Book Summary and Reviews of Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Imogen, Obviously

by Becky Albertalli

  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • Published:
  • May 2023, 432 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"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)

"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)

"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)

"This one's for the girls with anxiety, for the chronic people pleasers, for anyone who worries if they're trying too hard or not hard enough, for the ones still figuring it out. A lot of people will recognize themselves in Imogen. A big-hearted, deeply vulnerable, love-bubbly tumble through self-discovery." —Casey McQuiston, author of #1 New York Times bestselling I Kissed Shara Wheeler

"A sparkling romance and a moving account of a young woman's very contemporary bisexual awakening. Imogen, Obviously is a deeply personal novel about queerness in all its colorful complexity and a rallying cry to 'hold space for variation' in the LGBTQ+ community." —Shelf Awareness

This information about Imogen, Obviously was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Becky Albertalli

Becky Albertalli is the number one New York Times bestselling author of William C. Morris Award winner and National Book Award longlist title Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (now a major motion picture, Love, Simon); The Upside of Unrequited; Leah on the Offbeat; the Simonverse novella Love, Creekwood; What If It's Us (cowritten with Adam Silvera); Yes No Maybe So (cowritten with Aisha Saeed); and most recently, Kate in Waiting. Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.

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