I really enjoyed this cozy, sapphic romance. I did find it to be a little cheesy/cringy at times but overall it was heartwarming and lovely.

Cute sapphic coming out/first love story. I love the focus that labels only really matter to you if you care about them and that you shouldn’t let anyone put you in a box. It just was weird that this was only in the span of a week and there were cringey millennial-made “teen” texts.

I wish this book had been even longer! I didn't want it to end. It was so cozy and comforting and important, it has claimed such a special place in my heart.

Another thoughtful novel by Albertalli - I thought that the characters were relatable and well-contoured. I will be suggesting this to students in my introduction to fiction classes.

This book was AMAZING! This was my first book by Becky Albertalli and it won't be my last. This story was so adorable and wholesome. It had me relating to the characters, laughing, and getting upset. The LGBT representation was so well done and realistic. I felt that Albertalli was on point with the queer experiences and inner struggles.

Let's talk about Imogen, boy did love her. I'm usually not one to like FMC, they usually annoy me. However, Imogen has become hands down a favorite of mine. There were moments where I was screaming at her because she was a total pushover, always apologizing for things. However, I didn't mind it because that's a part of her growth as a character, which was pleasant to read. The journey and inner struggles she faced with finding her true identity and discovering herself was so refreshing to read. Imogen made me fall in love with her, which made me become fully invested in her. She was so layered, funny, and fearless. I think that her experiences with discovering her sexuality is one that many people can relate to, including myself.

Now Tessa, she is just so amazing and the perfect match for Imogen. She was just this glorious soft-butch lesbian that had me swooning with all her little, but significant gestures. Ugh, she is such a sweetheart. I loved every moment I spent with her and seeing Imogen and her relationship develop. Just like Imogen, I was full of anticipation when I'd be seeing (reading) Tessa again. Listen, I think I myself developed a crush on Tessa. Just her being the cinnamon roll that she is had me giggling, smiling, and feeling butterflies. She made my little bitty heart full with happiness and all the "awww" vibes.

Although Imogen is a fictional character, I could tell that Albertalli was speaking about her experiences through her. The words on those pages felt so real and raw. I'm so grateful for this story and the words that the author wrote. This book should be put in school curriculums, as I know a lot of teens struggle with this. I NEEEEEDDD a physical copy asap, so I can reread it, heavily annotate it, and have it sit gloriously on my shelf. *cough, cough Harper send one my way lol* I'd highly recommend this book HANDS DOWN.

Note to the author: Uhmm, can we get a continuation of Imogen and Tessa relationship. I NEED more of them! Thanks in advance.

I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t have loved this book anymore. It felt like it was written for me directly. I am a huge fan of Becky Albertalli and will recommend this book to any of her previous readers. This is my favorite of hers!

Okay so, this book was a great example of the "I didn't personally like it, but I understand why someone would like it." Basically, everything excluding content and character (language, format, structure, etc.) was incredibly solid. Really it was some of the best I've seen this year. The language was natural (for the most part), it had funny parts, and it really sounded like teenagers speaking. And I mean like reeeeeaaallllllyyy like teenagers, almost scarily so. I have not checked to see if the author has teenagers herself, but would not be surprised. I feel like she did some hardcore lurking/"research" online to get it as good as she did.

The structure of the love story and the coming out aspect was also done really well -- perfectly timed and with the right amount of gravitas.

Okay, now I'll say it. I did not like the book, and I do not think it deserves to be on the library's list. For one, the book is extremely white-washed. Technically, there are 3 people of color in the main cast, but they are all white coded severely. Like apparently Lilli is Brazilian??? This does not come up at all in the book until like the last 30 pages for one brief moment where she says something in Portuguese then talks about her grandma in Brazil. It feels really tacked on. Mika is Japanese-American, but only in name -- nothing besides Imogen referring to them as Japanese-American hints at their ethnicity at all. Albertalli explicitly only told us, and never showed us. And, I think, that Kayla is supposed to be African American, but, there is little to no indication of this throughout the entire book -- again, towards the end she refers to someone as a white girl, and I saw from a drawing on the author's Instagram that she's supposed to be POC.

Second reason for my decision -- it mirrors the author's own life too much and justifies her actions, while making her seem like the ultimate good, and all of her bullies the worst possible people. It really feels like a revenge or comeback novel -- she's trying to dunk on people who were mean to her.

Lastly, one thing that really irked me that I didn't realize until the end is that the first chapter and the title set up that Imogen says "obviously" all the time but I kid you not she does not use it out of the first 30 pages. I mean that's a guess but it is not noticeable at all. I only realized it when towards the end someone say that Imogen says some other word a lot (blanking on it now), and it was not "obviously."

Tangentially I know this was an ARC that I read, but I felt like a first draft -- never edited from what she initially wrote. Yeah man I don't know this was a big ole rant, but tldr it's a good book formally, and I see people liking it, I don't think it deserves to be on the list bc the author doesn't need it and it seemed like she wasn't really trying.

While this book expresses some very important messages about biphobia and gatekeeping in the queer community, I found it suffered from an overly didactic approach that made it difficult to actually feel immersed in the story.

In my book, Becky Albertalli can do no wrong. She writes an LGBTQ+ coming of age like nobody else. This book is full of heart and charm and is going to mean so much to so many people.

Be still my sweet little bi heart. It will take effort for me to not spill my guts about how much this book means to me. Let’s get one thing settled off the bat: Imogen is /not/ queer. She is the token straight friend amongst her two queer besties Gretchen and Lili and her little sister. She is super solid being the best ally ever. That is until she visits Lili at her college where everyone thinks she’s bi because Lili may have told all of her friends that she was her ex. Whoops. Imogen has to handle not spilling the beans on Lili’s secret while appearing Gay™️ to all of these cool, fun, older queer people. And then she meets Tessa. Tessa, who she immediately clicks with. Tessa, who makes her head spin and her heart rush and sends her into a tailspin of questioning. It doesn’t make sense! How could very straight, definitely not queer Imogen be having feelings for a girl??? Hmm. Let’s find out.

I thought the length was great. Maybe it’s my proximity to late-teenage-hood but I thought the dialogue sounded age appropriate and how young people talk! It was very easy for me to feel like I was listening to a friend talk while I read. The pacing was quick - it takes place over one week - but that didn’t bother me much.

I will say, I think Gretchen was, unfortunately, the most realistic character. I had many a Gretchen in my circle in my teenage years. It was cathartic for me for Imogen to stand strong in herself and her identity even though Gretchen tried to police her.

I wish I could keep rereading this book for the first time just so I could feel that joy again. Young, beautiful, queer joy. Becky Albertalli really knows how to make a girl cry lol 5⭐️ and then some!!!

Of all Albertalli's works, this is the one I felt the most. As someone who struggled with a label and sexuality for far longer than Imogen, I've met the Lili's and Gretchen's of the world. The supportive best friends and the gatekeepers. Imogen's character arc was so beautifully done and watching someone have so many of the same confusing thoughts gave me validation, even years later.

I absolutely love Becky Albertalli and everything she has written and ever writes. I sadly haven’t been able to read this book yet, but really want to because it sounds so good and cutesy. I bought the book for myself, so will be reading it soon!!

This book ultimately made me cry (more than once) and I never saw it coming. Everyone has their own coming out story and each story is as different as the person who lives it. Imogen's story spoke to me personally. Even though our stories are completely different, they are also the same in some ways too.
I think this a book that needs to be read as much as it needed to be written. All I can do now is applaud Becky Albertalli for her candid narration and starting an honest discussion with every reader.

This book was hard to finish. While I have been in Imogen's shoes being in her head was exhausting. So exhausting. What was even worse were her conversations with a friend who was bent on constantly checking Imogen's "bias" without checking her own. It's message was so heavily spoon fed and it was clear this person was meant to be the big baddie. After learning about the controversy that happened with the author it was clear this book was written in response and I wasn't the book's audience.

I did love the growing relationship between Imogen and Tessa. Tessa was just so awesome overall!

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This was a did not finish for me. I know it has a place in a high school library and I’m sure there will be a huge audience for it, it just wasn’t my jam. A little too “woke”, I don’t know if it’s me or if it’s a lot of what is currently being written for young adults and I've just been over saturated with it. I might try to read the book instead of listen next time.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her best friend heads off to college, Imogen Scott has been in limbo until her own graduation, and she can join Lili on campus. Finally accepting an invitation to spend the weekend with Lili and her new friends, Imogen is nervous to meet those she has followed online. And when Lili drops the bombshell that her new friends think that Imogen and Lili used to be a thing, but are now best friends, Imogen doesn't know how she can pretend to be queer, when she the straightest girl going. Though the longer she spends with Tessa, the more Imogen starts to question everything she's ever thought about herself.

I simply loved this book! It was everything I was expecting from Becky, and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way though. Imogen was the sweetest, and there were so many times I wanted to give her a hug, particularly as she started to reminisce and question her own sexuality. She had two best friends, Lili and Gretchen, and Lili was a doll, and Gretchen was awful. We all hate her, right? She completely steamrolled Imogen, and invalidated her thoughts and feelings all of the time. I still feel like she deserved worse than she got, but the ending of the book was good enough for me - at least Imogen was happy. Imogen and Tessa were so sweet together, and I loved their message threads so much. It all felt so real, and the way they went from new friends, to tentative flirting, and then the culmination of it all, was perfect! Such a great book, which I will definitely be recommending to my students!

This was a really well writing coming-of-age story! Imogen's journey of exploring her sexuality showcases the messiness of life and identity and will be such a valuable read for teen readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fast-paced, queer coming-of-age story about a girl who is 100% positive that she's straight -- until she isn't. I really enjoyed following Imogen's journey of self-discovery and this was overall a cute and emotional love story.

I personally don't love when books have any pop culture references, and the first quarter of Imogen is chock-full with shoutouts to recent popular queer media, such as Evelyn Hugo and Casey McQuiston novels. I found the later pop culture references that tied into character development, such as the running nods to But I'm A Cheerleader, a lot more palatable since they had an actual purpose besides set dressing.

The second half of the book is more engaging, and my biggest gripe with the climax and ending is just how chronically online the dialogue sounds. I assume it's intentional (there is one character who very obviously represents toxic online discourse in queer spaces, and everything out of her mouth sounds like so), but that sentiment really starts to seep into all of the characters. Even Imogen's internal monologue takes on the language of the internet in a way that only happens if you spend too much time online. One conversation between Imogen and her best friend Lili near the very end of the book you really cannot ignore how much they're talking just to be mouthpieces for the book's message. I can't really fault Albertalli for this though, as the entire premise of this book is based on her real life, in which toxic fans and rabid online people led to both her shame over her sexuality and her feeling forced to come out -- but I do wish it hadn't been so on the nose.

My new favorite Becky Albertalli book! It's not too surprising, since I've got a huge soft spot for books about the messy, confusing process that is coming out to yourself. We absolutely should count ourselves lucky that Albertalli took all the pain that surrounded her own coming out and channeled it into creating something this beautiful for us.

Impossible to put down. I read this in a day. The romance is beautiful, and Albertalli is great at writing a self-discovery story. The chemistry and the resulting banter/flirting is on-point. The character development is also great.