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

I know so many queers who were just Excellent Allies first--so this tracks! This book was fun to read, of course, since all of BA's books are, and i am sure it will feel really resonant for lots of people to figure it out, and then wonder how they never did before.

Thank you to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an electronic ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of a Becky Albertalli book, and it did not disappoint! The author’s note was actually as significant as the story itself.

Imogen considers herself an ally, many of those closest to her are queer, but she is definitely heterosexual…or is she?

When she goes to visit her best friend Lili, newly out of the closet, in her first year at college, she discovers that said friend may have told her new queer friends a little fib…they all believe that Lili and Imogen used to date.

As Imogen goes along with the lie, she begins to question her own feelings—and her sexuality.

An important story, because it’s one that isn’t usually told. The usually queer party line seems to be “I always knew”. Different people have different struggles—and this story addresses the discovery/realization that one has same-sex crushes as well as opposite sex crushes, and the maybe this means that the individual is actually bisexual. It also hints at the reactions bisexuals may get, even from the queer community.

I loved this story because it wasn’t all clean and clear cut—it showed the messy bits. It’s the kind of story people need to hear.

Highly recommend!

As always, Becky Albertalli is GREAT at writing the teens, even awful ones (least favorite thing about this book is that it gives Gretchens a bad name). I know this book was deeply personal for her, and she really made her point.

So the first 50-75% of the book was lovely and nice. The last chunk of the book gets 10/5 stars. So fantastically written: the heart of these characters is just lovely. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend.

Feedback will be provided when a new contract is negotiated with HarperCollins Union.
Feedback will be provided when a new contract is negotiated with HarperCollins Union.

I received an ARC for this book and I’m so glad I did. Imogen’s thoughts highlighted a part of our culture that I don’t think is discussed a lot. It’s definitely hard to stay PC in this day and age but it’s so necessary to think about our actions. Given it was a bit over exaggerated, but a lot of her thoughts were exactly the things that argued about in my head.

The progress of her relationship with Tessa was a great way to portray her coming out story. I feel like explained how realizing your sexuality works for a lot of people, as opposed to the whole “the closet was glass” analogy.

Gretchen was an interesting addition to the story. She didn’t really offer much throughout the book, until the ending. Her (toxic) opinions revealed how the LGBT community has so many different perspectives about what qualifies people as a member. There are so many different viewpoints that it gets hard to determine what’s right and what’s wrong. (Obviously in Gretchen’s case she was clearly wrong, but the whole thing with Kara really had me for a loop)

I love this book. It has great vibes and the cover is beautiful. This story is so important and the representation is fantastic.