So I want to start out by saying Albertalli has, basically from the beginning, been a must-read author for me. I was borderline obsessed with her books for years. I still love "Simon" and "Upside" in particular. Upside is the book that re-ignited my love of reading after school destroyed it.

I also am similar to the main character here, in that I was that aggressively vocal ally that actually was a baby gay and just didn't know it yet. I look through Facebook memories and Timehop and see me sharing "straight but no hate" and "straight ally for equality" photos and memes and being all "I'm not gay but i'M a DeCeNt PeRsOn so I support everyone!" So do I *GET* Imogen? Yeah. Did I also have that "so THAT'S why But I'm Cheerleader was such an important movie to me!!" moment in my own life? Yeah.

That said, this book was painfully obviously written as a "f*ck you" to everyone who bullied the author into coming out (one character in particular represents those people in the book) and while she admitted in her author's note that this was heavily inspired by what she went through (aka Imogen is self-insert) she truly did not have to because anyone who is a regular reader, anyone who followed her on Twitter when it was still actually her on Twitter, any long time fan of hers ~already knows~. Maybe it's helpful for her new fans, because the book would come off as wildly performative if you don't know the backstory (which basically is, Albertalli was criticized for being touted as an LGBTQIAP author while being straight herself, which forced her, essentially, to come out when she wasn't ready, which then lead to people claiming she was faking it to justify her books. All of what happened to her is shit. But I still wonder if there had to be a book that was so blatantly obviously a response to that - as opposed to something that felt like an "authentic fictional" story in and of itself. There was basically zero nuance here.)

On to the writing itself, one thing that's bugged me about a couple of her recent books is how you can pluck pretty much any character from one of her books, plunk them down in another book, and they'd fit seamlessly with at least some of the characters. Her characters start to have the same voice after a while (constant pop culture references, "handwriting" in text, sexual innuendo, and the same energy, all the time) and I have to wonder if she genuinely doesn't know how to write friend groups any other way or (and I lean toward this, because she is a good writer so the former doesn't seem super likely) she genuinely thinks that this is how teenagers talk when...I've been a teen much more recently than she has, I probably have had more teen coworkers more recently than she has, and I have never encountered a group of teenagers with the kinds of dialogue that are consistent in her books. (At one point in this, they refer to a birth as 'extremely vaginal' and that's just one of many super weird comments that these characters make in what I assume is an attempt by Albertalli to make them relatable and it just doesn't work - and on THAT note, the seemingly positive reference to Rachel Hollis was...a choice.)

To sum up, this is a book that I really think only hardcore Albertalli fans will love...and as evidenced by this review, not even all of them will love it.

This book was just amazing!! I have read most of Becky Albertalli’s books and really enjoyed them all, but this one is my absolute favorite. IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY is a charming, heartwarming story about Imogen (obviously) and her journey to figuring out who she truly is.

Imogen is such a lovable character that so many people can relate to. Her people-pleasing nature, her anxiety and overthinking, her struggles with understanding herself, her identity, and her sexuality amidst others’ expectations of her (and even her expectations of herself), were all beautifully portrayed. I was rooting for her from start to finish! I loved Tessa too, and was so invested in her relationship with Imogen. The banter and their texts!! I was literally smiling at my screen every time they interacted. Imogen’s relationships with her best friend Lili and her sister Edith were also so sweet and well-done. Becky is a pro at creating characters that just feel so complex and real, and this book was no different! I didn’t want it to end. (Maybe one day there’ll be a sequel? Or a movie/TV adaptation?)

I highly recommend IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY and already can’t wait to re-read it! Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books/Balzer + Bray for the ARC.

I would have loved to read this book as a teen. I keep coming back to YA because it oftentimes has the nuance and specificity around coming-of-age stories that I still can't find in books for adults. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books / Balzer+Bray for sharing this fantastic digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

imogen obviously review
•
5/5
•
As someone who considered myself an ally instead of queer until my junior year of college, i felt connected to the description of this book. sexuality and acceptance of one’s sexuality is a complicated and individual experience, so i’m excited to see how this book approaches it
•
Pros:
+i love thé name imogen
+it’s so fun when authors mention other authors!
+the term himbo is one of my favs
+i love to see gay panic. very relatable.
+compulsive heteronormativity is explored.
+GAY FLIRTING
+Tessa<3<3<3
+looking up “am i gay?” is the epitome of queer culture. heartstopper agrees.
+I LOVE EDITH
+the hearts while texting i can’t
+this feels so achingly like a real first sapphic love. the hesitation, the doubt, the intensity, the gay panic, it’s all there.
+CALL OUT BIPHOBIA!!!! BI PEOPLE CAN BE BIPHOBIC TOO!!!
+I also love lili. great best friend behavior here!! she’s so good to immy
+ the quote “maybe shared experiences shouldn’t be the foundation at all. maybe it should be a promise to hold space for variation” is exactly what i learned in my queer studies class. audre lord said it best.
•
Cons:
-there is no timeline for queerness. everyone is on their own individual journey.
-also nobody owes anybody confirmation of their queerness or lack of queerness. making people feel not queer enough or questioning their queerness is shitty.
-i also wouldn’t be gretchen’s friend. everyone should strive to be a little less like her.
•
what a cute and important read! I loved the couple in this a lot. they were so cute and gentle and made me smile. i also think it explores really important themes surrounding comp het, biphobia, and queer discourse. comp het is a bitch and as someone who believed i was straight until college, i think this story will resonate with a lot of people. it’s also just so adorable and immy is gay panic intensified.

Imogen isn't sure of much, but a few things are certain: the idea of moving away to college is terrifying. Her friend Gretchen, who is a walking definition of outspoken and queer and informed, has it all figured out. Her friend Lili has found her place in college in a way that Imogen is sure won't be possible for herself. And Imogen is straight—textbook straight, in fact. Until, of course, she finds herself in a situation in which everyone is primed to think that Imogen is bisexual...and suddenly she's no longer sure what is fact and what is false.

I admit to some uncertainty at the beginning of the book. I've read so many coming-out stories and am always looking for the elusive YA novels in which the characters are queer, they know they're queer, and it's just...not really a big deal, and they can get on with the rest of the story. (So...Edith's story? Ooh, can we have Edith's story as a sequel? Okay, wait, I'm focusing, I swear.) It's also very apparent very early on which friend Imogen will eventually clash with, who the love interest is, et cetera. No surprises there.

But...then it registered that there's something much more complex going on here than a straightforward coming-out story. Imogen lives in a time and place where she's always known it's okay to come out—Penn Yan might not be a hotbed of queer culture, sure, but she has queer friends and queer family, and nobody's blinked. What she hasn't ever had is the space to question: there are few things of which she's certain, and one of them is that if she were queer, she would just...know. She'd slot neatly into a box, and that would be that.

There's a character—I'll keep it vague—who is really insistent on this narrative, that there's not really room to question, and it struck me that I knew that character once, or a version of her. The one and only time I set foot in the LGBTQ center at my college, another student, who I knew vaguely, all but interrogated me—to see, as far as I could tell, if I was intruding on her safe space. If I was "gay enough" to be there. (All this did, of course, was make it a patently *unsafe* space for me.) I went to one or two events that the primary LGBTQ org (...who dominated that LGBTQ center...) put on, and the first question was always "What are you, anyway?"—the assumption being that you'd figured it out and were ready to label yourself publicly and posthaste. And then I stopped going to those events, because it was very clear that I needed to be far more certain (of everything) than I actually was to feel comfortable there. Once Imogen starts consciously questioning, she figures it out at warp speed (the book spans nine days), but it took me years (starting, let's be clear, well and truly before little miss this-is-my-safe-space-so-I-get-to-decide-if-it-can-be-yours-too), I think in part because it was clear that I was going to have to keep my questioning internal in order not to raise lots of questions and doubt with others.

That part of Imogen's story, then, resonates in a very specific way that—for all that I still want more books about people who are out already, and it's fine, and here's a story where coming out isn't the point—I don't often see and didn't realize how valuable it is *to* see. It clicks faster for her, but she has that same odd gray area of needing to slot neatly into a box to be fully accepted. The romance here is adorable, and as (yay) drama-free as it can be under the circumstances, but I'm here for the gray area.

Now. Back to Edith. There's room for a sequel, right? One in which Imogen has gone to college and Edith (who already knows who she is in many ways) is figuring out who she is without her big sister around and maybe just maybe she'll be able to have an offline girlfriend...?

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.

THIS BOOK WAS SO FANTASTIC! I’ve read so many of Becky Albertalli’s books, and I love her writing so, so much. This book was obviously no exception! The pine, the angst, the drama, the texts, the banter, just everything was a 10 out of 10. It felt so real and honest and sad and happy and everything in between. I loved this book and these characters so much, and I want more! Also, the book cover: are you kidding me?! So gorgeous.

I cannot tell how much I loved this book and I was absolutely invested in Imogen! She is layered, well crafted character, a brave voice you want to hear!

• 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 •

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Imogen, Obviously
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Becky Albertalli
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

Can we talk about this stunning cover? Omg!!

Thank you Netgallery for this ARC.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023.

Imogen is the straight ally in her mostly queer friend group until she goes to visit one of her best friends Lilli at college and meets all of her friends but one sticks out, Tessa(heart eyes) and Imogen grow closer and she begins to question her identity and feelings. When she goes home after the visit, she begins texting Tessa and questioning everything. It doesn’t help that her feelings her feelings are complicated by her friend Gretchen's perceptions of the "queer experience". Gretchen's thoughts throughout definitely sheds light on the discrimination that happens within the queer community, especially against people who are bisexual.. it broke my heart and I can’t stand Gretchen but it’s real, everyday stuff the LGBTQIA community has to go through.

I loved the characters so much and Imogen’s character development. Her journey of finding herself in this book is something I wish I had when I was younger. Between her being so brave and trying figuring out her friends, herself, and her sexuality. This made me cry because I can understand her battles internally.

Imogen and Tessa’s relationship has my heart. I loved the interactions from the start. The way the conversations flow, the way I would blush, cry and laugh i felt like I was right there with the characters.

The LGBTQIA representation in this books is done so well and it’s so important to have it for Teens/YA readers. This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. I finished it in only a few hours and couldn’t get enough. As someone who enjoyed this so much I can’t recommend it enough and can’t wait to see what everyone thinks.

I’d recommend this novel to any and a it is wholesome, important, lovely and beautifully written.

Book publishing date is 05/02/2023

Will give feedback and my review when the HCP union gets a fair contract. Thank you so much for the book and can't wait to leave a review in the future.

Imogen's ideas brought to light a facet of our culture that I don't believe is frequently explored. Nowadays, it's difficult to maintain PC behavior, but it's critical to consider our actions.
Given that it was a little overstated, but many of her ideas were exactly what I had been debating with myself.
Her developing relationship with Tessa was an excellent vehicle for telling her coming-out narrative. I feel that, as opposed to the entire "the closet was glass" concept, I have adequately articulated how realizing your sexuality functions for many people.
Gretchen's inclusion in the narrative was intriguing. Until the conclusion, she didn't really give anything in the book. Her (poison) comments demonstrated the diversity of viewpoints among the LGBT community regarding what constitutes membership. It becomes difficult to distinguish between right and wrong since there are so many opposing perspectives. (Gretchen was obviously wrong in her case; but, the whole Kara situation really threw me for a loop.)

Books should be both windows, a glance into another’s experience, and mirrors, a way to see yourself on the page. As a straight woman it is impossible for me to have the experience of being queer, dealing with people’s understanding or feelings towards my sexuality, or the nuances of the queer community. For that reason I think books like this are so important, to see that experience on the page, to read words and experiences that I can never have but that will make me a better ally and more understanding human. Imogene has always been the straight member of her mainly queer friend group, but what is she wasn’t? Is there space for her to find out who she really is and examine parts of herself that’s he had previously used aside! A great read that will become part of my classroom library for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC! It's really hard to rate this book for me, because the different sections of the book were really different in terms of how much I liked them. The beginning, I honestly didn't like, only because there was a lot of Gretchen, and I HATE her. Like, HATE her. Also because it was hard to read someone be in so much denial. Once Imogen started feeling comfortable at college and such, I finally started to enjoy the book. Imogen and Tessa were starting to like, idk, flirt? I guess and stuff. I was worried that there would be like a love triangle between Tessa, Lilli, and Imogen, but there wasn't thank GOD. Anyways, the part when she comes home and is trying to come to terms with herself being bi and stuff was really hard hitting, and it made me cry. The scene where Lilli was like "if you ever want to tell me something, I'm here", made me cry AGAIN, and I also cried again when Gretchen was like no, you're not bi, your crush isn't real. Anyways, I'm gonna rant about Gretchen for the next paragraph, because her, and the trying-to-use-gen-z-slang-but-kind-of-failing were things that made me really dislike this book.
Gretchen just made me so angry, because she spends the entire book basically saying people need to come out when they're young to be a "real" queer person. Like, I know she wants to have her safe spaces, but oh my god think about another person for two seconds. They ALSO need safe spaces, or maybe they're not comfortable yet, or maybe they don't want to share their identity with YOU because you SUCK. Then, her weird parasocial relationships with celebs who came out "too late" and stuff, like AUGH. Anyways, i'm glad the book ended with Gretchen and Imogen not being friends anymore.

Oh my gosh, I can't say enough good things about Imogen, Albertalli's writing, or this book!!! I was thrilled to receive a free e-ARC of IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY from NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray in exchange for my honest review. This novel, the incredible cast of characters, and sweet, lovable, imperfect, amazing Imogen captured my heart!

This is my first of Albertalli's books and I will certainly be reading the rest and will be thrilled for any future stories of hers as well. I was a big fan of Love, Simon (film) and eagerly anticipated this novel after reading the synopsis. Imogen lived up to all of my expectations and more - this story is so important for representation and does such a lovely job of portraying Imogen's journey of self-discovery, identity, love, friendship, and more.

I whole-heartedly recommend this novel to any and all - it is wholesome, important, and lovely, through and through.

I have read all of Becky Albertalli's books, and this one did not disappoint. Imogen is the straight ally in her mostly queer friend group until she meets Tessa on a college visitation weekend and begins to question her identity and feelings. Her feeling are complicated further by her friend Gretchen's perceptions of the "queer experience". Gretchen's commentary throughout definitely sheds light on the discrimination that happens within the queer community, especially against people who are bisexual or who are straight-presenting. Much of this commentary has parallels with what the author faced when critics essentially forced her to out herself as bisexual for writing from gay perspectives. Due to alcohol use and sexual situations, this would definitely be better for high school collections.

Becky Albertalli is an auto read author for me. Her letter to the readers in this book is so heartwarming and I’m grateful to her for sharing her story.
I can see this being such an important book for so many. I see myself in Imogen and hope people are gentle with her process to get to her happy.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc

this book was amazing!!! I think this is my new all time favorite book! I love and deeply relate to Imogen so much (including our love of But I’m A Cheerleader). if you want to know what the inside of my brain is like read this book. I thought this book was so funny and well written! I wish we got to see more of the side characters though! But overall this was a five star book!

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli:

I really wanted to love this book but I was just a little bored by it. I thought Imogen, the main character was fun, and I thought the way her anxiety and people-pleasing behaviors were portrayed was really great, but I found being inside her head extremely repetitive and tedious. And I understand the author was doing that to show how overthinking when you have anxiety is often extremely repetitive and exhausting, but reading it wasn’t very fun.

I do think that the characters in this book were well written and that this story is super important. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a YA romance w/ a bi main character, or someone who is struggling with their identity in any way, especially if they are a younger teen! This was definitely not a bad book, just not one that really resonated with me:)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book comes out May 2, 2023 for any who are interested!

This book has moved in and taken up permanent residence in my heart; or, perhaps this book put on paper so much of what already lives inside me. IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY is a hilarious, charming, and gutting sapphic YA romcom about a girl who’s definitely straight - until she’s not. There’s so much of Albertalli’s signature writing here: witty and flirtatious banter, a fun cast of side characters, a compelling romance, and powerful revelations. She captures so perfectly the absolute rush of a new crush, the whole end-of-high-school-to-early-college transition (both a blurred line and a gaping chasm), and the mess and beauty of good friendships. I loved all of it, but the aspect that drew me in the most is Imogen’s coming out process, to herself and those around her. She’s always been an ally, friends with queer people and a defender of her queer sister, consuming queer media, very careful not to center herself. When she catches feelings for a girl and all the pieces of her life slot together into a different whole, there’s a powerful wave of doubt she experiences, both internally and from a close queer friend. You can absolutely tell that so much of these painful conversations and feelings are tied to Albertalli’s own experiences of being questioned by the queer community as a “straight” woman writing queer YA; that knowledge made these sections even more heartbreaking. As a bi person who came out later in life, who later looked back and saw all the obvious signs, this was a very tender and special reading experience. Thanks to Balzer + Bray for the eARC; this book is out 5/2.

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
.