I loved this book. I loved the narrator. 10/10 all around.

The narrator did a great job of making all of the characters sound distinct and it wasn't a challenge to keep track of anyone.

Ophelia After All is one of the sweetest books I have ever read in the past years, and I really adored it.
Ophelia herself was such a distinct and real character, I saw myself in her more times than I probably should. The journey she takes in the book, and the conclusions she arrives at the end about herself, all felt very familiar and I was almost in tears at some parts.
Sammie is probably my favourite character, and yes, a huge factor is the desi representation. I absolutely loved that, and the mentions of Sammie and his family being muslim and practicing halal, and how everything is taken into consideration felt really good to read. His and Ophelia's friendship was also by far the highlight of the book for me, starting with the vulnerability they show with each other to the utterly relatable fights they had. Sammie coming to his own realisation at the end was also what I was hoping for throughout the whole book, and I absolutely loved that.
Ace rep!!! Aro rep!! For two different respective characters, with two very different personalities! Excellent.
Some parts of the book did feel a little too dramatic, but teenagers are chaotic so it's easy enough to chuckle and gloss over.

Overall, this book is something I thoroughly enjoyed, and will definitely reread again.

My first 5 star read of 2022! It took me a little over a month into the year, but it happened and there is not a more deserving book!

Ophelia After All follows Ophelia Rojas, a girl who knows exactly who she is. A boy crazy Cuban girl who loves her parents, rose gardening, papas rellenas, and probably too many boys. But she’s a hopeless romantic and doesn’t mind it even with the teasing from her best friends.

But her self-image is challenged when she catches her mind wandering to the very cute Talia Sanchez from government class. Second semester senior year is already filled with so much change and an identity crisis is the last thing that she needs. Add in a fracturing friend group and Ophelia’s life feels like it’s spiraling

And she won’t be able to keep up the fantasy version of herself for much longer.

This book was exactly the kind of book I wish I could send back to myself in high school. Everything about the struggle with reconciling who you are with the version of yourself that you’ve created and everyone else knows. It’s about questioning your sexuality but also yourself.

This book is such a beautiful tribute to the end of high school and discovering that who you are isn’t so black and white. I listened to the audiobook on my commute and almost ended up crying several times because of how this book impacted me. For all the queer teens and queer folks who were once teens, this book is like a big hug.

I cannot recommend it enough to everyone, especially folks who aren’t straight. Also, there’s an ace side character! And an aromantic character! There are so many identities in this book and the author does a beautiful job balancing between how helpful labels can be along with the fact they aren’t necessary for everyone. Or permanent.

I hope everyone gets the chance to read this and I definitely recommend the audiobook

I have been following Racquel Marie since 2017 and have been following the journey of this book for years now. I absolutely adored this book, the story, the friendship, the parent-kid relationship, and the writing. I could say that maybe I'm biased because I have been following Racquel for so long, but I'm always terrified reading someone's book that is famous in the book community because I don't want to be disappointed. But I adored this so much and will be recommending it to everyone. If you want a coming of age story about realizing that straight isn't the default for you and that you don't have to have a label to be part of the LGBTQIA community, then please pick this up.

This book was absolutely everything I didn't know I needed and more. Getting to follow all these characters' experiences and growth was so wonderful. I think the discussions held within this book are beautiful and necessary for teens (or really anyone) to hear. Ophelia's exploration of herself and her identity was handled so well. Her fears were completely valid but she didn't let them hold her back from what she wanted, even when things didn't go as planned.
It was also quite refreshing to read about a character exploring their identity without being isolated the whole time. Ophelia had a wonderful friend + family support network, which isn't something you get often in LGBTQ+ books. Even though things sometimes got rocky, they were usually able to resolve things quickly by keeping a line of communication open.
Please please please pick this up. This is such an important story.

This was a heartwarming coming of age story about Ophelia during her senior year of high school and the pressure of not labeling her sexuality. I liked how the ending was not necessarily a happily ever after, rather it was about Ophelia learning who she was and life after high school.

4’s.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this for a fair and honest review. The audiobook for this is excellent and I really enjoyed consuming the story in this way. I loved the friendship dynamics and the angst of teenage relationships and struggling with your identity and fearing the reaction of others. I love books that deal with identity and the idea that a label isn’t what’s important, community and acceptance is. Highly recommend this ya contemporary debut and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

this was so good! such a strong debut and i will definitely pick up the author’s other stuff when it comes out !! i loved all the different characters, their personalities, their dynamics, it was all just so nicely done. i was kinda confused in the beginning but that was mostly because of the many characters in the friend group and probably the fact that i listened to it but the confusion went away quickly. there were some parts where i felt like ophelia could’ve handled things differently but it didn’t change how i feel about the book. highly recommend this :] it was cute, emotional, loving and just so important.

This young adult novel pulled at every heartstring there is. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, and the audiobook version which I was lucky enough to get approved for was so well done. There is so much heart and emotion within every word that Raquel had written. With knowing that she wrote this during a difficult part of her life I can see a power in her words that no doubt helped her get through that time and is now helping so many people.

This coming of age story shows Ophelia experiencing a lot of things that she never really expected to happen. Through the journey she takes she truly finds her identity and who should truly be apart of her life. The fear of change that Ophelia goes through is so relatable, and the anxiety she seems to feel as pieces of her life shift is also very realistic. This impactful story was so wholesome and well crafted. I truly can't wait to see what else is in story for Raquel.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this audiobook.

This book is the ultimate comfort read that I would do anything to go back and give myself when I was in highschool. I laughed and cried and related to so much of it. Ophelia's prom experience is eerily similar to mine.

As most everyone who has followed my reviews from any point should know by now, I'm not the biggest fan of Contemporary. Especially with more emphasis on Contemporary than of the Romance variety. I was so scared, when I started Ophelia After All, that I wouldn't enjoy it. The premise sounded amazing. The author is amazing. And more than me being let down, I was scared of letting down Rocky due to my lack of enjoyment. But I shouldn't have worried. It was absolutely amazing and wonderful and full of bittersweet nostalgia for a time I thought I would hate forever.

Ophelia knows exactly who she is. Don't all teenagers believe this at some point? She's sure of what she likes and what she wants and where she is going. But then one teeny tiny little *thing* happens and all the sudden the universe is flipped upside down. And there I was, right back in Ophelia's shoes. I remembered the moments that made me second guess myself. I remembered the awkwardness of every choice and feeling I had. I remembered questioning asking myself over and over 'is this normal?' when it came to certain friendships and then later, relationships. I remembered the first time I confided in a friend and I remembered the first time I had my heart broken after talking myself into being brave. And maybe all queer kids can relate in some way with their own version of Ophelia's story.

After finishing the audiobook, which I highkey recommend, I had to sit with my thoughts before I could even attempt to write a review. I wanted a HEA or a HFN ending. I wanted to have a satisfying conclusion. Because that's what I usually read. That's why I read so much. I want full fleshed out stories. I wants answers. And I felt like I didn't quite leave Ophelia After All with that. I felt like she questioned herself so much, that she and I should have had some answers. Some resolution. Where was our resolution? We went through A Lot. Didn't we deserve it? But the more I sat and pondering while wiping away the tears, it wasn't really the ending of the book I had a problem with. It was the fact that Ohpelia ended high school in the same way I did. Which was true to herself and okay with not knowing her exact labels. I guess I wanted her ending (or beginning) to make more sense to her than mine did. But that's not the point. Real life is messy and complicated and random as hell sometimes. At least Ophelia found a support system and has terms that was never available to me a teenager. That's more than most queer kids could even ask for. And now I need Rocky to write at least 3 more sequels in this universe. K, thanks!

Ophelia After All is a beautiful story that I feel like everyone, but especially questioning queer teens, should pick up. Ophelia After All is a big cup of tea tea. (And no that's not a typo.) 🥰

*Thank you, so much, to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for allowing me to review the audiobook of Ophelia After All. And thank you to Racquel Marie for writing this beautiful gem of a story.*

This was such a cute story! This story follows Ophelia, a high school senior, who’s dealing with the stress of impending prom, a fractured friend group, and her first crush on a girl. I loved how authentic this story felt and how fleshed out the main character was (definitely brought back my awkward high school days). It’s also a beautiful representation of characters who are racially and sexually diverse. I definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a funny and heartwarming coming-of-age story.

I went into this book hoping I’d enjoy it. I didn’t expect to love it this much. I do not know whether it’s perfect and I really don’t care if it isn’t. I love what it made me feel. I love the characters. I super love Ophelia, how could I not? I love her roses, I love that she’s smart, I love that she’s lost, I love that she’s flawed, that she’s strong, that she doesn’t know, that she’s trying. I love her parents, I love her friends, I love the writing, I love the narration.

I’ll tone the love down for a second, here’s what the book is about. Ophelia Rojas is a seventeen-year-old high school student, who believes she knows who she is, and likes who she is: she loves gardening – especially roses –, she loves her group of friends, she loves Cuban food, and she’s always crushing on some cute boy. Except this time, she’s crushing on a girl. Crushing hard. And she’s not sure what that means for her, for who she is, how others see her, how she wants them to see her.

I’ve been wondering why I like YA so much, since I’m fifty, and I don’t remember enjoying it to that extent a few years ago. And I think it’s that part of burnout x dyspraxia diagnosis x everything’s that’s happened since 2015 that feels like I’m having a second chance at life and that makes me react sometimes with my long lost teenage heart rather than my supposedly experienced self. Books like this one are exactly the kind I loved when I was a teenager, with the added bonus that now they’re about queer kids.

YA has this fresh outlook on life, that coming of age certainty that you know everything, then (if you’re lucky) realise that you know nothing, but that there’s a world of possibilities. There’s all this and a lot – A LOT – more in this book. First of all, it’s got one of the best groups of teenage characters I’ve read about in a long time. They make sense as a group while still all having their very real personality. I love the narration for them. I was worried at the very beginning that the various voices didn’t sound different enough, but I was wrong. What makes them distinguishable isn’t so much the depth as the rhythm. All the kids come from different backgrounds (Black, Cuban, Pakistani, Korean, Puerto Rican, wealthy or not…) and it shows in the way they talk. I always knew who was talking. I want to name them all but also not because I want you to meet them by yourself. Just know that Ophelia (I already said I loved her) and Wesley have my heart. There’s room for the others too, but these two make me want to insert a series of heart emojis right here.

Another reason I loved this book is that yeah, life is messy. But sometimes, with the right people around you, it can be a gentle mess. And that idea makes my heart very warm. Maybe the ending is slightly too earnest but again, I honestly don’t care. Ophelia After All gave me all the feels and I’m not giving them back.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Ophelia After All is a coming of age story that takes place during the last few weeks of high school for Ophelia Rojas, a girl that everyone knows these things about her: she loves roses, papas rellenas, and is a boy-crazy hopeless romantic. What happens when she starts thinking of a girl in the same way she used to think about guys?

I finished this book with the fullest feeling in my chest, mostly because the story just touched me in such a profound way. There’s a lot to be loved from this book, but I’ll begin with the easiest part: Ophelia herself. Her English teacher mother named her after the Shakespearean character, but Ophelia herself is her own person with her own particular brand. I loved her from the very beginning. She has a tendency to daydream and get lost in thought, and I found it so endearing. I also loved about Ophelia that she would always wear floral patterns, and everyone knew how much she loved her roses and tending her rose garden. Ophelia has only had one boyfriend, but dreams of the happily ever after at Prom, and her friends always tease her for having crushes on all the boys.

Ophelia’s journey with questioning her sexuality made me so emotional. I wanted to both hug her tightly and also give her a push in the right direction. Ophelia was always used to having everything figured out, so when she starts getting feelings for her new friend Talia, everything is thrown out of focus for her. We see Ophelia struggling with her feelings of confusion and doubts over what she always thought was true. It was such an honest and beautiful portrayal of a questioning teen.

I also have to say I loved seeing Ophelia’s friend group. I think sometimes in books like these, the side characters aren’t as developed as one would like, so they end up feeling dishonest. This isn’t the case here, however. I think we got to meet each character and understand them perfectly. By the end of the book I felt like I was best friends with all of them as well. They all had their own identities and lives outside of Ophelia’s narration, which is really difficult to achieve sometimes.

Ophelia After All features a lot of diversity in its story, and again, it was something I really enjoyed reading. Ophelia herself is Questioning, while there are side characters who are asexual, aromantic, biromantic, and bisexual. Other than sexuality there are also different races and ethnicities represented, such as Ophelia being brown-skinned Cuban-Irish, her best friend being Pakistani, her other best friend being Black, and other side characters being Korean, Afro-Latine Puertorican, etc. It made my ears perk up each time I’d hear about these endearing and entertaining characters leading such unique lives.

I have to gush about the writing because it’s definitely what carried the entire story. It was so refreshing, and it conveyed perfectly the uncertainty that a teen feels not only while questioning their sexuality, but also while everything around them is changing and school is almost over. The whole friend group was suffering changes and life-altering choices and Racquel Marie always captured that nostalgic feeling of wanting to stay in the moment while growing older. I also enjoyed that Ophelia’s parents were written in such a beautiful way. They weren’t perfect by any means, but they also weren’t overbearing or mean. They were a key aspect in Ophelia’s journey, and I appreciate seeing more nice latine families in YA.

My last remark is about the audiobook itself. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Maria Liatis. The narration was fantastic. She captured Ophelia’s voice, and also each side characters’. It was emotional when it had to be, sarcastic when needed, Liatis definitely conveyed the story wonderfully. She also did a great job with the Spanish speaking parts which is always something I really enjoy.

In conclusion, Ophelia After All is the perfect YA contemporary that captures the struggles of questioning who you are and fulfilling expectations while also staying true to yourself. It captures the feelings of young adulthood and leaving high school. Most of all it’ll leave you rooting for everyone involved, and hopeful just like Ophelia.

This contemporary YA story made my heart burst and ache and burst again. This is a book about questioning queer identity, community, and the indefinite process of finding yourself. Ophelia believes she has it all figured out - until she realizes that she has a crush on Talia, and her confidence in her self-knowledge begins to unravel.

This book has such beautiful representation of diverse sexuality, race, and ethnicity. All of the characters are so wonderfully and fully developed. The pressure of senior year of high school, the anticipation of prom, everything soon to change, was incredibly palpable. The audiobook narrator, Maria Liatis, beautifully captures the emotional depth of the story as she lends her voice to Ophelia and her friends.

I am so happy that young adults will have this book. I absolutely love that Ophelia's friends helped her learn all of the possibilities of her identity as she learns to embrace all parts of herself - even those she doesn't yet have a label for. Ophelia After All is a celebration of queer exploration, finding "a place where you can bloom," and challenging the traditional, heteronormative notions of coming of age. This is a stunning debut from Racquel Marie, and it is sure to stay with me. I'm ready to recommend this book to everyone I know!

"I've spent my entire life telling myself I know who I am; a lifeboat of identity in the turbulent waves of growing up. A hopeless romantic, a rose gardener, a chismosa, a girl who falls for every boy who looks her way. I forgot that there are parts of me I've yet to discover, versions of me I've yet to become."

Thank you to Netgalley, Recorded Books, and Macmillan for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ophelia, a Cuban-Irish seventeen year old, loves gardening and is known to her family and friends as the "boy crazy Ophelia" because she has a lot of boy crushes. Until she starts having feelings for a girl classmate Talia.

I listened to the audiobook and it was delightful. I thought the narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. It was easy to symphatize with Ophelia. Her character feels genuine and very relatable. Her friends are amazing as well! Their friendship reminded me of the one I had in highschool. The fun times and also the drama. I liked that the high school and prom setting are not overdone. There's romance in this book but I liked that the story focuses more on Ophelia's character and what she's been going through. I liked how the author handled Ophelia's character and her entire journey with her sexuality. It's messy, scary, and confusing but in a very compassionate way. I wished I had this book when I was a teenager.

Change is scary and inevitable. You're not sure how things will turn out or how it will affect you and the people around you. And this book reminds us that it's okay to be scared. It's okay if you're not sure about who you truly are. It's okay if you're not ready because the right time will come and it will be worth it.

This was such a heartfelt read and an amazing debut! I highly recommend it if you're looking for a coming-of-age book with great family and friendship dynamics!

Thank you to Netgalley, Recorded Books, and Fierce Reads for an ALC of this book.

Ophelia has always been known as the boy-crazy one of her friends, developing crushes and falling in love with the idea of people constantly. But when she finds herself thinking more and more of her friend Talia, she has to confront her own identity and decide if it is worth it to change when all her friends and family have always looked at her a certain way.

The themes in this book are absolutely everything!!! The questioning rep and the way Ophelia is so confused about who she is and how people see her...god, it was seriously just spot on. I love her narration and the way she deals with her friends and family and everything she is going through. The identity discussions in this book are so good! All of the characters are super three-dimensional and felt really real to me.

And then, when I already thought I couldn't love this book more, BAM, surprise ace rep in a side character...then BANG turns out another character is aro. So much queer! So much friend-love. So much self-discovery!

Sincerely--read this book. It's incredible.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Lesbophobia, slut-shaming
Minor: Islamophobia and Biphobia

This book was really sweet! It stayed very centered in on Ophelia and her friend group, going through their last year of high school. It was so casual and fun, the author does a great job which each character in the friend circle, how they all interact, how they mesh and where they clash. It’s a story about friendship, figuring out love and what it means for each person, and Ophelia discovering who she is. There was a great point about high school being the beginning, instead of the ending.

I thought this book was really well written, however I did feel like it was a little slow at times for a YA. I’m used to YA books speeding along. I was listening to the audio this weekend and was surprised when I went to take a break from cleaning that I wasn’t as far along as I thought. But I think it’s because the author was spending a lot of time with character building, so we got to know each person, and each person grew in some way throughout the novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! I listened to the audio and the narrator was great. This book releases TOMORROW (Tuesday, 2/8).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audio copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just... absolutely perfect. It was the most gorgeous story of a high school senior trying to figure out who she is. Ophelia has always been the boy-crazy, romantic, flower-loving, and kind girl who is a great daughter and friend. But what if you realize that you are growing into a different person? Can you tell the people in your life that you are different? Does it change their expectations of you or how they treat you?

I was completely smitten with Ophelia and her deep relationships with her parents and with her friends. She has a great friend group and possibly the best parents I've ever seen in a YA novel. The dynamics in the friend group felt so realistic of high school without being overly dramatic and silly. Racquel wrote Ophelia and her friends so beautifully-- I can't believe this is her first novel. I immediately ordered this book from bookshop.org (gotta support your local indie!!) and will definitely pre-order anything Racquel writes from now on.

The audio version of this title was great. The narrator was animated and entertaining without being annoying, and she seemed to speak Spanish fluently and with a good accent. Her narration really added a lot to the story for me.

*adds to favorites shelf* this book has been on my tbr since I first saw the cover months ago, and from the first chapter, I had a feeling it would be a book that not only resonated deeply with me, but would make me love ophelia and her friends so deeply throughout the course of the story. ophelia is such a genuine and raw character that her intense emotions coupled with the amazing narrator makes the reading experience feel like it has its own heartbeat. the storytelling, plot and cast of characters are each extremely strong, but crafted in a way that nothing is overpowered or underdeveloped. each of her friends are shown as their own person, even if it takes a few screaming matches or disaster fights for ophelia to realize it (side note: I would like to be bffs with Wes, please and thank you!), and same goes for her parents, which is something I wish more YA novels would do. Racquel Marie's portrayal of ophelia as a multiracial 17-year-old with a lot of questions about herself and how she fits into the world/other people's ideas of her is full of nuance and heart that I can see many young people resonating deeply with when they read this. there is a lot going on here, I will admit, but the story paces itself well enough to encourage readers to really understand ophelia, even when the character herself might not. overall, a really stunning debut, unforgettable characters and messages, and a beautiful cover to top it all off. (4.5 stars)

I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to this audiobook thanks to Netgalley. This book was so adorable and heartwarming! It follows Ophelia (love that name) and her internal struggle with her sexuality. There is so much queer representation, and it was a breath of fresh air. Ophelia has an amazing group of friends, who add so much to this story. They are supportive and are there for her when she needs them the most. This book is about finding yourself but also surrounding yourself with the right people.

This book has such and important message for all readers, but especially young readers. Especially high school aged readers. In this current atmosphere of banning books that contradict a very close minded lifestyle, this is a must read. It is important for young readers to read about characters that they can identify with, but it is also important to read about characters with different life experiences. I adore this book, and I know that it will resonate with so many!