I can't stop crying over this book but in a happy way. I still can't believe I even got to read this early but I am so glad I did, and I'm so excited to read it again when its released in February. Ophelia After All is a queer coming of age story about a girl who has been described as "boy-crazy" her whole life developing feels for a girl. This will probably make you think its a romance, but its not. There is romance, for sure, but there's so much more. Ophelia's story is about friendship, self-discovery and acceptance, and the change that comes with being a teenager. And I loved all of it. Ophelia's friend group is diverse, likable and real. Everyone is slightly flawed, but easy to root for. Its easily the best friend group I've read this year.

Every topic this covered was handled with care, and extremely honestly. I think it will be so relatable for young people. This is the sort of book I wish I had in high school, when I figuring out my own sexuality, and I'm so glad teens have it now. As Ophelia learns about her own queerness, readers who are less familiar with the community will too. I also think this could be good for parents of queer kids who are trying to understand their child's feelings. Ultimately I just want every queer and questioning kid to read this. Its a story that will make its readers feel so seen.

An incredible debut novel! I really enjoyed the angle of this coming out story, that the protagonist worries over how her friends and family will reconcile the version of her they know and love with the version of her as a queer woman. I think that this drove the book forward well since the other characters do have such an immovable idea of who Ophelia is.

I like that the romance between Ophelia and the love interest Talia didn’t play out perfectly. It felt a little more realistic and also added more conflict. My absolute favorite moment of the book was when Ophelia was getting ready for prom. She calls her mom to help zip her dress and is surprised when Talia enters. The call back to the earlier senior portrait scene was so dang clever!

I know that the author is my age, but I just have to say that Racquel has her finger on the pulse of teenage language and behaviors. I couldn’t believe that Ophelia’s ex-boyfriend blew vape smoke in her face but I also could because that’s how teenagers are lmao.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

I honestly wasn’t sure what I was going to get with this debut YA novel. I had only read the synopsis briefly and since I’m not exactly the audience anymore, I wasn’t sure it was going to be a good fit. I’m glad to report I was mostly wrong. Ophelia After All is precisely what I think of when I think of YA I wish I’d had access to as a young adult. Following Ophelia’s journey, her path to self-discovery, and more importantly to self-acceptance, was heart-wrenching and far too familiar for me. I yearned to tell her that it was okay to be scared, that it was okay to be unsure.

Luckily, Ophelia had a great group of friends. There were definitely times were I rolled my eyes at the drama, remembering how intense even tiny things felt as a teenager. And, to be honest, some of Ophelia’s friends are just kind of not that great. But the support she gains from them and her family is heartwarming. What’s more, Ophelia’s relationship with Talia had me uncertain, but the author does a really good job of acknowledging Ophelia’s feelings, upholding the importance of consent (which honestly Talia did not give), and providing a realistic experience of what coming out can look like (the messy, the hurt, the anger).

I feel like many queer and LGBTQIA2S+ youth are going to recognize themselves in her story. This alone makes me want to sing this book’s praises. Trying to figure out who are, who you are attracted to (if anyone), who you might love (if anyone) is part of the human condition and for queer youth it’s compounded by fear of what may happen if you come out. Being able to see yourself in Ophelia or Talia or any of the other characters is something even I as an adult reader enjoyed. It is cheesy at points and sometimes the dialogue felt too contrived, but it is a YA novel after all and that’s part of its joy.