A review by sleptforayear
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The vibes are noticeably off in this book and I didn’t understand why until I read about the author more. There’s an entire section of the book where she’s scolding her critics. I picked up this book to have a fun time and I honestly felt so attacked, and I don’t even have an opinion on this author’s sexual identity. 

Imogen and Gretchen are so overblown that it’s hard to see them as anything other than props for the author’s argument.
Gretchen is a truly comically evil gatekeeping bisexual with an edgy thumb ring picking on a doe-eyed “who me?” questioning/bisexual girl in a dress. There’s zero grace to the storyline. We’re told people “love” Gretchen multiple times but…literally, no. People really openly hate Gretchen and think she’s awful, and she does nothing to redeem herself, so I’m not sure why the author attempted it. Maybe she thought it would be too obvious? Anyway, it was.
 

Lili and Edith were fantastic characters, and I’d read more about them, 100%. The world around Imogen and Gretchen was so rich and interesting, I kind of resented the focus on Imogen and Gretchen. 
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