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pages_with_panda 's review for:
Ophelia After All
by Racquel Marie
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