Book Review - 'Imogen, Obviously' by Becky Albertalli

'Imogen, Obviously' - such a sweet and simple LBGTQ+ YA read. It can cheer anyone up and get them out of a slump. I know it did that for me.

An endearing, funny cast of queer teens all around - and our POV protagonist is the one straight girl, Imogen Scott. She is staying with her childhood friend, Lilli, in college for the weekend; in the same college she herself will be attending in six months. This World's Greatest AllyTM, who is also shy, soft, organised, slightly introverted, and a chronic people pleaser, will enjoy hanging out with Lilli's new college queer friend group (and her newfound freedom to be herself)… a group which includes Lilli's lesbian dorm neighbour Tessa, with whom Imogen slowly discovers she might not be so hetero after all.

Lilli's friends already think Imogen is bi, thanks to an overcompensating, spur-of-the-moment lie Lilli told, about them being exes (long story), but what if Imogen truly is bi, and she's only now realising it, seriously considering it? Is she only now questioning? Or is this all part of her people pleasing and assimilating mode? Is she being pressured by others, by external influences, towards any direction? She is confused, to say the least.

Sexuality, gender and other aspects that make up our identities are more fluid than we might think, and no one should make assumptions about others, and even about themselves (no invalidating feelings!), as our sweet, cuddly, cardigan-wearing heroine will come to fully understand, at the tip of her coming-of-age story, which takes up a few days, to a week of further personal discovery...

Really, 'Imogen, Obviously' is a feel-good treat, similar to Becky Albertalli's other LBGTQ YA books. There is no bullshit. There are no contrivances, no melodrama, no tragedies, no overblown, calculated and farfetched twists and turns. It's just life. Messy, complicated, but interesting, surprising and amazing life.

There are certainly no cartoonishly homophobic parents, who are then given a free pass and are easily forgiven in the end after all the shit and abuse they say and do to their own queer progeny - these are unfortunately so common in LBGTQ YA novels, and the bluntness of my next statement is necessary: fuck that. Nobody owes their toxic family members anything, just because they're related by blood. The main character's parents in 'Imogen, Obviously' are great (Imogen has an openly gay younger sister, Edith) - they are what we need in fiction and in real life.

This subversion, which should be the norm, is a relief for me. I had been afraid of trying this novel at first, because I didn't want to deal with any more possibly-traumatising-and-triggering-coming-out drama, where the shitty, childish parents who hate their queer children for existing are unrealistically mollified, then gain unearned forgiveness consequence-free, by the story's end, usually solely due to a contrived Bury Your Gays moment, like in 'The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali' and 'The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School'. Extremely problematic.

'Imogen, Obviously', thankfully, has nothing like that. But it does deal with toxic friendships, along with other issues affecting the queer community (such as queerbaiting), and it is called out on, carefully never blaming the victim. Whether said toxic friend is forgiven, or is moved on from in Imogen's life in her sexual awakening, is left sort of ambiguous at the end. I won't reveal anything else, at the risk of giving away major spoilers.

Another wonderful thing about 'Imogen, Obviously' is that you don't have to have read anything else by Albertalli in order to fully enjoy it, and get any references. As far as I could tell, there are no 'Simonverse' or 'Creekwood' cameos. I could definitely tell that this was a deeply personal story for Albertalli. It is raw, warm, real, and adorable.

Although, 'Imogen, Obviously' is kind of vague and undefined in some areas, and a few of the limited cast of characters are a bit one-dimensional. Like, what will Imogen study in college? What are her future ambitions? What is anyone studying in college? I know it's spring break, but come on! Imogen and Tessa could have spent more time together, for more than a few days, in the book's week-long timeline, where they mostly DM each other. I read the book in a day and a half - it's so breezy, and it's 416 pages! - so maybe that's why it seemed so fast-paced and light in content for me? Not that that's a bad thing for it. Not that it felt underdeveloped, necessarily. It does work, for its own precious, fluffy entity, unique unto itself. Its own identity is a good, funny, lovely one.

Could have used actual trans rep, though, to go with the other queer identities (example, there's more than one nonbinary rep), and not just pay lip service.

But how could I not fall in love with a book that also references 'The Owl House'!? Oh, and 'But I'm a Cheerleader'. 'One Last Stop' is clearly fangirled over, too.

Noteworthy: Imogen owns lots of animals at home, in a mini-farm, and her parents, as a project at breaktime, are building a pretty shed. Told you the book is adorable!

'Imogen, Obviously' is the LBGTQ+ comfort read. It's far from the perfect book, and it may not be as substantial and deep as, say, 'Loveless' by Alice Oseman, but it's a personal passion project for the author, and its love - and love for the queer community as a whole, in all its forms (I swear nearly every page has the word queer on it) - radiates like a rainbow on every paragraph.

Speaking of Alice Oseman, fans of 'Heartstopper' are sure to love 'Imogen, Obviously'.

If only reality could be like the stories by Becky Albertalli and Oseman. We'd all be a lot happier, and safer, for sure.

I could end the review with a joke that ends with the word obviously, but I can't think of anything. Instead, I'll pass judgement comment on the UK cover:

There is no kind way to say it: It is shit. It is garbage. It is the worst. The US cover is so much better - it is actual art! And it suits the book beautifully. But this? There is absolutely nothing about it that stands out from the other YA books on the market. There is no way to even tell that it's an LBGTQ book. It's just blue. With feet! Feet that could belong to anyone! Is the puddle supposed to be shaped like a heart? It's crap! There are carriage loads of reasons I am not proud to be British, and the 'Imogen, Obviously' UK edition cover has now made the list. Why Harper Collins, why?!

Anyway, moral of the story: Never judge a book by its cover. The story inside remains the sweetest.

Final Score: 3.5/5

EDIT: I'm also glad the book discusses internet/social media discourse surrounding anything in the pop culture media landscape. I try not to follow any discourse. I want to ignore all that drama, as it's usually always overwhelming full of toxic and hateful rhetoric.