being suffocated by certain forces around her, yeah, it's a lot. She's so busy being the perfect ally, the straight friend, that she's never given the opportunity, or the space, to explore anything more. Until college changes everything. But even then, it's not smooth sailing.
Which, hey, this is another recent YA read that is actually in the imminently-leaving-for-college and early-days-college stage and can I say? I like this trend of moving outside of the highschool box.
It's so important for this story to exist, much in the way of RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE with Alex's journey with his sexuality, and so many others I am completely blanking on at the moment, because knowing that it's safe to come out, to be fluid, to evolve, at any time, at any age, is.. well, important. There is no one singular experience. And I hope this is helpful for anyone who might need to hear that right now.
I would definitely recommend this but would caution you that it is, as I've said, hard to read sometimes (maybe about fifty/fifty in the good and not so good bits). Though not likely any worse than scrolling through twitter these days. Just bear that in mind before you get distracted and swoony over that bi-you-tiful cover.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) and Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
May 27, 2024
i know everybody always says that if the world was at peace with ourselves, then we’d finally have this idealistic thought of world peace. but i truly believe that if everybody had a little mini tessa to put in their pocket, we could skip all that philosophical shit :3
April 11, 2023
4.25/5
I wish this book had been even longer! I didn't want it to end. It was so cosy and comforting and important, it has claimed such a special place in my heart.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Children's for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Imogen, Obviously is such a heartfelt story. It's instantly clear to see how much passion and purpose Albertalli has put into it. She shares very personal emotions through Imogen, she pushes people to reflect on their actions and beliefs, she fills every line with her heart and soul. And she does this incredibly well, this is such a perfect queer coming-of-age story.
Ultimately, Imogen, Obviously is full of queer joy. I adored the characters, their relationships were all so brilliant. From their friendship groups to their families, you could always feel the care and love these characters held for each other. There were relationships that grew and some that fractured, however all of them developed with great arcs and poignant themes.
Simon Vs. was one of the first queer books that I ever read and it will always be so special to me. Albertalli writes that if Simon was her attempt to throw a ball into the air, Imogen is her attempt to catch it. I adored this sentiment and I definitely think Albertalli's writing and storytelling has come full-circle with this book. Alongside her growth as a writer, I believe that some of her personal beliefs have also changed and I loved the social commentary within this book.
Imogen, Obviously boasts such a vast cast of diverse characters that exist in the loving queer community that they've made for themselves. There are challenges and disrupters of this peace, but it is a safe haven that holds strong throughout. I adored the little family that they made. I think this is an amazing book to devour and let comfort you.
I wish this book had been even longer! I didn't want it to end. It was so cosy and comforting and important, it has claimed such a special place in my heart.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Children's for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Imogen, Obviously is such a heartfelt story. It's instantly clear to see how much passion and purpose Albertalli has put into it. She shares very personal emotions through Imogen, she pushes people to reflect on their actions and beliefs, she fills every line with her heart and soul. And she does this incredibly well, this is such a perfect queer coming-of-age story.
Ultimately, Imogen, Obviously is full of queer joy. I adored the characters, their relationships were all so brilliant. From their friendship groups to their families, you could always feel the care and love these characters held for each other. There were relationships that grew and some that fractured, however all of them developed with great arcs and poignant themes.
Simon Vs. was one of the first queer books that I ever read and it will always be so special to me. Albertalli writes that if Simon was her attempt to throw a ball into the air, Imogen is her attempt to catch it. I adored this sentiment and I definitely think Albertalli's writing and storytelling has come full-circle with this book. Alongside her growth as a writer, I believe that some of her personal beliefs have also changed and I loved the social commentary within this book.
Imogen, Obviously boasts such a vast cast of diverse characters that exist in the loving queer community that they've made for themselves. There are challenges and disrupters of this peace, but it is a safe haven that holds strong throughout. I adored the little family that they made. I think this is an amazing book to devour and let comfort you.
May 25, 2024
I really wanted to love this book. I've never read any of Becky Albertalli's other books, but the cover of this one is so cute and the concept seems so fun and then... I just didn't love it. But unlike someone in this book, I'm not going to pretend that my queer opinion is the final word on this book and can definitely acknowledge a lot of reasons that other people would enjoy it.
So, let's start with what I liked...
I praised Going Bicoastal for having a character who is already openly out of the closet and proudly bisexual at the start of that book, but I think there's still definitely merit too books where the main character is discovering their sexuality.
Although not everyone wants to read those stories, there are people out there going through that every day and books about how confusing and weird that can be are relatable to them (and hey, even me, who went through that several years ago could reminisce on some of Imogen's confused feelings and that-wasn't-a-crush-we're-just-friends-right?-ness). I feel like the fact that Imogen was surrounded by so many LGBTQ people in her life and constantly just believed herself to be straight -- and was told by all those people that she was -- but was a proud ally to them and trying her best to learn about their unique issues added something to her journey of self-discovery.
I also loved the way that Imogen was struggling with the fact that one of her closest friends growing up was now off to college with new friends, new inside jokes, and a new life. That's such a relatable experience growing up and I could definitely relate to Imogen feeling like Lili had become a brand new person since she went to college and the way she felt guilty of being jealous over her new jokes with her new friends and feeling like she wasn't sure where she fit into that anymore.
Because this book is about Imogen trying to figure out her own sexual identity, it also touches on how confusing that can be for girls because of the way girl friendships can be. I'm sure any queer girl will be able to relate to the confusion of not being able to tell whether or not a girl is flirting with you and Albertalli really nailed it when she was having Imogen express that confusion.
Even though I haven't read other books by Alberalli, I know that this book was a personal subject to her. As many other reviews on this book pointed out, she got a lot of backlash for writing LGBTQ perspectives as a perceived straight woman after the release of other books of hers, like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Because of all the backlash, she was in a way forced to come out as bisexual and this is inserted into the book in a way when an actress who was mentioned a few times comes out as bisexual and discourse ensues. People questions whether or not she came out for genuine reasons or it was because she got backlash for a portrayal in a movie, people discuss whether or not her being bisexual even matters because she's "straight passing", and so on.
Unfortunately, pieces of Imogen's story being so relatable and the concept of the book being fun and cute are about where my enjoyment of the book ended and unfortunately, there was more of the book that I didn't like than what I did. So, while I went into this book totally expecting to love it, it just didn't hit right for me. But, like I said, unlike someone in this book, I don't speak for all queer people, all readers, all anything and am aware that the things in this book that bothered me and were annoying, boring, tedious, or all of the above for me might not have been for other people. So, if you loved this book or you were planning to read it, don't let my opinions sway you.
There will be spoilers below this point, but I'll mark them as I see fit. Still, read at your own risk since our definitions of spoiler may not match up.
The premise of this book is that Imogen goes to visit her childhood friend, Lili, at Lili's college. When she gets there, Lili pulls her aside and says she lied to her friends about something: she said that Imogen and Lili dated when they were younger. Awkward, since Imogen is straight and the two of them definitely didn't date, but
Throughout the book, Imogen repeatedly describes herself as a people pleaser, someone who is liquid and will just form to the people around her, and someone who overthinks. And oh boy, she was not wrong about all of those things.
Throughout all of Imogen's interactions with Lili's friends, she finds herself frantically overthinking and overanalyzing everything and worrying about whether or not she's saying the right thing or whether or not she "seems" bisexual and whether or not she's taking up too much attention in their friend group with the lie she's part of.
Until near the end of the book, the subplot of Imogen and Lili pretending to be exes is basically not present at all. Although I don't really know how much Albertalli could have done with the idea of fake-exes in this context, I really feel like it was basically abandoned until it was randomly brought back into the fold toward the end of the book as a way to give my least favorite character, Gretchen, a soapbox. As a whole, Imogen's friend Gretchen felt like her entire purpose was just soapboxing about various issues that she feels deeply passionate about and that she refuses to allow anyone to have their own opinions on.
By the end of the book, it became more obvious that Gretchen was obviously supposed to be in the wrong and her overbearing opinions were hindering Imogen's ability to come to terms with her own sexuality and figure out her own identity. But, because Imogen is so meek and afraid to speak over anyone and admits that she has a habit of taking other peoples' opinions as fact, for most of the book, it almost seems like Gretchen's page-long rants and discourse are supposed to be reasonable and correct.
Although Gretchen is often right in her feelings and they're obviously coming from her own experiences, the fact that she's so loud and grating and speaks as though she's the queer authority and forces her perceived ideas of Imogen onto her is obnoxious. By the end of the book when there's pushback against her from Imogen's friends and sister who acknowledge that she's overbearing, it makes sense. But in the beginning, Imogen reflects on being enamored with Gretchen's wisdom when they met and so she sees Gretchen lecturing her about celebrity crushes and questioning peoples' identities as right.
By the end of the book, when it becomes more obvious that Gretchen is supposed to be read as being in the wrong,
Although I don't know the details of the criticism Albertalli got for being perceived as a "straight" woman who wrote LGBTQ stories (and I don't care to look now), it did feel pretty obvious throughout this book that it was written in a post-backlash state of mind for her. The fact that Imogen is constantly self-policing and questioning whether or not her possible crush on Tessa and her just being friends with Lili and her other queer friends was acceptable or not felt very much like it was coming from a personal place for Albertalli following her being accused of things like that.
Unfortunately, the self-policing from Imogen never felt particularly natural, even though she was written to be an overthinker and deeply insecure about this journey she was on. Even after a romantic dream she had that she could've just forgotten about and never told anyone about, Imogen lays awake and accuses herself of being an entitled straight woman who was appropriating the queer experience in her sleep.
While Imogen questioning her sexuality and her insecurity and desire to make everyone happy could have worked really well and made this book heartfelt and Imogen really realistic and likeable, the fact that it was non-stop felt deeply unrealistic and less like it was an overthinker questioning her sexuality and more like an apology from Albertalli to the Gretchens of the world who once questioned why she, as a "straight" woman, felt entitled to write LGBTQ stories.
This book is over 400 pages and in the past, I've said that I see no reason for a contemporary romance to be that long. In this case, I understand the length because a lot of the book is comprised of text messages between Imogen, Lili, Gretchen, and Tessa and these conversations add a lot of development to their relationships and serve as cute, quick scenes of banter. Because of that, this book is really not as long as the page length would lead you to believe. But at the same time, this book feels long because so much of it is tedious exposition; Imogen overthinking every single queer-adjacent interaction she has; and discourse that Gretchen starts, typically with no pushback.
I think the fact that the plot of the book -- Imogen and Lili's lie about the fact that the two of them allegedly dated -- is absent from so much of the book is really what adds to making it feel so long. There were a lot of scenes where there was an opportunity for it to be made relevant again and it basically never was? Imogen occasionally overthought about it, but that was about it.
All in all, this book felt like it was two or three different books, all crammed into one book, while having none of the heart or appeal of any of the separate books.
So, let's start with what I liked...
I praised Going Bicoastal for having a character who is already openly out of the closet and proudly bisexual at the start of that book, but I think there's still definitely merit too books where the main character is discovering their sexuality.
Although not everyone wants to read those stories, there are people out there going through that every day and books about how confusing and weird that can be are relatable to them (and hey, even me, who went through that several years ago could reminisce on some of Imogen's confused feelings and that-wasn't-a-crush-we're-just-friends-right?-ness). I feel like the fact that Imogen was surrounded by so many LGBTQ people in her life and constantly just believed herself to be straight -- and was told by all those people that she was -- but was a proud ally to them and trying her best to learn about their unique issues added something to her journey of self-discovery.
I also loved the way that Imogen was struggling with the fact that one of her closest friends growing up was now off to college with new friends, new inside jokes, and a new life. That's such a relatable experience growing up and I could definitely relate to Imogen feeling like Lili had become a brand new person since she went to college and the way she felt guilty of being jealous over her new jokes with her new friends and feeling like she wasn't sure where she fit into that anymore.
It’s like stepping into an alternate universe—sorry, but I’ve known Lili Cardoso since she was three years old, and parties are her personal hell. This is a girl who carried thick, dog-eared Tamora Pierce books all around camp every summer, just in case there was unexpected free time and someone tried to talk to her.
Because this book is about Imogen trying to figure out her own sexual identity, it also touches on how confusing that can be for girls because of the way girl friendships can be. I'm sure any queer girl will be able to relate to the confusion of not being able to tell whether or not a girl is flirting with you and Albertalli really nailed it when she was having Imogen express that confusion.
How do you know—how do you really know if someone likes you? Especially with girls. It gets so blurry sometimes. Two girls will hug each other right in front of you, and you’ll have no idea if they’re girlfriends or besties or what. Unless they’re actively making out, you need floating heart emojis and a movie score to interpret it.
Even though I haven't read other books by Alberalli, I know that this book was a personal subject to her. As many other reviews on this book pointed out, she got a lot of backlash for writing LGBTQ perspectives as a perceived straight woman after the release of other books of hers, like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Because of all the backlash, she was in a way forced to come out as bisexual and this is inserted into the book in a way when an actress who was mentioned a few times comes out as bisexual and discourse ensues. People questions whether or not she came out for genuine reasons or it was because she got backlash for a portrayal in a movie, people discuss whether or not her being bisexual even matters because she's "straight passing", and so on.
“I’m sorry, no. Kara Clapstone doesn’t need to set her coming-out timeline according to your weird parasocial entitlement.”
“Totally agree! I’m glad she waited until she was ready!” Gretchen says.
“So stop discoursing,” Edith snaps, “and leave her alone!”
Unfortunately, pieces of Imogen's story being so relatable and the concept of the book being fun and cute are about where my enjoyment of the book ended and unfortunately, there was more of the book that I didn't like than what I did. So, while I went into this book totally expecting to love it, it just didn't hit right for me. But, like I said, unlike someone in this book, I don't speak for all queer people, all readers, all anything and am aware that the things in this book that bothered me and were annoying, boring, tedious, or all of the above for me might not have been for other people. So, if you loved this book or you were planning to read it, don't let my opinions sway you.
There will be spoilers below this point, but I'll mark them as I see fit. Still, read at your own risk since our definitions of spoiler may not match up.
The premise of this book is that Imogen goes to visit her childhood friend, Lili, at Lili's college. When she gets there, Lili pulls her aside and says she lied to her friends about something: she said that Imogen and Lili dated when they were younger. Awkward, since Imogen is straight and the two of them definitely didn't date, but
Throughout the book, Imogen repeatedly describes herself as a people pleaser, someone who is liquid and will just form to the people around her, and someone who overthinks. And oh boy, she was not wrong about all of those things.
Throughout all of Imogen's interactions with Lili's friends, she finds herself frantically overthinking and overanalyzing everything and worrying about whether or not she's saying the right thing or whether or not she "seems" bisexual and whether or not she's taking up too much attention in their friend group with the lie she's part of.
“I’m acting really straight right now, huh?” Lili laughs.
“What?”
“I just don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. And I don’t want to blow your cover.” I peek through my fingers. “I know I’m not the most believable queer girl.”
*.*.*.*
“I just feel like I maybe overstepped a little this weekend.”
She tilts her head toward me. “How so?”
“Maybe overstepped isn’t the word. I just . . . feel like I was centering myself in queer spaces. Under false pretenses. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
Until near the end of the book, the subplot of Imogen and Lili pretending to be exes is basically not present at all. Although I don't really know how much Albertalli could have done with the idea of fake-exes in this context, I really feel like it was basically abandoned until it was randomly brought back into the fold toward the end of the book as a way to give my least favorite character, Gretchen, a soapbox. As a whole, Imogen's friend Gretchen felt like her entire purpose was just soapboxing about various issues that she feels deeply passionate about and that she refuses to allow anyone to have their own opinions on.
By the end of the book, it became more obvious that Gretchen was obviously supposed to be in the wrong and her overbearing opinions were hindering Imogen's ability to come to terms with her own sexuality and figure out her own identity. But, because Imogen is so meek and afraid to speak over anyone and admits that she has a habit of taking other peoples' opinions as fact, for most of the book, it almost seems like Gretchen's page-long rants and discourse are supposed to be reasonable and correct.
Although Gretchen is often right in her feelings and they're obviously coming from her own experiences, the fact that she's so loud and grating and speaks as though she's the queer authority and forces her perceived ideas of Imogen onto her is obnoxious. By the end of the book when there's pushback against her from Imogen's friends and sister who acknowledge that she's overbearing, it makes sense. But in the beginning, Imogen reflects on being enamored with Gretchen's wisdom when they met and so she sees Gretchen lecturing her about celebrity crushes and questioning peoples' identities as right.
There’d been a new Pride member that day—a junior named Dallas who had declined to give labels or pronouns. Gretchen found the whole thing discomforting.
“Like, I’m torn,” she’d said. “Because on the one hand, no one should have to share that. But on the other hand, I felt a little unsafe, and I think that’s worth acknowledging.”
*.*.*.*
“But how do you know they’re cishet?” asked Lili.
“Well, that’s what’s tricky about it! They could totally be closeted. Which is why I would never, like, kick anyone out or question their right to be there.”
Lili’s eyes narrowed. “But you . . . are questioning their right to be there.”
By the end of the book, when it becomes more obvious that Gretchen is supposed to be read as being in the wrong,
Although I don't know the details of the criticism Albertalli got for being perceived as a "straight" woman who wrote LGBTQ stories (and I don't care to look now), it did feel pretty obvious throughout this book that it was written in a post-backlash state of mind for her. The fact that Imogen is constantly self-policing and questioning whether or not her possible crush on Tessa and her just being friends with Lili and her other queer friends was acceptable or not felt very much like it was coming from a personal place for Albertalli following her being accused of things like that.
Unfortunately, the self-policing from Imogen never felt particularly natural, even though she was written to be an overthinker and deeply insecure about this journey she was on. Even after a romantic dream she had that she could've just forgotten about and never told anyone about, Imogen lays awake and accuses herself of being an entitled straight woman who was appropriating the queer experience in her sleep.
This is worse than normal lying. It’s queerbaiting. Or at the very least, I’m appropriating queerness. Not even just the aesthetics, either. Apparently, my brain thinks queerness itself is some kind of thought exercise. Me: a certified asshole straight girl who sees a lesbian existing and thinks it’s a love declaration.
While Imogen questioning her sexuality and her insecurity and desire to make everyone happy could have worked really well and made this book heartfelt and Imogen really realistic and likeable, the fact that it was non-stop felt deeply unrealistic and less like it was an overthinker questioning her sexuality and more like an apology from Albertalli to the Gretchens of the world who once questioned why she, as a "straight" woman, felt entitled to write LGBTQ stories.
This book is over 400 pages and in the past, I've said that I see no reason for a contemporary romance to be that long. In this case, I understand the length because a lot of the book is comprised of text messages between Imogen, Lili, Gretchen, and Tessa and these conversations add a lot of development to their relationships and serve as cute, quick scenes of banter. Because of that, this book is really not as long as the page length would lead you to believe. But at the same time, this book feels long because so much of it is tedious exposition; Imogen overthinking every single queer-adjacent interaction she has; and discourse that Gretchen starts, typically with no pushback.
I think the fact that the plot of the book -- Imogen and Lili's lie about the fact that the two of them allegedly dated -- is absent from so much of the book is really what adds to making it feel so long. There were a lot of scenes where there was an opportunity for it to be made relevant again and it basically never was? Imogen occasionally overthought about it, but that was about it.
All in all, this book felt like it was two or three different books, all crammed into one book, while having none of the heart or appeal of any of the separate books.
June 3, 2023
DNF at 30%. i tried i really tried but this wasn’t for me. imogen overthinks EVERY SINGLE interaction with a queer person. omg can straight people say this? am i allowed to laugh at this joke? i mean i’m so OBVIOUSLY straight with only my boy crushes but if a girl has a crush on me that wouldn’t be a problem at all!! i’d be flattered but of course not in a rude way and i’d kiss a queer girl in a hypothetical situation if given the chance which would mean NOTHING but also maybe something bc it would be my first kiss? and am i queerbaiting if i say this? am i queerphobic for thinking/saying this? SHUT UP.
please imogen just live your life and stop overthinking about what people think of you or perceive you, nobody cares about the way you look or dress and wether or not you “look queer” or “sound queer”. i know this book is supposed to take a turn in imogen figuring herself out and finding out that oh look i like girls too! but getting there’s been SO PAINFUL i cannot go through another chapter.
also there’s NO PLOT. it’s just friends hanging out doing things that aren’t even interesting 😭 i’m so sorry i wish i would’ve liked this but i was annoyed the whole time
please imogen just live your life and stop overthinking about what people think of you or perceive you, nobody cares about the way you look or dress and wether or not you “look queer” or “sound queer”. i know this book is supposed to take a turn in imogen figuring herself out and finding out that oh look i like girls too! but getting there’s been SO PAINFUL i cannot go through another chapter.
also there’s NO PLOT. it’s just friends hanging out doing things that aren’t even interesting 😭 i’m so sorry i wish i would’ve liked this but i was annoyed the whole time
June 30, 2024
GAY
every single fucking page is just GAY
also i hate gretchen
tessa though 🔥
every single fucking page is just GAY
also i hate gretchen
tessa though 🔥
June 13, 2023
I really wanted to like this one, and there were moments and characters to really like. But in the end, the writing was all over the place.
It went from clever dialogue to trite texting for pages at a time. And as much as I understand Imogen wrestling with whether she was hetero or actually liked Tessa, 'in that way', it just did not work for me. And with the disaster of Imogen's second 'best friend' Gretchen (Lilli was first best friend), I ended up not liking most of the crowd.
New adult between high school and uni, Ms Albertalli never found her groove and left me floundering in what could have been a very good study of the topic of deciding just what one's sexuality was. I threw in the towel at 230 pages, just did not really care anymore as too many blocks to Imogen and Tessa finally being a thing. Library ebook. A very disappointing 2 stars.
It went from clever dialogue to trite texting for pages at a time. And as much as I understand Imogen wrestling with whether she was hetero or actually liked Tessa, 'in that way', it just did not work for me. And with the disaster of Imogen's second 'best friend' Gretchen (Lilli was first best friend), I ended up not liking most of the crowd.
New adult between high school and uni, Ms Albertalli never found her groove and left me floundering in what could have been a very good study of the topic of deciding just what one's sexuality was. I threw in the towel at 230 pages, just did not really care anymore as too many blocks to Imogen and Tessa finally being a thing. Library ebook. A very disappointing 2 stars.
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