I'm a big Becky Albertalli fan, so I was excited about this ARC. I enjoyed the book, just not as much as Albertalli's other books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Imogen, Obviously should be required reading for high school students and their parents. This book is full of so many important messages and lessons. There is a love story intertwined with a beautiful queer awakening and affirming. Imogen is such a sweet, soft, sensitive soul. A people please-r down to her very core. She went through quite the journey uncovering her feelings and queerness. Although she had supportive people in her orbit, she also had people like Gretchen. Gretchen was a complicated character because I felt for her journey and the trauma she has been through, but the way she tries to dictate everyone's queerness was really frustrating. I am glad that Imogen was able to take some space from her to gain confidence in herself.

This book really made me think about Queerness and bi-erasure and stereo-types. It is not anyone's job or place to critique someones queerness. You don't have to have experience with that gender to be queer. I can be bi or pan even if I am married and never date a woman or someone NB. It is about your feelings inside. Gretchen was constantly trying to validate everyone else and their Queerness and it doesn't work that way at all.

Immy's sister, Edith, Lilli and Tessa were such great supports while she worked through her feelings.

And Tessa and Imogen, OMG so cute.

Overall, this book is thoughtful, insightful and delicately handled some sensitive subject matter and conversations. And bottom line, if someone tells you they are queer, they are queer. The end.

Words won’t be enough to describe the deep love I have for this book. Becky beautifully portrayed so many things within this story and I can’t wait for everyone to read it.

I hope this book opens conversations about the societal problem with forcing people out of the closet, with accusations of queer baiting, with owing anyone an explanation of your identity. I hope folks will read this and feel as validated as I did in my experience, and think harder about how we can be more understanding and leave more space for our “straight” pals to feel safe before they’re ready to explore or identify that they could be in the community.

Read this, multiple times, and get copies for everyone you know.

Ugh. This book gave me all the feels! As a bi woman married to a cishet man, I thoroughly appreciated Albertalli’s bi-Bildungsroman. The book did stall a bit for me about halfway through, but then the ending nailed it.

Very cute and readable! I recognize that I'm not the target audience for this book, but I still really enjoyed it. The main character was the true highlight for me. It's important that teens these days have books like this one.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

While this is one of my most anticipated reads (and a 5 star read at that), I will be withholding my review until HarperCollins publishers have reached a fair contract!

I absolutely loved this book. The dynamic of the 'original' friend group was different than most YA novels (in a good way) and the parallels to what happened with Becky Albertalli are clear and incredibly well done. I really liked how the diner conflict was handled and think the realism of this situation deserves to be represented much more than it currently is. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

I will not be sharing my review because I choose stand with the on-going Harper Collins Union. When negotiations end I will share my full review.

As expected and hoped for: another page-turning queer Young Adult novel a reader can inhale in a single day yet think about for a long time after. A worthy addition to the Albertalli canon.

Imogen may be heterosexual, but she’s always prided herself on being an Ally for everyone. Most of Imogen’s friends are queer, so she’s excited when Lili, her best friend from high school, invites Imogen to visit her at college to meet all her new queer friends. Imogen is anxious about fitting in or overstepping boundaries, but soon feels like she’s found a second home. And then, Imogen meets Tessa, a chaotic and fun-loving girl who has Imogen questioning everything she’s always known.

First things first: I absolutely love the cover of this work. I also loved the premise and the important topics that were covered in a meaningful but approachable way. The author wrote characters that were relatable and had their own personalities – it was easy to tell the multiple friends apart because they all felt so different and alive, which was quite enjoyable. I also liked Imogen’s sense of humor and it helped to make her more relatable as a character. And the romance. Yes, it was insta-love (most of the book took place in one week), but the two characters worked together so well that I honestly found myself not caring about how quickly it occurred. But there were a few things that majorly detracted from this work for me.

Imogene had the same conversation with herself in almost every chapter, which led to so much repetition that I had to take breaks from this book. Her main personality trait was anxiety, mostly related to possible perceived slights against the queer community. She didn’t really grow out of it until the very end of the work (reasonable as only a week of time passes in the book) but it was entirely exhausting to read. These portions were also written as kind of stream of consciousness monologues, which did not make them engaging at all. I think the author was trying really hard to hit some points home regarding finding yourself and being respectful of others, but it wasn’t written well. There was zero nuance and no room allowed for interpretation as each chapter spelled and respelled in great detail exactly what was going on with the protagonist. Honestly, this book could have been about 60% shorter without losing anything of real substance.

On a different note, the characters are supposed to be in college or just a few months away from going to college (so 17 or 18 years old), but their speech and actions made them feel like tweens. If it weren’t for being constantly reminded that they were on a college campus, I would have guessed they were 11 or 12 years old.

I really wish I liked this work. I think it could be quite impactful for younger readers, but I think maybe I’m just not the right audience (am I getting too old for YA??). My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I can see why this book is one of the most anticipated of 2023 because it is amazing. Imogen is just so likeable and her growth in this book made me feel like a proud mom. Everything in her life is so relatable, and resonates so wholly. I loved how she faced these questions of where she fit and her sexuality in such a brave and real way. This is the perfect rom com and I will be recommending it to EVERYONE!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Imogen is a senior in high school. She is an ally, a member of her school's Queer Club, and surrounded by queer friends, but Imogen's straight, obviously. During spring break, Imogen visits her best friend Lily in college. Imogen has to pretend to be bi because Lily told her friends she and Imogen used to date. People pleaser Imogen is game until she meets Tess and thinks she might not be pretending to be bi after all.

This is Becky Albertalli's story of coming out as an adult. It's a great take on those who thought one thing for so long but find that might not be true. How do you come to terms with your feelings? Are they real or are you just appropriating queer culture to be more appealing and like your friends? The story and central romance are cute, but I thought it was a little too long. For a book that takes place over a week, some of the days really dragged on and conversations repeated that didn't need to happen. I also thought we were introduced to too many characters too quickly, causing me to have trouble remembering who everyone was at first. Many weren't even that important, so it didn't matter anyway. And no epilogue...are we getting a sequel?

Great coming-out story for those questioning or undecided or just afraid to admit they aren't straight after all.

If you follow Becky Albertalli on Instagram or other socials then you fully understand what this story is about. It’s a statement. A clear statement. Before I started reading, I already assumed this would be a very personal story, and the author’s note and the book are prove of that. Becky just pours her heart out, let’s us feel her struggles, and gives her middle finger to all those people who bullied her and still bully her.

I’m not going to say a lot more. If you’re a Becky Albertally fan, you’ll definitely love this story. If you’re one of these bullies, I’d suggest to read Imogen’s story. It might surprise you. It’s easily readable, captivating, full of banter, and very vivid. Just dive into it and I hope that you’ve learned something after you finish it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Becky Albertalli really knows how to write a great YA romance! I loved this book so much. Imogen is a great character and this book was so well written and so real. So real that I am still seething at Gretchen! Such a fantastic read and so very relatable.
(Chef's kiss)

This was a really cute book! As a bisexual person, I really resonated with a lot of Imogen's thoughts and struggles, especially in the trying to figure out if she was queer. I did find a lot of the friend interactions incredibly grating, though and I almost DNF'd around the middle. I'm glad I powered through to the end though, it was very cute!

A well written romcom that will have you smiling ear to ear. After reading this book, you will recommend it to friends, to friends of friends, and to friends of your friends’ friends.

Imogen, Obviously was such a quick read! I loved Imogen as a character because I understood the way her overthinking mind worked. I think this novel is important for people who are questioning their identity or even people who don’t understand what that might be like. Will definitely recommend to those I feel would appreciate the importance of this story.

I really enjoyed this book and the cover is so beautiful. In support of the HC movement I’ll hold off on my full review.

Imogen is such an endearing character. She is shy, reserved, an ally to all, and yet, doesn't know who she is or wants to be. I enjoyed getting to know her and her friends in Imogen Obviously. This book would be a great read for a younger audience, and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Becky Albertalli is an auto-buy for me! She captures the angst of first love and figuring out who you are SO WELL. This book is no exception. When Imogen visits her best friend at college, things get complicated when she discovers she might have feelings for a girl there... and Imogen is pretty sure she is straight. I love that this book explores identity, figuring out yourself, and the value in friends accepting you for who you are and letting you figure things out. This book was almost painful (in a good way) to read at times as Imogen comes to terms with her feelings and her friendships.