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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: Imogen, Obviously Author: Becky Albertalli
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 9-12 Genre/Type of Book: YA fiction, LGBTQIA+, romance, sex talk, friendship
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: underage drinking, bullying, language Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: It is a Stonewall Honor book, and I read great reviews about it. I knew it probably wasn't going to be a perfect fit for my middle school library, and after reading it, I think it is a better fit for a high school library.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
"The whole point of college is not flossing for the weekend." (page 6)
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Review:
I love Becky Albertalli and was excited to read this book but unfortunately did not like it as much as some of her other books, and I think I am in the minority. However, I thought the book gave me some important things to think about, and I appreciated that. Albertalli does a good job of showing what the LGBTQIA+ community faces on a daily basis, even from members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I learned a lot. On a fun note, this book takes place in upstate New York, and Penn Yan is mentioned!
Imogen Scott, a high school senior who has always thought of herself as straight, struggles with her feelings for Tessa. Now, she isn't sure if she is straight, or bi, and how does one really know? The book begins with Imogen finally visiting Lili at Blackwell College. Along for the ride are Gretchen, Edith, and Octavio. Lili came out last summer and told her college friends that Imogen was her girlfriend. Lili's college friends all think that Imogen is bi, and Imogen doesn't know how to come clean, especially when all of a sudden, she isn't sure herself.
Tessa and Imogen are really cute together and it is fun to be able to enjoy their text messages back and forth (with tons of emojis!) as their relationship forms. Like all relationships, there are stumbling blocks and miscommunication along the way, but they are easy to root for!
Although Gretchen is far from a protagonist in the book, I appreciated her questioning why the default is being straight. As she says, "It's unfair that the onus is on queer people to come out and share labels. Allocishet people don't have to because they're the default. So it just becomes this whole self-perpetuating dynamic that protects allocishets from having to declare their positionality - which makes queer people even more vulnerable." (page 220). She also points out that once you are aware of your biases, you can actually start to work on them. It made me question what does it mean to be a good ally? I love having something to think about, and something that changes my thinking, after the book is done.
Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book for my middle school library, I would for a high school library, and I think high schoolers will like this book.
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