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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
While some of Ofelia's actions were frustrating, over all this book is a great story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Racism, Sexism
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism
emotional
lighthearted
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
A cute coming of age story about figuring out your sexuality.
I loved Ophelia's experience of crushing on a girl and her whole bi-confusion, it felt very realistic and relatable, it reminded me so much of my own high school experience. I absolutely loved the building friendships, and how she discovers that queerness is in fact all around her. I'm especially fond of the biromantic ace rep, and that character.
What I found less realistic was how for the first part of the book she is fully confused and messy like a teenager and when she starts to figure herself out, suddenly she has it all figured out, a quick trip to the LGBT+ centre and she's fully mature, realized, able to apologize to her friends and be a grown up about everything, that was just too fast in my opinion and it took away from what could have been a more interesting ending.
Also, and maybe that's just personal, but you can't give me that many hints at love triangles and not give me any polyamory. That would have made the ending so much more interesting, and I honestly thought that's where it was going instead of all the prom things that felt very like what we've seen on TV shows a thousand times before.
I loved Ophelia's experience of crushing on a girl and her whole bi-confusion, it felt very realistic and relatable, it reminded me so much of my own high school experience. I absolutely loved the building friendships, and how she discovers that queerness is in fact all around her. I'm especially fond of the biromantic ace rep, and that character.
What I found less realistic was how for the first part of the book she is fully confused and messy like a teenager and when she starts to figure herself out, suddenly she has it all figured out, a quick trip to the LGBT+ centre and she's fully mature, realized, able to apologize to her friends and be a grown up about everything, that was just too fast in my opinion and it took away from what could have been a more interesting ending.
Also, and maybe that's just personal, but you can't give me that many hints at love triangles and not give me any polyamory. That would have made the ending so much more interesting, and I honestly thought that's where it was going instead of all the prom things that felt very like what we've seen on TV shows a thousand times before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Islamophobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1. THIS COVER. The minute I saw this cover, I died. So beautiful.
"Ophelia After All" is basically the story of Ophelia Rojas in her senior year of high school. She is "boy crazy," loves her friends, and is a huge romantic at heart. What happens, though, when a girl walks into her life and makes her feel things she didn't think were possible?
This was one of my most anticipated of 2022 and while I liked it, I felt kind of let down. There is a lot to like about this book. It's funny, the side characters are as complicated and fleshed out as our main character, and the coming of age element / figuring out who you are in terms of sexuality is handled in a very realistic way. I could relate to Ophelia's journey to figuring out she's queer in a lot of ways, having been through some of the same confusion when I myself was a senior in high school. I also thought that the literary references were great and they were among some of my favorite parts of the book. There were some scenes where the drama came to a head that had me gasping and turning the pages - well, swiping them, I read this on kindle - extremely quickly.
Unfortunately, Ophelia had some annoying ass friends and they were always present. There was only one or two of them that didn't absolutely make me roll my eyes in the back of my head. I don't know about you, but if someone made fun of me constantly for having crushes on people, I would simply not be their friend. Ophelia's a better bitch than me. I realize this is YA, so I'm not the target audience, but the melodrama in relation to the prom was really difficult for me to care about. However, I DID NOT TAKE A STAR OFF FOR THIS, because I am not the target audience! Having said that, it was an issue for me. I am an adult who enjoys YA, but when the high school politics are very heavy handed, it becomes a little hard for me. One star came off for the friends being total assholes, and another star came off because honestly, I think that this could've been written a little better, and I hate that I think that, because this was a 5 star prediction.
"Ophelia After All" is basically the story of Ophelia Rojas in her senior year of high school. She is "boy crazy," loves her friends, and is a huge romantic at heart. What happens, though, when a girl walks into her life and makes her feel things she didn't think were possible?
This was one of my most anticipated of 2022 and while I liked it, I felt kind of let down. There is a lot to like about this book. It's funny, the side characters are as complicated and fleshed out as our main character, and the coming of age element / figuring out who you are in terms of sexuality is handled in a very realistic way. I could relate to Ophelia's journey to figuring out she's queer in a lot of ways, having been through some of the same confusion when I myself was a senior in high school. I also thought that the literary references were great and they were among some of my favorite parts of the book. There were some scenes where the drama came to a head that had me gasping and turning the pages - well, swiping them, I read this on kindle - extremely quickly.
Unfortunately, Ophelia had some annoying ass friends and they were always present. There was only one or two of them that didn't absolutely make me roll my eyes in the back of my head. I don't know about you, but if someone made fun of me constantly for having crushes on people, I would simply not be their friend. Ophelia's a better bitch than me. I realize this is YA, so I'm not the target audience, but the melodrama in relation to the prom was really difficult for me to care about. However, I DID NOT TAKE A STAR OFF FOR THIS, because I am not the target audience! Having said that, it was an issue for me. I am an adult who enjoys YA, but when the high school politics are very heavy handed, it becomes a little hard for me. One star came off for the friends being total assholes, and another star came off because honestly, I think that this could've been written a little better, and I hate that I think that, because this was a 5 star prediction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I deeply appreciate this book and cannot get into how much it means without crying. My only critique is that a book about queer identities leaves out trans people in the language that is used around gender. I really wish cis authors would stop referring to people as “male and female” because it is trans and intersex exclusive and dehumanizing to loads of people of color. That alone wasn’t enough of a reason for me to not give this five stars. I adored this was NOT a romance! Cannot believe how many important conversations Racquel Marie managed to pack into this quick novel but I am thoroughly impressed! Cannot wait to read more from her.
CWs/TWs: TERF language (moderate), toxic friendship (major), racism (moderate), homophobia (moderate), the fetishization of sapphics (minor), toxic family relationship (moderate).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism
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
Thank you to Bookish First for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was so damn good!!
Ophelia After All is a YA Contemporary that follows Ophelia Rojas. She's a biracial Cuban-American senior in high school. In her spare time, she spends it in her rose garden, caring for the various breeds of roses she has. Ophelia has always had such a clear image of herself, but when she develops romantic feelings on her classmate Talia Sanchez, all the things she thought were true are thrown into question.
This book has my whole heart. I loved Ophelia so much. Her journey of questioning and not quite settling on a label is so easy to relate to. I've cycled through several labels myself in the past years before finding ones that truly fit. I loved that this isn't driven by romance. It's driven by Ophelia's internal conflict and all the way her friend group relationship affect each other.
I loved that we find out by the end of this book, Ophelia's whole friend group is basically queer. Also I hardcore headcanon Lindsey as a lesbian. It makes sense. Besides Lindsey, I really came to love every one of Ophelia's friend group. I loved that Ophelia brings Wes, Talia and Zach into their group too. Wes and Ophelia's friendship through chem lab was one of my absolute favorite things of this book. They're just too precious. I hope they remain friends forever.
There's one scene in this book that really spoke to me. It's when Ophelia sees her friend, Lindsey, in an all glam look wearing a super sexy black dress. The way her attraction hit her and she is just like oh fuck is that what this feeling is, sooooo relatable. The way she shoves down her realization and attraction was also extremely relatable. The way women are sold only men as attractive has ingrained this type of response and I'm so glad to see it called out. I kind of want a sequel because I need more of Ophelia. I want to see her at college, super queer, and navigating all the various labels.
Ugh, thinking about this book just makes me think about how much I loved it. Can I live in this book?
Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male side character, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female side character, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male side character, fat Black aromantic female side character, Black pansexual male side character, white female side character, various BIPOC and queer side characters.
CWs: Homophobia/homomisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia/bimisia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia/acemisia, fatphobia.
This was so damn good!!
Ophelia After All is a YA Contemporary that follows Ophelia Rojas. She's a biracial Cuban-American senior in high school. In her spare time, she spends it in her rose garden, caring for the various breeds of roses she has. Ophelia has always had such a clear image of herself, but when she develops romantic feelings on her classmate Talia Sanchez, all the things she thought were true are thrown into question.
This book has my whole heart. I loved Ophelia so much. Her journey of questioning and not quite settling on a label is so easy to relate to. I've cycled through several labels myself in the past years before finding ones that truly fit. I loved that this isn't driven by romance. It's driven by Ophelia's internal conflict and all the way her friend group relationship affect each other.
I loved that we find out by the end of this book, Ophelia's whole friend group is basically queer. Also I hardcore headcanon Lindsey as a lesbian. It makes sense. Besides Lindsey, I really came to love every one of Ophelia's friend group. I loved that Ophelia brings Wes, Talia and Zach into their group too. Wes and Ophelia's friendship through chem lab was one of my absolute favorite things of this book. They're just too precious. I hope they remain friends forever.
There's one scene in this book that really spoke to me. It's when Ophelia sees her friend, Lindsey, in an all glam look wearing a super sexy black dress. The way her attraction hit her and she is just like oh fuck is that what this feeling is, sooooo relatable. The way she shoves down her realization and attraction was also extremely relatable. The way women are sold only men as attractive has ingrained this type of response and I'm so glad to see it called out. I kind of want a sequel because I need more of Ophelia. I want to see her at college, super queer, and navigating all the various labels.
Ugh, thinking about this book just makes me think about how much I loved it. Can I live in this book?
Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male side character, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female side character, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male side character, fat Black aromantic female side character, Black pansexual male side character, white female side character, various BIPOC and queer side characters.
CWs: Homophobia/homomisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia/bimisia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia/acemisia, fatphobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Sexism, Outing, Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Drug use, Islamophobia, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
[Early copy from Netgalley. This doesn’t affect my opinions/review.]
I’ve followed Racquel on social media for years, as she worked on this book in various stages, so it’s exciting to see Ophelia After All as a finished book. Not only that, it’s an amazing book from cover to cover, simultaneously a lighthearted, refreshing story that makes you smile and an emotional, impactful one that will undoubtedly make so many teens feel seen.
I loved Ophelia and all of her friends. They’re a bunch of flawed teens doing their best to cope with all the ways their lives are about to change as high school graduation approaches, yet each one also felt well-rounded and genuine. I would’ve loved hanging out with a group like this when I was in high school.
When I started reading, I thought this book featured a sapphic romance. That’s not the case. Instead of romance, the story focuses on self-discovery, and the realization that there’s more to life than what happens in high school, no matter how all-encompassing those things seem. Despite my misconceptions, I still liked the book, and ultimately, I think this was the right choice to make.
If I had one complaint, it would be that I would’ve liked just a little bit more from the ending. Specifically, I wish we’d gotten to see prom night, since a decent amount of the book involves the group discussing and planning for it. Don’t get me wrong, the ending wraps everything up nicely and is quite satisfying, but still.
Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend Ophelia After All. It’s a brilliant debut across the board, and I can’t wait to see what Racquel does next.
Representation
I’ve followed Racquel on social media for years, as she worked on this book in various stages, so it’s exciting to see Ophelia After All as a finished book. Not only that, it’s an amazing book from cover to cover, simultaneously a lighthearted, refreshing story that makes you smile and an emotional, impactful one that will undoubtedly make so many teens feel seen.
I loved Ophelia and all of her friends. They’re a bunch of flawed teens doing their best to cope with all the ways their lives are about to change as high school graduation approaches, yet each one also felt well-rounded and genuine. I would’ve loved hanging out with a group like this when I was in high school.
When I started reading, I thought this book featured a sapphic romance. That’s not the case. Instead of romance, the story focuses on self-discovery, and the realization that there’s more to life than what happens in high school, no matter how all-encompassing those things seem. Despite my misconceptions, I still liked the book, and ultimately, I think this was the right choice to make.
If I had one complaint, it would be that I would’ve liked just a little bit more from the ending. Specifically, I wish we’d gotten to see prom night, since a decent amount of the book involves the group discussing and planning for it. Don’t get me wrong, the ending wraps everything up nicely and is quite satisfying, but still.
Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend Ophelia After All. It’s a brilliant debut across the board, and I can’t wait to see what Racquel does next.
Representation
- Cuban-Irish queer protagonist
- Black-Puerto Rican bisexual side character
- Muslim Pakistani side character
- Korean-American biromantic asexual side character
- Black fat aromantic side character
- Black pansexual side character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Racism, Sexism
Homophobia is seen on page and challenged. Racism* and sexism are discussed but not seen on page. (*I don’t believe so, at least. As a white person, there could be instances I missed.)