This book does an amazing job at showing the huge mental/emotional transition that takes place between our teens and our early 20s. Friendships from childhood cannot always thrive in our 20s, nor should we cling to those if they are no longer serving us. This book explores that theme in the setting of new friends who become family and how sometimes that acceptance really highlights what was missing in prior friendships.

A big focus of this book is Sav trying to parse out and make sense of a sexual assault at age 16. She struggles with trying to ascertain if assault can be called rape when it was someone she knew & thought she liked.

These themes were raw & visceral for me and I had to set the book aside a few times before I could pick it back up. I did love the college friend group but the teenage trauma was difficult to read…because I’ve been there and I was just as confused for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to give this a read. All opinions are my own.

Also 👏👏👏 to Haley Jakobson for this stellar debut novel in all its raw glory.

This book was so important and difficult to read in many ways…. From the exploration of what it’s like to be bisexual, to finding community and leaving behind what’s not meant for you, to coming to terms with the way that trauma can shape you into someone completely different…

This is a touching novel that is absolutely worth the read, as long as you’re equipped to handle it.

TW: SA, biphobia

WOW! What a powerful read. It felt like a hug at the end and I cannot explain it any further than that. I highly recommend that everyone gives this book a chance.

This book started out strong and I was very interested, but in the middle, it was really really slow. I love the aspect of found family and grew to love the main character and her friends. She was clearly a flawed character, struggling with mental illness and trauma, and I do think that the way trauma was depicted and her responses to it were very accurate. I thought the discussion around her new identity versus her old identity as a very interesting point of contention throughout the book and related to that - where you no longer really relate/identify with your family and old friends from your hometown and how it can really lead to an identity crisis. I liked how she felt so much more safe and comfortable when she found her supportive friends but had growing pains with that transition, it felt very realistic. I didn't love the writing style and felt it was more YA than I expected, and I think that's why I didn't rate this book any higher.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for sending me a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I saw Haley Jakobson post about Old Enough on TikTok and I was immediately hooked. In a lot of ways, Savannah (Sav)'s story and coming out journey resonate with my own life.

Jakobson does a great job capturing the voice of a 20 year old, who is still figuring out who she is and trying to work through her past-self and the person she is becoming/wants to be. There were moments where the dialogue made me cringe, or it almost felt too much in focusing Sav's identity around her sexuality. But, then I remembered what it was like when I first came out, when I was figuring it out, and then I almost started to cry because. Wow, that's exactly how I sounded and how I felt. She does such a good job of capturing those Big emotions and expressing them on the page.

Old Enough also deals with major SA/rape content, but I appreciated the way Jakobson wrote it. She was able to write about the events, the fall out, and the flash backs without explicitly putting the reader in that one traumatic memory. The novel felt stronger for that because it didn't rely on graphic detail to bring the horror and trauma to attention, but instead the short flashback chapters, and the imapct of Sav's life however many years later.

The subplot of Old Enough focusing on Sav growing apart from her childhood friend made me absolutely sob. It was so real, something so many folks have gone through, and just...heartbreaking. Jakobson isn't overly flowery with her language but it's beautiful in it's own way and also she knows exactly how to gut-punch the reader.

The romance in the novel was always very sweet and cute. But, this was a fantastic novel and I will be recommending to my friends!

I’m kind of in a state of shock. It feels as if Haley Jakobson went through those thoughts I saved for late at night in bed. Maybe those feelings are universal - I never really thought of them that way. I can name a bunch of emotions - anger, shame, relief, hurt, joy - they all come in many shapes and forms and maybe that’s what makes it all relatable. The story is about Savannah “Sav” Henry in her sophomore year of college figuring out her sexuality, trauma, friendship, community, and acceptance of oneself. At times it was a little corny but corny isn’t a bad thing. Corny cut the tension, corny made it sweet. I can’t help thinking if only I read this when I was eighteen. I’m happy for all the current, past, and future eighteen year olds who will read this. Thank you Haley Jakobson, NetGalley, and Penguin Group Dutton.

Old Enough by Haley Jakobson is the queer campus novel that isn't scared to tackle some darker issues and I love it for it. This book is the novel every bisexual deserves, it is so so relatable in the way that the main character struggles to find her place in the world. The dual timeline with flashbacks to her teenage years works well and adds to the narrative. I wasn't a big fan of then second person perspective in these flashbacks but still enjoyed them. The side characters made the plot lively but they were hard to keep track of and distinguish some of them were not as well fleshed out. Probably, the plot would have worked with one or two fewer side characters. Overall, I had a very good reading experience and will read anything (bisexual) Jakobson publishes next. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the review copy.

the summer coming of age novel!!

this story follows Savannah, aka as Sav. She’s almost the person she wants to be- or at least, she’s getting closer. She’s in her sophomore year at college, has officially come out, and is starting to make some solid friendships. Sav’s cautious optimism about the future is squashed when she learns that her childhood friend Izzie is engaged. Things haven’t been the same with Izzie ever since what happens with Izzie’s brother when Sav was 16. Sav is now forced to deal with her repressed trauma that she thought was behind her. On top of all that- she can’t stop thinking about Wes, from her gender studies class. There’s something new here & for the first time ever, Sav feels seen.

I really enjoyed this tender, funny & heartfelt story. It captures well both the in-between feeling of being young & uncertain, as well as the particular pain of losing a friendship that you thought would last forever. Stunning!

If you had asked what I thought of this book after the first couple of chapters, my response would be vastly different from this review. In fact, I almost DNF'd this book after a couple of days. I'm really, REALLY glad I didn't.

The book itself starts off strong with diverse characters, tackling sensitive subjects such as rape, consent, abuse, and LGTBQA+ themes. The characters dive right into their sense of self when the book opens and the main character is looking around at her class mates and they start discussing gender and sexuality. The book only gets better from there as we watch Sav tackle some pretty huge inner conflicts. The character growth in this book is stunning and I am obsessed with the friend group.

My issue with the book was in how it was set up. Not only do we jump from past to present, but we jump from first person POV to second person POV. And this doesn't seem consistent with the book...i think by the end then 2nd person POV was phased out. But each time we switched both POV and time period I lost focus in the book.

But the ending of this book is amazing. Incredibly thought out, well deserved, and inspiring. I can't rave enough about this book, aside from the weird writing initially. Power through that and I think this book is worth every second spent reading it. This is one I am going to recommend A LOT.

HALEY JAKOBSON, WHAT A DEBUT! This book is everything. A coming of age, found family, self exploration, queer masterpiece. It left me with the same cozy, like I'm being hugged feeling that I had the first time I read Perks of Being a Wallflower. A must read!

Our MC, Sav, is in her second year of college, having left her hometown and expanded her worldview. She's found a group of friends who support her and is exploring her self, having come out as bisexual. When her best friend from childhood gets engaged, Sav is confronted with memories she's tried desperately to suppress.

TW for mention of SA. Talked about but not explicit.

Thank you net galley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Savannah Henry came out in her freshman year of college and is dealing with the complexities of growing up and growing out from the person she was in high school. This kind of coming-of-age story would have been extremely comforting to me in my college years. The nuance and complexities of learning to trust yourself, and to give yourself room to grow are so apparent in Old Enough.

Highlights:
Inclusive language
Happy queer romance

Cons:
Sometimes the language of the book gets a little confusing. Specifically when switching from current timeline to flashbacks.

CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS:
physical abuse, rape

It takes a lot of love to care for a reader the way that Haley cares for hers.
This is a book I would have died to have when I was in my twenties, and I think it’s going to resonate with many who are.
Inclusive, queer-friendly, this is a YA book as I’ve rarely read one before. Big topics are handled with the gentlest of hands.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I wish I could have given this 3.5 stars because I ultimately really loved this story, but the writing sometimes made it more challenging to get into. The switches in time with no cues or warning was hard to get used to, and also the way the narrator sometimes referred to Izzy as "you" and sometimes as Izzy. I almost gave up on it, but I am very glad I pushed through. This book did a great job of capturing the messy growth that happens in late adolescence / early college so beautifully.

I love the theory of this book. However the execution fell short for me. I think Sav is great bi rep. However, the writing wasn’t for me. It was slow and the writing felt scattered. Nothing makes me want to keep turning the page. While I appreciate the progressive themes, it ultimately felt shallow. There was nothing to contemplate, no intrigue, and a lack of scene setting, I could not picture a single scene.

This books was so good. I couldn't put it down. I'm actually shocked to hear it's Haley's first novel. I loved Sav, and her best friend Candace and Vera and the strong bond they created through college experience. It was interesting to see Sav navigate through her trauma and her friendship with her longtime friend. I cried quite a bit in this book because the pain felt so real. i would definitely read her books in the future.

I absolutely loved this book. Old Enough deals with a bunch of different things that I gravitate towards in books. Like groups of queer friends, messy relationships, dealing with past trauma, and coming of age. Sav is in her sophomore year of college and has come out as bisexual after having her first queer fling. But things become complicated when Izzie, her childhood best friend, announces that she’s getting married. Sav is dreading the wedding and having to be around Izzie’s older brother because of what happened between them when she was sixteen.

Sav’s group of college friends were so amazing. I loved Vera and Candace so much. I read the first half of this book in the waiting room of an auto shop and I was actively having to stop myself from laughing out loud or smiling too much. There were so many lovely moments of them supporting one another and also just hilarious moments as well.

The book also deals with some heavy topics, it definitely had me tearing up at multiple points. A large focus is Sav dealing with sexual assault in her past, how she thinks about it now versus when it happened, how she opens up to people, and figuring out what justice means for her. A lot of the conversations in the book start in a gender studies class that Sav and her friends are taking. I felt like that was a smart way for Haley Jakobson to bring up different opinions through the various students in the class.

I could go on and on about the different things I loved about this book: Sav’s crush on Wes, the arc of Lara the sorority girl, the complicated dynamic between Sav and Izzie, Sav’s relationship with her mom, Sav’s relationship with sex, and so much more.

If you love stories about queer friendship, romance, and coming of age then give this one a shot if you feel up to the subject matter surrounding sexual assault.

this book means so much to me. I devoured it. I loved every minute of reading it.

I requested this on Netgalley a bit ago after reading the description. Then, it got pushed to the middle of my TBR list... until I saw Haley's incredible viral TikTok. After seeing that, I was reminded how much I'd love this book and I wasn't wrong.

Old Enough follows Savannah as she navigates college, being bisexual, past traumas, and friendship (both old & new). This book made me feel seen, and not just because it mentions Fletcher! there were parts that made me tear up (a few actually) and parts that made me laugh out loud. When it ended, I was sad to not have more of these characters’ stories to read.. I wanted to be their friends! This is an important read and I think everyone can find something in it that resonates with them. I really loved all of the characters and enjoyed Haley's writing endlessly. I loved Old Enough the way I've loved Dolly Alderton's books. This will be a book I recommend to everyone in their 20s-early 30s. As I read, I thought this was Haley's memoir, that's how real and authentic it felt.

highlights:
- cool character names
- inclusive language
- happy queer romance(s)
- fletcher (duh)
- beautiful writing that really hits ya in the guts

trigger warnings: sexual assault, rape, & shitty friends.

Old Enough is Haley’s debut novel and comes out on June 20th. I will be encouraging everyone I know to buy it or borrow it from their local library!!

Please check trigger and content warnings before reading!
An important and beautiful coming-of-age story! It was so hard to put this book down. I highly resonated with Savannah's journey in more than one way and I am so happy I had the chance to read this. I thought this book took such a gentle and heartwarming approach to those that are currently figuring out their queerness while coming to terms with sexual assault. Overall I am so grateful for this book and think it was such a queer heartwarming read!!
Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this arc!

Sometimes I miss college. And then sometimes I read a book like this and I am reminded of how messy and hard it is to “come of age.” Sometimes I forget how easy it was to find something to love or desire about almost everyone. Except for myself. And sometimes I remember what it was like to love only myself and how I had no responsibilities other than getting through school. This book brought back so many memories for me at times it felt like I was legitimately reliving it. What an amazing, sometimes cringe, sometimes scary, mostly awesome moment of time travel.

This book is also very heavy. This book reminded me of something that happened to me in college. It reminded me that I’m still here and it made me realize that I am now made up of new cells several times over. This book reminded me.

When I grabbed this book off of my virtual NetGalley shelf, I had no idea how important it would become for me. If you’re still here reading this, I hope this book can be for you what it is for me, a reckoning and then a balm for your soul.

This book had me waking up in the middle of the night, reaching for my phone and opening this note. This book had me understanding something about myself that maybe I have always known, and greeting it warmly. This book had me writing what I feel like is my first honest and best ever book review. This. Book.

Savannah Henry left her closed-minded hometown for college, and in her sophomore year is finally getting closer to the person she wants to be - out as bisexual, making queer friends, and recovering from her first queer situationship. But when her childhood best friend, Izzie, is engaged. With the wedding around the corner, Sav has to face the trauma of what happened between her and Izzie's older brother when she was sixteen. On top of all of that, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class, who feels like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.

This book is simultaneously funny, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and eye-opening. Jakobson explores queer love, community, and surviving after SA in the most raw and honest way. The writing of this book is unique, I felt like I was just listening to a ton of younger folks chatting, through both the dialogue and the way Jakobson wrote the narration as well. All the friendships and relationships in this book were written so wonderfully, the inclusion and diversity was super refreshing, and while reading I realized just how much we all have to learn about the queer community and acceptance from the younger generation. I feel like the message behind this book - that your past doesn't define who you are: - is something that everyone needs to read.

I will absolutely be picking up a copy for myself and can't wait to put other people onto this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!