It takes a lot of love to care for a reader the way that Haley cares for hers.
This is a book I would have died to have when I was in my twenties, and I think it’s going to resonate with many who are.
Inclusive, queer-friendly, this is a YA book as I’ve rarely read one before. Big topics are handled with the gentlest of hands.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I wish I could have given this 3.5 stars because I ultimately really loved this story, but the writing sometimes made it more challenging to get into. The switches in time with no cues or warning was hard to get used to, and also the way the narrator sometimes referred to Izzy as "you" and sometimes as Izzy. I almost gave up on it, but I am very glad I pushed through. This book did a great job of capturing the messy growth that happens in late adolescence / early college so beautifully.

I love the theory of this book. However the execution fell short for me. I think Sav is great bi rep. However, the writing wasn’t for me. It was slow and the writing felt scattered. Nothing makes me want to keep turning the page. While I appreciate the progressive themes, it ultimately felt shallow. There was nothing to contemplate, no intrigue, and a lack of scene setting, I could not picture a single scene.

This books was so good. I couldn't put it down. I'm actually shocked to hear it's Haley's first novel. I loved Sav, and her best friend Candace and Vera and the strong bond they created through college experience. It was interesting to see Sav navigate through her trauma and her friendship with her longtime friend. I cried quite a bit in this book because the pain felt so real. i would definitely read her books in the future.

I absolutely loved this book. Old Enough deals with a bunch of different things that I gravitate towards in books. Like groups of queer friends, messy relationships, dealing with past trauma, and coming of age. Sav is in her sophomore year of college and has come out as bisexual after having her first queer fling. But things become complicated when Izzie, her childhood best friend, announces that she’s getting married. Sav is dreading the wedding and having to be around Izzie’s older brother because of what happened between them when she was sixteen.

Sav’s group of college friends were so amazing. I loved Vera and Candace so much. I read the first half of this book in the waiting room of an auto shop and I was actively having to stop myself from laughing out loud or smiling too much. There were so many lovely moments of them supporting one another and also just hilarious moments as well.

The book also deals with some heavy topics, it definitely had me tearing up at multiple points. A large focus is Sav dealing with sexual assault in her past, how she thinks about it now versus when it happened, how she opens up to people, and figuring out what justice means for her. A lot of the conversations in the book start in a gender studies class that Sav and her friends are taking. I felt like that was a smart way for Haley Jakobson to bring up different opinions through the various students in the class.

I could go on and on about the different things I loved about this book: Sav’s crush on Wes, the arc of Lara the sorority girl, the complicated dynamic between Sav and Izzie, Sav’s relationship with her mom, Sav’s relationship with sex, and so much more.

If you love stories about queer friendship, romance, and coming of age then give this one a shot if you feel up to the subject matter surrounding sexual assault.

this book means so much to me. I devoured it. I loved every minute of reading it.

I requested this on Netgalley a bit ago after reading the description. Then, it got pushed to the middle of my TBR list... until I saw Haley's incredible viral TikTok. After seeing that, I was reminded how much I'd love this book and I wasn't wrong.

Old Enough follows Savannah as she navigates college, being bisexual, past traumas, and friendship (both old & new). This book made me feel seen, and not just because it mentions Fletcher! there were parts that made me tear up (a few actually) and parts that made me laugh out loud. When it ended, I was sad to not have more of these characters’ stories to read.. I wanted to be their friends! This is an important read and I think everyone can find something in it that resonates with them. I really loved all of the characters and enjoyed Haley's writing endlessly. I loved Old Enough the way I've loved Dolly Alderton's books. This will be a book I recommend to everyone in their 20s-early 30s. As I read, I thought this was Haley's memoir, that's how real and authentic it felt.

highlights:
- cool character names
- inclusive language
- happy queer romance(s)
- fletcher (duh)
- beautiful writing that really hits ya in the guts

trigger warnings: sexual assault, rape, & shitty friends.

Old Enough is Haley’s debut novel and comes out on June 20th. I will be encouraging everyone I know to buy it or borrow it from their local library!!

Please check trigger and content warnings before reading!
An important and beautiful coming-of-age story! It was so hard to put this book down. I highly resonated with Savannah's journey in more than one way and I am so happy I had the chance to read this. I thought this book took such a gentle and heartwarming approach to those that are currently figuring out their queerness while coming to terms with sexual assault. Overall I am so grateful for this book and think it was such a queer heartwarming read!!
Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this arc!

Sometimes I miss college. And then sometimes I read a book like this and I am reminded of how messy and hard it is to “come of age.” Sometimes I forget how easy it was to find something to love or desire about almost everyone. Except for myself. And sometimes I remember what it was like to love only myself and how I had no responsibilities other than getting through school. This book brought back so many memories for me at times it felt like I was legitimately reliving it. What an amazing, sometimes cringe, sometimes scary, mostly awesome moment of time travel.

This book is also very heavy. This book reminded me of something that happened to me in college. It reminded me that I’m still here and it made me realize that I am now made up of new cells several times over. This book reminded me.

When I grabbed this book off of my virtual NetGalley shelf, I had no idea how important it would become for me. If you’re still here reading this, I hope this book can be for you what it is for me, a reckoning and then a balm for your soul.

This book had me waking up in the middle of the night, reaching for my phone and opening this note. This book had me understanding something about myself that maybe I have always known, and greeting it warmly. This book had me writing what I feel like is my first honest and best ever book review. This. Book.

Savannah Henry left her closed-minded hometown for college, and in her sophomore year is finally getting closer to the person she wants to be - out as bisexual, making queer friends, and recovering from her first queer situationship. But when her childhood best friend, Izzie, is engaged. With the wedding around the corner, Sav has to face the trauma of what happened between her and Izzie's older brother when she was sixteen. On top of all of that, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class, who feels like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.

This book is simultaneously funny, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and eye-opening. Jakobson explores queer love, community, and surviving after SA in the most raw and honest way. The writing of this book is unique, I felt like I was just listening to a ton of younger folks chatting, through both the dialogue and the way Jakobson wrote the narration as well. All the friendships and relationships in this book were written so wonderfully, the inclusion and diversity was super refreshing, and while reading I realized just how much we all have to learn about the queer community and acceptance from the younger generation. I feel like the message behind this book - that your past doesn't define who you are: - is something that everyone needs to read.

I will absolutely be picking up a copy for myself and can't wait to put other people onto this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I found this book through Haley Jakobson’s TikTok and could not wait for it to be released.
I loved this book so much. It made me laugh and it made me cry. The whole time I was rooting for Sav. Sav’s character is so relatable and I am obsessed with Candace, Vera, and Wes.
Sav’s trauma is something that is so (sadly) relatable and so many people (including myself) have been through.
It also shows that just because a friendship is long doesn’t mean that has to be that same as it’s always been.
Sav finding and being her true self was so beautifully written into this book.
I really really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read what Haley Jakobson puts out next.

This book was hard to get into at first because all the characters (with the exception of Savannah) initially felt like caricatures of themselves. However, as the story continued to unfold, it felt like the characters sort of settled into themselves and more realistic. I really enjoyed the structure of this book: it moves back and forth between present-day, college Savannah and her sixteen year old self. The distinction between the two is extremely clear and it really felt like we were experiencing the memories that current Savannah was remembering from her sixteen year old self. I also liked the gradual reveals, which enabled us to slowly piece the full story together instead of giving it to us all at once. This book handles several topics well, ranging from trauma, healing, surviving, gender identity and euphoria, to the different types of friendships and how they change as we do. I am very glad that I kept reading. Savannah's growth (and others', too) was very satisfying to read. There are many empowering moments in the story. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for strong character arcs or anyone who feels like they are lost and spiraling.

Savannah Henry is a sophomore in college, newly out of the closet as a bisexual and trying to find her place in the queer community. After her first queer relationship ended badly, things begin to look up as Savannah finds herself crushing on her new classmate, Wes. But when her childhood best friend Izzie announces her engagement, Savannah must come to terms with what happened between Izzie's older brother and herself when she was sixteen.

This is a queer coming of age story that rests in the space between YA and adult fiction, offering an authentic and relatable portrayal of a nineteen year old navigating college life after coming out as bisexual. The timeline alternates between Savannah's life in college and the summer that she was sixteen. Savannah faces insecurity and pressure to meet expectations as she tries to move from her old life into one where she can be herself. I loved the adorable awkwardness of Savannah and Wes flirting and the positive friendships. This book deals with outgrowing childhood friendships, the difficulty of moving on from the past, and healing from trauma. This book felt inclusive and I loved the bi rep.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked a lot. I am having trouble articulating exactly what I want to say because it’s really so heartbreaking how people aren’t even allowed to be victims without questioning themselves and that is my overarching thought but this had a really good portrayal of survival and was so so queer.

I loved Vera and Candace with my whole heart. Izzie and art were mentioned twice and both times were amazing. My favorite thing was the way Izzie was referred to in the flashback chapters-Teenage friendship is all encompassing yes.

What I didn’t like-The author needs to get better at describing characters of color. Relying on race or ethnicity to describe a person does nothing to conjure an image and is lazy, and white characters were noticeably given better treatment. There are about three pages of description of Vera’s outfits but I don’t even know what color hair she has. This also made me consider whether or not I liked modern references and I realized I don’t. Also I personally wish a scene had been included of of the Gender Studies class together outside of class-I don’t really remember them getting through a conversation at the bar. There was a lot of potential, I wanted more from Reg and Lara and I wanted to see them both with Vera and Candace.

Old Enough is a beautifully written story with relatable characters and I loved it from cover to cover. Although the whole book was written from the perspective of one character (Sav), it did alternate from 16 year old Sav talking directly to her best friend, Izzie and 19/20 year old Sav telling her story to a general audience - this slight change of tone was a really powerful part of the story telling.

Sav is a sophomore in college, struggling to find herself and her place in the world and struggling to figure out her very complicated relationship with her childhood best friend. I found my self cheering for Sav and wanting her to find happiness and love and to understand that she is perfect just they way she is. This character was so easy to relate to - I remember being in college, away from home, trying to figure out who I was without my family and childhood friends influencing me and trying to find my people who allowed me to be me in every way. Sav really developed and matured in a meaningful and real way by the end of the book.

During this journey, Sav was surrounded by a delightful cast of characters - Vera, Candace, Wes and more who were so fun on their own and who very lovingly and who lifted up Sav and each other. All of these characters could have their own book and I would devour every one of them.

Izzie is Sav's childhood friend and is certainly a complicated character. In some ways, she was the villain of this book - the past that Sav has no desire to bring into her current life. As obnoxious as Izzie is, I can't help but feel like she is also struggling to find her own way and has not quite found herself.

Great story. Complex, lovable characters. I highly recommend.

TW: SA
**Mild Spoilers Ahead**

This was an interesting read, I wouldn't typically pick up a book with heavy SA plots but this one piqued my interest. Sav is doing her best to navigate life at college, and her relationship with her childhood bestie whose about to get married, and who also happens to be the sister of her rapist. The premise is a solid one, but I think the execution of it fell a little short. I was under the impression this was a YA novel and so thought perhaps the dark subject matter combined with the writing style was an attempt to make a hard subject accessible for teens - but apparently, this is actually an adult fic book. Therefore, I can't be quite as forgiving as I would've been if it was YA, at times the writing just felt very very young and now and again it took on a bit of a fanfic quality to it.

What I liked - I loved Sav's budding friendships at college, Candace and Vera are icons and I loved them, Wes was a darling love interest and I loved seeing an NB love interest to the main character, I liked the integration of poly relationships with Vera and her partner and I really loved the way Lana got a little bit of redemption (though it would've been nice if we saw her make some actual progress re.. her insensitivity about certain things).

What I didn't like - I appreciate it would be a difficult situation for Izzie but honestly, I hated her and found her extremely selfish, it's clear she knows Sav was raped by her brother but just doesn't want to admit it and face it that yet knowing this and after causing Sav to be brutally bullied she didn't even have the grace to end the friendship. She was also just all-round self-absorbed and never seemed to actually care about Sav beyond going on about them being childhood besties. It also felt very anti-climatic that everything built up to the wedding that we didn't even see, when Izzie left we should've had a moment of reckoning where Izzie realised what s selfish cow she was being.

All in all, this wasn't a bad read, and I think for an upper teen reader this could be a really good book to pick up, but for an adult, I think it missed the mark a little.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a digital arc of 'Old Enough' In exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed "Old Enough" by Haley Jacobson and found myself starting and finishing the book within just a couple of hours. At times heartbreaking, humourous, and then full of love, Jakobson has given us an unyielding portrait of a young girl's journey to understand herself and the trauma she experienced.

There were some moments that I found myself cringing at, where the main character, Savannah (or Sav), was repeating social justice issues as though they were twitter posts. There were other times she would be rifling through her closet for activism-themed sweaters or clothes that made her look "more queer." It took me a bit to realize, however, that these cringe-worthy moments were written that way on purpose. Savannah is coming into her own, as are her friends, and way too often college students are written as though they are mature and know all there is to know in the world. Haley Jakobson reminds us, however, that this is not so.

"Old Enough" is the reminded that 20-21 year olds are still learning, still discovering who they are. So they will be cringey, that's because they're learning. "Old Enough" by Haley Jakobson takes us on a path of queer identity, trauma, platonic friendship, love – not just romantically – and what being honest to yourself and others truly means.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher and author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"

This book is truly phenomenal! I love coming-of-age stories and this is one of the best. The main character, Sav, is reckoning with past trauma and navigating friendship in college. Sav is incredibly easy to root for and relate to - she is doing her best and wants to become more "herself." Candace, Vera, Wesley, and Izzie are all such clearly developed, vivid characters.

Jakobson's has a unique voice that instantly draws you in - this book is funny, sweet, tragic at times. The decision to heavily feature the Gender Studies class was clever since it allowed for some really thoughtful discussions and character arcs (thinking of Lara here).

I loved this book and will absolutely read whatever Jakobson puts out next!

i wish i had this book when i first started college, but i'm glad i have it now because old enough makes it feel like it's okay to unlearn old traumas and that it's okay to just start trying. it was hard to get into at first, but old enough is unique in that it's told through a mix of present descriptions and savannah speaking to a younger version of herself. this allows for easy compassion and i feel seen because of it. jakobson also deals with sexual assault and the discourse around that in such a thoughtful away as well as coming out as bisexual later on in life. my only qualm is that this read a little like ya, but that is not a knock against everything i felt reading this.

thank you to netgalley for the arc!
Sav and Izzie have always been Sav and Izzie. but when Sav goes to college out of town she comes out, meets fellow queer folks, and confronts how ignorant she had been of so many things, how ignorant Izzie remains. she also can't stop thinking about Izzie's brother and the trauma he inflicted on her when she was 16. the trauma that no one has really acknowledged or been held accountable for.

I loved this book. the voice was not my favorite at first, it comes across as very YA/Tumblr, but that's kinda the point. I loved the how the book confronted the fact that we are not born as enlightened perfect beings. we mess up, we fail, we hurt each other, and for all the harm we cause we can also do good, learn, grow, and heal. it also so accurately depicted what it feels like when we first become aware of all that we didn't know and it's so jarring and scary to think we were ever ignorant or caused harm and how we police ourselves to try and be the right kind of Feminist or the right kind of queer or the right kind of survivor instead of just admitting that we simply do not know everything! that we haven't learned something! and how we so quickly go from not knowing something to knowing it and then looking down on those who do not know the thing we only just recently learned. it's wild, but it's real. I know I did that, especially at the age depicted and when I was younger. it's still something I struggle with! but it's damaging! and I love the way this book touched on that.
the usage of pronouns and queer representation in this book was also truly incredible. was it a little on the nose? sometimes, yes. like a lil stereotypical but mostly accurate (lmao like the styles described, was i rolling my eyes? yes. did i wear those exact things at different points in my life/did my roommates/partners? also yes.), and fleshed out, being both relatable to the demographic it represents and also informative to those outside of that demographic!

also, the romance is not the main plot point but my god is it cute and tender and queer and sweet and so good, kicking my feet in the air, blushing, giggling with nerves for the characters, CUTE. and the friendship!!! my god!! I love the queer community! I love women and femme friendship!!!

and the way that sexual assault and trauma was handled was also pretty incredible, and I appreciated the way it was threaded throughout the story and how it showed up in Sav's reactions/actions to different things. and how complex the feelings towards her abusers new partner were!! my god!! that last scene was good!

my only issues: voice was a bit annoying at times, timeline was maaaad confusing in the first few chapters like very hard to get a grip on. besides that, I think this book is really stellar and I would absolutely recommend.

Old Enough is a thoughtful coming-of-age, self-discovery story following Sav, a bi college student as she grapples with past traumas and friendships. I found this an easy read though Jakobson covers some deep topics, it is all done eloquently and with care. I read this in one sitting and was intently looking forward to what happened next. I liked how everything tied together, but I could have done with an epilogue of sorts!

Recommend this if you are looking for a story of self discovery and evolving friendships!