Wow! This book resonated so much with me. I felt like Imogen was taking words right out of my brain! She thought so many things that I have and still do think about myself. I loved it! Knowing about Becky's coming out journey, I could see how much of herself she put into this story and character. I think that's why it is so relatable and will resonate with so many readers. I thought that all the characters were loveable and beautifully written, except the one character that represents the gatekeepers of the community, she is not loveable but still well written and very realistic to what many queer people experience. There was even a scene that really spoke to the celebrity gatekeeping/accusations of queerbaiting that Becky, Kit Connor, and many others have experienced because they are in the public eye. This book felt so real and true.

This is such an honest story and I really can't express how much I enjoyed and appreciated it. Let's be honest, I cried many times reading this book because I kept thinking damn that's me! And when the gatekeeper character said hurtful things, I felt them to my bones.

If you have ever questioned your place in the LGBTQIA+ community then this book is for you! I think everyone should read it though. By far one of my top reads from Becky!

content warning: toxic friendship, internalized homophobia/biphobia

Imogen, Obviously is my dream book, and it delivered.

Imogen is straight. Painfully so. She’s the World’s Biggest Ally. But, when she goes to stay with her friend Lilli for the weekend, she learns that not only do Lilli’s friends think she’s bisexual, they also think they dated. Awkward. Instead of coming clean, the two decide to continue the lie, and while Imogen’s there, she gets closer to Lilli’s friend Tessa. Over the course of a week, Imogen falls for Tessa. But does she really? Is she not just faking for the sake of being ‘different’? Or was the weekend when she pretended to be bi not such a lie after all…

This book spoke to me because like Imogen, I was once the ally. I was once the ‘straight’ one in a large group of queer friends. And like Imogen, I questioned myself so many times, believing over and over again that I was just thinking these thoughts for the attention, because I wanted to be different—even when the idea of saying, ‘I am bisexual’ scared the fuck out of me, so how could I have been faking for attention? This is the thought process Imogen goes through, and I love her for it. I love this book for being real with me and reassuring me that it’s okay to have these thoughts and still be bisexual. That it’s okay to be confused sometimes.

I adored Imogen’s friendship with Lilli. Lilli was such a sweetheart and so damn understanding I think I fell for her myself. (P.S. Becky I would totally be down for a book about Lilli just saying…) Gtetchen… Gretchen pissed me off from the very beginning. I love my community, but as someone who—like I said—was once the heterosexual ally, seeing someone like Gretchen constantly reinforce Imogen’s heterosexuality despite the fact that Imogen told her…. It infuriated me.

There was very little I disliked about this book apart from one thing that just got on my nerves, and I realise I’m nit-picking here and that It Is Not That Serious, but the constant use of the word ‘discourse’ annoyed me. I do not know one person in real life or online who uses the word discourse to talk about an argument between friends. It’s used to talk about internet drama, and none of this was internet drama. It just seemed overdone and too much like an adult trying to imitate teen speak, but other than that I didn’t really have an issue.

The queerness in this??? Drop it on my head and drown me in it. I’m in love, and shockingly enough, this is the first book by Becky Albertalli that I’ve read. (The fact that I tried to read and dnfed What If It’s Us doesn’t count because I blame that on Adam Silvera’s writing even though I don’t actually know who wrote what character.)

I’m praying for a sequel about Lilli and in the mean time I’m going to fantasise about holding this glorious book in my hands yes sir.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Big fan of Albertalli's works and was very excited to read this newest one. Not disappointed! I'm trying to add more lgbtqia books to our school library and love that I can read these through NetGalley before purchasing them.

THIS BOOK. Where do I start? I loved it so much. It's the kind of book you don't want to end; the kind of book you want to crawl into the world and not leave when you get to the final page. I was so invested in the characters and the story, I read it in two sittings. Becky has always been great at writing characters with heart but this book was beyond anything she's done before. (Also the cover is stunning.)

I absolutely adored this novel! I feel like it perfectly encaptured what it feels like to grow up never questioning your sexuality and then suddenly being struck with a gay-crisis you never expected (not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything...)! But for anyone who figured out, or is still figuring out their sexuality a bit later than everyone else they know, this is the book for you.

Imogen Scott is straight. Hopelessly heterosexual, she would be the first to know otherwise right? She is surrounded by a queer little sister and two best friends, she has been a part of the Pride Alliance club and identified herself as a bona fide ally. When Imogen goes to visit her best friend Lili in college (finally), she plans to be the best friend and ally ever, even if she has avoided visiting before because Lili has found the coolest and queerest group of college friends and Imogen is the tiniest bit...insecure? Intimidated? She is going to put that all aside for the weekend, but then Lili lets it drop that she told all her new friends that Imogen and Lili use to date. In the name of friendship, Imogen plans to go along with her new bisexual identity for the weekend. But as Imogen gets to know Lili's new friend group, especially cute, chaotic, Tessa, she starts to wonder if everything she's thought (and been told) about herself is true.

I loved this book. Imogen is maybe my new favourite in the Albertalli catalogue (and that's no small feat). This is a truly heartwarming story that explores many of the nuances of sexuality, identity, friendship, and how it can all change as you grow up. There is such care and compassion as Albertalli navigates difficult topics. This is a complex story that covers not just romance, but friendship and family as well.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

I didn't think I would like this but I enjoyed it so much! I love coming of age stories with relatable characters just trying to figure their sh*t out. This story was super sweet and I loved the queer inclusivity, it's significant and important and I respect the ajgor making it a prevalent topic here.

I love Becky Albertalli, but this is probably my favorite of her books. The way it includes a queer character being queerphobic is really interesting and significant. Usually when a book uses a lot of modern terms and things, I hate it and it just feels awkward. With albertallis writing, it didn’t feel that way at all. This was so sweet, and I want to reread it a billion times.

This book is very cute and a good addition to Albertalli's canon. Also, it's set in my mom's hometown, so of course I loved it. Great discussion of queer identity and how we approach others.

I will not be reviewing Harper Collins titles until they agree to a fair contract with the union. I stand in solidarity with HarperCollins Union Local 2110 UAW in their fight for a fair contract. We urge HarperCollins Publishers to come back to the negotiating table and agree to a contract that reflects the Union’s need for diversity commitments, union protections, and wage adjustments. Publishing is a historically underpaid industry and current salaries do not reflect HarperCollins’s profits, the current cost of living, or salaries paid by peer media and publishing companies. Low wages affect everyone but are particularly hard on people who are underrepresented in the publishing industry—vital voices that HarperCollins needs to cultivate, not drive away.

#ImogenObviously #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Imogen, Obviously is a sweet story of a girl figuring out her sexuality. When Imogen is thrust into pretending to be the ex-girlfriend of her best friend, she starts to realize she may have a crush on another girl, something she’s never experienced before.

This story has plenty of the hallmarks of a good YA novel: some angsty romance, friendship drama, and enough hijinks to keep you entertained. Some of it wasn’t to my taste, and I had a hard time remembering the differences among the cast of supporting characters, but I think this is a worthwhile exploration of teenage sexual identity.

I loved Imogen and I thought her journey of self-discovery was very relatable, but this book just felt too chronically online. I get the point Albertalli was trying to make with things like Imogen accusing herself of queerbaiting for having a real secret crush on a girl, but it was just so heavy handed. I also felt like the text message chapters took me out of the story. Overall not my favorite Albertalli book, but I think it will really connect with some young, white newly out teen girls.

Albertalli has done it again. Her characters are always so relatable, and Imogen is no different. Fans of her other books are sure to love this one as well.

Thank you, Harper Collins Children's Books, for allowing me to read Imogen Obviously early.

This reviewer supports the HarperCollins Union. I've read and written a review, but won't be uploading it here or on any other platforms until the HarperCollins Union has a fair contract.

Becky Albertalli is an auto-read author for me, and I knew this book was going to be something special. Once I saw the cover and read the summary, I knew that I had to read it as soon as possible.

Imogen, Obviously centers around Imogen (obviously), a high school senior who starts to question her sexuality after spending a weekend at her future college. She has always been a proud ally who knows pretty much everything there is about queer culture. She also has a queer little sister and two queer best friends. And she has always identified as the “token straight friend”.

Imogen’s best friend Lili attends Blackwell College, which is where Imogen will be attending in the fall. Imogen decides to stay the weekend with Lili in her dorm to spend time with her and meet Lili’s friends (who are all queer by the way). But here’s the catch- Lili is embarrassed about her “late” coming out and that she has never had a girlfriend. So, she told all of her friends that her and Imogen used to date. Imogen decides to go along with it, but how will she be able to convince everyone that she is bi? Once she starts spending more and more time with Lili’s friend Tessa, Imogen starts to wonder if she’s not really straight at all.

Becky Albertalli, I love you. I appreciated that you shared your own story in your Author’s Note, and I knew after reading it that this book was going to mean a lot to me. This book has helped me tremendously and I think it is going to greatly impact a lot of other readers. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know because it is just that good and just that important. Five stars all the way.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Imogen, Obviously is Becky Albertalli’s new and honest portrayal of a young girl discovering who she really is. Albertalli has created a lovely cast of characters that you just want to hang out with or read through their witty texts. To not have any spoilers, this novel has the feel of her Simone universe where you are rooting for Imogen to have her moment - just instead of a Ferris wheel it is in front of a giant waffle iron! There is a little language in the book but it feels accurate and necessary to the characters and plot. This story is one that is begging to be told and there are many students who will find Imogen, Obviously a new classic story of friendship and love.

This was great. I don't know if it's my favorite Albertalli because it's not as funny as some of her others. But as an introvert, I could relate more to Imogen, especially in my younger years. My heart also broke knowing that Imogen's experience is somewhat based on Albertalli's and how she was forced to come out.

A lot of people are talking about how they don't like Gretchen - you aren't supposed to like Gretchen! Not only does she represent all the internet trolls out there, but we all have also had a Gretchen in our life. We have all encountered people who want us to fit into their box of who we are: who don't like it when we try new things or discover new sides of ourselves.

All in all, another great book by a great author.

I did not expect to like this so much!

'Imogen, Obviously' is an amazing coming-of-age story about the struggle of figuring out who you are and who you are supposed to be because of your surroundings. Our main character Imogen is a senior in high school, and she is an ally to her queer little sister, Edith, and her two queer best friends, She loves them dearly and always has their back no matter what. She is a great protagonist, with the right amount of flaws that make her so relatable. This book deals with Imogen trying to figure out who she is on her own and not have her family and friends be the only thing determining who she is.

This book did bring up some really important issues about gender and sexual identity, and was handled in an appropriate way that readers will relate to.

Becky Albertalli is always on my radar and I always enjoy her books.








A big thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for an ARC of this book.

This was my first Becky Albertalli book, and I'm RUNNING to read the rest of her stuff! Reading this feels like a warm hug, and the cast of characters are so rich and vibrant I was sad to see them go when I finished reading. Imogen's relationship with her sexuality was developed so beautifully, and the doubts and pressure she faces from others perfectly captures the type of stress queer folks are under sometimes when in relationship to being open about their identity, and having their identities scrutinized. Highly recommend!