Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC! It's really hard to rate this book for me, because the different sections of the book were really different in terms of how much I liked them. The beginning, I honestly didn't like, only because there was a lot of Gretchen, and I HATE her. Like, HATE her. Also because it was hard to read someone be in so much denial. Once Imogen started feeling comfortable at college and such, I finally started to enjoy the book. Imogen and Tessa were starting to like, idk, flirt? I guess and stuff. I was worried that there would be like a love triangle between Tessa, Lilli, and Imogen, but there wasn't thank GOD. Anyways, the part when she comes home and is trying to come to terms with herself being bi and stuff was really hard hitting, and it made me cry. The scene where Lilli was like "if you ever want to tell me something, I'm here", made me cry AGAIN, and I also cried again when Gretchen was like no, you're not bi, your crush isn't real. Anyways, I'm gonna rant about Gretchen for the next paragraph, because her, and the trying-to-use-gen-z-slang-but-kind-of-failing were things that made me really dislike this book.
Gretchen just made me so angry, because she spends the entire book basically saying people need to come out when they're young to be a "real" queer person. Like, I know she wants to have her safe spaces, but oh my god think about another person for two seconds. They ALSO need safe spaces, or maybe they're not comfortable yet, or maybe they don't want to share their identity with YOU because you SUCK. Then, her weird parasocial relationships with celebs who came out "too late" and stuff, like AUGH. Anyways, i'm glad the book ended with Gretchen and Imogen not being friends anymore.

Oh my gosh, I can't say enough good things about Imogen, Albertalli's writing, or this book!!! I was thrilled to receive a free e-ARC of IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY from NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray in exchange for my honest review. This novel, the incredible cast of characters, and sweet, lovable, imperfect, amazing Imogen captured my heart!

This is my first of Albertalli's books and I will certainly be reading the rest and will be thrilled for any future stories of hers as well. I was a big fan of Love, Simon (film) and eagerly anticipated this novel after reading the synopsis. Imogen lived up to all of my expectations and more - this story is so important for representation and does such a lovely job of portraying Imogen's journey of self-discovery, identity, love, friendship, and more.

I whole-heartedly recommend this novel to any and all - it is wholesome, important, and lovely, through and through.

I have read all of Becky Albertalli's books, and this one did not disappoint. Imogen is the straight ally in her mostly queer friend group until she meets Tessa on a college visitation weekend and begins to question her identity and feelings. Her feeling are complicated further by her friend Gretchen's perceptions of the "queer experience". Gretchen's commentary throughout definitely sheds light on the discrimination that happens within the queer community, especially against people who are bisexual or who are straight-presenting. Much of this commentary has parallels with what the author faced when critics essentially forced her to out herself as bisexual for writing from gay perspectives. Due to alcohol use and sexual situations, this would definitely be better for high school collections.

Becky Albertalli is an auto read author for me. Her letter to the readers in this book is so heartwarming and I’m grateful to her for sharing her story.
I can see this being such an important book for so many. I see myself in Imogen and hope people are gentle with her process to get to her happy.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc

this book was amazing!!! I think this is my new all time favorite book! I love and deeply relate to Imogen so much (including our love of But I’m A Cheerleader). if you want to know what the inside of my brain is like read this book. I thought this book was so funny and well written! I wish we got to see more of the side characters though! But overall this was a five star book!

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli:

I really wanted to love this book but I was just a little bored by it. I thought Imogen, the main character was fun, and I thought the way her anxiety and people-pleasing behaviors were portrayed was really great, but I found being inside her head extremely repetitive and tedious. And I understand the author was doing that to show how overthinking when you have anxiety is often extremely repetitive and exhausting, but reading it wasn’t very fun.

I do think that the characters in this book were well written and that this story is super important. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a YA romance w/ a bi main character, or someone who is struggling with their identity in any way, especially if they are a younger teen! This was definitely not a bad book, just not one that really resonated with me:)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book comes out May 2, 2023 for any who are interested!

This book has moved in and taken up permanent residence in my heart; or, perhaps this book put on paper so much of what already lives inside me. IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY is a hilarious, charming, and gutting sapphic YA romcom about a girl who’s definitely straight - until she’s not. There’s so much of Albertalli’s signature writing here: witty and flirtatious banter, a fun cast of side characters, a compelling romance, and powerful revelations. She captures so perfectly the absolute rush of a new crush, the whole end-of-high-school-to-early-college transition (both a blurred line and a gaping chasm), and the mess and beauty of good friendships. I loved all of it, but the aspect that drew me in the most is Imogen’s coming out process, to herself and those around her. She’s always been an ally, friends with queer people and a defender of her queer sister, consuming queer media, very careful not to center herself. When she catches feelings for a girl and all the pieces of her life slot together into a different whole, there’s a powerful wave of doubt she experiences, both internally and from a close queer friend. You can absolutely tell that so much of these painful conversations and feelings are tied to Albertalli’s own experiences of being questioned by the queer community as a “straight” woman writing queer YA; that knowledge made these sections even more heartbreaking. As a bi person who came out later in life, who later looked back and saw all the obvious signs, this was a very tender and special reading experience. Thanks to Balzer + Bray for the eARC; this book is out 5/2.

As always, Albertalli took my breath away with this one. I loved seeing the coming out from the perspective of someone who doesn't know until almost that exact moment that she's queer. As someone who's been there, it felt incredibly relatable and also very pertinent. My only complaint was that there were so many characters to keep track of -- many of Lili's college friends felt half-heartedly characterized because they're really just bit players. I would've liked to have seen more detailed plots/conflicts/characterization of a few characters rather than the introduction of a whole squad.

This was an absolutely adorable book. So relatable in terms of the struggles we all face in trying to discover who you are and so much more. Becky Albertalli does the coming-of-age and coming-out fantastically. I loved all the characters, especially Imogen, she was just beautifully written. This was all I wanted in a queer YA romance
.

This story is so full of heart, coming into your own, and growing pains. It’s a wonderful flow of events that are so normal it’s spectacular.

Imogen is hilarious. Her thoughts are like a whirlwind running through her brain, and I feel like it’s the most relatable experience ever. You can tell Imogen really cares about other people in the way she strives to be an ally, and just a good person in general. She’s sweet in a timid type of way.

Imogen and Tessa are #GOALS I’m at 61% and their ease of talking and their sarcasm is amazing! I love reading their texts so much.
Edie and Immy are the ideal sisters, their love and support of each other is beautiful and I really appreciate their bond.

Most gracious thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an advanced copy. This review is being posted voluntarily, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

With a queer sister and two queer best friends, Imogen is the model ally. She attends Pride Alliance meetings and reads books by queer authors. When invited to visit her best friend Lili at college, Imogen is hesitant. What if Lili’s cool, queer friends don’t like her? Relenting to go, Imogen learns that Lili told her friends that she and Imogen dated and decides to keep Lili’s secret by pretending to be bisexual. But what if Imogen doesn’t have to pretend all that hard? What if she’s not as striaght as she once thought she was?

I am so happy that authors like Becky Albertalli are writing YA books with such accurate LGBTQ+ representation. Imogen’s path to self-discovery closely mirrors that of my own. If a younger version of myself read this book she would have felt seen and validated. I hope that anyone who is questioning their speciality has a chance to read this book.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for sharing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. **

Do you ever read a book and think, "Wow, this was exactly what I needed right now. This was written just for me." Well, I had that with this book.

Imogen, Obviously tells the story of Imogen Scott - an avid ally of the LGBTQ+ community, over thinker extraordinaire, and vision board whiz. She's also hopelessly hetero....maybe? Imogen knows her role within her friend group, she's the token straight girl, the one who supports her friends in their quests for queer love. But Imogen starts to question everything she thought she was when she meets Tessa and everything changes.

This book reached down deep into my soul and pulled to the surface every little thought and feeling I've ever had. I wish that young me had had this book when she needed it rather than mid-30s me who is only now discovering herself.

Imogen, Obviously, is a witty, face-paced, laugh out loud funny novel that also pulls back the protective layer to your soul and exposes the raw reality of learning your sexuality when you've always been told you're one thing and not another. I cannot recommend this one enough.

Unfortunately, due to the strike, I cannot review this book at this time as it would be crossing the picket line. I really hope Harper Collins comes to the table and gives their workers a fair deal. I wish I could send an actual review at this time, but due to Harper Collin's actions, I cannot.

I think this book will go down as once of the best YA/romance/LGBTQ+ novels of 2023. The author built up such an interesting cast of characters, each with their own story that made perfect sense in this world. I was absolutely hooked on Imogen and her journey to truly understand herself. Honestly, I felt so sad for her at times as Gretchen was an absolute wretch of a friend--if anyone out there as a Gretchen, drop them!--and it made me wonder just how hard coming out can be for young people if those around them are not supportive or disbelieving.

So happy to get this advanced copy from NetGalley and looking forward to Albertalli's next release already!

Big fan of Beck Albertalli. Reading her introduction to this book was really nice. I understood a lot of the same feelings and experiences both the author and main character had. I really appreciated this book!

This book was incredible. I relate so much to Imogen, and I’ve honestly never read a book where I can relate to the characters this much. This was so hesrtwarming and so much more than just a romance; it was a coming of age and about a girl proving to herself that you don’t have to fit certain criteria to be not straight. I loved everything about it!

Okay, okay, I really wanted to love this book because I adored other titles by Albertalli. However, a lot of it felt cliche and a bit performative for lack of a better word. At some points it felt like it was trying too hard to relate to a younger demographic. All of that being said, there were really cute parts and I related to Imogen and other characters as well. It was sweet, but sometimes felt like it was leaning too hard into the young demographic rather than flowing authentically. It also may be that I’m just old now. Either way!

Thank you to Netgalley and HC for granting me access to this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review of this book when the Harper Collins Union strike is over because their needs were met.

With a cover like this.... How can you not pick it up!?

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli was another amazing story.

I don't know she does it but damn she does it and does it well.
Albertalli can create some of the most relatable characters I've seen.
The way she writes teenage characters is so relatable and I love how readers connect with them so well.
The cast of characters in this story is truly well-rounded and a lot of fun to see it all play out.n
This was a fun and adorable YA contemporary I believe most will love. I know I did.
I love how her stories are so well written and atmospheric. Very relatable as well.
Another phenomenal, unputdownable YA contemporary that I just adored.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's & Balzer + Bray for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s been a long while since I’ve read YA (I read this one prior to my last review of Emma Lord’s Begin Again). And Becky Albertalli’s latest book has got me back on the YA/New Adult train.

I LOVED this book!

Readers will notice though, in this story, it feels different. It’s more personal. Where a young woman begins to explore her identity, sexuality, and her friendships in this moving novel. Imogen Obviously is filled with all the classic Albertalli banter, wit, and clever dialogue, but there’s also this undercurrent of uncertainty, vulnerability, and anxiety. It’s felt throughout the novels as Imogen reflects on her past as well as the fake relationship she’s thrown into. But every page, every chapter of this novel is a gift to readers.

Plus, like all of Albertalli’s novels, she fills them with hilariously brilliant characters who you wish were part of this world.

Well, except for Gretchen. I could definitely live without her.

Run, don’t walk to pre-order this one.

Happy Reading ~ Cece