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Do you love an adorable queer rom-com with an idyllic small-town college setting? You’ll definitely want to pick up Imogen Obviously by Becky Albertalli immediately!
Let me just go right ahead and state the obvious: I’m pretty obsessed with Becky Albertalli. Like, if I could get a “#1 Becky Albertalli fangirl” t-shirt without seeming like a total creeper, I absolutely would. And while I love and appreciate all of her books, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda has always been my one true love. Could anything ever top the Simonverse? Not a chance. Simon and Blue are true couple goals, and Leah is my much cooler alter-ego. They will always top the Albertalli hierarchy. Or so I thought…
Until…
IMOGEN. Listen, friends. I am OBSESSED. First of all, did I download it the second I saw it on Netgalley and read it within 24 hours? Yes, of course. Standard fare for Albertalli books. Have I read it THREE MORE TIMES since then? OBVIOUSLY. In fact, there was a 3 week period in February-March when I was super busy and my brain was fried and pretty much the only media I could/would consume was this book. I seriously felt like Hazel Grace Lancaster with that one book she couldn’t stop reading in The Fault in Our Stars. I’ve always been a rereader, but never to this level of obsession. SO THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING.
Something I do on the side of being a regular librarian is review books for School Library Journal, and I was lucky enough to be asked to review Imogen Obviously for SLJ. Now, this is both a blessing and a curse, because of course I want to tell the world how great this book is, but also, SLJ wants you to, like, be professional and stuff, and write a concise 250 word synopsis and objective review and not, for instance, 250 words’ worth of heart-eye emojis (I mean, I haven’t asked, but…I assume that would be frowned upon).
So as I was agonizing over my 250 word review, I remembered that I have a blog! And on my blog I can write as many words as I want and be as biased as I want! So let me tell you, with no shortage of exclamation points or ALL CAPS, why, exactly, you need Imogen Obviously in your life IMMEDIATELY.
What’s the story with Imogen Obviously?
First of all, who even is Imogen? Well, she’s a high school senior from a small town in upstate NY. She loves cardigans, has a true talent for making vision boards and finding Waldo, and she has about a million pets (but Quincy, the 30 lb ragdoll cat, is obviously the best). And she’s totally straight, obviously. Her sister, Edith, is a lesbian, and her best friend, Gretchen, is out-and-proud (to the point of being pedantic and condescending, perhaps…?) bisexual, but Imogen is just a really great ally. Obviously. Being obsessed with One Last Stop and Clairo and But I’m a Cheerleader are just markers of true allyship.
So Imogen has recently made the big decision-she’s going to Blackwell College. Her other bff, Lily is a first year (Lily is also queer (pansexual) btw), and invites Imogen to spend the weekend with her to get to know her new school. And so begins quite the eye-opening experience for Imogen.
You see, Lily has made this amazing group of queer friends at Blackwell, and Imogen has the chance to spend some time with them over the weekend. She has a pretty great intro to college life-trivia competitions and dining hall grilled cheese and thrift shopping for dark academia theme party costumes, etc.-and she really clicks with Lily’s friends, especially Tessa. Tessa, who has perfect hair and is a fellow early bird and maybe, just maybe, is flirting with Imogen?!? But Imogen is straight, right???? One weekend with a cool college girl isn’t going to shift her whole identity…or is it possible that there were signs all along, and maybe her straightness isn’t so obvious after all…
Why you must read Imogen Obviously right this very second
So now that you know just a little bit more about Imogen, why do you need to read this book? Well, first and foremost, Imogen’s sense of humor is spot on. There’s a point in the book where Tessa calls her a subtle troll, and that’s very accurate-Imogen is funny, but her delivery is very matter of fact, and when she says something that could be cutting, she does it in a sweet and polite way, and I just loved it so much. There’s a particular analogy Imogen makes about Tessa being akin to a certain type of grocery store shopper that makes me lol just thinking about it and you just need to read the book to understand!
Second of all, as always, the secondary characters in this story are so fleshed-out-no one feels unnecessary or one dimensional or stereotypical. I loved the small details we learned about Lily’s college friends, from Kayla’s big family to Mika’s unresolved relationship with their ex. And the sausage war plotline that runs throughout the story is HYSTERICAL. And, of course, it goes without saying that Lily and Edith’s fierce defense of Imogen as she’s figuring stuff out, and their insistence that her feelings and identity are valid and normal, were further additions to their lists of awesome qualities as humans.
Next, Imogen Obviously feels like a love letter to small town upstate NY. As someone who grew up in a small town upstate, albeit in a slightly different area, reading about Imogen’s surroundings was like a warm hug. Although my hometown, sadly, did not have anything as exciting as the world’s largest pancake griddle, I feel like there are so many fun quirks and interesting discoveries to be found in small towns, even if we also must put up with the bigotry and small-mindedness that can be found there. Reading Imogen Obviously felt like coming home, in the best way possible.
Also, Imogen is excellent representation for all book lovers/book hoarders. Let me tell you that I have never felt so seen as when I read the following text exchange:
Anyway, thanks, Becky, for making emergency copies of books canon.
I know this has basically been one long, rambly list of the random things *I* liked in Imogen Obviously, so if you are going to read just one paragraph of this entirely too long fangirl flail in written form, make it this one. This is a much-needed book for kids (and, really, people of all ages) who are coming to terms with their queer identities. I’m not going to get into Becky’s backstory here, as you can easily find the details with a quick internet search, but I know that this book is a very personal one, and I believe that the care she has put into crafting Imogen, and the affirmation of Imogen’s changing identity, will be hugely comforting to others who are going through the same thing. As Tessa says, “comphet’s a bitch.” It is perfectly okay to not know exactly how you identify, to change your mind, to change your labels, etc. at *any* age, especially as you unlearn the patriarchal, heteronormative ideals our society is steeped in. Imogen’s story is an excellent example of that, and I’m so glad this book is officially out in the world, on library and bookstore shelves, where everyone can find her.
OH! And just in case this got lost in all of my gushing, there’s also a REALLY FUCKING CUTE love story within the pages of this book, OBVIOUSLY!
Anyway, Imogen Obviously is a funny, adorable, cozy, queer rom-com that belongs on everyone’s shelves, and if I haven’t convinced you to read it, maybe one of these other reviews will!
Let me know-have you read Imogen Obviously? And what’s another queer rom-com you love?
Looking for more awesome bookish posts? Check these out:
- 21 Fantastic Queer Middle Grade Books
- Top 5 Reasons to Read Forward March by Skye Quinlan
- 5 Absolutely Fantastic YA K-Pop Books
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