This is a story about expectations.  Ophelia Rojas, a high school senior, is known among her friends for a few things -- loving gardening, especially roses; being close to her parents, including her Shakespeare professor mom who gave Opehlia her unique name; and always having a crush on a boy.  So Ophelia is surprised when she can't stop thinking about her classmate, Talia Sanchez, a quiet girl in her class who she once shared a moment with at a party early in high school but has not really spoken with since.  At the same time, her friend group, which had long been stable, is in transition, as they face crushes and new friends outside of the core group.  

Ophelia is not comfortable with all this change — but she is also not sure she is comfortable with things staying the same.  As she navigates all these dynamics, often not well, Ophelia must confront what is more important to her: meeting her friends and family's expectations or exploring who she really is.

I enjoyed this book.  The author did a great job of depicting Ophelia's struggles as she is figuring out her identity and her relationships with her family and her friends, both old and new.  It is a credit to the author that in a story that is ultimately heartwarming, the book does not sugarcoat the rocky parts of Opehlia's journey as she discovers her queerness.  I also enjoyed the author's portrayal of friendship in this book -- the central role that friendships play at this stage of life and how they can be both supportive and confining at this age.  

Highly recommended!

Some books evoke a feeling of dread, a constant inundation of fear and thrill for what plot twist is yet to come. Other books evoke a feeling of curiosity, taking place in wondrous worlds filled with chivalrous princes and fire breathing dragons.

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie evokes the feeling of love, celebrating the very existence of it in every way that could possibly exist.

This book is a hug at the end of a disastrous day, when you feel that all is lost and hopeless in your life, until you are comforted by the assuring words of the people that you love most in the world. It is a heartfelt message, clear in diction and eloquence, promising that you do not owe it to anyone to disclose who you are, and that your life is so much more than whatever stresses you feel could take you down at any second.

Ophelia After All is about many things, but most of all, it is about love and patience, and the courage to come into your own, even if you aren't sure of what that, in particular, that means.

Throughout this book, the author emphasizes the importance of platonic friendships, stressing the idea that it is what supports you at the end of the day, and for the rest of your days henceforth. That idea is more important than ever nowadays, especially in YA, because teens often define themselves by their appearance, and their success in romantic relationships. Although this may seem like a run-of-the-mill romance book, it contains so much depth past that, resulting in something so powerful that you forget it discusses romance at all, even though it's the catalyst to most of the book's events.

All of the characters in Ophelia After All struggle with their own type of love, specifically in what it is, and how they express it. I loved how this normalized exploring your sexuality, because there is a certain stigma, even nowadays, that is present around that. Some people believe that simply giving thought to the idea that you might not be straight sentences you to a lifetime of being not straight, but this book strongly disagrees with that statement, encouraging readers that it's okay to think, it's okay to wonder if you might not be who you thought you were for the duration of your entire life. That singular message was so important to be said, and I'm sure that it will resonate with and speak to readers of all kinds around the globe.

I found that a special highlight of this book was the different identities discussed. This book is an LGBTQ+ book, and not in the sense that they only shed light on one or two sexualities, completely dismissing the rest. It is an LGBTQ+ book in the sense that it speaks on as much sexualities and genders as it can, because although it may come across as overwhelming, the power of having so many identities discussed on page is so powerful, especially in published literature. I have seen so many people, both online and off, recklessly say that labels are senseless, and that there is nothing outside of gay and straight. But through all of that hate, this book highlighted all of the different labels in the LGBTQ+ community without it seeming like a monotonous lecture, and for that alone, I already find it significant and inspiring.

For some queer people, figuring out their sexuality is scrolling through a list on Google and picking out the label that fits them the most. For others, though, it takes a bit longer than that, and sometimes, they never even figure it out at all. This book excellently handled the latter, the people who struggle to instantly come up with a label for their sexualities, although the former is as valid as well. This book screamed that yes, it's okay to take your time, and there's zero rush about it.

I definitely see how people can feel the rush to figure out their sexuality, especially in a world where if you first mention your attraction to the same sex, people instantly ask you if you're gay or bi or whatever other label they can think of at the top of their head. They ask that because they always assume that you have it figured out, when that's not always the case, which often leads to an issue. Because if you don't have it figured out, it could lead to this sense of impending doom, which is not what anybody wants.

This book targeted that exact issue so well with all of its characters, and I love how some of them were absolutely sure of their identities, while others were still figuring it out by the end of the book. Not only was it realistic, but it corroborated the fact that figuring out your sexuality isn't, and I apologize for the pun, always a straight-forward journey. It has bumps along the way, and every now and then, you may go back on certain statements you thought were definitively true, but what matters is that at the end of the day, you are patient and forgiving with yourself. That is one of the major messages of this book, and it definitely helped it feel so safe and comforting.

As it was stated in the synopsis, Ophelia is a character who is to known to pretty much everyone as "boy-crazy", leaving her nothing outside of that particular descriptor. In addition to that, people also see her as someone obsessed with roses, effectively placing her into one box that unsurprisingly, she feels trapped in. As the book progresses, she fears of her interests changing, because that would mean simultaneously changing the definition of who she is in all of her loved ones' minds as well.

As for this, I believe that every person on this planet, regardless of where they come from, has also felt trapped in their public image in one way or the other, and that kind of issue is something I rarely see discussed in books. We are so used to the judgment and the urge to be enough for others that we often lack the courage to come into our own, and show an interest the things that we truly have an interest in, and I mean that in every sense of the word—romantic, platonic, it all fits. Ophelia's feelings of feeling trapped in what people thought of her was written so well, and it fit so seamlessly in with the rest of the storylines in this book that it had me in awe.

This book was a love letter to the Q of LGBTQ—the queer community, as well as the questioning community. It bursts at the seams with passion and pride, never dwindling in its effort to make every person feel welcome. It's not every day that you read a book and recognize the protagonist's words as ones that you have uttered as your own. At multiple times throughout this book, I saw something of myself in Ophelia's narration that I had never seen in any other book before, and for that, I am very grateful.

I am so certain that other people will read this book and find their lives and mindsets impacted by the messages the author skillfully succeeded in emphasizing, and that they will walk away with an idea or two that could ease their lives for the better. That one irrevocable belief that a book you've read can strongly impact others is so meaningful, and in my opinion, it is what separates an ordinary coming of age book from an extraordinary one. If it wasn't obvious from the sheer length of this review, then yes, I believe that Ophelia After All is an extraordinary coming of age book, encompassing so many different topics and doing it all so breathtakingly well at once.

I was fortunate enough to read a copy of this incredible book last spring, which was sent to me by my dear friend Racquel. I’m a little sad that I was a clown and waited until now to write an official review. Nonetheless, all opinions are honest and my own, and I cannot wait for this sweet story to be in the hands of teens across the world.

OPHELIA AFTER ALL is a wonderful YA contemporary debut starring Ophelia Rojas: a Cuban-American rose gardener who stumbles upon an identity crisis within the days leading up to her senior prom. I would recommend OAA to all readers interested in the following:

🌹 A diverse cast of queer teens
🌹 Strong and three-dimensional relationships between a teenager and both her parents
🌹 QUESTIONING queer rep!!! Sometimes we don’t have it all figured out (especially as teens) and that’s important to explore
🌹 A true YA contemporary novel (not a YA romance). There are of course romantic elements to the story, but the key character arc is for Ophelia and Ophelia alone
🌹 A great balance between humorous and poignant scenes
🌹 High school nostalgia???? (I never thought I’d be nostalgic for being 17/18, which is a feat in itself)

I look forward to reading whatever Racquel Marie writes next. Today’s queer and questioning teens are truly lucky to have her stories.

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.