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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
this was good!! i love books about sexuality, especially when it’s someone’s finding out they like girls or that they don’t like boys. cause i can relate lol. i think this was very accurate to what it is to be a teenage girl navigating friendships and crushes and all that stuff because it’s hard and it’s not perfect. but i’m glad all of ophelia’s friends were supportive in the end, i really liked wesley
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
medium-paced
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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
hopeful
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
funny
inspiring
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
Amazing!
This healed my inner child and I wish I had books like this growing up. Ophelia felt like looking at a younger me (I was the boy-crazy friend of the group). The experience of questioning yourself are universal, but this book did such a good job including a variety of races (Pakistani, Black, Puerto Rican, Korean) and sexualities (Asexual, BiRomantic, BiSexual, Pansexual, Queer)...I probably missed a few though.
The friend group felt fleshed out and real, but some of their dialogue did sound like "therapy-speak," or too mature for high-schoolers. I enjoyed most of their banter though, and loved the group overall.
I also liked the discussions Ophelia had about being Cuban and how much Spanish was used (and not translated).
The miscommunication trope does a lot of work here, but I think it was a bit realistic for high-schoolers.
Overall, loved it.
"Mostly, I want to ask if it was worth it. if that small moment between her and girl, who she shared beds and rings and nightmares with, was worth losing the version of herself that her family had in mind from the time she was young. To let who she really was breathe for a minute or two."
"Things may be changing, but this change feels like too much. What happens when you tell the girls who trust and love you, that you realized that you sometimes looked at them the ways they expect boys to. Does everything; every borrowed lipstick and shared dressing room, and cheek kiss become suspect? Corrupted by some illusion of straightness? Illusion of straightness."
This healed my inner child and I wish I had books like this growing up. Ophelia felt like looking at a younger me (I was the boy-crazy friend of the group). The experience of questioning yourself are universal, but this book did such a good job including a variety of races (Pakistani, Black, Puerto Rican, Korean) and sexualities (Asexual, BiRomantic, BiSexual, Pansexual, Queer)...I probably missed a few though.
The friend group felt fleshed out and real, but some of their dialogue did sound like "therapy-speak," or too mature for high-schoolers. I enjoyed most of their banter though, and loved the group overall.
I also liked the discussions Ophelia had about being Cuban and how much Spanish was used (and not translated).
The miscommunication trope does a lot of work here, but I think it was a bit realistic for high-schoolers.
Overall, loved it.
"Mostly, I want to ask if it was worth it. if that small moment between her and girl, who she shared beds and rings and nightmares with, was worth losing the version of herself that her family had in mind from the time she was young. To let who she really was breathe for a minute or two."
"Things may be changing, but this change feels like too much. What happens when you tell the girls who trust and love you, that you realized that you sometimes looked at them the ways they expect boys to. Does everything; every borrowed lipstick and shared dressing room, and cheek kiss become suspect? Corrupted by some illusion of straightness? Illusion of straightness."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing
Minor: Racism, Islamophobia
the only time i set this book down was to catch my breath from how hard i was crying lol