Rating:
Book 11 on My Book List 2024
”It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can’t I just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyse it to death?”
Can I say something before I write this review? Yes? Okay! I loved this book so, so, so much, you have no idea! It was perfect, just like “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” was and I’m so glad I dared to read another one of Becky Albertalli’s books. Not all of them were my cup of tea, so I’m even happier I can say that this was amazing! I think in some way “Imogen, Obviously” was everything I wanted “Leah on the Off-Beat” to be. Unfortunately, I was no big fan of Leah’s book and had a couple of issues with it, but Imogen? Wow! Please give me more books like this one, because the world needs them! I think by now it will surprise absolutely no one that I actually rated this five stars, right? I feel like I need to explain my deep love for this book, though so let’s just dive into my review and get to the facts. 😉
”I almost can’t catch my breath for a second. But Tessa’s still smiling at me, so I smile back, except now I’m blushing, and I’m pretty sure the eye contact should have ended by now. Only I can’t look away, because Tessa’s so cute, and her smile is like sunshine on water.”
First things first: The plot! So we basically have Imogen who’s been an ally to her queer friends and sister ever since they came out. Despite being the best and most thoughtful ally in the world she considers herself to be totally hetero and only ever had crushes on boys. Well, that is until one of her best friends Lili goes to college and invites her to stay over for a couple of nights. It’s the first time Immy is on campus and Lili introduces all her cool new and very queer friends that instantly adopt her into their circle. There’s a little catch, though. Due to being a little intimidated by her friends and feeling insecure Lili claimed Imogen is bisexual and that they were in a relationship. Being the bestie that she is Immy plays along but soon realizes that she might not be as straight as she thought she was. Because every time she sees Tessa – one of Lili’s new friends – her heart is doing crazy things.
”She scrunches her nose at me.
A bubble of laughter rises up from my chest for no reason. But then Tessa clamps a hand over my mouth, and it makes something twist inside me.
The skin of her palm on my lips.
Oh gosh, those two were just so adorable! I loved their easy banter and their conversations! Also Tessa being Tessa was one of the best things about the book. I swear, I’m having a major book girlfriend crush on Tessa, because this girl is perfect. I adore her so much and it’s almost impossible not to fall for her, she’s girlfriend material through and through. The way Immy and her flirted and got to know each other was so much fun to read about and I could relate to Imogen’s feelings so much. A lot of queer people start out like her, thinking they are just an ally until they realize they’re not. Suddenly there comes a girl that turns your world upside down and you find yourself questioning everything you ever did. It sure as hell felt like that for me. So Imogen’s thoughts and her second guessing everything she did was extremely relatable.
”For a while, I was worried I shouldn’t be there. I spent weeks reading every blog post and Reddit forum I could find about allies and safe spaces, and whether it was even okay for me to show up at the meetings. Was I just another straight girl invading queer territory? Was I an outsider, sucking all the oxygen from the room?”
Also: Fair warning, it gets a little personal now! 😉 When I was a kid I loved Sailor Moon and watched every episode. I especially liked Sailor Uranus who was named Haruka and liked to dress like a boy. She was even in a relationship with Sailor Neptune who was also a girl and despite 8 year old me never being able to tell if Haruka was a boy or a girl (or both) that was in a romantic relationship with a girl, I just accepted it and liked her even more for it. I never really thought about that until I was a teen and fell in love with another girl. Looking at it in retrospective everything made so much sense. *lol* But of course 8 year old V was oblivious af and had no idea what it all meant. Later on there came that nagging question: Do I want to be like him/her/them or do I have a crush on him/her/them?! It was something that was always in the back of my mind but I never dared to acknowledge it. (The answer was both, actually. xD) Living in a country with relatives that are straight and very catholic will do that to you, but that’s a story for another day. Bottom line: Just like with Imogen the signs were all there, it only took a while to see them for what they truly were. 😉
”Something’s glitching.
The way my heart’s pounding straight through my chest.
The way my brain’s completely stuck on Tessa. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think this was an actual crush.
But how do I know if it’s real?”
To get a glimpse at Immy’s thoughts and her feelings felt so good and there were many scenes, in which I found myself. I’m sure a lot of other people who read this book will be able to relate to her as well and I’m very glad there are books like this out there in the world now. Teen me would have needed those books so badly, I’m thankful they exists for the next generation, though. It might have taken me years to figure out myself but I eventually did. *lol* Anyway! Back to the book! Of course I loved all the LGBTQIA+ reps we got and Becky made sure to play the entire spectrum our rainbow has to offer. We had everything from non-binary to lesbian, gay, bi and pan. And haha I guess it’s true that queer people just can’t sit normal in a chair. I’m guilty of that too. XD
Lili was quiet for a moment. „But what’s the solution? Not let anyone in the door until Gretchen decides they’re queer enough?“
Still, not everything was rainbows and sunshine and I loved the way Becky tackled the topic of LGBTQIA+ people not always being save even in queer spaces. She did it by inventing a bisexual character named Gretchen and I think everyone who’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community either knows or knew someone like Gretchen. I came across a lot of Gretchen’s in my life and they always think that they are entitled to tell you how you feel and what you have to think. People like her just can’t let you be and always want to put a label on everything. They can’t seem to be able to accept that there are other identities as well and they never think about the fact that everyone is different and that everyone’s experiences are different too. For them there’s just one truth and it’s theirs.
”Well,” Gretchen says slowly. “If you had a crush on her, it would feel like a crush.”
“I think it does, though? Just a different kind of crush.”
Gretchen draws back, eyeing me appraisingly. “Okay, how about this?” she says finally. “Do you want to fuck her? No? Then you’re safe.”
The rage I felt when I read this! UGH!! I mean Gretchen WTF?! That woman was always so fast at pointing out the flaws of others but had absolutely zero self-reflection abilities. The way she gaslighted Immy and always turned everything into her being straight. There are so many reasons why that statement above is extremely problematic, just one of them the simple fact that there ARE people out in the world who are aro/ace or demisexual etc. I just couldn’t with Gretchen. No, seriously, if I’d still have toxic people like her in my life I’d give them a piece of my mind before I cut them out of it entirely. Still, Becky Albertalli inventing her character is a stroke of genius and I can only salute her for it. So many of us have been there and made experiences like Imogen and I’m about 98% convinced Becky Albertalli was there too and this is the reason why she wrote the story like that. I don’t even have to mention how toxic “friends” like that are when you’re already questioning and have enough on your plate. Also I loved Lili for feeling that “reptilian rage” with me. *lol*
”Some queer people just really seem to love shitting on other queer people. Every day, someone’s out there weighing in about whether bi and pan girls even count as queer to begin with. Or we’re only queer under certain circumstances. They’ll say it with their whole chest. Absolutely zero awareness that their very specific queer experience isn’t one hundred percent universal.”
Say it louder for the people in the back!!! So yeah, I couldn’t stand Gretchen but that’s exactly what Becky aimed for. She wanted us to question her character and maybe representation like that will animate some people in the queer community to think outside of their boxes in the future. Who knows? Just the fact it was properly addressed in here and pointed out will already mean a lot to many people, so no matter if you find yourself in Imogen or maybe even in Gretchen, Becky did her job. The fact there is no immediate and direct solution for the problem of queer people not accepting other LGBTQIA+ identities felt very realistic and I think at the end of the day we all have to decide how we want to deal with the Gretchen’s of the world. There’s no general solution and every situation is different so all we can do is to point out those prejudices and to work on them as a community. I’m convinced it will get better with time. It’s a process. 😉
”That I thought I was straight.
Even though I’m not. And I wasn’t.
I don’t think I was.
But then again, do I really know that? Does anyone really, truly, one hundred percent know?”
All told, I loved “Imogen, Obviously” and despite all the heavy topics it tackled, it still had many cute and adorable moments. The slowly growing romance was such a nice counterweight to all the serious stuff and I absolutely loved Imogen’s and Lili’s group of queer friends. They were so much fun and their antics and shenanigans were hilarious. Becky Albertalli totally delivered with this one and I’m looking forward to read her next book. =)