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maple_dusk's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.75
SDKJASLDHASDIOSADIOASDOS I DID NOT EXPECT THAT?!
Also, I took me 10 days to finish reading this book when I usually only take a few days to finish one. High school WHYYYYY--
I Liked
Also, I took me 10 days to finish reading this book when I usually only take a few days to finish one. High school WHYYYYY--
I Liked
- That this wasn't about Ophelia getting the girl or discovering her queerness because of a relationship. This book was about discovering and loving yourself, which was such a nice change. I loved it. đ
- The complexity was amazing.
- How AWARE this book is (the knowledge of a variety of identities).
I Didn't Like
Sammie. I'M NOT SORRY! Sammie was a jerk, and you know it. Hell, he even admitted it at the end of the book. I'm glad he admitted it, apologized (actually, not making excuses), and started seeing a therapist to self-improve. I didn't dislike him every time he made an appearance in the book, I'll admit. It was more like 50/50 like and dislike. - I don't belong in a big friend group (or any friend group with more than three people, tbh), nor do I like being in them so I can't relate to the friend group dynamics.
Favorite Quotes:
Virginal as I am, my golden sexual-advice rule is that if you can't talk about it, you probably shouldn't be doing it. Seriously, be a little mature.
"Ophelia, it's great to see you. What grade are you in now, tenth?"
Daf stifles a laugh. I forcefully hand him back the wine.
"I'm actually a senior."
"No way!" He gasps in that classic I'm An Adult And Cannot Process You Aging At The Same Rate As Me For Some Reason way and turns to Mom.
"But sometimes, when you've known someone for years and they build up this image of you, it's hard to talk about things that mess with that image. It feels like you'd be breaking some bond of trust between you and that person by being different than you were before. I don't just mean subtle, slow changes. I mean, like, the big things that they never saw coming."
I know kissing and liking Talia shouldn't change who I am to them, or to myself, but it does. And maybe they'd say 'Oh, this doesn't change anything!' or 'You're still the same Ophelia we know and love!' but it does, and I'm not the same. And they can't possibly understand that. It's not just that I'm scared they'll hate me for this; I'm scared they won't even see it."
"People confuse acceptance with erasure," he says with the weight of understanding that only someone else who has battled this same internal conflict possibly could. (pg. 284)
I agree with this so much. "This doesn't change anything" and "You're still the same" just never felt right. Of course being queer and/or trans changes things. That's the point.
"Did I ever tell you why I chose Ophelia though?"
"No," I admit, surprised I never asked. "I always figured you wanted something more unique. Or that Dad vetoed Juliet." Dad never wanted to watch adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, claiming it was too tragic for him. The irony of him still loving Hamlet isn't lost on me.
She laughs. "No, he always knew it was my dream to name a child after one of them. Juliet and Ophelia were always my favorite because they are two of the most quickly dismissed among people who refuse to dig past the surface narrative. Juliet is remembered as a foolish teenage girl who threw away her life for a boy she hardly knew, and Ophelia is remembered more for her virginity and inability to accept Hamlet's rejection than anything else."
"Great legacies you left me."
"But that's not who those girls were," she corrects firmly. "Romeo was just as much a hopeless romantic as Juliet, and they gave their lives to show the world that true love mattered more than senseless hatred. Juliet cared enough about her family to die so they could live brighter, wiser lives. I respected her as a character for being more mature than most give her credit for."
"Then why'd you pick Ophelia?" I ask, dusting my hands against my jeans. She narrows her eyes at the crumbs I'm spreading in the car, but keeps going.
"Ophelia was all those things too. But she also wore her heart on her sleeve. She wasn't 'mad' in her final scene; she was grieving without shame. She was begging for someone to hear her desperation beneath the offered flowers."
I recognize the look in his eyes, not quite hunger for something deeper. Longing, love, profound admiration. I'm sure he'd find the same things in my eyes when I look at Talia too, and instead of swallowing that sting of realization, I embrace it. Running from these feelings did me no good. I don't cling to the idea that I have a romantic future with Talia anymore, a future I'm still mourning the loss of, but I shouldn't have to pretend I never wanted one. (pg. 327)
Agatha was right. Prom was never about the dresses or the dates or the ridiculous theme. It was about celebrating, through all those little details, the feeling that holy shit, we actually survived high school.
Well, almost survived it. (pg. 329)
Conclusion:
In the end, my lack of interest for realistic fiction kind of blew it for me. đ I know what you're going to say, "ThEn WhY dId YoU rEaD tHiS bOoK?" Because I still wanted to read it. :) And will I continue to read realistic fiction? Yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexism and Outing
Minor: Sexual content, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
vaniavela's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Ophelia, a botany-loving girl who is known to her parents and friends as a "boy-crazy" girl, embarks on a journey to question her sexuality during her last time in high school.
I love stories written in first person POV. Being in a character's head , reading their feelings and thoughts, is an amazing experience. And this book managed to capture that in a great way.
I liked the realism of her fears. How she fears change, and that the world around her will change the way they see her, treating her differently.
I liked the group of friends. They all have realistic flaws and attitudes, especially as teenagers about to graduate. I loved getting to know about them and their backgrounds; they weren't just put there for the plot, they were three dimensional.
I also love the ending; we weren't given a typical ending where the main character has a certainty of who who they are and is happily ever after. It shows us that she is still on her journey of learning about herself, and that we are valid even with uncertainty and doubt.
The comment about the labels, was also a good element. I loved the mention of how it was not necessary to label oneself in one thing. Also, the mention of how biromantic or bisexual identities are often erased in straight-looking relationships, was appreciated. These issues were handled with great care and made me love this book even more.
It is a beautiful, gorgeous book.
Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male SC, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female SC, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male SC, Fat Black aromantic female SC, Black pansexual male SC.
CWs: Homophobia, lesbophobia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia, fatphobia.
I love stories written in first person POV. Being in a character's head , reading their feelings and thoughts, is an amazing experience. And this book managed to capture that in a great way.
I liked the realism of her fears. How she fears change, and that the world around her will change the way they see her, treating her differently.
I liked the group of friends. They all have realistic flaws and attitudes, especially as teenagers about to graduate. I loved getting to know about them and their backgrounds; they weren't just put there for the plot, they were three dimensional.
I also love the ending; we weren't given a typical ending where the main character has a certainty of who who they are and is happily ever after. It shows us that she is still on her journey of learning about herself, and that we are valid even with uncertainty and doubt.
The comment about the labels, was also a good element. I loved the mention of how it was not necessary to label oneself in one thing. Also, the mention of how biromantic or bisexual identities are often erased in straight-looking relationships, was appreciated. These issues were handled with great care and made me love this book even more.
It is a beautiful, gorgeous book.
Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male SC, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female SC, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male SC, Fat Black aromantic female SC, Black pansexual male SC.
CWs: Homophobia, lesbophobia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia, fatphobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Sexism, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
luananki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
i donât know how to put into words that i absolutely love this book. there wasnât a single page i didnât fall in love with. i did not want the story to end.
there is so much representation and not only queer representation but also the struggle of being an interracial child, i related to ophelia a lot. her not being able to open up and basically pushing everyone away even though she clearly needed someone to talk to and her being scared of destroying the âperfectâ imagery her friends and family created of her in their heads and her feeling like she doesnât truly belong with any culture. i get her, on almost every level.
wes is (like the author mentions in the acknowledgments) a precious cinnamon roll. iâm so glad he became friends with ophelia and supported her even though they didnât even really know each other in the beginning. he also sounds like a very comforting person to be around. the development of their relationship was one of the thinks i enjoyed the most throughout this book.
i had fun with every single character. their friend group made so much sense. all of them felt real because they all had their own ongoing struggles and flaws to deal with. the emphasis on healthy communication, saying sorry and that queer relationships are about more than having sex, as well as friendship and that no relationship is more important than the other make me so happy.
sammie and agatha are amazing and also lindsay (i appreciate the relationship between her and ophelia so much, itâs sort of painful but also very real) and oâs parents and the youth center and the unexpected aro and ace representation - loved it
i was expecting it to be a full on romance book but iâm even happier it turned out the way it did. the ending fits the story perfectly.
this was a treat in so many ways. i wish i had this when i was younger.
i will hopefully come back to this one day and decide to reread because good queer latine representation is really something i need more of.
thank you racquel marie for writing this story and thank god for booktok for getting this on my fyp <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
foreverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Thank you to Bookish First for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was so damn good!!
Ophelia After All is a YA Contemporary that follows Ophelia Rojas. She's a biracial Cuban-American senior in high school. In her spare time, she spends it in her rose garden, caring for the various breeds of roses she has. Ophelia has always had such a clear image of herself, but when she develops romantic feelings on her classmate Talia Sanchez, all the things she thought were true are thrown into question.
This book has my whole heart. I loved Ophelia so much. Her journey of questioning and not quite settling on a label is so easy to relate to. I've cycled through several labels myself in the past years before finding ones that truly fit. I loved that this isn't driven by romance. It's driven by Ophelia's internal conflict and all the way her friend group relationship affect each other.
I loved that we find out by the end of this book, Ophelia's whole friend group is basically queer. Also I hardcore headcanon Lindsey as a lesbian. It makes sense. Besides Lindsey, I really came to love every one of Ophelia's friend group. I loved that Ophelia brings Wes, Talia and Zach into their group too. Wes and Ophelia's friendship through chem lab was one of my absolute favorite things of this book. They're just too precious. I hope they remain friends forever.
There's one scene in this book that really spoke to me. It's when Ophelia sees her friend, Lindsey, in an all glam look wearing a super sexy black dress. The way her attraction hit her and she is just like oh fuck is that what this feeling is, sooooo relatable. The way she shoves down her realization and attraction was also extremely relatable. The way women are sold only men as attractive has ingrained this type of response and I'm so glad to see it called out. I kind of want a sequel because I need more of Ophelia. I want to see her at college, super queer, and navigating all the various labels.
Ugh, thinking about this book just makes me think about how much I loved it. Can I live in this book?
Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male side character, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female side character, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male side character, fat Black aromantic female side character, Black pansexual male side character, white female side character, various BIPOC and queer side characters.
CWs: Homophobia/homomisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia/bimisia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia/acemisia, fatphobia.
This was so damn good!!
Ophelia After All is a YA Contemporary that follows Ophelia Rojas. She's a biracial Cuban-American senior in high school. In her spare time, she spends it in her rose garden, caring for the various breeds of roses she has. Ophelia has always had such a clear image of herself, but when she develops romantic feelings on her classmate Talia Sanchez, all the things she thought were true are thrown into question.
This book has my whole heart. I loved Ophelia so much. Her journey of questioning and not quite settling on a label is so easy to relate to. I've cycled through several labels myself in the past years before finding ones that truly fit. I loved that this isn't driven by romance. It's driven by Ophelia's internal conflict and all the way her friend group relationship affect each other.
I loved that we find out by the end of this book, Ophelia's whole friend group is basically queer. Also I hardcore headcanon Lindsey as a lesbian. It makes sense. Besides Lindsey, I really came to love every one of Ophelia's friend group. I loved that Ophelia brings Wes, Talia and Zach into their group too. Wes and Ophelia's friendship through chem lab was one of my absolute favorite things of this book. They're just too precious. I hope they remain friends forever.
There's one scene in this book that really spoke to me. It's when Ophelia sees her friend, Lindsey, in an all glam look wearing a super sexy black dress. The way her attraction hit her and she is just like oh fuck is that what this feeling is, sooooo relatable. The way she shoves down her realization and attraction was also extremely relatable. The way women are sold only men as attractive has ingrained this type of response and I'm so glad to see it called out. I kind of want a sequel because I need more of Ophelia. I want to see her at college, super queer, and navigating all the various labels.
Ugh, thinking about this book just makes me think about how much I loved it. Can I live in this book?
Rep: Biracial Cuban queer-questioning female MC, Korean-American biromantic asexual male side character, Black Puerto-Rican bisexual female side character, Pakistani Muslim queer-questioning male side character, fat Black aromantic female side character, Black pansexual male side character, white female side character, various BIPOC and queer side characters.
CWs: Homophobia/homomisia, lesbophobia/lesbomisia, racism, cursing. Moderate: Biphobia/bimisia, sexism, outing, toxic friendship. Minor: Islamophobia, alcohol consumption, drug use, acephobia/acemisia, fatphobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Sexism, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
alwaysbereadin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Drug use, Islamophobia, and Alcohol
asparagusisreading's review against another edition
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
5.0
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, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol