Imogen, Obviously: New for 2023, from the bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

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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. Tessa’s eyes catch mine, and her lips tug up at the corners, just barely. And the noise in my brain falls away.

I wanted to give Gretchen the benefit of the doubt, but with every passing interaction, and then the eventual blow up, there was no way she couldn’t have known she was in the wrong. Alas, people like her never want to admit they’re wrong. 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.Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: 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. 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. So that’s Kayla,” says Lili. “Tessa and Mika both had girlfriends in high school. Actually, middle school too, for Mika—they were with their ex for, like, five years. And Dec’s from Manhattan, so who even knows? He’s on a whole other level. It’s hard not to feel inadequate, you know?” Aside from an emotional but beautiful self discovery story, this also has amazing friendships though, and a romance that's literally. To. Die. For. The heavier moments were almost effortlessly balanced out by so many cute, wholesome, and really funny moments. If I had to comp this book to anything, it would be YA One Last Stop, based on the humour and the friendship. Which is funny, because Imogen is a huge One Last Stop fan (as she should be). Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: 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.

Sexuality is fluid and exists on a spectrum—and can often be a difficult and complex aspect of our identity. What would you say to folks who might be grappling with their own identities or sexuality? Is there anything you know now that you wish someone had said to you? 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. 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? And everyone in Pride Alliance talks about how hard it is to date people from our school. Gretchen says it’s because everyone knows everyone in Penn Yan. And you can’t exactly hold hands with a girl in the cafeteria when your teachers are friends with your homophobic parents. Hypothetically speaking, that is, since Mama Patterson isn’t homophobic and neither are my parents or Lili’s. But I guess homophobia managed to leak into the atmosphere somehow. Even Edith, who’s basically never not been out, hadn’t dated anyone before Zora.

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I mean, admittedly, I do wonder sometimes what queer girls think of me. But it’s just the occasional fleeting thought. Definitely not a you-love-me kind of thing. 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. Okay, Declan says he’s now a—direct quote—‘gaping wound of hunger.’” Lili looks up from her phone. “Bro, you are literally in a dining hall surrounded by food. Does he think he’s not allowed to eat until we get there?” 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.

Okay, but let’s say you like a girl, and then it turns out that she’s faking it. What would you do?” Imogen’s crush on Tessa is so cute. I loved their texts, their flirty banter, and their interactions. My heart was like “YES!!!!” whenever they interacted and it was so precious and cute and I adored it. 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 queer individuals can relate. there’s a lot of discourse on what makes someone queer, 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. But above both beds, it’s just photos—rows of prints, sloping subtly downward because Lili’s never met a straight line in her life. The ones above my bed are mostly from this year— group selfies and sunny snapshots of her friends in various combinations. But the ones above Lili’s bed are from home. a lot of what imogen struggles with internally sometimes felt like i was reading about myself. even though i’m ace, i’m not queer. i’m straight, but i’m ace. regardless, 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.

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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. 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. 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! 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. 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.