I wish I could say I loved this. But the truth is, I didn't finish. I though it was refreshing to read about a young girl questioning her sexuality and all that entails--I think books like this are needed in today's times--but for me, as an older reader, I have less patience for teen-age/young adult angst. I just don't find it interesting to me in my life point now. Do I think other readers will enjoy this--yes! I do have some notes for the publisher: the organization was a bit messy. It was hard to tell when it was a flashback and when it was current. Also, a few times, the dates were jumbled. She talked about it was almost summer, then it switched to winter break, then back to summer. There were a few instances were it was hard to tell with the timing. That took me out of the story a little bit.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this, though, and keep publishing books to reach all readers!

Old Enough follows a bisexual University student as she grapples with her past life and her future, old friendships and new, childhood identity and coming of age. She is haunted by past rape from someone who was close to her and is wrestling with the implications. She is exploring her sexuality, along with her very gay friends, and seems very preoccupied with how her friends perceive her queerness.

Despite these dark themes, Jakobson writes with the lightness and humour that I can only liken to a teen Netflix show. It is fun and easy to digest, with bright characters who are all manic pixie dream girls.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one, as I loved the themes and plot, yet felt as though I might be a bit old for the prose. It seems to have a YA writing style with distinctly adult themes. I found myself constantly cringing at the dialogue and actions of the characters (if ONE more person pokes their tongue out I’m gonna end it all) - no one irl talks like these people do! While I did like the large and diverse cast of characters (Haley knows we aren’t too dumb to keep up), I never like it when the love interest has no flaws and the antagonist has them in spades. Because of these, the story didn’t feel as real as others with the same themes.

I honestly think that Jakobson would be a great screenwriter and that I would probably eat up any show she writes. I loved the discussions around queer theory and how sex positive this book was, even though it was about SA. Although I cringed so much, I did enjoy reading it and wanted to come back for me.

This book was really something. Something I wish I could've read a decade ago. I think this could be a highly impactful coming of age/high school to college transition story for people to read. There were moments when my heart was breaking and there were moments where I literally laughed out loud. It specifically resonated with me as a 'zillennial' - there were so many moments where I was like... damn, I experienced that exact same thing. It's queer, it's meaningful, it's written in a fun way with a back and forth timeline - which I love - there was just so much about it that was lovely. Definitely check out the TWs before diving in, but I'm super excited to see if Haley comes out with anything else. This book made me feel seen in so many different ways, My only downfall was that I wanted more. Not a sequel necessarily, but just more. I didn't want to let these characters go - it feels like people I know. What a debut.

Old Enough follows protagonist Savannah as she grapples with finding her true identity in college. Surrounded by new, outspoken friends who are confident in their sexuality, Savvy attempts to put her past behind her and embrace her new life.

However, that’s easier said than done. Izzie, Savvy’s childhood best friend, is getting married. This means a reunion with Izzie’s brother, who sits at the centre of Savannah’s traumatic past. Entangled with the memories and the pain, Savannah struggles to balance her new life with her old.

Haley Jakobson really did something with this book, and reading it is such a valuable experience. Savannah, as well as the abundance of side characters, feel multi-dimensional and complex. Trauma was handled in a mature and nuanced way that I feel is rare to find anywhere, let alone in literature.

Jakobson has an undeniably addicting flow to her writing, where she is able to balance humour and poignancy in perfect tandem.

My only criticism is that at times I felt she was trying to do too much in one novel. It is always great to see representation, and discussions of sexuality and gender in novels and the same goes for how important it is to discuss sexual trauma too. However, I sometimes felt like trying to tackle both issues distracted me from one or the other depending on what the chapter focused on.

In high school, Savannah spent her time looking good for boys, and she had a crush on her best friend Izzie's brother. Four years later, after a traumatic sexual experience with that brother, she is a bisexual college student with a diverse group of friends and a newly awakened sense of social justice. But where does her past - her trauma, her relationships with her parents and hometown, and especially her friendship with Izzie - fit into her life now?

Old Enough is a thought-provoking story and an absorbing read. I particularly enjoyed the sections about Savannah's college friends and their relationships. But I found Savannah's point of view frustratingly naive. She has very rigid ideas about who is good and enlightened (herself and her queer friends and maybe a couple of professors on campus) and who is not (her parents, despite their attempts to offer support, and every boy or man she encounters sexually, and especially Izzie). I thought college-age Izzie was a really interesting character facing a relatable and nuanced set of dilemmas, but Savannah resolutely dismissed her until the final chapters.

Those final chapters were very well-done, and dissipated a lot of my frustration with the narrator's immaturity. Many people have loved this book and I can definitely see why. But I think I am probably too old for it.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I LOVED this book. I saw it described somewhere by the author as a love letter to girlhood and that was the most perfect way to summarize it. It truly encapsulates coming into your own as a queer woman.

This book is delightful, serious and fun all at the same time. We travel along with Sav, a queer college sophomore, as she discovers her intimate and sexual truth. There is graphic sex in this novel, as well as some scenes of sexual abuse, and is still a really fun, joyful book to read. I loved all of the characters, and was rooting for each of them to find their ways.

It is interesting to read this book as a 40-something woman who happens to be a therapist as well. It's written by, for and about young queer adults discovering themselves, people who are young enough that I could be a parent to any of them. I felt protective towards these characters, and I wanted to party with them as well!

Would highly recommend to readers of YA and Queer Fiction. 5/5 stars

This. Book.
I want everyone to read it. It’s so poignant and moving and emotional but probably the top descriptor I would choose is real. There’s so much truth and earnestness in Sav as she works to unpack her trauma and allow herself to bloom. And the interactions with her friends, her classmates, her family, all come across in a way that you can imagine them, as if you’re sitting across the table taking in the conversations. What a gift Haley Jakobson has in writing honestly and reflectively about queer joy, friendship, found family, trauma, and more.

I think that everyone should read this book. It's seriously a masterclass in the importance of kindness and how trauma effects us all differently and the process of healing, and how it's sometimes messy and always hard. It is at times hard to read and simultaneously impossible to look away from. I really rooted for Sav on her journey towards healing, and I was really proud of her at the end of the book. I think the author does a fantastic job of handling the difficult process and there were some moments that were really emotional and personal for me as well. One thing I especially like is that we're never told Izzie's brother's name, which is great because the whole message of this book is that justice should center the survivor, and this story does exactly that, putting Sav at the center, the way it should be.

I also love the found family vibes, and all of the people Sav finds at college, as she grows into herself and finds her place in the queer community. I also love that this story shows how many different ways there are to be queer and to be a person, in general, and it really focuses on the journey to finding yourself, and how we all deserve to be celebrated and loved just by being who we are (gosh kinda crying just writing this). I love a lot of the side characters, and Wes is so precious. I also am half in love with Vera.

This book isn't perfect, I do think there are a few moments that could have been expanded on more, and a few minor plot points that get lost. But, what is perfect? And the point of this book is kind of that none of us, but we're still worthy of being loved.

Definitely read it.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book started off very, very rocky for me. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a YA-esque writing style that was a tad hyperbolic, but the more I read, the more I got used to it. I’m just not a reader of YA, which is why that style threw me off a bit, despite this book not being YA. However, once the story began picking up, I got very invested and was able to set aside my qualms about the dialogue being unrealistic (I still slightly cringe at how the characters talked, because in my experience as a queer college student, no one talked like a social justice twitter page). I really did have a hard time with the dialogue though, sometimes I had to put the book down because I was like, do people really talk like this???
Dialogue aside, Savannah was a character I enjoyed reading about because her story is one that I haven’t read about before. She is exploring some deep things that could change her life profoundly, such as coming out as bisexual in college and trying to figure out whether to stay loyal to her traumatizing past or move forward with people who embrace all aspects of her. The exploration of trauma, friendship, queerness, love, and sex in this book is well-done. I liked that Sav messed up and was complex because that kind of experience is inherently messy and no one gets everything right. But Sav had great friends to help her along the way and there’s nothing more I love than a queer found family story. Her group of college friends were loyal, understanding, and eager to help, which I loved. Now Izzie on the other hand made me want to reach through my phone screen and shake her by the shoulders. Who on earth does the things she does to her best friend?!?? Secondary Villain of the story (we all know who the actual villain is and he shall not be mentioned) for real.
Anyways, this book was complicated for me because it had dialogue issues but the plot held me through. 3 stars.

A few pages into "Old Enough" by Haley Jakobson, it became clear that I, a middle aged straight cis woman, was not the intended audience for this book about college students with a vast range of sexual identities. However, because I never not finish a book, I kept going and am so very glad I did. Though this book made me feel really old, I enjoyed reading about the characters' exploits and college experiences; many were not unlike my own in ways. I also learned a lot about how the concepts of gender and sexuality have evolved since I was young. I liked the development of Sav's character; how she grew as a person from beginning to end was realistic. I wish the secondary characters had been more developed though; they never really came alive for me. I loved how this book lacked stereotypes or judgments, even of the bubbly sorority girls. The message that many different kinds of people can exist together if we could just all be kind and take the time to understand each other is an important one. I just wish the pacing of the book would have been a bit faster (it definitely dragged in places) and the writing a bit more mature and less YA-ish. Overall, this is a good modern coming-of-age novel and well worth the read, even for old ladies like me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book absolutely changed my life. I will not stop thinking about it for awhile. I've never read any book like it, yet, I cannot imagine how many people have gone through a story like Savannah's. I laughed and sobbed and kicked my feet in the air and everything in between. I loved that most everyone was queer, it felt like such a real liberal arts college experience.

4.5 stars

Synopsis: Old Enough is a coming-of-age story about Savannah "Sav" Henry, who is in her sophomore year of college. She is finally out as bisexual, has developed a network of queer friends, and is finally starting to feel healed after her first "situationship." All in all, she is feeling cautiously optimistic about "starting" her life! All of this quickly changes when her childhood best friend, Izzie, announces she's engaged. Things between the two have not been the same since that night between Sav and Izzie's older brother when they were sixteen. With the wedding quickly approaching, Sav has to confront the trauma she has been avoiding processing. To make matters even more complicated, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes, a person in her gender studies class. They are totally dreamy, and Sav's attraction to them makes her truly terrified!

Thoughts: Old Enough was a fantastic read that explores queer love, chosen community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. This story captures the power and importance of friendship, as well as provides an honest depiction of processing trauma. There was an excellent balance between serious and lighthearted moments that made this book easy to get lost in. The cast of characters solidly represents many facets within the queer community, and some of the mistakes that other characters make in their wrongful assumptions about the queer community leaves room to educate readers.

This was one of the best books I have ever read. I related to the main character in so many ways. I feel like I really connected with not just Savannah, but the other characters as well. I felt every feeling possible while reading this book. I cried, I smiled, I laughed, I cringed, I got angry. This book is just perfect.

College sophomore Savannah Henry has only been out as bisexual for a year. She has a new set of queer friends and is trying to fit into their group. Her lifelong best friend Izzie announces her engagement and wants Sav to be a part of her wedding. This is triggering to Sav and her anxiety overflows into her the new life she is trying to have at school. As the layers are peeled she is still dealing with the trauma of being sexually assaulted three years earlier, by someone she knew and who she dreamed of having a romance. Some topics are explored like guilt of over drinking, still wanting contact with the person etc. She has had some therapy

This is a great book for various queer representation and finding friends who support you. As a coming of age story it is hard because there aren’t simple answers. In Sav’s Gender and Sexuality class the topic of justice is discussed. And I think one of the hardest aspects to this story is just like in life justice isn’t found. The characters are unique and memorable. Izzie who wants nothing more than having her old BF is a complex character. Even when I didn’t like her at times I understood her motivations. And just when you think this is too heavy of a story there is are light moments and a very sweet romance.

This reads to me like a YA novel but I because of content I can see why it is geared towards New Adults. The assault is not descriptive but there is on the page intimacy with Sav and other partners. Sadly this is a story that is all too realistic. My heart broke for Savannah’s mother in their last conversation and I wished for the talk with Izzie about the final decision on the wedding. Congratulations to Haley Jakcobson for writing a thoughtful and memorable debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This was an excellent coming of age story. Sav is a character that I would be friends with. Sav’s story is unique and her experiences will be great for many others to read about. The writing itself flowed and I was at the end before I knew it. Sav has worked her way into my consciousness and I think of her often.

Savannah “Sav” Henry learns to navigate college as a bisexual young woman while living with the trauma of being raped in high school. It’s a heavy theme, but the novel that ensues has a lot of hope inside of it.
I’m a bit split on this book. On one hand, a lot of felt like it was bordering on an queer after school special, with the characters we’re supposed to judge have bad takes on various themes, and the “good” characters speaking like info graphics. The diversity was wonderful, but most characters felt like archetypes of various queer people you might encounter on a liberal arts campus. The pace that the book went, often skipping back in time and back, eventually got confusing to me.
All that being said, I found this book extremely readable. When I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up. The character of Sav was genuinely lovable, especially in the moments when she didn’t say or do the right thing, that was when she felt the most authentic as a struggling 20 year old girl. Even the characters that felt like stock characters at the beginning, by the end most of them had moments where they felt like real, lovable people.
I saw another reviewer say they felt too old for this book, and I felt the same way reading it. So many of the characters spoke as if they held the truth of the world and everyone else had to just get with the program, and sometimes I found it annoying or cringey, but the thing is, that’s what being 20 years old is like! We were all cringey and annoying then. So maybe characters acting like that isn’t bad, it’s just accurate. And reacting like this just shows that I’ve matured a bit past that age, and thank god.
What I will say is that I think the topics of rape and sexual assault were handled beautifully. And the parts that were rocky can be worked on as this author writes more novels, which I’m sure she will. This book will probably make a lot of college kids feel seen, and a lot of older readers cringe a bit. But maybe it’ll make us all want to hug our friends and be grateful for our connection with others.

This book was the quintessential coming of age story for queer kids. Yes, part of it is about SA. But most of it is about the evolution of coming into who you are, letting go of who you expected yourself to be, and figuring out where you fit in the world.

The cast of characters are were people I want to know. I want Vera to get me dressed up on a Friday night and Candace to drag me somewhere fun when I feel unsure of myself. I loved the friendship dynamics between Sav and her school friends, and I deeply felt the sorrow of her outgrowing her old life and having to say goodbye to who she was “before.”

This story was just really beautiful and awkward and messy in all the ways that growing up can be and I hope any young person who is feeling a little out of sorts has access to stories like these. Also please someone make this a tv series because I would watch the hell out of it!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Haley Jakobsen, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed reading this novel a lot :) Every time I put it down, I constantly thought about it & wondered what the characters are doing next. Loved how it showed off the internal separation of the one we were in high school and the one we are in college and then learning to let go off people simply because they can no longer be a part of our lives now. The ending was the best and what I wished for it to happen from the beginning on. This is a great debut novel👏🏼

I'm having such a difficult time putting my feelings for this book into words. I adored it so much. The exploration of friendships, especially how they fall apart, just felt so relatable, even though it's been almost ten years since I've been in college myself. There was something so quintessential about this book that everyone can relate to, and will be recommending it to everyone.