I can't lie, I wasn't feeling very moved by the first half of the book, but by the second half I was invested, I loved the characters, the queer friendgroup was everything, the texting was pretty spot on, the dialogue seemed authentic and...I felt like Imogen was me. I didn't love her at first, because she was always apologising for everything, just doing anything to appease others and not having any opinions. But later, you slowly learn why she was overthinking everything, and why she didn't feel like she could have an opinion on many things. If you want to write about defying stereotypes then maybe... Don't rely on stereotypes while telling your story?

How do you know—how do you really know if someone likes you? Especially with girls. It gets so blurry sometimes. Two girls will hug each other right in front of you, and you’ll have no idea if they’re girlfriends or besties or what. Unless they’re actively making out, you need floating heart emojis and a movie score to interpret it. Unfortunately, pieces of Imogen's story being so relatable and the concept of the book being fun and cute are about where my enjoyment of the book ended and unfortunately, there was more of the book that I didn't like than what I did. So, while I went into this book totally expecting to love it, it just didn't hit right for me. But, like I said, unlike someone in this book, I don't speak for all queer people, all readers, all anything and am aware that the things in this book that bothered me and were annoying, boring, tedious, or all of the above for me might not have been for other people. So, if you loved this book or you were planning to read it, don't let my opinions sway you. Like Kayla?” she adds. “She came out in middle school. She took a girl to the eighth-grade dance and kissed her on the dance floor. Right in the school gym.”

BookBliss

when i was starting to understand my sexuality, i had a queer best friend. i started with the label “not straight.” my best friend was pan. as they told me about their queerness, explained their label to me, i borrowed it for a while, trying it on to see how it fit. i didn’t keep it, but it was nice to have been given to me for just a while. between her best friends and her sister, imogen scott knows who she is: the picture perfect queer ally. but her best friend, lili, has told her new queer college friends that they used to date. when imogen puts on the bi label for the act, she finds it fitting more than she ever thought it would. but she’s straight, right? This is somewhat of a painful book. Painful because of what Imogen goes through with the self-doubt (exacerbated by a friend who does not behave in understanding ways for the majority of their interactions) but also painful because it's so heavily inspired by what the author herself went through. And so many others, in fact, who were forced to come out to be seen as an acceptable voice or presence in queer spaces. The premise of this book is that Imogen goes to visit her childhood friend, Lili, at Lili's college. When she gets there, Lili pulls her aside and says she lied to her friends about something: she said that Imogen and Lili dated when they were younger. Awkward, since Imogen is straight and the two of them definitely didn't date, but Imogen is totally cool with it... Which, for some reason, Lili tries to convince her that she's not?

bi. bisexual. lili, i’m bi. it feels bigger than i want it to be. do i really have to announce this? can’t i just feel something and live inside it while it’s happening and not analyze it to death?” as someone who thought they were 'just an ally' for the longest time, this book is for me!! i can feel it!!! I was SO excited about this book it sounded right up my alley and now I'm just feeling vaguely empty and disappointed. I think just about every queer person can sympathize with Imogen and what she’s going through. However, I also sympathized with the overbearing gatekeeper of this story. She’s a teenager and has been dealing with homophobia for a long time. So, although she’s wrong about a lot and goes about things the completely wrong way, I felt like there should’ve been a better ending for her as well. Smith’s genre-bending companion novel to the beloved Hearts Unbroken is a deliciously spooky adventure teen audiences will devour. Hughie Wolfe (Mvskoke) is volunteering at a new spooky show and Halloween attraction called Harvest House. But after he learns that it features a character described as the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” he becomes unsettled by the organizer’s stereotypical and offensive choices and tries to figure out when to speak up. All the while, strange things are happening near Harvest House, and Hughie and friends decide to investigate whether a haunting is truly taking place.

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Because this book is about Imogen trying to figure out her own sexual identity, it also touches on how confusing that can be for girls because of the way girl friendships can be. I'm sure any queer girl will be able to relate to the confusion of not being able to tell whether or not a girl is flirting with you and Albertalli really nailed it when she was having Imogen express that confusion. But above both beds, it’s just photos—rows of prints, sloping subtly downward because Lili’s never met a straight line in her life. The ones above my bed are mostly from this year— group selfies and sunny snapshots of her friends in various combinations. But the ones above Lili’s bed are from home.

It's so important for this story to exist, much in the way of RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE with Alex's journey with his sexuality, and so many others I am completely blanking on at the moment, because knowing that it's safe to come out, to be fluid, to evolve, at any time, at any age, is.. well, important. There is no one singular experience. And I hope this is helpful for anyone who might need to hear that right now. Imogen's self discovery felt really personal to me, as someone who didn't realize they were queer until they were older. It felt so painful that she thought she was so late to figure it all out, even at only 18, and that she felt like she was even being harmful not knowing. I was in my mid-twenties when I even started questioning, and I resent the idea that it was somehow my responsibility to know these things about myself when I didn't even have the language to describe myself, as if others have any claim on our identities. Imogen is a sweet cinnamon roll who needs a BIG HUG. Like. Yes she does. I need to hug this sweet summer child. Or Halloween child, really. I love that her birthday is on Halloween, that is so epic of her. Don’t go in the water. That’s all Bronwyn seems to hear, over and over again. The only reason she's even in Hillwoods is because her grandmother is dying, which hardly makes for a lighthearted trip. Bronwyn’s cousin Anais tries to keep her safe, but outsiders rarely understand that the Hillwoods residents’ rituals are less about superstition and more about survival. Tirado’s sophomore novel is yet another spectacular thriller/horror tale that will please those who love things going bump in the night. it was lili handing imogen the label. saying: try this on for size. let me know how it fits. look how you don’t have to change, even if the way others see you “changes.”Imogen is invited along to spend the weekend at her best friend, Lili’s college – the one she will also be attending when she has graduated high school. The plot of this novel is well-paced and entertaining... secondary characters are fleshed out, fully formed individuals with diverse queer and racial identities, and the relationships are full of humor and compassion. Imogen is a complex character with a distinct voice, and her story of grappling with her identity during this transitional period of life will resonate. An excellent addition to collections for teens." I also loved the way that Imogen was struggling with the fact that one of her closest friends growing up was now off to college with new friends, new inside jokes, and a new life. That's such a relatable experience growing up and I could definitely relate to Imogen feeling like Lili had become a brand new person since she went to college and the way she felt guilty of being jealous over her new jokes with her new friends and feeling like she wasn't sure where she fit into that anymore.