Thank you to Netgalley and to Becky Albertalli for letting me read this book. I had been looking forward to this book since I heard it was coming out. I really got attached to Imogen quickly. It was easy to relate my young self to her. It's a great coming out story, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

It has been a while since I read a Becky Albertalli book so it was definitely long overdue. Simon vs the Homosapien's Agenda was my favourite book of 2017 when I first read it and I've read it over and over again since. When Imogen, Obviously was announced I was sure that I'd love it so I preordered right away and claimed it as (one of, or if not) my most anticipated book of the year.

Imogen Obviously is a light-hearted romcom with very deep themes. The book focuses a lot on discovering and questioning your sexuality and what it means to be queer. There were prominent discussions about queer discourse specifically “what makes a person queer?” “What does a queer person look like?” “What if I’m queer baiting?” “Am I actually queer or am I just influenced by the people around me?” It was interesting to go through Imogen's mind and see her question everything about queer discourse from coming out to queer baiting to stereotypes. There were also discussions surrounding gatekeeping, safe spaces and queer validation which were very prominent throughout the book.

Topics and deep themes aside, this book had a great cast of characters. Imogen was such a sweet, cinnamon roll kind of character who just wanted to be there for her friends and wanted to do the right thing. This book really took you into her thoughts and feelings especially towards her friends, the queer community and with her crush on college friend, Tessa. Another great thing about this book was that it showed different types of friendships and what true ally ship looks like. Lili, Edith and Imogen's new friends were so supportive of her and accepting, embracing Imogen without question and validating her sexuality without judgement. Gretchen on the other hand, was a very passionate member of the LGBTQ+ community yet her treatment of Imogen was inconsiderate even if she thought she had good intentions.

I also loved the cameos we got from Love Victor and Simon vs the Homosapien's Agenda I'm pretty sure the cameos were Nora and Andrew.

The only thing I can think of that could be improved is that it took me a while to get into Imogen’s character and feel that chemistry between her and Tessa. It definitely took more of a build up than with Simon vs (which is one of my favourite books of all time).

Overall, this book was an eye-opener and really opened up that discussion surrounding queer culture, the LGBTQ+ community and stereotypes. I loved how we got glimpses into how each character explores their sexuality from Edith to Gretchen to Lili and how the book showcases that there is no right or wrong way to be queer. You just have to be yourself.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.3 STARS

I loved this! There was a lot of important discussion in this book about queerness and finding your place in it. I think Imogen's characterization of not being sure of her place in queer discourse will really resonate with a lot of people, and not to mention the banter is top notch!

This was an incredibly entertaining and cute story about coming to terms with your sexuality and understanding what it means to be transition into new spaces. I loved the discourse and it was very well written and relatable.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Imogen, Obviously follows high school senior Imogen as she begins to question her sexuality after a visit to her best friend's college campus.

It's clear from the outset that this story is deeply personal for Becky Albertalli. She explicitly states this in her author's note in the beginning, and you can genuinely feel the care, love, and sorrow poured into Imogen's story. This book did a fantastic job of tackling the difficult, messy concept of identity, as well as posing -- and offering answers to -- questions about what we owe ourselves and what we owe the people around us when it comes to our identities. In all, this was a gut-wrenching, joyful, and breathtaking read, probably my favorite thing I've ever read from Becky Albertalli, and I'm so excited to be able to buy a copy when it comes out!

I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more seen by a character than I have with Imogen. Watching her figure out her feelings was just such a relatable feeling and I love her. Imogen and Tessa were adorable and seeing her figure out if they were actually flirting was so cute. Lily was such a good friend to Imogen and helping her come out as bi and let her know that she was fully accepted.

I am also obsessed with the conversation becky albertalli made them have about how you can’t make gay movies for straight people. That conversation around love simon always pisses me off.

I received an arc through netgalley.

So good!!! My favorite Becky Albertalli book since Simon vs! I'll be honest, I was very anxious about reading this book because nothing sets me off like queer discourse. It makes me miserable, so I went in kind of dreading what I thought would be a discourse heavy story. But it's actually a fun, positive, and cute story that has a swoon-worthy crush, college visit shenanigans, lots of adorable animals, and some really outstanding characters! There is discourse, led single-handedly by one character who has major gatekeeper energy. It's the sort of unfortunate in-group criticism that's alienating and divisive (e.g. forcing people to come out, assuming other people's sexuality, not believing when someone says they're queer, etc.) This book does a good job of showing the affects that discourse on queer people and people who are questioning their sexuality. Thankfully, the other characters push back against these ideas. I loved that Imogen does find support, and she's finally able to work through her feeling and embrace her sexuality.

I ended up binge reading this in one day ended up having so much fun! The college weekend and all the flirting and banter is pure romcom gold. Was I smiling like an idiot reading a text chain between two fictional girls? Maybe so! As a person who discovered their queerness in their twenties, this book made me feel validated and seen, and I hope many readers will also find comfort and joy in this story.

Imogen, Obviously is a coming of age YA novel about the world’s best “ally” coming to terms with what it means to be more than that. The story was strong and the characters were realistic. This is the kind of tale I would have needed as a questioning teenager. Some of the plot was a little repetitive, and the main character was a little annoying with how many times she claimed to be straight, although that was the point. The romance was a little too easy, but sweet. Overall it was cute, but a little overbearing.

Love love love!!! Such realistic LGBTQ representation! This book truly showed the good and bad parts with in the LGBTQ community. A lot of ‘food for thought’ kind of stuff. This group of characters was all I could ever ask for and more! Imogen is literally so fucking funny, and Tessa is just and absolutely delight! (Screw Gretchen though.) u would live in this book if I could.


Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins Children’s books, and Blazer+Bray for the ARC! Out May 2nd, 2023!!!

Imogen Scott is the sweetest, most caring friend and sister. She has always thought of herself as the straight ally to her queer sister and friends. Lily is a longtime friend, newly out and is already at the college where Lily will attend in the fall. Lily invites Imogen for a weekend to meet her new friends and enjoy the campus. She doesn’t know until she gets there that Lily has embellished their history and said they use to date. The friend group warmly welcomed her especially Tessa.

This is a story with so many levels. Imogen coming to realize she may not be as straight as she thought.. But she also doesn’t want to appropriate queerness if it isn’t real. There are streaming thought as she tries to figure out her feelings and attraction. And It doesn’t help that her other best friend keeps reminding her that she is straight. A lot of questions pop up on timing and the need to come out or be forced out. And reading the author’s notes this is a very personal story for her.

I’m going to read anything Albertalli writes because she is thoughtful and gets teens feelings. I did think the friend group falls into the YA jargon of too many slang terms and pop cultural references. I still don’t know teens that talk that way. But this book is so sweet. The texting between friends and especially with Tessa is adorable. The romance doesn’t feel rush even though the book covers just over a week. It doesn’t go beyond attraction and kissing which fits the time frame they know each other. I enjoyed this and think that are so many Imogen’s out there that need this story. For high school and up.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.. (4.5 Stars)

I loved this book so much. It is probably my favorite Becky Albertalli book to-date! Imogen's struggles with her sexuality were incredibly relatable and I was rooting for her the whole time.

I adored this so much. I adored Imogen and Lili and all of Lili’s friends!! The atmosphere!! The college campus vibes!! Also, I related so much to Imogen! I cannot wait to have a physical copy so I can hug it, which is basically like hugging Imogen herself, right?!

This is going HIGH on my to recommend list!!

I enjoyed reading about Imogen's journey as she learned more about herself and her sexuality and got to know her best friend from home's friends in college. This is a sweet story about a first queer crush. It's also about queer/bisexual gatekeeping, toxic friendship, the way everyone's journeys to coming out or realizing if they're not straight are individual, and so much more. I liked the way this touched on so many assumptions that people have about bisexuality. There was also some good dialogue about queerbaiting. Generally, I liked Imogen's sister and her new friends and enjoyed the overall journey in this book. And I liked that this one was more personal for Becky Albertalli!

I absolutely am obsessed with anything Becky Albertalli. The second she worked with Adam Silvera I fell in love with her. This book did not disappoint. I love when an author acknowledges the fandom's requests and gives them more about side characters that we did not get in the other titles. I loved this and it was exactly what I had hoped for.

Obviously this is the bestest book ever. I loved it. Lili and Imogen's friendship is the best. Imogen's inner thoughts and trying to fit in a box others put her in. Gretchen, grr.

This was a cute coming-out YA romance with more of a college setting. I think this will really help those that are struggling in the closet, it's refreshing in the way it shows that there's really no way or ways to be the right gay. There's not many books like that yet and there should be! At times it felt like a texting fanfic though

I don’t know how Becky Albertalli does it, but man, every single character she writes feels so completely relatable, regardless of what we have in common. This is clearly a very personal book for the author, as she delves into in her author’s note, but it involves her journey to discovering that she was part of the LGBTQ community. Which is Imogen’s journey, too.

The story basically revolves around Imogen figuring her life out. Not just her sexuality, though that is certainly a big part of it, but lots of stuff. Like her future plans, where she fits in the world, all that good stuff that we all have to navigate while growing up. She is very drawn to her friend Lili’s college friend group, and she seems to fit right in when she goes to visit. But what she hadn’t bargained for was some burgeoning feelings for one of the girls in the group. Worse, when she tells her friend at home, Gretchen (who let the record show behaves like she’s the Queer Police in general) about these confusing feelings, Gretchen completely dismisses her and basically makes fun of her. So now, Imogen is extra confused.

I adored taking this journey with Imogen. I loved her friends, and I loved the humor and wittiness infused on every page. It is very clearly such a heartfelt story, chronicling Imogen’s sometimes messy, always genuine odyssey to find herself.

Bottom Line: I loved every minute of this story, which is very clearly oozing with heart and love.

**Thank you for the ARC. All opinions are completely my own.**

4 stars. A sweet and short read. Highly recommended for those who want to immerse themselves in our lovely main character Imogen's perspective. I enjoyed Imogen's introspection and personality.

TLDR; Very cute!

Very cute! The characters all felt realistic and believable, and the writing style made it really easy for me to finish this book in just a few days. I’ve read a few books by this author before and they weren’t my favorite, but I definitely adored this one. I could tell that she drew from her own experiences when writing this and I think it added to the realism and raw emotion the characters were feeling. Imogen was really relatable, as I also had a big problem with doubting my own identity and not feeling queer enough in the past. I think that will really resonate with a lot of people.

Grammar and character voice were great, but I noticed a small typo in chapter 38: “I think that as tight as they go, right?” Super minor and very easily fixed. Can’t wait for the official release!

Imogen, Obviously is about a teenager that all she's life she thinks that she is only an ally to the community. She had to bestfriend who are in the community and a sister. All her life she thinks that she is a straight.
The story started to when Imogen will be visiting the College she will be going and her other best friend, she bonded with her bestfriends queer friends over the weekend and have sort of messaging friend and it confuses her stand about her gender.
This book is for all the queer that is boxed by their friends as being straight. This book is for all the people who is still finding their identities. May you all not be pressured by the society and may your coming out stories be yours and not being imposed to you.

Overall will rate this book 5/5 and recommend it to every Y/A readers I know. Maybe I don't relate to Imogen's story as a queer. But I love how Becky Albertalli shows in this book that it is not easy to be firm or be certain with your sexuality. It takes time and acceptance.