This story is so full of heart, coming into your own, and growing pains. It’s a wonderful flow of events that are so normal it’s spectacular.

Imogen is hilarious. Her thoughts are like a whirlwind running through her brain, and I feel like it’s the most relatable experience ever. You can tell Imogen really cares about other people in the way she strives to be an ally, and just a good person in general. She’s sweet in a timid type of way.

Imogen and Tessa are #GOALS I’m at 61% and their ease of talking and their sarcasm is amazing! I love reading their texts so much.
Edie and Immy are the ideal sisters, their love and support of each other is beautiful and I really appreciate their bond.

Most gracious thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an advanced copy. This review is being posted voluntarily, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

With a queer sister and two queer best friends, Imogen is the model ally. She attends Pride Alliance meetings and reads books by queer authors. When invited to visit her best friend Lili at college, Imogen is hesitant. What if Lili’s cool, queer friends don’t like her? Relenting to go, Imogen learns that Lili told her friends that she and Imogen dated and decides to keep Lili’s secret by pretending to be bisexual. But what if Imogen doesn’t have to pretend all that hard? What if she’s not as striaght as she once thought she was?

I am so happy that authors like Becky Albertalli are writing YA books with such accurate LGBTQ+ representation. Imogen’s path to self-discovery closely mirrors that of my own. If a younger version of myself read this book she would have felt seen and validated. I hope that anyone who is questioning their speciality has a chance to read this book.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for sharing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. **

Do you ever read a book and think, "Wow, this was exactly what I needed right now. This was written just for me." Well, I had that with this book.

Imogen, Obviously tells the story of Imogen Scott - an avid ally of the LGBTQ+ community, over thinker extraordinaire, and vision board whiz. She's also hopelessly hetero....maybe? Imogen knows her role within her friend group, she's the token straight girl, the one who supports her friends in their quests for queer love. But Imogen starts to question everything she thought she was when she meets Tessa and everything changes.

This book reached down deep into my soul and pulled to the surface every little thought and feeling I've ever had. I wish that young me had had this book when she needed it rather than mid-30s me who is only now discovering herself.

Imogen, Obviously, is a witty, face-paced, laugh out loud funny novel that also pulls back the protective layer to your soul and exposes the raw reality of learning your sexuality when you've always been told you're one thing and not another. I cannot recommend this one enough.

Unfortunately, due to the strike, I cannot review this book at this time as it would be crossing the picket line. I really hope Harper Collins comes to the table and gives their workers a fair deal. I wish I could send an actual review at this time, but due to Harper Collin's actions, I cannot.

I think this book will go down as once of the best YA/romance/LGBTQ+ novels of 2023. The author built up such an interesting cast of characters, each with their own story that made perfect sense in this world. I was absolutely hooked on Imogen and her journey to truly understand herself. Honestly, I felt so sad for her at times as Gretchen was an absolute wretch of a friend--if anyone out there as a Gretchen, drop them!--and it made me wonder just how hard coming out can be for young people if those around them are not supportive or disbelieving.

So happy to get this advanced copy from NetGalley and looking forward to Albertalli's next release already!

Big fan of Beck Albertalli. Reading her introduction to this book was really nice. I understood a lot of the same feelings and experiences both the author and main character had. I really appreciated this book!

This book was incredible. I relate so much to Imogen, and I’ve honestly never read a book where I can relate to the characters this much. This was so hesrtwarming and so much more than just a romance; it was a coming of age and about a girl proving to herself that you don’t have to fit certain criteria to be not straight. I loved everything about it!

Okay, okay, I really wanted to love this book because I adored other titles by Albertalli. However, a lot of it felt cliche and a bit performative for lack of a better word. At some points it felt like it was trying too hard to relate to a younger demographic. All of that being said, there were really cute parts and I related to Imogen and other characters as well. It was sweet, but sometimes felt like it was leaning too hard into the young demographic rather than flowing authentically. It also may be that I’m just old now. Either way!

Thank you to Netgalley and HC for granting me access to this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review of this book when the Harper Collins Union strike is over because their needs were met.

With a cover like this.... How can you not pick it up!?

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli was another amazing story.

I don't know she does it but damn she does it and does it well.
Albertalli can create some of the most relatable characters I've seen.
The way she writes teenage characters is so relatable and I love how readers connect with them so well.
The cast of characters in this story is truly well-rounded and a lot of fun to see it all play out.n
This was a fun and adorable YA contemporary I believe most will love. I know I did.
I love how her stories are so well written and atmospheric. Very relatable as well.
Another phenomenal, unputdownable YA contemporary that I just adored.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's & Balzer + Bray for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s been a long while since I’ve read YA (I read this one prior to my last review of Emma Lord’s Begin Again). And Becky Albertalli’s latest book has got me back on the YA/New Adult train.

I LOVED this book!

Readers will notice though, in this story, it feels different. It’s more personal. Where a young woman begins to explore her identity, sexuality, and her friendships in this moving novel. Imogen Obviously is filled with all the classic Albertalli banter, wit, and clever dialogue, but there’s also this undercurrent of uncertainty, vulnerability, and anxiety. It’s felt throughout the novels as Imogen reflects on her past as well as the fake relationship she’s thrown into. But every page, every chapter of this novel is a gift to readers.

Plus, like all of Albertalli’s novels, she fills them with hilariously brilliant characters who you wish were part of this world.

Well, except for Gretchen. I could definitely live without her.

Run, don’t walk to pre-order this one.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

I know so many queers who were just Excellent Allies first--so this tracks! This book was fun to read, of course, since all of BA's books are, and i am sure it will feel really resonant for lots of people to figure it out, and then wonder how they never did before.

Thank you to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an electronic ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of a Becky Albertalli book, and it did not disappoint! The author’s note was actually as significant as the story itself.

Imogen considers herself an ally, many of those closest to her are queer, but she is definitely heterosexual…or is she?

When she goes to visit her best friend Lili, newly out of the closet, in her first year at college, she discovers that said friend may have told her new queer friends a little fib…they all believe that Lili and Imogen used to date.

As Imogen goes along with the lie, she begins to question her own feelings—and her sexuality.

An important story, because it’s one that isn’t usually told. The usually queer party line seems to be “I always knew”. Different people have different struggles—and this story addresses the discovery/realization that one has same-sex crushes as well as opposite sex crushes, and the maybe this means that the individual is actually bisexual. It also hints at the reactions bisexuals may get, even from the queer community.

I loved this story because it wasn’t all clean and clear cut—it showed the messy bits. It’s the kind of story people need to hear.

Highly recommend!

As always, Becky Albertalli is GREAT at writing the teens, even awful ones (least favorite thing about this book is that it gives Gretchens a bad name). I know this book was deeply personal for her, and she really made her point.

So the first 50-75% of the book was lovely and nice. The last chunk of the book gets 10/5 stars. So fantastically written: the heart of these characters is just lovely. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend.

Feedback will be provided when a new contract is negotiated with HarperCollins Union.
Feedback will be provided when a new contract is negotiated with HarperCollins Union.

I received an ARC for this book and I’m so glad I did. Imogen’s thoughts highlighted a part of our culture that I don’t think is discussed a lot. It’s definitely hard to stay PC in this day and age but it’s so necessary to think about our actions. Given it was a bit over exaggerated, but a lot of her thoughts were exactly the things that argued about in my head.

The progress of her relationship with Tessa was a great way to portray her coming out story. I feel like explained how realizing your sexuality works for a lot of people, as opposed to the whole “the closet was glass” analogy.

Gretchen was an interesting addition to the story. She didn’t really offer much throughout the book, until the ending. Her (toxic) opinions revealed how the LGBT community has so many different perspectives about what qualifies people as a member. There are so many different viewpoints that it gets hard to determine what’s right and what’s wrong. (Obviously in Gretchen’s case she was clearly wrong, but the whole thing with Kara really had me for a loop)

I love this book. It has great vibes and the cover is beautiful. This story is so important and the representation is fantastic.

Imogen Scott is straight but she’s the best Ally there is, she’s got two queer best friends, and is finally going to be visiting Lili, one of her queer best friends who is in college and wants Imogen to meet her other queer college friends. Imogen’s other best friend is a fellow high school senior who goes out of her way to keep Imogen’s biases in check. Upon arriving at the college campus Lili promptly informs Imogen that she might have made a tiny little lie saying that she and Imogen use to date, so she could feel like she would fit in more with her friends before they became her friends and Imogen offers to go along with it. Yet the more time Imogen spends with all of Lili’s friends including Lili’s best friend Tessa, a stunning girl who has Imogen’s heart fluttering, Imogen is beginning to question what her sexual identity is and if what her best friend Gretchen has been doing this entire time was gatekeeping her queerness and trying to force Imogen into being something she’s not. This was a fun story about sexual identity, friendship, and what it means to come out on your own terms and to recognize your own sexuality in your own space and time. Imogen believes she is hetereo but then she meets someone who has her questioning what her sexual identity is, and having a best friend who constantly tells you what your sexual identity is and what you are not does not help. Imogen has to deal with figuring out who she is and what she identifies as, as well as who is truly her friend and who is not. It was a fun story with some light romance but really focuses on friendship and identity.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I'm cishet so can speak only about how reading the book felt to me, as a reader, not in terms of how effective the portrayal was of the lead character's bi awakening. This story took a little while to get into since it effectively dumps us into the middle of a scene with many characters. But once it hit its stride, it was a very easy read (as with all of Albertalli's books I've so far read). Imogen believes she is straight. However, she's a strong ally for her gay sister, her pan best friend, and another close bi friend from school - and even attends all the Pride Alliance's meetings at her high school. When she goes to visit her best friend, Lili, at the college she too will be attending in six months' time, there's an instant connection with one from Lili's new gang of cool, queer friends. Not to mention the fact that Lili, in a panic at being a baby queer, has told everyone that she and Imogen used to date, and that Imogen is bi.

Imogen is a really well-developed character, even though her anxiety can make it a little exhausting to be in her head at times (not a complaint, just a CW in case it's a trigger). You really live through her questioning. her confusion, her panic, her guilt at potentially co-opting a queer space when she might not even be bi. Her friendship and growing feelings towards Tessa feels real in that its cute, its messy, it takes great care to show two young people figuring out their feelings through the lens of their own former experiences and potential issues.

Knowing what we do about Becky's own coming-out story, and what she says in her author's note at the beginning, the intensely personal nature of the book makes sense.

There's a lot more I could write about this, but I might add it all in closer to pub date or include it in my review on Instagram. This is a very engaging story.