I absolutely loved this book! I haven’t read a novel in one go in a while, but I couldn’t put Imogen, Obviously down. The writing pulled me in immediately and the entire story flowed from there. Imogen was such a strong main character, so relatable and sweet, and her journey was heart-warming to follow. The relationships between characters were well-done and nuanced—such a good squad of friends. And don’t get me started on the romance—so swoon worthy! Imogen, Obviously both tackles big issues and provides fluff. It made me smile, tear up and laugh. Definitely a 5 stars read for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s for the copy!

I'm absolutely in love with this queer and funny YA romance, it perfectly describes the feeling of finding yourself and your queerness. I can relate so much to Imogen and her personality, it felt like it was written for me. I'm really looking forward to recommend this book to my customers!

Teenager Imogen goes to visit her best friend Lili at college, and is instantly intimidated by her new cool posse of quirky, queer friends and feels like a hopeless fraud. It transpires that Lili has told a white lie and told her new pals that Imogen is her ex girlfriend, which Imogen is happy to go along with to fit in with these new friends and feel part of the scene. She also has a queer sister and best friend at home still who both offer their support to her in different ways, although her friend Gretchen seems to want to keep reminding her she is definitely 'straight' when she admits to potentially having a crush on Tessa, one of Lili's college friends, who seems assured with her sexuality and happy to develop a flirty friendship with shy, awkward Imogen. There's a myriad of romantic & friendship dilemmas & issues and plenty of quirky college-based antics as our heroine steps into finding her sexuality and identity as she is starting college in the same place in a few months time. This author is always pretty spot on with her portrayals of LGBTQ+ relationships and issues and with Imogen we have a really credible, appealing character who questions herself at every turn, about how to fit in, whether she is cool enough, does her crush really feel the same - all very easy to relate to and familiar teen pressures. A good read and enjoyable for the particular scenario of that post-high school/pre-college time where anything feels possible and new adventures are on the horizon.

If there's anything I can trust Becky Albertalli with is writing a story that just keeps absolutely invested until the very last page. I think I've read all her books, and every single one for me has been added to my bookshelf - she's just that author for me, so when I saw she has a new book, I requested it through Netgalley as soon as I saw it appear.

Her characters her and in her other books, are always so real. I know that sounds very generic, but she is so talented at bringing to life her characters that you can almost know these people like they are people you knew yourself in school or university, or here college. This group of friends is written so well and I really like Imogen - she's relateable and easy to connect to throughout.

I love the story, the plot can be a little slow to pick up for me maybe, however I think it is worth the wait as this story moves to a signature cute finale, that this author always does so well. I feel like Gretchen as a character is that person/group of people whose always questioning you on your LGBT-ness - as an ace person who has to explain what that means, we all meet Gretchens from time to time and it doesn't stop being annoying.

Anyway, once again another brilliant book from Becky, loved it, can't wait for the next one!

(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for honest review).

Omg I really enjoyed this book!

I've actually never read any Becky Albertalli books before but I was so hyped for Imogen, Obviously! I loved how smooth the dialogue exchanges were between characters, and how Imogen goes through the process of believing she's an ally but actually discovers herself and the feelings she has. The character development of Imogen is thought out very well, and it's clear that Albertalli is drawing upon her own experiences and that of others.

It's a story that will really resonate with a lot of young people today, who may feel confused and unsure of themselves. The authors note at the beginning of the book also helps validate any readers who feel the emotional struggle.

This was such a touching story of discovering who you are and what your identity is.
The dialogue was fitting for its intended age rage. It is a story that will be relateable and might be helpful for young adults who find themselves in a similar situation.

My first Becky Albertalli read, but it won't be my last!

I really loved this story - the characters were three-dimensional and relatable, the writing style was accessible and funny (just the occasional Google required!), and Imogen's journey from being the only straight girl in her friendship group, to questioning her sexuality, to wondering if she's just being what everyone else wants her to be, was really well done.

Also, the main love story was C-U-T-E.

Highly recommend!

Many thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC.

The latest Becky Albertalli is a masterpiece. It tackles the issue of identity and coming out, and who should police that, and how the way we talk impacts those around us, with care and compassion. Imogen knows she's straight, and is an ally to her many queer friends. After all, her friend Gretchen has told her often enough. So often, in fact, that it doesn't give Imogen any space to wonder about whether that's still true or not. Imogen is surrounded by so many wonderful people, that Gretchen struck a bit of a jarring note for me - the age old problem of having been friends with someone for so long, you never stop to wonder whether or not the friendship is still serving you or not. But the issues are handled so well that my initial misgivings about Gretchen never came to pass, and I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Imogen, Obviously is a sensitive exploration of one girl's struggle to work out her sexual identity. Surrounded by queer friends and on the cusp of starting life as an adult at college, Imogen connects with Tessa a beautiful, confident lesbian, but begins to question whether she is just appropriating her feelings to try and fit in.

Albertalli treads a fine line avoiding being too preachy, allowing the numerous characters to have a unique 'lived' perspective allowing room for a discussion of philosophical weight and true empathy.

A touching story of friendship, discovery and honesty.

You know you’re in for a masterpiece when the author’s note makes you cry already. What Becky Albertalli describes there, her own experiences and how she brought Imogen alive made me sad but hopeful. I remember things about what happened to her and then the feelings she described just felt kinda close to home. That said, going into the story I was excited and a little bit nervous.

Imogen, Obviously with the cover to the camera, standing on a pile of Becky Albertalli's previous books. There's a pot with yellow roses in behind the bookstack and plants and bookshelves in the background.And I was not disappointed. The story, the characters and their feelings, the discussions on sexuality and identity were so well written and the whole book really spoke to my soul. I absolutely loved the discussions, both between the characters and Imogen’s internal monologues. I loved how they talked about the queer community and what it is, how being queer and labeling works for each person individually. I especially liked how the book described bisexuality and the struggles that come with it.
Becky Albertalli poured her soul and experiences into this story and it shows. It makes the book all the more relatable, important and hitting deep.

Imogen is so sure she’s straight in the beginning, dismissing her crushes on girls as something like admiration or wanting to be like those girls. But over the course of the story when she is forced to think about herself more and about her friends as well, there is so much for her discover. Not only about herself but about her surroundings as well. I could feel with her so well while she tries to wrap her head around her feelings and accepting them. I loved how Becky Albertalli wrote that development, so raw and realistic and with all its happy moments and struggles.

As a bisexual myself, Imogen, Obviously made me feel seen and touched something within me. I could see myself in those doubts. “Am I queer enough? Am I bisexual enough? Am I even bisexual? What does bisexuality mean for me? How are the people I love are going to react?” I really liked how those questions are discussed and how the different characters each bring different aspects and opinions into the discussion. I have had those exact conversations, too.

Imogen, Obviously spine

Imogen, Obviously is definitely one of my favourite books of the year, maybe even of all time. It is both fun and discusses serious topics, it’s full of charming characters with great developments in an amazing friendship group. The story brings different angles to certain topics. It shows young queer people in a safe environment and with a support network that is unconditionally full of love for each other. If you ever want to read about questioning your sexuality, coming to terms with your identity and standing up for yourself, it is this one.

I can absolutely recommend this book without any doubt whatsoever. This book was obviously perfect and I cannot thank Becky Albertalli enough for bringing this story into the world.

I absolutely couldn't wait to read this one. Die hard LGBTQIA+ ally suddenly falls for a girl and questions her entire sexuality, sense of self and path in life?
SIGN ME UP.

Imogen was such a genuinely endearing main character and seeing her develop an awareness and acceptance for her sexuality really warmed my heart.
The themes of questioning how real queer feelings and thoughts are were SO relatable to me and I completely understood Imogen's internal battle. I feel like every queer person struggling with or discovering their identity would relate to this book in some way.
I loved the friendship group that Imogen came to rely on and the themes of internalised biphobia, the sheer bi panic and the conflict between people gate keeping queer spaces and judging others on their personal journey. This conflict was especially raw and vulnerable if you know Becky's personal history and that just made this book so much more real for me.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this one. It was fun, witty and relatable whilst exploring really serious and important topics. You can't help but fall in love with Imogen and co whilst immersing yourself in their unapologetic way of living. I LOVED this one.

Imogen, Obviously is very obviously (sorry) inspired by author Becky Albertalli’s experience of coming out as bisexual having previously identified as straight (in fact, the book is prefaced by a thoughtful essay on her experience of being forced out of the closet by The Discourse aka endless online chatter about the ethics of ‘straight’ authors writing queer books).

It is also a very sweet and fun read which I enjoyed a whole lot. Imogen, with her social anxiety, is a very relatable character and I was rooting for her throughout. Frenemy Gretchen is extremely fun to hate, and I liked that Albertalli allowed for plenty of nuance: yes, Gretchen is pretty awful, but the reader does kind of understand why she is like she is. And the central romance is exceedingly cute.

Overall 4 stars, highly recommended.

the joy i feel when im reading a becky albertalli book is everything!
when i was reading it I could see becky writing it and i could see younger me being reassured, i wish i had it a couple of years ago and realising that i didn't have to pressure myself and being scared of my sexuality.
one particular chapter resonated a lot with me and im so glad becky wrote it.
becky is an amazing author who deserves everything, and im so mad for what people did last year.
this book feels like a victory to me and i hope to becky too. another becky albertalli book that radiate comfort and safety!

I love Becky Albertalli's novels and was thrilled to be given an advance copy of Imogen, Obviously. And I LOVED it. I flew through it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. The chemistry between Imogen and Tessa was off the charts and I had to read to the end as quickly as I could to find out if they finally got together!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Another Becky Albertalli masterpiece - that's to be expected from her writing, by now. But this is also very clearly, deeply personal, and that made every thought, every conversation, every twist, just that much more special.

I ADORED this book.
Becky Albertalli perfectly captures that feeling when you’re questioning your sexuality, done with so much heart and feeling.
It’s so relatable and I loved Imogen’s character in general as well as her journey.
Her relationship with her sister made me want to hug mine, I loved her. I loved the sense of found family and ease of friendships with Lili’s college friends.
I loved the discourse around queer media and queerbaiting.
I loved everything about it and I need a screen adaptation and at least 3 spin off books 💗💜💙

Imogen is the perfect LGBTQ+ ally. She’s surrounded by queer friends and family, she goes to Pride Society as the token ‘straight,’ she obsessively consumes queer media, and she owns three copies of One Last Stop – one to read, one to keep pretty, and one for ‘emergencies.’ #Ally.

But when she goes to visit her friend Lili at college (the college she’s going to be attending herself in just a few months), it’s time to quit playing it quite so straight. Lili may have accidentally said that they once dated so that she didn’t feel like such of an imposter among her new queer friend group, and now Imogen has to pretend to be bisexual. But when Imogen meets Lili’s new friend Tessa and begins spending more and more time with her, she begins to think - it shouldn’t be this easy to pretend…right?

Obligatory synopsis over, now I can rant about how much I loved this book. I knew right from the beginning that I was going to enjoy it, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with it quite as much as I did. I’ve read all of Becky’s other books and enjoyed them, but none made me laugh out loud like this one (this is a capital F Funny book) or make me fall in love with the characters quite so much.

Imogen herself felt like such a real person. Her fears felt understandable within the context of her story (even if you did just want to give her a hug and a pep talk a lot of the time). She was sweet, funny, and her character arc was so perfectly, beautifully done. Imogen is the bi representation that I really feel like we’ve been missing all these years. Her story is such an important one, and I’m so glad Becky felt able now to tell it. The way all of the bisexual stereotypes were explored and the way Imogen sifted through all the biphobic attitudes she’d internalised (or that were coming from external sources) was perfectly, heartbreakingly, joyously done throughout the whole story.

Tessa was also a delight. She was sweetness and chaos all wrapped up in one golden retriever, ADHD lesbian package, and the romance between her and Imogen was so beautifully done; the banter and chemistry we got in their texts had me grinning down at the book like I was watching two of my friends fall in love. And all of Imogen and Lili’s other friends were also such lovely additions to the story and felt like real people. Gretchen, Imogen’s friend, made me want to scream numerous times, but even she wasn’t a caricature. She was a real person who’d been hurt and developed certain ways of existing in the world to deal with that. And I loved Imogen’s realisation towards the end that while her behaviour was understandable in some ways, it wasn’t necessarily excusable, and she didn’t have to have her in her life if their friendship didn’t serve her going forwards – I think that’s a really important message to share.

I’m very conscious of Becky’s situation and the reasons why this book was such an important one for her to write. All of that really shines through in the writing thought - it feels raw and honest, and while I hate everything Becky has been through and I wish it hadn’t had to happen that way for her, I’m so glad this book exists in the world now and can call attention to such important topics and ideas (as well as being a fun, achingly sweet romance packed with queer joy and impeccably done representation of different identities).

If I had one criticism, it would be there were maybe a few too many characters to keep track of, I did feel a little bit lost at one point trying to remember which friends were which and from which place, but that’s the only thing I can think of to critique even a little bit.

Because, overall, this is a joyous queer read that’s going to mean a lot to a lot of bi+ (and beyond) people – I know this because it already means a lot to me. I will absolutely be buying a physical copy for myself and for my library at school so I can share the laughter/tears/joy with my students. I give it all the stars.

I enjoyed this YA novel exploring a group of friends and their relationships and how they managed changes within the friend group. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-arc
Imogen is a strong ally for her friends and her sister and is a valued member of her school’s Queer Alliance group. When she travels 30mins out of town for a college visit to stay with her best friend Lili she’s introduced to an even wider group of queer youth who are confident in their identities and in their choices. Imogen starts to question her own - is her desire to please people mean that she’s responding to Tessa’s flirting in a people pleasing way or because she is in fact attracted to her herself?
There is quite a lot of exploration of labels and safe spaces and perhaps this discursive element sometimes gets in the way of the narrative but teens will enjoy the range of characters and experiences. Silly college pranks, crushing and the impact of tv and film make this a contemporary exploration of the queer teen's middle class, middle-American experience. It's clearly very personal to Albertalli, given her explanatory forward and teens may find it inspiring and comforting.
A lovely coming of age story that explores sexuality, friendship and self-identity.
Perhaps for slightly older teens as it centres around college choices and moving away from home but there’s no explicit content so it’s suitable for all young people interested in exploring stories of identity.

"We don't have to prove anything to anyone."

I already know that Imogen, Obviously will be a loved and cherished book by so many people.

The emotions and validity I felt when reading Imogen's story, and her questioning herself constantly is something that many queer people, including myself, have gone through.

There is not one way to be queer, and you don't need to come out if you don't want to. your identity belongs to you, no one else.

I knew I would love this book as soon as Becky mentioned it, but to call it one of my absolute favourites is just an additional positive to its release. Where Simon Vs was one of the first queer books I read, Imogen is like the person I was back then when reading it.

Becky has written a lot of wonderfully queer and important books with important messages, but this one hit a lot closer to home than I imagined.

There is a discussion of biphobia, gate-keeping queer spaces, and a lot about questioning your identity, and it is one that I am glad other people will be able to read.

You are never too young or old to learn more about yourself and your sexuality/gender. Imogen is only one example of that, bit it is an example that should connect with a lot of people.

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review. I have already preordered my own physical copy to add to my Albertalli collection and I am very excited to share it with my friends and on my bookstagram soon!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this arc.

This was a beautiful coming of age story about a young girl exploring who she is and how that impacts on her life. It felt very personal and honest, like I was on the journey with her. The relationships and strength that her friends offer her is beautiful. It made sure she was not alone. Very beautiful story.