Literature & Fiction
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Imogen, Obviously
With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship in this timely new novel.
Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she's got the World's Greatest Ally title locked down.
She's never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There's Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And then there's Lili-newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.
Imogen's thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she's finally visiting Lili on campus, she's bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in.
Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.
Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero-not even Lili's best friend, Tessa.
Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she's got the World's Greatest Ally title locked down.
She's never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There's Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And then there's Lili-newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.
Imogen's thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she's finally visiting Lili on campus, she's bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in.
Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.
Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero-not even Lili's best friend, Tessa.
Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
Editorial Reviews
"Insightful prose teems with compassionate interrogations of the harms of compulsory heterosexuality and societally prescribed narratives. Via Imogen's wryly funny first-person narration, Albertalli crafts a striking portrait of one teenager's experience navigating sexual fluidity and the sometimes overwhelming fear of reinventing oneself." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Albertalli lays out the complicated and beautiful layers that come with accepting personal change and having the courage to take an honest look at oneself. A masterpiece that will be cherished by anyone who has felt they might not belong." - Booklist (starred review)
"Imogen's journey feels authentic and sincere, and readers will find it difficult not to fall for her….Fresh, endearing, and heartfelt." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The plot of this novel is well-paced and entertaining... secondary characters are fleshed out, fully formed individuals with diverse queer and racial identities, and the relationships are full of humor and compassion. Imogen is a complex character with a distinct voice, and her story of grappling with her identity during this transitional period of life will resonate. An excellent addition to collections for teens."
- School Library Journal (starred review)
"Plenty of witty banter-and a sweet romance-lighten a novel that's full of introspection and that validates not only a variety of identities but also individuals' paces for figuring them out." - Horn Book
"Drawn from Albertalli's experience with coming out, this novel offers an endearing story of one teen's struggle for self-acceptance. A sure hit with Albertalli's existing fans, this is likely to win her more in those who want a thought-provoking take on how sometimes what you want is more obvious to your heart than to your head." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Imogen, Obviously is perhaps Albertalli's best book yet, with an introspective look at how identity can shift and an engaging love story." - Buzzfeed
"A sparkling romance and a moving account of a young woman's very contemporary bisexual awakening. Imogen, Obviously is a deeply person...
"Albertalli lays out the complicated and beautiful layers that come with accepting personal change and having the courage to take an honest look at oneself. A masterpiece that will be cherished by anyone who has felt they might not belong." - Booklist (starred review)
"Imogen's journey feels authentic and sincere, and readers will find it difficult not to fall for her….Fresh, endearing, and heartfelt." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The plot of this novel is well-paced and entertaining... secondary characters are fleshed out, fully formed individuals with diverse queer and racial identities, and the relationships are full of humor and compassion. Imogen is a complex character with a distinct voice, and her story of grappling with her identity during this transitional period of life will resonate. An excellent addition to collections for teens."
- School Library Journal (starred review)
"Plenty of witty banter-and a sweet romance-lighten a novel that's full of introspection and that validates not only a variety of identities but also individuals' paces for figuring them out." - Horn Book
"Drawn from Albertalli's experience with coming out, this novel offers an endearing story of one teen's struggle for self-acceptance. A sure hit with Albertalli's existing fans, this is likely to win her more in those who want a thought-provoking take on how sometimes what you want is more obvious to your heart than to your head." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Imogen, Obviously is perhaps Albertalli's best book yet, with an introspective look at how identity can shift and an engaging love story." - Buzzfeed
"A sparkling romance and a moving account of a young woman's very contemporary bisexual awakening. Imogen, Obviously is a deeply person...
Readers Top Reviews
Annna
Where do I start here? I love Becky Albertalli and her books. Imogen is no exception. I can totally see how personal this story is to Becky and how it reflects her forced coming out story & the controversy that came with that. Now, this is not my favorite of her books, but I appreciate how she put her soul into it. I really liked Lili as a character and best friend to Imogen. She was strong, nonjudgmental and the best (pretty much) big sister Imogen needed. When she spiraled, Lili was there. I liked the contrast between Lili and Gretchen. Both queer women with a lot to prove, but I liked how it represented different opinions. Gretchen was infuriating sometimes, especially with her harsh judgments. But like Imogen I could always see the points she was trying to make. I understand the struggle she felts to know that her friend was being a lot but not having the vocabulary/life experience to go against Gretchen. The smack down at the end was so good & juicy tho! Now here’s my struggle with this book. The beginning felt like it dragged a lot. I understand we needed to be on campus to establish this crush and friend group but something didn’t quite feel right at first. The other thing that was distracting to me was the amount of repetitive internal battles Imogen had in her head. Don’t get me wrong, she was questioning herself and what she knew but it felt like this happened every other chapter and it got to feeling like it just was the same thing over and over. Overall, I think this is a solid Becky Albertalli book. She has a way that she writes that makes you want to continue reading just to find out what’s next. She always includes wit and sass that I just love. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
MJLovestoRead
I've always wanted to read a book by this talented author since enjoying the movie Love, Simon a few years back. With Imogen, Obviously, I was able to fully immerse myself in Becky Albertalli's words and her flair for writing about young adults and their daily struggles. This coming-of-age book opened my older person's eyes to more of the queer community and the intricacies each of these characters deals with as they embrace their sexuality and pride in their decisions. For Imogen, she's at a true crossroads as she is almost finished with high school and is on her way to a new life at college, facing a new world that will undoubtedly have more changes in it than she might be ready for. The use of a college visit to her hometown bestie starts a series of events for Immy that change her outlook and her very being forever. I felt all the insecurities right along with her as her long-awaited trip to Blackwell College to finally see Lili is full of trepidation and doubt. Definitely feeling like a fish out of water, it was heartwarming to see Lili's core group of friends embrace Immy almost from the get-go and help her begin her own journey of self-discovery. In fact, Tessa, who becomes a key component of Immy's metamorphosis of sorts, is the true highlight for our girl and gives her a surprising jolt of want that truly knocks Immy for a loop. Their text messages once Immy back home make her blush way too often and gives her pause in what she might be feeling for a girl, which is something she never thought could happen to her. You have to understand that Immy is surrounded by many who are a part of the queer community and it was very interesting to watch as long-time friends together with her sister and the newfound friends in Lili's world truly transform Immy in more ways than one. It was eye-opening to witness how so many simply want to put a person in their designated box, so to speak, when that person is almost desperate to break down those walls and simply be the person they were destined to be. I really did love Immy and the way she navigates this complicated world. I am impressed with how caring a person she is and how she simply wants to be herself in whatever form that might take. This new journey for her won't be easy but I was very happy to have experienced a glimpse into her life and those of her crazy friends. Immy has so many who have her back and even those, I'm looking at you, Gretchen!, who can't handle her newfound curiosity, still matter to her and her loyalty and being able to forgive is something to be admired. Overall, this is a sweet read and definitely one that I enjoyed. A few hiccups wrt descriptions of fellow students put me off a bit but didn't take away from the message this story set out to proclaim. All of the characters were fun to watch and it was wild to feel those unsteady thoughts as...
