This may be my favorite book Becky Albertalli has written so far. The characters are fully fleshed out, relatable, and interesting. Sweet and touching all at once.

I was alternately bored or annoyed by this book. No offense to the author. I understand teens aren't too dissimilar from the sort of character types in the book, but at over halfway through, with the MC being obsessed and clearly into the romantic interest but still like "but I'm not bi or a lesbian so it's wrong!", when like hello... you're literally thinking about her all the time and how pretty she is and how much you want to be with her. But because Imogen's friend Gretchen (unlikable and not a good friend tbh) tells her she's straight, then THAT must be her truth and not, you know, her actual thoughts and emotions?!

I was just shaking my head and rolling me eyes the whole time and had to really, really push myself to finish this. I was hoping for cutesy romance vibes and there's some of that, but it's really bogged down in everything else. We could really have done with being in Imogen's head a LOT less, with more showing and less telling of her inner turmoil because it was just way too much.

Or maybe I'm grouchy old woman now lol

Ahhh, the “I’m such a good ally” to “…Wait a second” to “Oh, I think I’m bi” pipeline. Who among us hasn’t had this exact experience. Certainly not me. Reading it was like a visceral kick to heart on every page. And I loved it.

Becky Albertalli writes a deeply personal story, telling the story of Imogen, a teenager who tries to understand what she feels about a girl who captures her attention so suddenly. But it’s probably just because she has a lot of queer friends and hangs out in a lot of queer spaces because she’s a great ally, right? Couldn’t possibly be anything other than that.

This book spoke to me as Albertalli’s books so often do. Imogen’s internal conflict so closely mirrored my own a few years ago. Leah on the Offbeat was a book that helped me put the pieces together and this book helped me figure out how they’ve always fit together and been there, even if I didn’t see them.

I love the idea that this book will help so many people understand that little voice that’s always sort of been in the back of their head. That warm and welcoming voice just waiting to be heard. Imogen, Obviously is a funny, heartwarming, and lovely read that will probably end up doing a lot of good for those who need it.

5 stars

Ahh another cute Albertolli book you're sure to love! It has:

• a captivating storyline
• sweet romance
• ya lgbtq
• highschool setting
• coming of age

I thought this was so cute. If you're a sucker for heartfelt, young adult books then definitely check this obe out.

I’m so sorry but after reading 50% of this book I realized that I just didn’t care about anything.

Basically its about Imogen’s queerness crisis. She knows in her bones that she’s straight, she has a queer sister, queer friends, etc and she definitely isnt one of them. But one lie leads to a situation where she started to question whether she’s actually bi or not

Also the whole book is so gen Z since most of the characters are late teenagers, and they’re texting all the time. which might be good for some groups of readers but not for me.

Becky Albertalli's latest is a stunner. Imogen is a hugely supportive ally to the many queer people in her life, and she's pretty sure she's straight, but a weekend visiting Lili at college has her reframing her whole life. The book moves at a fast pace thanks to short chapters and text-threads. All of Imogen's friends are fully-imagined. This is a story about friendship and first love, but it's so much more. There's a lot of information in this book, but it's presented in a way that's natural and part of the dialogue. Highly recommend this title.

What a great book for awareness and coming of age identity questions. College is such a pivotal time for so many and to have a book with such inclusivity will bring hope to many that they aren’t alone. This book was fun and brave and UNIQUE. The world needs more of all of that.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Heartfelt coming-of age story that will appeal to anyone trying to figure out their identity and their friendships as they move from high school to college.

I finished this one a while ago and i just simply forgot to give feedback on Netgalley, as I've been a little hiatus recently.

I found this title very interesting and fun! I can't remember how I felt about it in a deep way but I do remember loving it! Thank you for the ARC!

While at times the writing could feel a little bit cheesy/corny, overall this was a delightful read! As a fan of Albertalli's previous books, I was excited to read this one as well. It was a lighter and quick read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc of this story. This is my honest review.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND HARPER COLLINS CHILDREN’S FOR THIS ARC!!!

Everything about this story was wonderful.

I REALLY enjoy this soo much. The story feels like a warm hug. ALSO, the story is so heartwarming

Thanks for the arc, Netgalley

Oh my gosh, I don't have words to explain how much I loved this darling book. It felt like a best friend's hug after a long day. It was funny and wonderful and so sweet. I loved it.

Imogen is finally taking the plunge and visiting her best friend, Lili, at college, just a half hour away. Imogen will be attending college there next fall, but is nervous about being on campus. Right away, she is embraced by her best friend's other friends, and they have a wonderful time. Imogen meets a girl there that she can't stop thinking about, but that doesn't make sense. Imogen is straight, right?

I think this book is so real and so relatable to teens, but also to adults who have ever questioned their own identity. Imogen has been told by her friends, especially her high school best friend, (Gretchen, who is bisexual) that she is straight. She's a great ally, but doesn't quite fit into queer spaces. Imogen really has to work through some of her own bias and her understanding of herself to come to terms with who she is and who she can be. I wanted to be friends with all of these people. Everyone was well-rounded, and I think Imogen is a great stand-in for teens who are wondering these same things about themselves.

This was truly one of my favorite books of the year. I loved it so much.

I really enjoyed this cozy, sapphic romance. I did find it to be a little cheesy/cringy at times but overall it was heartwarming and lovely.

Cute sapphic coming out/first love story. I love the focus that labels only really matter to you if you care about them and that you shouldn’t let anyone put you in a box. It just was weird that this was only in the span of a week and there were cringey millennial-made “teen” texts.

I wish this book had been even longer! I didn't want it to end. It was so cozy and comforting and important, it has claimed such a special place in my heart.

Another thoughtful novel by Albertalli - I thought that the characters were relatable and well-contoured. I will be suggesting this to students in my introduction to fiction classes.

This book was AMAZING! This was my first book by Becky Albertalli and it won't be my last. This story was so adorable and wholesome. It had me relating to the characters, laughing, and getting upset. The LGBT representation was so well done and realistic. I felt that Albertalli was on point with the queer experiences and inner struggles.

Let's talk about Imogen, boy did love her. I'm usually not one to like FMC, they usually annoy me. However, Imogen has become hands down a favorite of mine. There were moments where I was screaming at her because she was a total pushover, always apologizing for things. However, I didn't mind it because that's a part of her growth as a character, which was pleasant to read. The journey and inner struggles she faced with finding her true identity and discovering herself was so refreshing to read. Imogen made me fall in love with her, which made me become fully invested in her. She was so layered, funny, and fearless. I think that her experiences with discovering her sexuality is one that many people can relate to, including myself.

Now Tessa, she is just so amazing and the perfect match for Imogen. She was just this glorious soft-butch lesbian that had me swooning with all her little, but significant gestures. Ugh, she is such a sweetheart. I loved every moment I spent with her and seeing Imogen and her relationship develop. Just like Imogen, I was full of anticipation when I'd be seeing (reading) Tessa again. Listen, I think I myself developed a crush on Tessa. Just her being the cinnamon roll that she is had me giggling, smiling, and feeling butterflies. She made my little bitty heart full with happiness and all the "awww" vibes.

Although Imogen is a fictional character, I could tell that Albertalli was speaking about her experiences through her. The words on those pages felt so real and raw. I'm so grateful for this story and the words that the author wrote. This book should be put in school curriculums, as I know a lot of teens struggle with this. I NEEEEEDDD a physical copy asap, so I can reread it, heavily annotate it, and have it sit gloriously on my shelf. *cough, cough Harper send one my way lol* I'd highly recommend this book HANDS DOWN.

Note to the author: Uhmm, can we get a continuation of Imogen and Tessa relationship. I NEED more of them! Thanks in advance.

I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t have loved this book anymore. It felt like it was written for me directly. I am a huge fan of Becky Albertalli and will recommend this book to any of her previous readers. This is my favorite of hers!

Okay so, this book was a great example of the "I didn't personally like it, but I understand why someone would like it." Basically, everything excluding content and character (language, format, structure, etc.) was incredibly solid. Really it was some of the best I've seen this year. The language was natural (for the most part), it had funny parts, and it really sounded like teenagers speaking. And I mean like reeeeeaaallllllyyy like teenagers, almost scarily so. I have not checked to see if the author has teenagers herself, but would not be surprised. I feel like she did some hardcore lurking/"research" online to get it as good as she did.

The structure of the love story and the coming out aspect was also done really well -- perfectly timed and with the right amount of gravitas.

Okay, now I'll say it. I did not like the book, and I do not think it deserves to be on the library's list. For one, the book is extremely white-washed. Technically, there are 3 people of color in the main cast, but they are all white coded severely. Like apparently Lilli is Brazilian??? This does not come up at all in the book until like the last 30 pages for one brief moment where she says something in Portuguese then talks about her grandma in Brazil. It feels really tacked on. Mika is Japanese-American, but only in name -- nothing besides Imogen referring to them as Japanese-American hints at their ethnicity at all. Albertalli explicitly only told us, and never showed us. And, I think, that Kayla is supposed to be African American, but, there is little to no indication of this throughout the entire book -- again, towards the end she refers to someone as a white girl, and I saw from a drawing on the author's Instagram that she's supposed to be POC.

Second reason for my decision -- it mirrors the author's own life too much and justifies her actions, while making her seem like the ultimate good, and all of her bullies the worst possible people. It really feels like a revenge or comeback novel -- she's trying to dunk on people who were mean to her.

Lastly, one thing that really irked me that I didn't realize until the end is that the first chapter and the title set up that Imogen says "obviously" all the time but I kid you not she does not use it out of the first 30 pages. I mean that's a guess but it is not noticeable at all. I only realized it when towards the end someone say that Imogen says some other word a lot (blanking on it now), and it was not "obviously."

Tangentially I know this was an ARC that I read, but I felt like a first draft -- never edited from what she initially wrote. Yeah man I don't know this was a big ole rant, but tldr it's a good book formally, and I see people liking it, I don't think it deserves to be on the list bc the author doesn't need it and it seemed like she wasn't really trying.