Review: Once I started this story, I just couldn’t stop. I loved the author's note at the beginning of this book and felt like I could relate to it so hard. I loved what she put into this book and I think the whole novel felt more personal because of the letter at the beginning.

I’m such a sucker for books that deal with that transition from high school to college/university and so I knew I was going to be a fan of this one right from the word go. Imogen is going to visit her best friend who is already at the college that she is going to be attending in the summer. It's a big move for her, the college, the gap in time that she hasn’t seen her friend for and then all the new friends that her bestie has made since starting college. I always felt trepidation when I would go and visit friends at other universities and see their lives that they had built post-school and so I really related to this.

Imogen is a proud ally and loves the fact that her pan friend has found her queer clan but this makes her begin to question her own identity, especially when her other best friend is bi and her sister is gay. She has always been the straight ally but is that who she really is? This book opens up a whole can of worms when it comes to queerness and identity and those around you who are supportive on the surface and yet may not have your best interests at heart. It also has a lot to say about growing up and changing and discovering your identity. There is no way that I am the same person now that I was in high school, never mind university or even the person I was 10 years ago. So why should we all have to choose our labels as soon as possible and then stay in our lane?

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was how relevant it is to pop culture and it is so in tune with the queer voices on social media right now. I think that it does assume some knowledge of social media though, especially tik tok and terms used within the queer community online so you may want to bear that in mind before picking this up. The romance in this book is just as sweet as the friendship and I was just loving the heart and soul that was so open and raw on the page. I loved getting to know Imogen, I loved Becky Albertalli’s words and I just loved the way Imogen’s story was told. I can’t stop thinking about her and I really hope that this isn’t the last time that we get to see her!

I have said I would not use this book in my school, but this is purely because the content is more for older children than those I teach. I really loved this book and thing it's such a great look at labels, how they can box you in and how others can box you into them and also the importance of allowing people the space and grace to be questioning. I found Gretchen to be such an interesting character. I am not sure I liked her very much but I can understand how Imogen, who feels that she is so indecisive, maybe liked having a friend who was so certain in her opinions, up until she didn't. The most important take away for me with regards to this book, is the importance of listening to people and really hearing what they have to say; not forcing them to say what they think you want them to. I also love the different portrayals of the different characters realisations that they don't necessarily fit in the box society calls straight. From Imogen's point of view some characters seem to know instantly (although we also discover that some of them had questions too), whereas others are much more questioning. Imogen worries a lot about what other people will think of her but not in the usual what will they say if I tell them I'm gay way; instead in a what if my brain is just trying to fit in with my friends, what if I'm leading people on, what if... what if... what if... Her brain is so busy but eventually she stops listening to what everyone else is saying and starts listening to herself and that is where she finds her answers.

Due for release in May 2023, thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this in advance of publication.
There’s no doubt that this is a very personal story. Albertalli offers some insight into her own situation before the book opens, but the whole book examines issues around identity and the process of working out your sexual orientation.
Our main character is Imogen, someone who has always thought of herself as an ally. Her sister is gay, her best friend is gay and they’ve always been so certain of their identity. Imogen has always thought of herself as straight - and her friend Gretchen is quick to affirm this - so is somewhat taken aback when she goes to visit her best friend Lili at college and finds herself falling for another girl.
From start to finish this felt rather earnest. There’s no doubt that Imogen is prone to overthinking and while those around her are generally supportive, it’s also easy to see how sometimes those around us can also be part of the problem. I found Gretchen infuriating, and spent the majority of the time feeling hopeful that Imogen would get the space to work things out for herself.

Imogen, Obviously, comes with an author's note at the beginning, a pretty important one. In it, Becky Albertalli tells us about her experience with being straight, questioning, not knowing what was going on, and finding and accepting her queerness. Imogen, Obviously, is her experience, and I must say, it was written beautifully.

Imogen is an ally with a capital A; her sister is queer; her best friends are queer; she devours queer media and makes herself a safe space, though she is emphatically straight. She is as heterosexual as they come. Or is she?

Over a weekend, during spring break, Imogen visits her best friend Lili at the university (or college) she’ll attend next year. There’s only a slight hitch; her best friend Lili, while feeling insecure, told her friends that Imogen is her ex. Imogen now has to pretend to be bisexual. But what does that mean? Is it the way you dress? How you speak or act? It isn’t until Imogen meets Tessa, one of Lili’s friends, that she starts wondering if she is, in fact, as straight as she always thought.

Imogen’s inner monologue and questions were so authentic that I couldn’t help but love her. She is so sweet, a people pleaser who wants everyone to feel comfortable. She worries that she’s biphobic, a queerbaiter, faking; she doesn’t realise that she’s been boxing herself and letting one of her best friends box her firmly in straight territory.

Imogen, Obviously, is definitely a book to read for straight and queer people alike. I identified with Imogen quite a few times in this book, and that’s what makes this book so important, it's relatable, it’s real, it’s messy and awkward, and pretty brilliant.

It was immediately obvious from the beginning that this was a deeply personal book for Becky Albertalli, and a large part of Imogen's identity and anxiety was also hers. I thought this was well written, well explored, and handled everything with sensitivity and heart.

The friend dynamics were the same that you would expect from any other book by this author, all very quirky and dramatic, with an excess of pop culture references, but I think for this book, they worked, as they were exploring the links people make and as the book constantly refers to the 'aesthetic' of somebodies identity and label.
Admittedly some of the pop culture references were unknown to me, and some of the friend group were not well established or frequent enough for me to identify them immediately and that did at times cause some confusion. Whilst I liked all of the friends for their own individual reasons, Imogen's sister was truly the hero of the book and I knew Gretchen would be a problem the second I saw her name on the page.

One of the few things I wasn't overly excited about, was the feeling that the book was frequently repeating itself, especially as it was mostly in Imogen's monologue, which again, I understood was her anxiety, but it made the book feel slower and drained a lot of personality out of Imogen. I was excited for the slowburn chemistry and friendship between Imogen and Tessa, and the slow process of Imogen discovering her label and owning her identity despite her fears. Asides from her anxiety, It was quite a fun book, with a lot of memorable moments that were fun and heartwarming, especially seeing her find such an excepting and loving community.

Overall, it was a really good read, with a very important message and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone and scouring the internet for both covers because the artwork is just incredible.

Becky Albertalli has done it again with another slice of life, LGBTQ+ YA romantic comedy that will have you smiling from ear to ear.

I was absolutely thrilled to have been sent an advanced reader’s copy of Becky Albertalli’s new novel Imogen, Obviously thanks to NetGalley. I have always felt a connection to Albertalli’s books, and this novel was no different.
This book is set to be released in May 2023 and is classed as Teens & YA and LGBTQIA+ Fiction.

What I liked about it
I have loved Becky Albertalli’s books ever since I bought Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda right after watching Love, Simon in the cinema. In fact, watching Love, Simon is what prompted me to come out to family members about being bi, so being sent this book was a dream come true for me. This book is centred around Imogen, the main character, and her journey of self-discovery, whilst simultaneously talking about some very prominent issues that come up in the LGBTQIA+ community; including biphobia, stereotyping, invalidating people’s sexuality and discourse surrounding celebrities being forced to come out. I could not put the book down. I loved it. I related to Imogen instantly and found her thoughts as she figured out her identity very similar to my own during my own journey. It is abundantly clear that Becky has used her own experience as a bisexual woman as inspiration for this story and it has paid off, it sends the message that there is no rush to figure out your identity and that coming out at any age is completely valid. It also emphasises that no one - no one - can tell you who you are or what you identify as other than you.

What I didn’t like about it
I wish we got to see pictures of Daisy the goat. But seriously this book was incredible, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it.

Wow.
This feels like a deeply personal book and it hits hard.
The story's premise is simple but it's execution is exquisite. It felt like Becky Albertalli had reached into my head, pulled out all my thoughts, feelings and insecurities and slapped them onto a page in the most thoughtful, kind way.
Imogen is quiet, introspective, and a people pleaser. She's afraid of making a misstep in a world so chronically online that she feels afraid to live or express herself. It's a incredibly important discussion to have, and Albertalli does it with nuance and tact.
The cast of characters within this book are carefully curated and sing on the page. They're dynamic and exciting, and are all proudly themselves.
Imogen felt like me as a teen, and I'm so grateful for Becky Albertalli for telling her story, my story and so many other's stories for us.

I loved this book so much! Becky Albertalli has perfectly captured the experience of what being queer and questioning is like for Imogen, a senior about to go to college falling for Tessa, Imogen’s best friend’s college friend.

Becky writes queer characters beautifully - I’d thoroughly recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, as always.