This book was more than I hoped for, I heard it was inclusive and diverse but it exceeded my expectations! The characters go through incredible development and are each unique and have their own clear voice, which is what everyone may hope for in a novel. The sensitive topic of rape and harassment is very gently handled and gives comfort and strength, something a lot of authors can learn from. This book is brave, yet warm and welcoming, a fantastic debut!

I really enjoyed this. This coming of age/new adult story centers on Savannah, a college student who grapples with her shifting identity, sexuality, and unresolved trauma. I loved the shift in time, pacing, and character development! This one really made me think about the labels we assign and how we hide behind them, much to our detriment. Overall, I’d say give this a go if you want a fresh perspective on queer identity and friendships. Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for this ARC.

TW: sexual assault
Slightly different take on a coming-of-age tale, focusing on identity and one's place in the world. I'm surprised this is a first novel - it's pretty well-written. The characters were defined and their banter felt real. I could easily see a movie coming from this.

Overall, I enjoyed this tale and could envision future tales of Savannah.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great ‘coming of age’ story of a bisexual woman finding out who she is in college. Sav has had a falling out with her childhood best friend back in high school, then finds out she’s engaged. Sav realizes she’ll need to face her trauma surrounding their relationship (be advised there is SA discussed). The dialogue with her new college friends is perfect banter. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Instant 5 stars! I didn’t want this book to end and immediately wanted to re-read it once it did. This was such a sweet, funny and painful story about queer friendship, being newly out and finding your identity while letting go of the person you thought you were, and coming to terms with trauma. I saw so much of my younger self in Savannah. I’m so happy all the baby queers will have this book!

This one unfortunately wasn’t for me. I think that it’ll resonate really well for certain communities, especially those within the LGBTQ+ community. The topics discussed were very important and I believe that this book will help others who read it. I just found the dialogue to be slightly cringey, and it was hard to feel immersed in the world that was being written about due to lack of description regarding almost all settings. A decent debut, but personally fell short for me.

I've bee hoping to read this book since I saw the cover! It did not disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars! Jakobson did a wonderful job with the characters and plot.

This is a very good book. I really love the characters and the way it was written. I am new to this author but it didn't disappoint and I do think this is a very good book for young adults. This is a queer and honest book that hits so many topics close to many. Very beautiful debut and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I was very excited to read this book, but had a hard time getting into it. I stuck it out and I'm glad I did because by the mid point, I was hooked.

I think that it is probably difficult to understand some of the choices Sav makes throughout the book unless the reader has truly lived through a sexual assault. While these choices seem over the top, they truly aren't. I wish that it didn't, but I think that the world needed a book like this. A book that shows how traumatic a situation like this can be and how others who haven't gone through sexual assault can see it from an outside perspective.

There are so many learning moments in this book: learning when it is okay to let go of friendships, learning that going to a therapist is okay, learning that choices are made (especially bad ones) and knowing why they were made, and so so many others. I think my favorite though is learning that you sometimes need to put yourself first in order to heal.

And while I wish that Sav didn't have to go through such a traumatic event, and have to live it over and over in her head...it is nice to know that there is someone out there (even a fictional character) who has learned the start of healing after going through something so terrible.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC. And thank you Haley for this novel. I needed this, truly.
4.5/5

I've been waiting to read this book for months and it did not disappoint. Haley has such a unique writing style that took a little bit to get the grasp of but once I did I really enjoyed the pacing of the book. The characters were all so real, I loved Sav - she is so much more badass than I thought she would be. This book is funny and I laughed out loud at many points. I found myself sad that it was over because I wanted to live in the world a little longer. Haley does a great job of incorporating mental health throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a coming of age queer novel.

A delightful and authentic coming-of-age novel that explores that sadness that comes with outgrowing childhood friendships, the excitement of exploring identity in college, and the confusion and pain of living with sexual assault related trauma, especially when the perpetrator is related to someone you trust. Jakobson balances all the themes with memorable characters, humorous and realistic dialogue, and lots of nice observant details about finding your queer family.
Loved it.

3.5/5 ☆

TW: sexual assault

This took a second to get into, but I'm glad I stuck through and finished it to the end. The writing here is unique, a bit YA-esk, and is probably what threw me for a loop when I initially began my read. Old Enough is a powerful coming-of-age story about Sav, a bi college sophomore who is learning to navigate her friendships and past trauma after finding out her childhood best friend is getting engaged.

Haley does a really good job at dialogue in this book and the conversations surrounding SA (though very upsetting) was oddly comforting because of how retable Sav's feelings were. Definitely felt seen and I applaud Sav's honesty, despite how difficult it must have been. Her journey to healing is just beginning, but like her friends in the book, I am very much rooting for her.

This book is so well written. It has amazing characters, themes, and support. This book has parts that are hard to read but also so incredibly relevant.

Sav is coming into her own in college and finally had found her people. She is out as bisexual and proud, she has amazing friends who are unique and love her for who she is. She is over her toxic ex. But when her past comes crashing back into her life she has to figure out how to keep herself together and maintain all the progress she has made in finding peace and creating a life worth living.

The supportive figures in this book are fantastic, from Sav’s therapist helping her to process her assault to her professor who helps her to understand that she can reprioritize what she thinks she has to do. This book honestly says pretty much everything I would want to say to anyone who is a survivor of SA.

Her queer friend group is fantastic, and they are so supportive and kind. Finding your people is honestly a game changer and it’s fun to watch Sav come into her own because of the support and love she receives. Outgrowing old friendships and finding new ones that fit better is part of growing up and is so well explored here. All together, I really loved this book.

Parent’s guide:
Sex & Nudity: moderate (rape, masturbation, oral sex, penetrative sex, underage sex)
Violence & Gore: moderate (rape)
Profanity: mild-moderate
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: moderate (a lot of underage drinking)
Frightening & Intense Scenes: moderate (sexual assault)

five/five stars!

Old Enough by Haley Jakobson is a fantastic debut novel centering queerness, trauma, love, high school, college, friendship, and life. It tells the story of Savanna, a bisexual girl in college, through past and present narratives. It’s a book that doesn’t leave your head and is incredible and immersive.

Haley Jakobson’s writing style is refreshing and engaging. I loved it! I especially enjoyed the chapters taking place in the past, where she used the 2nd person. This is truly one of those books that stick with you- even after weeks and months of initially reading it. In fact, I ended up thinking about it so much that I reread it, which I rarely do with arcs.

I LOVED the characters. They were all very fleshed out and realistic. My favorite characters were probably Candance and Vera. The author also did a fantastic job in making Izzie and unlikable albeit nuanced character. Personally, I related to Sav somewhat and drew parallels from the characters in the books to people in my real life.

The plot was super engaging and it was an enamoring read. The novel was paced very well, and was hard to put down. It especially helped that I really liked the setting. It felt very realistic.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It takes a twist on the typical “college coming of age story” in the best way. A must read for sure!

“Old Enough” is an incredibly compelling read. It centers around Sav, a 19-year-old college student and recently out bisexual. When her childhood best friend, Izzy, announces her engagement Sav realizes she has to reconcile who she is now with who she was in the past. On top of that she navigates past trauma and a possible romance.

This book was so good. It tackled a lot of different themes; college, coming of age, trauma, drifting away from old friends, fitting into queer culture, in a very masterful way without feeling heavy handed or overwhelming. Sav was so real and relatable and a protagonist I wanted to root for from start to finish.

This is a good look of figuring things out in college and becoming the person you are meant to be.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

A wonderful coming of age story. It was a pleasure getting to see Sav’s personal growth once she was away from her family and high school friends and find a community where could feel good about herself. The way the story went back and forth between the present and Sav’s high school years was deftly written. Sav’s coming to terms with the past was a large part of her growing up and being able to have other relationships that really had meaning for her. Sometimes, you must leave people behind to move forward and Haley Jakobson handled this so well. A touching story that had some humorous moments. Well done and I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

In Old Enough we follow our protagonist Savannah in her sophomore year of college, a big one! She's finally come out as bisexual, and started making some fun queer friends that feel very authentic to her, not to mention she has her eye on a cutie from her gender studies class. Things are really turning up, until Savannah finds out her best friend from high school is engaged. This is where things become complicated, and Sav is taken on an emotional journey through her high school trauma, and forced to confront her past in order to keep movin' forward. It's heartfelt and tough at times, and definitely had me tearing up.

Jakobson has really written a beautiful ode to being young and gay and figuring out how to navigate the world. A lot of Savannah's experiences within this book felt so relatable to me in my own journey of coming out and navigating college life and complicated friendships. Sav deals with some heavy stuff, there's a lot of discussion of SA assault and working through trauma that could be triggering for some, but the representation is very important. This book also has great representation for bisexuality, and trans identities, which were fun to see. I would recommend this to any queer person looking for a good coming of age novel, it was a speedy and fun read, with great relationships and friendships, and diverse characters. I give it 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The premise to this novel sounded great, but I really didn't like the writing style, and the story seemed to focus on too many topics.

Compelling and propulsive coming of age campus novel--always a genre I will gravitate towards--that delivers across all of its marketing copy themes: queer love, friendship, community, and survival. Especially appreciated is that it focuses on storytelling within a queer community that doesn't focus primarily on the coming out experience or having to defend itself (though those stories are crucial as well). It's simply that this is the community this narrator is living within, and the reader gets to be brought into it with her.