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A review by isabelsdigest
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
ARC received in exchange for an Honest Review
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley!
Publication date: 8 February 2022
“I gave and took away my affections so often, I think my heart has always half belonged to the world and half belonged to me. But I would’ve given her the whole thing, had she asked me to”
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie is the sweetest queer Latinx YA coming-of-age story I’ve read. Every element of the story is so well developed and a ‘simple’ story at first glance, becomes so memorable due to the careful exploration of every aspect that Racquel Marie introduces. Allow me to explain.
The Characters: Ophelia, her friends, and her family.
Ophelia as a main character is such a lovely girl that often seems underrepresented in queer literature. Ophelia is very feminine, with a stable relationship with her parents. Her household honors her Cuban heritage and they encourage her passions. The parents in this story deserve recognition as they don’t fall under the YA cliche of ‘I don’t know who my child is and I’m absent the whole time’. Ophelia’s parents seem real and flawed, which is so important to acknowledge as no one ever really stops growing and learning.
The Group Dynamics:
Ophelia is in a group of friends that feels organic and filled with drama without being toxic or stereotypical. For example, Ophelia acknowledges that she is not as close to one of her friends as she is with the rest, and that is okay. We also see the group expanding and finding new people to connect with in different areas. I love when stories, as focused on one character’s growth, include every aspect surrounding them. In this case, friendship is one of the most important themes in Ophelia After All, and the respect that the author gives the friends by making them as complex as Ophelia is astronomical.
The Love Interest
I won’t spoil anything, I’ll just say that part of Ophelia’s coming of age is realizing that she has a crush on a girl, and she needs to know what that means for her sexuality and how she thinks about herself. Therefore, I love that even when we have a ‘love interest’ that helps Ophelia discover her queerness, the novel is not about them being in love or being together, but it is about this girl and her friends helping Ophelia come to terms with her sexuality. I am impressed with how realistic this process is because even with this crush, Ophelia still is figuring things out, trying to honor the part of her that crushes on guys and that new part that feels attracted to at least one girl.
Lantix Biracial Identity.
As a Mexican woman with Mexican parents, I don’t get a lot of the biracial, second-generation experience portrayal in books. I understand it, but I don’t feel it as my experience is different. However, Ophelia and Talia come from so different families and still find common points in their way to deal with race, heritage, and expectations, that as a reader I could not but make their struggles mine for a few pages. Additionally, like with friendship, the way Racquel Marie explores and takes time to establish Ophelia’s biracial identity as more than just a resource to be inclusive or making a character interesting without taking the time to see that part her, is one of the best parts of this novel.
Ophelia really becomes a memorable character that grows before our eyes but who also feels tangible before her ‘character development’. There is no moment when Ophelia and her friends pretend to be anything else than what they are: teenagers graduating high school, scared about their future, nostalgic by the past of time, and still figuring out the parts of themselves that they didn’t know before.
As I said before, I loved this novel, and I am so happy my fellow Latinx people will have these types of books to guide them through life.
You can read my other reviews in my blog, goodreads, and storygraph.
If you want to connect with me, I'm also in Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter. (All linked in my profile)
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley!
Publication date: 8 February 2022
“I gave and took away my affections so often, I think my heart has always half belonged to the world and half belonged to me. But I would’ve given her the whole thing, had she asked me to”
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie is the sweetest queer Latinx YA coming-of-age story I’ve read. Every element of the story is so well developed and a ‘simple’ story at first glance, becomes so memorable due to the careful exploration of every aspect that Racquel Marie introduces. Allow me to explain.
The Characters: Ophelia, her friends, and her family.
Ophelia as a main character is such a lovely girl that often seems underrepresented in queer literature. Ophelia is very feminine, with a stable relationship with her parents. Her household honors her Cuban heritage and they encourage her passions. The parents in this story deserve recognition as they don’t fall under the YA cliche of ‘I don’t know who my child is and I’m absent the whole time’. Ophelia’s parents seem real and flawed, which is so important to acknowledge as no one ever really stops growing and learning.
The Group Dynamics:
Ophelia is in a group of friends that feels organic and filled with drama without being toxic or stereotypical. For example, Ophelia acknowledges that she is not as close to one of her friends as she is with the rest, and that is okay. We also see the group expanding and finding new people to connect with in different areas. I love when stories, as focused on one character’s growth, include every aspect surrounding them. In this case, friendship is one of the most important themes in Ophelia After All, and the respect that the author gives the friends by making them as complex as Ophelia is astronomical.
The Love Interest
I won’t spoil anything, I’ll just say that part of Ophelia’s coming of age is realizing that she has a crush on a girl, and she needs to know what that means for her sexuality and how she thinks about herself. Therefore, I love that even when we have a ‘love interest’ that helps Ophelia discover her queerness, the novel is not about them being in love or being together, but it is about this girl and her friends helping Ophelia come to terms with her sexuality. I am impressed with how realistic this process is because even with this crush, Ophelia still is figuring things out, trying to honor the part of her that crushes on guys and that new part that feels attracted to at least one girl.
Lantix Biracial Identity.
As a Mexican woman with Mexican parents, I don’t get a lot of the biracial, second-generation experience portrayal in books. I understand it, but I don’t feel it as my experience is different. However, Ophelia and Talia come from so different families and still find common points in their way to deal with race, heritage, and expectations, that as a reader I could not but make their struggles mine for a few pages. Additionally, like with friendship, the way Racquel Marie explores and takes time to establish Ophelia’s biracial identity as more than just a resource to be inclusive or making a character interesting without taking the time to see that part her, is one of the best parts of this novel.
Ophelia really becomes a memorable character that grows before our eyes but who also feels tangible before her ‘character development’. There is no moment when Ophelia and her friends pretend to be anything else than what they are: teenagers graduating high school, scared about their future, nostalgic by the past of time, and still figuring out the parts of themselves that they didn’t know before.
As I said before, I loved this novel, and I am so happy my fellow Latinx people will have these types of books to guide them through life.
You can read my other reviews in my blog, goodreads, and storygraph.
If you want to connect with me, I'm also in Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter. (All linked in my profile)