Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - Ophelia After All

Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

16 reviews

mayareadsxo's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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runes_reads's review

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emotional funny inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book had so many great characters, with so much great character development! I loved seeing the main cast interact together, the friend group especially. Ophelia as a character was wonderful, I adored and related to her so much.
This is a great starter LGBTQ story, the book gave some definitions and explanations for different terms. It really show what it's like to figure out sexuality, and the book really captured the how in high school everything feels so much. It showed how high school can be so emotional and terrifying, with hormones and trying to figure out who you are at that age. I would say this is a YA book, maybe late middle grade, there are brief mentions of sex.

Spoilers:

I cried like a baby when Ophelia had that conversation in the car with her mom after being picked up from the LGBTQ center. I loved the ending, Sammie going to therapy was great. I really liked how Ophelia acknowledged that her and Lindsay probably wouldn't stay friends, and how that was okay. I adored Ophelia's character, she felt so alive and relatable. Agatha was definitely a great friend, I wish I had a friend like that at that age lol. I loved the part where Ophelia dumped her drink on that asshole, that was 10/10, very cathartic.

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A pretty good sexuality discovery and friendship-building narrative. I'd say this was perfectly average and sweet. Loved the gardening detail of Ophelia's life. I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out, but enjoyed having characters with various sexualities, as well as with undefined/unlabeled ones. I don't often find books where a character is allowed to experience their sexuality and not find a label that fits.

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nerdysread's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I thought it was going to be a cute coming of age rom-com. Well, nope. I cried. It broke my heart and put it back together
PS: Ophelia is a messy girl

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maple_dove's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

SDKJASLDHASDIOSADIOASDOS I DID NOT EXPECT THAT?!

Also, I took me 10 days to finish reading this book when I usually only take a few days to finish one. High school WHYYYYY--

I Liked

That this wasn't about Ophelia getting the girl or discovering her queerness because of a relationship. This book was about discovering and loving yourself, which was such a nice change. I loved it. 💛
The complexity was amazing.
How AWARE this book is (the knowledge of a variety of identities).

I Didn't Like

Sammie. I'M NOT SORRY! Sammie was a jerk, and you know it. Hell, he even admitted it at the end of the book. I'm glad he admitted it, apologized (actually, not making excuses), and started seeing a therapist to self-improve. I didn't dislike him every time he made an appearance in the book, I'll admit. It was more like 50/50 like and dislike.
I don't belong in a big friend group (or any friend group with more than three people, tbh), nor do I like being in them so I can't relate to the friend group dynamics.

Favorite Quotes:

Virginal as I am, my golden sexual-advice rule is that if you can't talk about it, you probably shouldn't be doing it. Seriously, be a little mature.

"Ophelia, it's great to see you. What grade are you in now, tenth?"
Daf stifles a laugh. I forcefully hand him back the wine.
"I'm actually a senior."
"No way!" He gasps in that classic I'm An Adult And Cannot Process You Aging At The Same Rate As Me For Some Reason way and turns to Mom.

"But sometimes, when you've known someone for years and they build up this image of you, it's hard to talk about things that mess with that image. It feels like you'd be breaking some bond of trust between you and that person by being different than you were before. I don't just mean subtle, slow changes. I mean, like, the big things that they never saw coming."

I know kissing and liking Talia shouldn't change who I am to them, or to myself, but it does. And maybe they'd say 'Oh, this doesn't change anything!' or 'You're still the same Ophelia we know and love!' but it does, and I'm not the same. And they can't possibly understand that. It's not just that I'm scared they'll hate me for this; I'm scared they won't even see it."
"People confuse acceptance with erasure," he says with the weight of understanding that only someone else who has battled this same internal conflict possibly could. (pg. 284)

I agree with this so much. "This doesn't change anything" and "You're still the same" just never felt right. Of course being queer and/or trans changes things. That's the point.

"Did I ever tell you why I chose Ophelia though?"
"No," I admit, surprised I never asked. "I always figured you wanted something more unique. Or that Dad vetoed Juliet." Dad never wanted to watch adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, claiming it was too tragic for him. The irony of him still loving Hamlet isn't lost on me.
She laughs. "No, he always knew it was my dream to name a child after one of them. Juliet and Ophelia were always my favorite because they are two of the most quickly dismissed among people who refuse to dig past the surface narrative. Juliet is remembered as a foolish teenage girl who threw away her life for a boy she hardly knew, and Ophelia is remembered more for her virginity and inability to accept Hamlet's rejection than anything else."
"Great legacies you left me."
"But that's not who those girls were," she corrects firmly. "Romeo was just as much a hopeless romantic as Juliet, and they gave their lives to show the world that true love mattered more than senseless hatred. Juliet cared enough about her family to die so they could live brighter, wiser lives. I respected her as a character for being more mature than most give her credit for."
"Then why'd you pick Ophelia?" I ask, dusting my hands against my jeans. She narrows her eyes at the crumbs I'm spreading in the car, but keeps going.
"Ophelia was all those things too. But she also wore her heart on her sleeve. She wasn't 'mad' in her final scene; she was grieving without shame. She was begging for someone to hear her desperation beneath the offered flowers."

I recognize the look in his eyes, not quite hunger for something deeper. Longing, love, profound admiration. I'm sure he'd find the same things in my eyes when I look at Talia too, and instead of swallowing that sting of realization, I embrace it. Running from these feelings did me no good. I don't cling to the idea that I have a romantic future with Talia anymore, a future I'm still mourning the loss of, but I shouldn't have to pretend I never wanted one. (pg. 327)

Agatha was right. Prom was never about the dresses or the dates or the ridiculous theme. It was about celebrating, through all those little details, the feeling that holy shit, we actually survived high school.
Well, almost survived it. (pg. 329)

Conclusion:

In the end, my lack of interest for realistic fiction kind of blew it for me. 😓 I know what you're going to say, "ThEn WhY dId YoU rEaD tHiS bOoK?" Because I still wanted to read it. :) And will I continue to read realistic fiction? Yes.

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literarypenguin's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ophelia is a senior in high school and has always been known as boy-crazy while lovingly taking care of her garden of beautiful roses. When she starts spending time with a new female friend named Talia, Ophelia starts to release she may not have known herself as well as she thought she did and the boy crazy image people created of her might not be true. I may have found a new comfort read and a personal favorite! This was such a great and beautiful coming-of-age story that I am glad exists! This book will help people who are questioning and captures the feeling of questioning yourself perfectly. I loved how unique this book was and how it talked about all the different types of sexualities and spectrums there are. It really made people feel like they aren’t alone in how they feel or who they want to love.

The writing was very good & it felt like you were right there alongside Ophelia while she struggled with her thoughts and her self-doubts. It did feel a bit repetitive at times usually at the beginning of chapters but it wasn’t enough to dampen my enjoyment overall. The characters were written in a way that made them realistic and more believable. The places and the pacing were well done too.

The plot focuses on Ophelia starting to develop feelings for a girl when she has never had feelings for girls before. It shows how she navigates these new feelings and how she is afraid if she tells those that she loves then they will see her differently. It deals with all the complicated feelings that come along with coming out and discovering your identity like being afraid of people seeing you in a different way, being afraid of feeling these new feelings, and being labeled as something you are not too sure about. It also features graduation and growing up to young adulthood. It shows the stress and nerves that come with growing up and going to college. How your life will be changing, how you will start to experience new life experiences, and maybe lose or gain new friendships.

Ophelia was such a relatable and amazing main character! I loved her passion for gardening and how she was always there for her family and friends. Her closeness with her parents was refreshing to see when most teenagers aren’t too close with their parents. Her group of friends was definitely my favorite part of the book! Sammie and Agatha were supportive and great best friends to Ophelia! They each had their own personalities with Agatha having a love for fashion and making people feel comfortable in their own skin and Sammie being hilarious and loving history. The new friends they make like Talia and Zaq and Wesley are amazing as well! I loved Wesley the most and how they used him to help Ophelia discover her identity and who she is. He was a great character!

This book takes place in a small town with a lovely community and a lot of personalities! I love how they described the different businesses and the different families that lived there. The best location was Ophelia’s rose garden and how she organized and cared for her roses. It was a beautiful place and was full of love and care, a place well loved and taken care of. I really liked the different locations from all kinds of cultures too and the youth center was great and gave off a welcoming kind of feeling.

The themes in the book were acceptance of one’s self and discovering who you are and who you want to be. It handles these fears delicately and in an honest way. It explores the fear of coming out and how it will not only change the person but change the people who know the person. It also explores the fears of growing up and going through big changes that people aren’t ready for. The theme of found family and family ties is great to see. The part I loved the most though is how you don’t have to choose a label or even fit into one right away or not at all. You can do what makes you feel comfortable and makes you happy.

I really loved this book and I highly recommend this book to anyone questioning themselves or knowing their identity but enjoying a great romance with amazing characters! If you want a realistic found family group or amazing themes you can give this book a try!

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vaniavela's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ophelia, a botany-loving girl who is known to her parents and friends as a "boy-crazy" girl, embarks on a journey to question her sexuality during her last time in high school.

I love stories written in first person POV. Being in a character's head , reading their feelings and thoughts, is an amazing experience. And this book managed to capture that in a great way.

I liked the realism of her fears. How she fears change, and that the world around her will change the way they see her, treating her differently.

I liked the group of friends. They all have realistic flaws and attitudes, especially as teenagers about to graduate. I loved getting to know about them and their backgrounds; they weren't just put there for the plot, they were three dimensional.

I also love the ending; we weren't given a typical ending where the main character has a certainty of who who they are and is happily ever after. It shows us that she is still on her journey of learning about herself, and that we are valid even with uncertainty and doubt.

The comment about the labels, was also a good element. I loved the mention of how it was not necessary to label oneself in one thing. Also, the mention of how biromantic or bisexual identities are often erased in straight-looking relationships, was appreciated. These issues were handled with great care and made me love this book even more.

It is a beautiful, gorgeous book.

Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male SC, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female SC, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male SC, Fat Black aromantic female SC, Black pansexual male SC.

CWs: Homophobia, lesbophobia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia, fatphobia.

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katiehasanxiety's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A new fun fact I realized about myself today: if it’s a queer YA book, imma ugly cry while reading it.

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luananki's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i don’t know how to put into words that i absolutely love this book. there wasn’t a single page i didn’t fall in love with. i did not want the story to end.

there is so much representation and not only queer representation but also the struggle of being an interracial child, i related to ophelia a lot.

her not being able to open up and basically pushing everyone away even though she clearly needed someone to talk to and her being scared of destroying the “perfect” imagery her friends and family created of her in their heads and her feeling like she doesn’t truly belong with any culture.

i get her, on almost every level.

wes is (like the author mentions in the acknowledgments) a precious cinnamon roll. i’m so glad he became friends with ophelia

and supported her even though they didn’t even really know each other in the beginning.

he also sounds like a very comforting person to be around. the development of their relationship was one of the thinks i enjoyed the most throughout this book.

i had fun with every single character. their friend group made so much sense. all of them felt real because they all had their own ongoing struggles and flaws to deal with. the emphasis on healthy communication, saying sorry and that queer relationships are about more than having sex, as well as friendship and that no relationship is more important than the other make me so happy.

sammie and agatha are amazing and also lindsay (i appreciate the relationship between her and ophelia so much, it’s sort of painful but also very real) and o’s parents and the youth center and the unexpected aro and ace representation - loved it

i was expecting it to be a full on romance book but i’m even happier it turned out the way it did. the ending fits the story perfectly.

this was a treat in so many ways. i wish i had this when i was younger.

i will hopefully come back to this one day and decide to reread because good queer latine representation is really something i need more of.

thank you racquel marie for writing this story and thank god for booktok for getting this on my fyp <3

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booksbutmakeitgay's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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