Imogen, Obviously: New for 2023, from the bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

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This is worse than normal lying. It’s queerbaiting. Or at the very least, I’m appropriating queerness. Not even just the aesthetics, either. Apparently, my brain thinks queerness itself is some kind of thought exercise. Me: a certified asshole straight girl who sees a lesbian existing and thinks it’s a love declaration.

Unfortunately, pieces of Imogen's story being so relatable and the concept of the book being fun and cute are about where my enjoyment of the book ended and unfortunately, there was more of the book that I didn't like than what I did. So, while I went into this book totally expecting to love it, it just didn't hit right for me. But, like I said, unlike someone in this book, I don't speak for all queer people, all readers, all anything and am aware that the things in this book that bothered me and were annoying, boring, tedious, or all of the above for me might not have been for other people. So, if you loved this book or you were planning to read it, don't let my opinions sway you.Maybe shared experiences shouldn't be the foundation at all. Maybe it should be a promise to hold space for variation. 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 enough, for the ones still figuring it out. A big-hearted, deeply-vulnerable, love-bubbly tumble through self-discovery.” –Casey McQuiston, author of #1 New York Times bestselling I KISSED SHARA WHEELER I recommend this, especially to teenagers. Even though I don’t agree with everything I do think this is a good place to start some important discussions about queerness and gatekeeping. Simon Vs. was one of the first queer books that I ever read and it will always be so special to me. Albertalli writes that if Simon was her attempt to throw a ball into the air, Imogen is her attempt to catch it. I adored this sentiment and I definitely think Albertalli's writing and storytelling has come full-circle with this book. Alongside her growth as a writer, I believe that some of her personal beliefs have also changed and I loved the social commentary within this book.

In case you haven’t been hearing the hordes of queer bookstagrammers screaming about this book, Imogen, Obviously follows our certified heterosexual and biggest ally™️. When Imogen visits her friend Lili at the college she’ll be attending next year, she gets roped into pretending to be Lili’s ex-girlfriend… which means acting like she’s bi and lying in front of Lili’s friends (including the extremely hot Tessa). But she’s not actually queer, right? This isn’t a crush… obviously.I feel terribly sorry for her, being outed is horrifying and scary and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. it's about growing into yourself, the one that’s ever-evolving. about love and doubt and fear, about fluidity and uncertainty and allowing yourself the space to simply exist. that there’s no right way to be. And everyone in Pride Alliance talks about how hard it is to date people from our school. Gretchen says it’s because everyone knows everyone in Penn Yan. And you can’t exactly hold hands with a girl in the cafeteria when your teachers are friends with your homophobic parents. Hypothetically speaking, that is, since Mama Patterson isn’t homophobic and neither are my parents or Lili’s. But I guess homophobia managed to leak into the atmosphere somehow. Even Edith, who’s basically never not been out, hadn’t dated anyone before Zora. Whoa, nice!” I say, cringing before the words have even left my lips. My voice always pitches higher when people talk about girls kissing—which makes literally no sense, seeing as I’m surrounded by queer people 24/7. I know Gretchen finds it annoying sometimes. Though other times, she says it’s adorable, and that I’m an innocent bean with Mommy’s- first-day-at-PFLAG energy. But that just makes me even more self-conscious.

Find the hottest teen books, connect with your favorite YA authors and meet new friends who share your reading interests! Then she runs a hand through her hair, and there’s some- thing so boyish about the gesture, it leaves me a little off-balance.

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There will be spoilers below this point, but I'll mark them as I see fit. Still, read at your own risk since our definitions of spoiler may not match up. Lili shakes her head. “How are you not freaked out? Like, you have to be wondering if I’m secretly in love with you, right?”

This also applies to Imogen. The entire book is about how you can't infer sexuality from stereotypical traits someone has and that being bi doesn't have a certain lookImogen longs to be part of the queer community, and while I’m sure there is some 100% straight and cis person this applies to in the world, it’s such a relatable queer experience. I was in middle school when I excitedly talked about looking forward to joining the Gay/Straight Alliance in high school, and how if I could choose, I’d be pansexual and panromantic. But, of course, I too was "hopelessly straight"… between her best friends and her sister, imogen scott knows who she is: the picture perfect queer ally. but her best friend, lili, has told her new queer college friends that they used to date. when imogen puts on the bi label for the act, she finds it fitting more than she ever thought it would. but she’s straight, right? A little personal – I am someone who came out over 20 years ago *coughs* (shhhh, I know). I came out as lesbian when I was 16, and non-binary 17 years after that. This stuff isn’t linear. If you want to write about defying stereotypes then maybe... Don't rely on stereotypes while telling your story?