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emotional
hopeful
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
Thank you to Netgalley, Recorded Books, and Fierce Reads for an ALC of this book.
Ophelia has always been known as the boy-crazy one of her friends, developing crushes and falling in love with the idea of people constantly. But when she finds herself thinking more and more of her friend Talia, she has to confront her own identity and decide if it is worth it to change when all her friends and family have always looked at her a certain way.
The themes in this book are absolutely everything!!! The questioning rep and the way Ophelia is so confused about who she is and how people see her...god, it was seriously just spot on. I love her narration and the way she deals with her friends and family and everything she is going through. The identity discussions in this book are so good! All of the characters are super three-dimensional and felt really real to me.
And then, when I already thought I couldn't love this book more, BAM, surprise ace rep in a side character...then BANG turns out another character is aro. So much queer! So much friend-love. So much self-discovery!
Sincerely--read this book. It's incredible.
Ophelia has always been known as the boy-crazy one of her friends, developing crushes and falling in love with the idea of people constantly. But when she finds herself thinking more and more of her friend Talia, she has to confront her own identity and decide if it is worth it to change when all her friends and family have always looked at her a certain way.
The themes in this book are absolutely everything!!! The questioning rep and the way Ophelia is so confused about who she is and how people see her...god, it was seriously just spot on. I love her narration and the way she deals with her friends and family and everything she is going through. The identity discussions in this book are so good! All of the characters are super three-dimensional and felt really real to me.
And then, when I already thought I couldn't love this book more, BAM, surprise ace rep in a side character...then BANG turns out another character is aro. So much queer! So much friend-love. So much self-discovery!
Sincerely--read this book. It's incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Biphobia, Islamophobia
slut-shaming
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, MacMillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends, and the author, Racquel Marie, for thinking of me and sending an e-arc copy of this book to read and review.
Rep: multiple characters within the LGBT+ community (queer, aromantic, bisexual, asexual, biromantic, pansexual, lesbian), Cuban, Black-Puerto Rican, and Korean characters
TW+CW (from the author): mentions of underage drinking and vaping, topical mentions of sex, cut-off use of a homophobic slur (challenged), condemned homophobia, discussion of anti-Blackness within a mixed race Latine family (challenged), cursing,
OPHELIA AFTER ALL is Racquel Marie's debut contemporary novel that follows the perspective of high-school senior, Ophelia Rojas, as she's going through her final years of high school. Ophelia has grown up to be known as the boy-crazy, rose obsessed, Latine girl but things start to change when she finds herself increasingly intrigued by Talia. Suddenly, Ophelia is unsure about herself and what these thoughts mean. What happens if she's no longer the boy-crazy Ophelia that everyone has come to know? What if the changes within her change how others view her? How does she figure out what exactly these feelings mean and accept them for herself? I don't know if I have all of the proper words to describe my feelings. Throughout the book, I was emotional. There were chapters when I was crying, laughing, smiling, cheering, and yelling as I read about the characters. I couldn't help but connect to the characters and good for the best for them. It was like I was reading bits of myself in the characters personality's and my own self/queer discovery. There were moments when I was like "oh I've definitely done that" or "oof." This book had me in tears with the last 25% after watching Ophelia go through the difficult process of discovering who she is and who she can be, watching the characters respond to her, and offer their advice and support. It was difficult at times due to the vulnerability of the story and Ophelia realizing that it will not be an easy journey. She discovers that we are not defined by some parts of ourselves, we can change and others may or may not be okay with that change, the most important part of that is being okay with ourselves changing. Racquel carefully demonstrated Ophelia discovering her queerness in a way that feels unique in comparison to other stories, memorable to readers, and important to those that would need it. I really enjoyed that the Ophelia and Talia didn't get together. in the end. In many other queer romance books, the main character discovers themselves and ends up in a relationship with the love interest at the end. It showed that not all people going through their queer journey immediately falls in love or ends up in a relationship by the end. I also enjoyed the addition of the various races and sexualities. They didn't feel like they were added just to have them there. Instead, it felt like they were supposed to be there.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Ophelia After All and can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands to annotate again and reread. It's a book that I know I'll reread over the years in search of the perfection that it is or the comfort and security that it gave me. It was messy, it was cheesy, but most of it all was beautiful. I'm giving it a glowing 5 stars, putting in a few preorders, and recommending to a few friends that I think would really enjoy it.
Rep: multiple characters within the LGBT+ community (queer, aromantic, bisexual, asexual, biromantic, pansexual, lesbian), Cuban, Black-Puerto Rican, and Korean characters
TW+CW (from the author): mentions of underage drinking and vaping, topical mentions of sex, cut-off use of a homophobic slur (challenged), condemned homophobia, discussion of anti-Blackness within a mixed race Latine family (challenged), cursing,
OPHELIA AFTER ALL is Racquel Marie's debut contemporary novel that follows the perspective of high-school senior, Ophelia Rojas, as she's going through her final years of high school. Ophelia has grown up to be known as the boy-crazy, rose obsessed, Latine girl but things start to change when she finds herself increasingly intrigued by Talia. Suddenly, Ophelia is unsure about herself and what these thoughts mean. What happens if she's no longer the boy-crazy Ophelia that everyone has come to know? What if the changes within her change how others view her? How does she figure out what exactly these feelings mean and accept them for herself? I don't know if I have all of the proper words to describe my feelings. Throughout the book, I was emotional. There were chapters when I was crying, laughing, smiling, cheering, and yelling as I read about the characters. I couldn't help but connect to the characters and good for the best for them. It was like I was reading bits of myself in the characters personality's and my own self/queer discovery. There were moments when I was like "oh I've definitely done that" or "oof." This book had me in tears with the last 25% after watching Ophelia go through the difficult process of discovering who she is and who she can be, watching the characters respond to her, and offer their advice and support. It was difficult at times due to the vulnerability of the story and Ophelia realizing that it will not be an easy journey. She discovers that we are not defined by some parts of ourselves, we can change and others may or may not be okay with that change, the most important part of that is being okay with ourselves changing. Racquel carefully demonstrated Ophelia discovering her queerness in a way that feels unique in comparison to other stories, memorable to readers, and important to those that would need it. I really enjoyed that the Ophelia and Talia didn't get together. in the end. In many other queer romance books, the main character discovers themselves and ends up in a relationship with the love interest at the end. It showed that not all people going through their queer journey immediately falls in love or ends up in a relationship by the end. I also enjoyed the addition of the various races and sexualities. They didn't feel like they were added just to have them there. Instead, it felt like they were supposed to be there.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Ophelia After All and can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands to annotate again and reread. It's a book that I know I'll reread over the years in search of the perfection that it is or the comfort and security that it gave me. It was messy, it was cheesy, but most of it all was beautiful. I'm giving it a glowing 5 stars, putting in a few preorders, and recommending to a few friends that I think would really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Thanks to Macmillan Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- Y'all, OPHELIA AFTER ALL is one of the sweetest, queerest books I've ever read.
- This book so beautifully explores discovering new sides of yourself, and grappling not only with coming out generally, but with how earthshaking it can be to understand yourself differently, and to worry about changing the set image of you others have in their heads.
- A range of queer identities are shown, from lesbian to asexual, and most of the characters are people of color as well: just wonderful to see a book about a group of queer teens that isn't primarily white.
- I did feel that it got a little bogged down in Big Teenage Relationship Feelings in the middle, but every character was so lovely I was willing to keep going in hopes of finding them happy and loved at the end.
- On a personal note, my family has always grown roses the way Ophelia does, and I loved seeing the names of hybrids I know and love given the appreciation they deserve.
- Y'all, OPHELIA AFTER ALL is one of the sweetest, queerest books I've ever read.
- This book so beautifully explores discovering new sides of yourself, and grappling not only with coming out generally, but with how earthshaking it can be to understand yourself differently, and to worry about changing the set image of you others have in their heads.
- A range of queer identities are shown, from lesbian to asexual, and most of the characters are people of color as well: just wonderful to see a book about a group of queer teens that isn't primarily white.
- I did feel that it got a little bogged down in Big Teenage Relationship Feelings in the middle, but every character was so lovely I was willing to keep going in hopes of finding them happy and loved at the end.
- On a personal note, my family has always grown roses the way Ophelia does, and I loved seeing the names of hybrids I know and love given the appreciation they deserve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia
Minor: Biphobia, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
CWs: some explorations of racism and colorism; some internal and external experiences with homophobia/lesbophobia; brief allusions to homophobic slurs
Frankly, I'm upset that this book is so unbelievably incredible. It played with my heart and my emotions, and now I just can't stop thinking about it. This story is perfect for fans of Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun, which is about the highest compliment I can pay. (Though it should be noted that while FHMFTS is overtly a romance, this story is not.)
This is a phenomenal coming of age story that's equal parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching. It is perfectly set towards the end of Ophelia's senior year in high school, right before prom, when it feels like anything could happen and everything could change. It is, perhaps, the scariest, most exciting, most tumultuous time in a teenager's life, and I think the story beautifully captures the highs and lows of that experience. Not only is it a great time period for the story to be set because of all the life-changing things happening at once, but also because the pressing fear of the unknown really adds to Ophelia's inner turmoil and her irrational desire to freeze time before graduation.
That aversion to change is a major tenet of the story. With all the stress and worry that comes with the end of high school, Ophelia is desperate to hold on to "the way things have always been" in hopes that at least she and her friends won't have change before everything else does. Her friends and family all know her as the flower-obsessed, hopeless romantic, "boy-crazy," heart-on-her-sleeve girl, and when she begins to develop feelings for a girl in her government class, it feels like that image of herself is crumbling around her.
The misconception that queerness changes or undermines everything that came before it, is such a pervasive myth that keeps so many young folks, especially, from being able to claim their queerness. I appreciate how the story confronts that idea head-on, and painstakingly shows how Ophelia is both the same person she's always been and also someone who is continuing to learn about herself and grow into something new—which is a change, yes, but a welcome one.
But far and away my favorite thing about this story is the dynamic friend group and the prevalent sense of found family. This is one of the most authentic high school friend groups I've ever read about. There's such a mixture of dynamics and complexity between all the different characters that really adds texture to the story. Some of the characters have been friends since childhood, some of them only met through mutual friends, or because of classes they had together, and others still became acquainted just because sitting together at lunch was convenient. They all come from different levels of the social hierarchy, so to speak, and the loyalty and affection between them is not the same across the board for every single person in the group. To me, that was perhaps the most realistic detail, because even in a large group, "friendship" doesn't always get equally disseminated on a one-to-one basis.
That's part of what makes the story feel so real. There are friends in this story who love each other, who are *in* love with each other, who are fighting with each other, who are competing with each other, and even some who feel indifferently towards one another—and that is true to the experience of having a big friend group. Over the course of the story, these friends are not only changing together, but their bonds are being tested. They're figuring out how they understand themselves as individuals outside of the group, but also trying to figure out their place *within* the group while also trying to learn about how they can be better friends.
I just really appreciate how forthcoming the story is in how it shows that growing into the person you were always meant to be is often accompanied by messiness, ugliness, discomfort, and uncertainty. Ophelia, especially, is dealing with a lot of internalized homophobia, convincing herself that she cannot possibly be anything other than the romantic, boy-loving person who she's always been, which leads to a lot of internal strife.
She ends up making a lot of mistakes, hiding her feelings, lashing out at people she loves, detaching herself from people and activities that used to make her happy and give her a sense of purpose, and I think all of that tracks when you consider the immense burden that is repressing or hiding an important part of yourself. While the reader feels almost helpless watching Ophelia have to go through that, getting to witness as she hits her breaking point and then has to try to come back from it also comes with a profound sense of catharsis.
Ultimately, I think the story is about learning to trust the foundation that you've built for yourself. It's about hoping that the person you've always shown yourself to be is strong enough to endure any change or any hardship. It's about hoping that the relationships you've maintained and nurtured over the years are strong enough to hold you up in your darkest moments and enduring enough to prevail against any imaginable obstacle.
Most importantly, what struck me about this story is how it celebrates the fact that one of the most important kinds of love is the love we have towards ourselves. This isn't a story about "landing the girl" or realizing your queerness through a relationship. Instead, it's a story that says maybe the happily ever after begins with discovering, seeing, and accepting yourself. That doesn't mean that Ophelia has everything figured out by the end of the book, or that everything about her life and herself neatly falls into focus. But rather Ophelia finally comes to understand that she—in all her messiness, uncertainty, and imperfection—is really and truly enough.
I truly cannot put into words what this story is going to mean to so many readers. To have such a profound story about a queer biracial Cuban-American girl that is full of so much fun, humor, heart, emotion, and love is truly a gift. This story will deftly take you through the emotional whirlwind that is the end of senior year, but it will also offer a balm of hope and compassion. It reminds us to look inwards and realize that change is indicative of life itself, that there is beauty in the fact that we are constantly growing and discovering new things.
This debut is not one to miss, and if it's any indication of what we can expect from Racquel's stories still to come, then we are all the more fortunate!
Frankly, I'm upset that this book is so unbelievably incredible. It played with my heart and my emotions, and now I just can't stop thinking about it. This story is perfect for fans of Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun, which is about the highest compliment I can pay. (Though it should be noted that while FHMFTS is overtly a romance, this story is not.)
This is a phenomenal coming of age story that's equal parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching. It is perfectly set towards the end of Ophelia's senior year in high school, right before prom, when it feels like anything could happen and everything could change. It is, perhaps, the scariest, most exciting, most tumultuous time in a teenager's life, and I think the story beautifully captures the highs and lows of that experience. Not only is it a great time period for the story to be set because of all the life-changing things happening at once, but also because the pressing fear of the unknown really adds to Ophelia's inner turmoil and her irrational desire to freeze time before graduation.
That aversion to change is a major tenet of the story. With all the stress and worry that comes with the end of high school, Ophelia is desperate to hold on to "the way things have always been" in hopes that at least she and her friends won't have change before everything else does. Her friends and family all know her as the flower-obsessed, hopeless romantic, "boy-crazy," heart-on-her-sleeve girl, and when she begins to develop feelings for a girl in her government class, it feels like that image of herself is crumbling around her.
The misconception that queerness changes or undermines everything that came before it, is such a pervasive myth that keeps so many young folks, especially, from being able to claim their queerness. I appreciate how the story confronts that idea head-on, and painstakingly shows how Ophelia is both the same person she's always been and also someone who is continuing to learn about herself and grow into something new—which is a change, yes, but a welcome one.
But far and away my favorite thing about this story is the dynamic friend group and the prevalent sense of found family. This is one of the most authentic high school friend groups I've ever read about. There's such a mixture of dynamics and complexity between all the different characters that really adds texture to the story. Some of the characters have been friends since childhood, some of them only met through mutual friends, or because of classes they had together, and others still became acquainted just because sitting together at lunch was convenient. They all come from different levels of the social hierarchy, so to speak, and the loyalty and affection between them is not the same across the board for every single person in the group. To me, that was perhaps the most realistic detail, because even in a large group, "friendship" doesn't always get equally disseminated on a one-to-one basis.
That's part of what makes the story feel so real. There are friends in this story who love each other, who are *in* love with each other, who are fighting with each other, who are competing with each other, and even some who feel indifferently towards one another—and that is true to the experience of having a big friend group. Over the course of the story, these friends are not only changing together, but their bonds are being tested. They're figuring out how they understand themselves as individuals outside of the group, but also trying to figure out their place *within* the group while also trying to learn about how they can be better friends.
I just really appreciate how forthcoming the story is in how it shows that growing into the person you were always meant to be is often accompanied by messiness, ugliness, discomfort, and uncertainty. Ophelia, especially, is dealing with a lot of internalized homophobia, convincing herself that she cannot possibly be anything other than the romantic, boy-loving person who she's always been, which leads to a lot of internal strife.
She ends up making a lot of mistakes, hiding her feelings, lashing out at people she loves, detaching herself from people and activities that used to make her happy and give her a sense of purpose, and I think all of that tracks when you consider the immense burden that is repressing or hiding an important part of yourself. While the reader feels almost helpless watching Ophelia have to go through that, getting to witness as she hits her breaking point and then has to try to come back from it also comes with a profound sense of catharsis.
Ultimately, I think the story is about learning to trust the foundation that you've built for yourself. It's about hoping that the person you've always shown yourself to be is strong enough to endure any change or any hardship. It's about hoping that the relationships you've maintained and nurtured over the years are strong enough to hold you up in your darkest moments and enduring enough to prevail against any imaginable obstacle.
Most importantly, what struck me about this story is how it celebrates the fact that one of the most important kinds of love is the love we have towards ourselves. This isn't a story about "landing the girl" or realizing your queerness through a relationship. Instead, it's a story that says maybe the happily ever after begins with discovering, seeing, and accepting yourself. That doesn't mean that Ophelia has everything figured out by the end of the book, or that everything about her life and herself neatly falls into focus. But rather Ophelia finally comes to understand that she—in all her messiness, uncertainty, and imperfection—is really and truly enough.
I truly cannot put into words what this story is going to mean to so many readers. To have such a profound story about a queer biracial Cuban-American girl that is full of so much fun, humor, heart, emotion, and love is truly a gift. This story will deftly take you through the emotional whirlwind that is the end of senior year, but it will also offer a balm of hope and compassion. It reminds us to look inwards and realize that change is indicative of life itself, that there is beauty in the fact that we are constantly growing and discovering new things.
This debut is not one to miss, and if it's any indication of what we can expect from Racquel's stories still to come, then we are all the more fortunate!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia