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clovetra's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
this was such a sweet book!!!!!! ugh i don’t know why i didn’t read this earlier but i loved it!!!!!
i think the real reason behind my love for this story as i can very much relate to ophelia. the fear of coming out, the fear of rejection, burning your entire friendship group down over one small thing….. yeah me & ophelia are kindred spirits. she was such a fun and relatable protagonist i couldn’t help but root for her (pun intended).
i really enjoyed how this story was a subversion of books like this — although whilst reading i wanted her and talia to work out, i kind of prefer them not dating, and enjoyed that the story focused more on self-love rather than finding your identity and dating a girl. the fact the plot did a 180 with talia & ophelia’s relationship and stuck to it? i actually really loved it and it makes this story stand out from the rest of the genre .
i had fun with the plot, and the exploration of not just ophelia’s love life but all of the friendship group’s love life was done incredibly well for a book this length. i did not expect everyone from ophelia to her dad to wes to have such fleshed out storylines. it was refreshing to see.
the ending was very sweet as well, and i like that the ending felt very true to what was being set up the entire story.
i will say however the one thing that knocks this down a peg for me is the constant pep talks ophelia gives the reader. i mean i get it, but i can’t say i love when books constantly repeat their message so obviously in a way where it feels like im almost reading a self help book. ophelia darling im so happy you’ve got your life figured out but you don’t need to convince me babe.
anyways i really liked this! probably one of my favourite coming of age stories ive had the joy of experiencing.
shout out agatha for being the best side character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Lesbophobia
the_true_monroe's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism
somnolentflower's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.75
might actually be my favorite book now, despite me saying this for a lot of new books i read. but seriously this was a really good book!!
i really liked the diversity of the characters and how when i read, they seemed to come to life. it was a realistic situation, how ophelia was scared of coming out to her friends and family to avoid shattering their image of a boy-crazy girl. it was relatable to a certain degree given that i am also a queer teenager that hasnt properly figured out labels.
my favorite character is definitely wesley. he is just a generally very lovable character, although i will admit i disliked him at the beginning. he kind of is like a precious cinnamon roll! i dont really know exactly why i love him, but he seems like the kind of person i would desperately want to be acquainted with.
a character that i mildly dislike is lindsay. shes one of those people that i would avoid being associated with, but thats just a personal opinion.im not over her telling only ophelia and agatha about having no interest in the boys after graduating, also that she jumped to conclusions so fast, but it was all resolved in the end so 🤷🏻♀️.
they really are just fictional people and a fictional plot, but it’s a lot like reality tbh
i have yapped for too long and i should stop procrastinating my assignments, but i absolutely love this book and would absolutely recommend reading this!!
i really liked the diversity of the characters and how when i read, they seemed to come to life. it was a realistic situation, how ophelia was scared of coming out to her friends and family to avoid shattering their image of a boy-crazy girl. it was relatable to a certain degree given that i am also a queer teenager that hasnt properly figured out labels.
my favorite character is definitely wesley. he is just a generally very lovable character, although i will admit i disliked him at the beginning. he kind of is like a precious cinnamon roll! i dont really know exactly why i love him, but he seems like the kind of person i would desperately want to be acquainted with.
a character that i mildly dislike is lindsay. shes one of those people that i would avoid being associated with, but thats just a personal opinion.
they really are just fictional people and a fictional plot, but it’s a lot like reality tbh
i have yapped for too long and i should stop procrastinating my assignments, but i absolutely love this book and would absolutely recommend reading this!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
emmieanna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.75
I went into this book with no expectations, as I don’t really read romance but this has always been on my radar and was chosen for a YA bookclub that I run. It is safe to say that I loved it! The Hamlet references were stunning but not too in your face and the cast of characters were all likeable in their own ways. Did not expect Ophelia’s greatest help to come from where it did and enjoyed that the characters surprised me by falling outside of the roles I had predicted for them at the beginning. I felt more attached to Ophelia than any protagonist in a romance novel, maybe because it fed into the ‘anti-romance’ trope that I love so dearly.
I think I really needed this book to open my eyes to some of my own internalised homophobia towards bisexuality, but didn’t realise it until I read it. Raquel Marie has a way of manipulating the characters’ experiences that made me look inward and such a beautiful understanding of character development.
I think I really needed this book to open my eyes to some of my own internalised homophobia towards bisexuality, but didn’t realise it until I read it. Raquel Marie has a way of manipulating the characters’ experiences that made me look inward and such a beautiful understanding of character development.
Content Warnings
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Abandonment
Minor: Biphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Abortion, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Pregnancy
runes_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
5.0
This book had so many great characters, with so much great character development! I loved seeing the main cast interact together, the friend group especially. Ophelia as a character was wonderful, I adored and related to her so much.
This is a great starter LGBTQ story, the book gave some definitions and explanations for different terms. It really show what it's like to figure out sexuality, and the book really captured the how in high school everything feels so much. It showed how high school can be so emotional and terrifying, with hormones and trying to figure out who you are at that age. I would say this is a YA book, maybe late middle grade, there are brief mentions of sex.
Spoilers:
I cried like a baby when Ophelia had that conversation in the car with her mom after being picked up from the LGBTQ center. I loved the ending, Sammie going to therapy was great. I really liked how Ophelia acknowledged that her and Lindsay probably wouldn't stay friends, and how that was okay. I adored Ophelia's character, she felt so alive and relatable. Agatha was definitely a great friend, I wish I had a friend like that at that age lol. I loved the part where Ophelia dumped her drink on that asshole, that was 10/10, very cathartic.
This is a great starter LGBTQ story, the book gave some definitions and explanations for different terms. It really show what it's like to figure out sexuality, and the book really captured the how in high school everything feels so much. It showed how high school can be so emotional and terrifying, with hormones and trying to figure out who you are at that age. I would say this is a YA book, maybe late middle grade, there are brief mentions of sex.
Spoilers:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Infidelity, Islamophobia, and Alcohol
anniereads221's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
With all the good things said about this book let's just say I had a few expectations
And I can honestly say it surpassed them. The way I just ended up loving Ophelia and her friend group with so much love!!! The way I love that Ophelia has supportive parents.
I was just bawling my eyes out by the end. My younger self would have loved this book more than I do right now. Young people reading this book are gonna see a part of themselves in this book for the first time and realise they are not alone. You can still figure out yourself and not know exactly who you are.
And I can honestly say it surpassed them. The way I just ended up loving Ophelia and her friend group with so much love!!! The way I love that Ophelia has supportive parents.
I was just bawling my eyes out by the end. My younger self would have loved this book more than I do right now. Young people reading this book are gonna see a part of themselves in this book for the first time and realise they are not alone. You can still figure out yourself and not know exactly who you are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
bersblue's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A lot of good things, but at the same time a lot of failures. I don't quite understand why the author decided to have so many plots. the characters are fine. they make mistakes and learn lessons, but sometimes they behave ridiculously. i don't understand this obsession with Ophelia and her infatuation with boys, or this absurd misunderstanding of her passion for flowers. The thread with Talia is also a bit strange. I don't understand why she didn't immediately tell Ophelia that she had a boyfriend. a bit toxic behavior. Other than that it was ok, such without being crazy, but you can see that the author knew what she was writing about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Lesbophobia
shania_siobhan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Minor: Racism
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A pretty good sexuality discovery and friendship-building narrative. I'd say this was perfectly average and sweet. Loved the gardening detail of Ophelia's life. I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out, but enjoyed having characters with various sexualities, as well as with undefined/unlabeled ones. I don't often find books where a character is allowed to experience their sexuality and not find a label that fits.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Islamophobia