This book was everything my sixteen-year-old self wanted and more. For someone to tell her it's okay not to know who you are, even when it feels like the end of your world. I cried, I laughed, I felt every single emotion possible right alongside Ophelia. I saw myself in her, and I just wanted to reach out and give her a hug so many times throughout this story. These characters were like life-long friends to me by the time I was closing the book. Racquel Marie's writing is that immersive, she has such a way with words, that you feel like you are right there in the story, right back in high school experiencing these emotions for the first time again.

I wept so many happy tears because I know this book will mean so much to so many young queer kids, just how it meant so much to me, as someone who's been out for years. The representation of queer POC, and just LGBTQIA+ identities in general, was phenomenal and done so well. I have never read a book quite like Ophelia After All, and I'm just so grateful that this story exists.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
A teen girl navigates friendship drama, the end of high school, and discovering her queerness in Ophelia After All, a hilarious and heartfelt contemporary YA debut by author Racquel Marie.
"Being queer is hard enough. Don't lock yourself out of all of this just because you're scared you won't fit the keyhole, without even trying."
God I love this book, it's so perfect in every way. I think this is hands down the best YA book I've ever read. It absolutely spoke to me, it was so relatable, heartwarming, and realistic, even in its romanticism. You follow Ophelia, a senior in high school as prom approaches and she grapples with drama in her friend group, coming of age, and coming to terms with her sexuality. This book was just so sweet and vulnerable in how it tackles discovering yourself the hard truths of it all. The characters were super lovable and believable as people. They have flaws and make mistakes, but the point of it is that you're not expected to be perfect when you're seventeen, and that it's okay to mess up. This book feels very personal to me and I adored every aspect of it, not to mention how broad the representation in the story is, it really makes you feel seen. I loved Ophelia and her friends and seeing her grow. Throughout the course of the book, I cried, I smiled, cried some more, but loved every bit of it. This book really has it all.

I loved this book! The writing was beautiful and it was such a cozy, positive, sweet, and vulnerable read. It's YA contemporary romance, but on the younger side of the YA genre. Ophelia is one of my favorite main characters I've met so far in 2022–she has such a soft but strong personality, and I just loved her obsession with rose gardening. I'm a passionate gardener myself, and this is the first time I've heard it talked about in such a youthful and authentic way. The peace that Ophelia finds in garden work was so reflective of my own experience and I loved seeing a character exploring a meditative/mindful hobby while working through their emotions.

Ophelia's story is also one that is relatable to many queer youths–the period of denial and resistance, the 'in-between' stage of realizing that you may not be 100% straight, and eventually accepting and radically loving your full authentic self. It's such a confusing and emotionally turbulent experience, especially when combined with the identity crisis that is graduating high school and falling in love for the first time.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, MacMillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends, and the author, Racquel Marie, for thinking of me and sending an e-arc copy of this book to read and review.

Rep: multiple characters within the LGBT+ community (queer, aromantic, bisexual, asexual, biromantic, pansexual, lesbian), Cuban, Black-Puerto Rican, and Korean characters

TW+CW (from the author): mentions of underage drinking and vaping, topical mentions of sex, cut-off use of a homophobic slur (challenged), condemned homophobia, discussion of anti-Blackness within a mixed race Latine family (challenged), cursing,

OPHELIA AFTER ALL is Racquel Marie's debut contemporary novel that follows the perspective of high-school senior, Ophelia Rojas, as she's going through her final years of high school. Ophelia has grown up to be known as the boy-crazy, rose obsessed, Latine girl but things start to change when she finds herself increasingly intrigued by Talia. Suddenly, Ophelia is unsure about herself and what these thoughts mean. What happens if she's no longer the boy-crazy Ophelia that everyone has come to know? What if the changes within her change how others view her? How does she figure out what exactly these feelings mean and accept them for herself? I don't know if I have all of the proper words to describe my feelings. Throughout the book, I was emotional, feeling like I was reading about myself and some parts of my own queer discovery. This book had me in tears with the last 25% after watching Ophelia go through the difficult process of discovering who she is and who she can be, watching the characters respond to her, and offer their advice and support. She discovers that we are not defined by some parts of ourselves, we can change and others may or may not be okay with that change. Racquel carefully demonstrated Ophelia discovering her queerness in a way that feels unique in comparison to other stories, memorable to readers, and important to those that would need it. I really enjoyed that the Ophelia and Talia didn't get together. in the end. In many other queer romance books, the main character discovers themselves and ends up in a relationship with the love interest at the end. It showed that not all people going through their queer journey immediately falls in love or ends up in a relationship by the end. I also enjoyed the addition of the various races and sexualities. They didn't feel like they were added just to have them there. Instead, it felt like they were supposed to be there.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Ophelia After All and can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands to annotate again and reread. I'm giving it 5 stars and recommending to a few friends that I think would really enjoy it.

The premise of this novel immediately sold me: Ophelia knows that she loves her family and friends, her roses, and boys. But as she navigates her senior year of high school, she starts to question whether she might also like girls, setting her on a path of self-discovery and doubt as she works to realize who she is and who she can become.

I really, really loved this book. The fact that Ophelia is a self-described romantic, that she gets caught up imagining how things could be (which at times distracts her from how they are) is super relatable, no matter the age of the reader. Furthermore, the way in which Racquel Marie delves into her internal monologue felt very real to what I remember from being a teenager and yet also hit close to home as a reader in my 30s. I loved the discussion of literary theory and the ways in which Ophelia at times finds herself pulled in multiple directions; what she knows she "should" do, what she wants to do, and the fear of changing how anyone else sees her and the desire to stay the same. The food descriptions made me hungry and the rose descriptions made me want to be out in the garden! Finally, I liked that the ending felt real - not the perfectly fitted together happy ending (that can still be great!) but an ending that followed these characters' journeys and felt connected to who they are as people. Eagerly awaiting rereading this when I get my physical copy!

ARC received in exchange for an Honest Review
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley!

Publication date: 8 February 2022
“I gave and took away my affections so often, I think my heart has always half belonged to the world and half belonged to me. But I would’ve given her the whole thing, had she asked me to”

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie is the sweetest queer Latinx YA coming-of-age story I’ve read. Every element of the story is so well developed and a ‘simple’ story at first glance, becomes so memorable due to the careful exploration of every aspect that Racquel Marie introduces. Allow me to explain.

The Characters: Ophelia, her friends, and her family.
Ophelia as a main character is such a lovely girl that often seems underrepresented in queer literature. Ophelia is very feminine, with a stable relationship with her parents. Her household honors her Cuban heritage and they encourage her passions. The parents in this story deserve recognition as they don’t fall under the YA cliche of ‘I don’t know who my child is and I’m absent the whole time’. Ophelia’s parents seem real and flawed, which is so important to acknowledge as no one ever really stops growing and learning.

The Group Dynamics:
Ophelia is in a group of friends that feels organic and filled with drama without being toxic or stereotypical. For example, Ophelia acknowledges that she is not as close to one of her friends as she is with the rest, and that is okay. We also see the group expanding and finding new people to connect with in different areas. I love when stories, as focused on one character’s growth, include every aspect surrounding them. In this case, friendship is one of the most important themes in Ophelia After All, and the respect that the author gives the friends by making them as complex as Ophelia is astronomical.

The Love Interest
I won’t spoil anything, I’ll just say that part of Ophelia’s coming of age is realizing that she has a crush on a girl, and she needs to know what that means for her sexuality and how she thinks about herself. Therefore, I love that even when we have a ‘love interest’ that helps Ophelia discover her queerness, the novel is not about them being in love or being together, but it is about this girl and her friends helping Ophelia come to terms with her sexuality. I am impressed with how realistic this process is because even with this crush, Ophelia still is figuring things out, trying to honor the part of her that crushes on guys and that new part that feels attracted to at least one girl.
Lantix Biracial Identity.

As a Mexican woman with Mexican parents, I don’t get a lot of the biracial, second-generation experience portrayal in books. I understand it, but I don’t feel it as my experience is different. However, Ophelia and Talia come from so different families and still find common points in their way to deal with race, heritage, and expectations, that as a reader I could not but make their struggles mine for a few pages. Additionally, like with friendship, the way Racquel Marie explores and takes time to establish Ophelia’s biracial identity as more than just a resource to be inclusive or making a character interesting without taking the time to see that part her, is one of the best parts of this novel.

Ophelia really becomes a memorable character that grows before our eyes but who also feels tangible before her ‘character development’. There is no moment when Ophelia and her friends pretend to be anything else than what they are: teenagers graduating high school, scared about their future, nostalgic by the past of time, and still figuring out the parts of themselves that they didn’t know before.

As I said before, I loved this novel, and I am so happy my fellow Latinx people will have these types of books to guide them through life.

You can read my other reviews in my blog, goodreads, and storygraph.
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Ophelia After All is a book with a life-changing message but one I didn’t resonate with. The book explores the topics of sexuality and finding oneself while reflecting common struggles that come with growing up. This book is one I would certainly recommend to teenagers who are in the process of figuring it all out. However, being almost a decade older than the characters in this book, I found it quite juvenile at times.

The writing was light, nicely paced, and I ended up reading the book in two sittings. The dialogue felt natural and, aside from me personally finding Ophelia annoying at times, all characters were likeable and well written.

This book might not have been a great match for me but I’m looking forward to Racquel Marie’s future stories!

One of the reasons I enjoy young adult fiction so much is because I feel teen characters allow so much room for exploration and growth. SO MUCH happens to you when you're a teen and everything feels huge. It makes for big, messy, fun stories. "Ophelia After All" encapsulates all that. As she approaches the end of her senior year of high school, Ophelia Rojas thinks she knows who she is: a lover of roses, English, Cuban food, and boys. And her family and friends all know her for her crushes as well. But as she grows closer and develops feelings for a girl in her government class named Talia, she begins to rethink everything she knows about herself. I was drawn to this book because its "coming out" storyline seemed different and I was right. I feel like a lot of times LGBTQIAP+ characters in books know who they are from the onset. Ophelia's journey of self-discovery felt a little different in that this was something she learned about herself over the course of the story, having always been into boys, and I appreciated this different storyline. I also loved Ophelia herself and her friends. All of them and their problems and drama (set against the backdrop of prom, naturally) felt so real and brought me right back to my own high school days. Their storylines could be a little hard to follow at times, but hey, that's high school. Overall, a sweet book with lovely prose - I look forward to seeing what the author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This seems like the type of book I would be all over. Yet, this is a case of the classic "it's me not you."

A story about a girl who's liked boys her entire life finds herself constantly thinking about this girl from her class - quite literally the story of my life.

As I read more and more books, my taste has severely changed - especially these lasts few months. And I've come to the conclusion that YA contemporary books are not for me anymore.

I love seeing Latinx authors thrive, and I hope all the success in the world for Racquel Marie.

Ophelia After All is a lovely and relatable coming of age story about self-discovery. I know that many young people will relate to the themes of this book and will recognize the heart of it. I am looking forward to recommending this one to my students.

An enjoyable debut about a Latina teen discovering her queerness and grappling with changing friendship at the end of high school. The beautiful relationship between the main character and her father is a high point of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc in return for an honest review!

This book took me on an absolute rollercoaster of emotions! I laughed, I cried (a lot), I felt Ophelia’s anger, and I often related to her pain. There were just so many things to love about this book! Ophelia was such a well written main character, and her entire journey and all the relationships in the story felt so real and relatable. I loved how the topic of sexuality was shown as being a spectrum, and how learning about who you are and your preferences isn’t a quick or linear process. I also adored Wesley as a character!
Was the book perfect? Not quite. However, the impact that this story left on me, the way that I was able to relate to it, to see someone go through the same struggles and experiences that I’ve been through, at least in some ways, means so much to me, and I know that I won’t be the only one who appreciates this book for those very reasons. This was an absolutely beautiful debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Here’s a secret: I’ve already read one of my all-time favorite YA novels of 2022 👀

AND NOW YOU GUYS NEED IT TOO!!!!!

QUICK SYNOPSIS✨ Ophelia Rojas is a romantic at heart and knows what she likes - and this includes the endless stream of crushes on boys throughout her life. That is of course until senior year when she begins questioning her sexuality and along with it, the people in her life.

✨Without a doubt this book encapsulates what I love so much about YA. Ophelia is a messy (YET STRONG) female lead who is learning & navigating her place in the world before she leaves high school. Her VOICE is so compelling to be in the head of, I couldn’t get enough.

✨I’ve read so many great queer romances in 2021 with leads who are confident and secure in their sexuality (which is so, absolutely needed don’t get me wrong) -

but this book focuses on the inner monologue of Ophelia figuring herself out, being confused, and coming to terms with the fact that maybe she doesn’t know herself as well as she thought she did.

Which is so NEEDED rep-wise in the YA space and so so beautiful & compelling to read. THANK YOU @macmillanusa & @netgalley for the free copy!

Is this one on your 2022 tbr? (If not it def should be now) 😌

This was a really sweet and warm story that's focused on coming out, growing up, and learning who you are. It's lighthearted but heartfelt, and reminded me of reading books by Becky Albertalli or Jenny Han. I thought I knew where this was going to go for the first two-thirds, but it ended up hitting me with a curveball I totally loved! There is also tons of representation so plenty of teens will undoubtedly see themselves in this. I think the pacing might be a struggle for some--there is a large cast of characters who I had trouble keeping straight for a while, and the high school drama can feel slightly repetitive until things take that unexpected turn, but from there things pick up plot-wise. I will still happily recommend this title and I think despite those hiccups, many will really love this and find it worth reading. I would recommend to readers who enjoy high school stories, coming out narratives, and value a wide range of representation in their reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

this is the type of books that need to be put in light and be more written. high school we all know is a difficult time for a lot of teens, you are growing, aging, your eyes open to new horizons, new subjects and you are trying to understand the basis of society, shattering them to understand what’s behind the barriers and everything that you learned through your family, friends, school. you feel overwhelmed by the possibilities and confusion starts. the process to understand what your living is difficult and have impact on your own mental health. ophelia after all follows this journey and open the discussion to so many teens and even adults, giving a path to understand. this book better gets the hype it deserves!!!!! 4,5/5

This was such a lovely and needed story! I had so much fun reading about Ophelia and her friends. All of the characters felt really well developed. I was definitely contemplating each character's star chart just for fun throughout this book. Ophelia is such a wonderful character to watch grow and find that she's changed from who she and her friends and family always thought she was. I loved so much that this was primarily a story about friendship and self-discovery.

First off, I want to thank the publisher for sending me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Now, Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie is the story of Ophelia Rojas, who is known for being boy-crazy and a hopeless romantic. She always felt like she knew who she was, and everyone around her has always been sure of who she was too. But she isn’t so sure anymore when Talia Sanchez keeps entering her mind. It’s near the end of senior year, so with the fearful knowledge that change is inevitable, adding something that is changing now is freaking her out a bit. The journey Ophelia goes on isn’t easy and is filled with misunderstandings and chaos.

Now, I love romance. I felt like I could relate to Ophelia, who loved the fantasy of it all. But I also love how this was focused on Ophelia and who she is. It focused on her family. It focused on her friendships. It focused on how messy and complicated all types of relationships can be.

I need to point out that there was so much representation in this book, and I love how it was included so casually. Her friends were all well-developed. I have to give a shout out to Wesley because he was one of my favorite characters. It could also just be me projecting a little bit, but I still love him as a character. Talia is so sweet as well. Agatha is who I wish I was in high school. Ophelia was a little too relatable at times.

I gasped, I laughed, and I was moved by everything that happened in this book. This was a book that took us along for the ride as Ophelia tried figuring things out. I love the message it gives. We never truly stop learning about ourselves and about others. There’s so many layers to one person, and a label of any kind can feel like you have to fit into whatever the common perception of that label is. You are who you are.

That being said, the characters got to be messy. I love when teenagers get to be messy because they’re teenagers. They have their drama and they’re not supposed to have it all figured out because let’s face it, who does? As someone who’s almost done with their teen years (which is still weird to think about), it was nice to know that even when I’m done being a teenager, I don’t have to have it all figured out. What matters is what we take away from the mistakes we make and how we choose to act from then on.

The storytelling felt so authentic and honest, even when Ophelia wasn’t sure when she was being honest with herself or not. Actually, especially in those moments.

This felt like a letter to anyone who doesn’t know what label they want to use, if they even want to use one or if they feel like they’ll ever really find one that fits. To anyone who feels like they struggle when it comes to relating to their culture because of how their upbringing was different from others who share that culture as well. To anyone who feels like they aren’t who they thought they were or who no longer (or never really did) fit the idea of who other people, even their loved ones, thought they were.

This was a letter to tell them it’ll be okay after all.

Overall, I give this book 5 stars. Thank you Racquel Marie for writing this beautiful coming of age story.

I am so glad I was able to get an arc of this book because wow that was amazing. I genuinely don't think I have to words to describe how much I love this book. I loved the friendship dynamics and the themes and just everything about it was fantastic and phenomenal. I loved the cultural aspects and Ophelia's connection to her culture. I really related to that a lot. I love how they talked about intersectionality and how being queer in a latine household isn't a monolith. There are so many different experiences with queerness, especially while also being BIPOC and I'm so glad this book explored those experiences.

Ophelia's friends were such distinctive characters, even though there was a sort of large cast, I still know I'll remember each one. I especially loved how even though Ophelia was the main character and this was her story, it was also everyone's story. We got to hear about everyone's lives and problems and really got to know them as people instead of just side characters.

Overall, this book was amazing and I definitely recommend picking it up when it comes out!

Ophelia After All is a young adult contemporary book that takes place during the end of senior year of high school and addresses topics like coming out and race. The main character Ophelia is figuring out what to do about the feelings she's having for a girl named Talia and how that changes who she has always believed herself to be. Her family and friends have always known her as "boy crazy" and she's scared and confused about what these new feelings mean about who she is. I really enjoyed the discussions on coming out and queerness. I also thought the commentary on race and the Latine diaspora we're well done, as someone who is Latine
The friendships I'm this book were nice and the high school drama was well done and felt realistic. Unfortunately, although this book seemed to do everything right, there was something missing that prevented me from really loving it I didn't fill connect to the characters as much as I would have liked to. I would still recommend this for anyone looking for a YA contemporary coming out/coming of age story. I do think it's important to note this is not a romance, so don't go into this book with that expectation and you'll have a better experience.

Ophelia After All is a story that warms my very heart, and one that spoke to my soul. It’s the definition of a comfort read, and a book that feels like a very warm hug; like your best friend coming over and telling you that it’s all going to be okay. It’s a bit odd, I know, to call a book comforting, when my first text to Taylor after reading it was “oh i Sobbed Sobbed”, but it is. Trust me on this. Ophelia After All is for sure a book that will stay with me for a while. Ophelia After All is many things; it’s comforting, it’s messy, it’s a reminder of what high school was like, it’s a tale of friendship, of self-discovery, and of growth.

Racquel Marie has crafted the perfect main character in Ophelia. You can’t help but love her. Ophelia is a fully-fleshed out character, who has flaws, and quirks and hobbies. And at no point is her entire personality the fact that she likes to garden, or that she has a lot of crushes. Just like all of us in high school, Ophelia is trying to figure out who she is in relation to everyone’s perception of her. When so much of her identity is that she’s “boy-crazy” among her friends and family, (despite being a sweet romantic with a huge heart), it makes it almost impossible to explore her own sexuality. After all, how do you tell the people who know you best that actually, they don’t know this huge part of you? More importantly, how do you tell them, when you don’t know how you identify, or what to make of these feelings? One of my favorite things about Ophelia is that it follows the process of Ophelia trying to figure out what fits right for her, and how she realizes that it’s also okay not to choose a label, whether that’s right now, or ever. I loved the way Ophelia’s sexuality was explored, and how Racquel Marie demonstrates that there isn’t one perfect process. More so, I love that Ophelia doesn’t immediately jump to “I’m bisexual!” or “I’m pansexual”, the minute she realizes that she has a crush on Talia. Sometimes, the process is non-linear, sometimes it’s messy, and you can’t tie it up neatly with a bow.

Ophelia’s close relationship with her parents is something that is so special. It’s rare to read a YA novel where the main character has such an endearing, close relationship with her parents, and it warmed my heart so much. Ophelia’s parents unequivocally support her and love her, and I think that made the story all the more stronger. While they’re not perfect parents, and Ophelia and her parents do get into an argument here and there, they genuinely take the time to understand Ophelia’s point of view. I particularly appreciated that they weren’t used as a plot twist, or villainized at any point.

Every character in Ophelia After All, whether Ophelia herself, her parents, or her friends, were all so dynamic, and described in such a way that I felt like I knew them myself. Reading about Ophelia’s friend group and support system was really heartwarming. Her friend group was absolutely wonderful. The friendship dynamics were so realistic, and all the problems that occurred within the friend group reminded me eerily of my own high school experiences. In addition to merging friend groups, there’s also prom drama, popularity, love triangles, and knowing that things will change after graduation. All of that obviously culminated in some tension and watching Ophelia and her friends resolve it and move on was so lovely.

Racquel Marie’s writing style is so easy to read. The groundwork for each plot point has already been laid out for you, and I simply flew through the entire book. If you’re looking for a book about self-discovery, questioning identity, and friendship, I can’t recommend Ophelia After All highly enough. I know I’ll be rereading this one again in the near future!