“Lord we know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
I honestly can't remember the last time I read a YA contemporary novel featuring a queer POC + a discussion of mental health that I enjoyed all the way.
Ophelia After All feels perfect to me.
I read the first five chapters without knowing anything aside from the fact that it has a queer Latinx MC but I breezed through the first ten chapters in one quick sitting.
PSA. Prepare tissue for Chapters 15 and 20
As a found family supremacist, I loved the friends and family dynamics in this novel. The relationship between Ophelia's circle of friends is realistic and even the conflict presented is reasonable. I want to hug Sammie, Agatha, Wesley, Lindsay, and Talia and make them my high school friends as well.
Also, the depiction of Rojas family is the element where I resonated with the most. As the youngest in a family of eight, I feel closest to my mother in the sense that I confess everything about my life to her - which is how Ophelia and her parents are developed in this novel. Even their misunderstanding (which I also experienced in high school after my first breakup) is really relatable. I feel seen as I read Chapter 20 because it felt like I was the main character in that chapter.
"I’ve spent most of my life telling myself I know who I am; a lifeboat of identity in the turbulent waves of growing up. A hopeless romantic, a rose gardener, a chismosa, a girl who falls for every boy who looks her way. I forgot that there are parts of me I’ve yet to discover, versions of me I’ve yet to become."
This book is an immersive contemporary mainly because Ophelia's character as a romantic appealed to me and she definitely pulled me into her story right off the first chapter.
I also liked how the author narrated Ophelia's journey of questioning and her first steps towards finding herself.
Shakespeare references and quotes aside, this is an enjoyable YA contemporary that should be in your to-buy list. Legit this book made me want to read Hamlet!
P. S. Imagine all the bookstagram photos of this book ft. all the gorgeous flower flatlays
What's in this book: Cuban MC, Latinx rep (Spanish-American), supporting cast of queer teens (bisexual, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, questioning)
I highly recommend if you enjoy: You Should See me in a Crown, Perfect on Paper, Sex Education (Netflix show)
Trigger warnings: racism (mentions of), homphobia
RATING: 5stars
I honestly can't remember the last time I read a YA contemporary novel featuring a queer POC + a discussion of mental health that I enjoyed all the way.
Ophelia After All feels perfect to me.
I read the first five chapters without knowing anything aside from the fact that it has a queer Latinx MC but I breezed through the first ten chapters in one quick sitting.
PSA. Prepare tissue for Chapters 15 and 20
As a found family supremacist, I loved the friends and family dynamics in this novel. The relationship between Ophelia's circle of friends is realistic and even the conflict presented is reasonable. I want to hug Sammie, Agatha, Wesley, Lindsay, and Talia and make them my high school friends as well.
Also, the depiction of Rojas family is the element where I resonated with the most. As the youngest in a family of eight, I feel closest to my mother in the sense that I confess everything about my life to her - which is how Ophelia and her parents are developed in this novel. Even their misunderstanding (which I also experienced in high school after my first breakup) is really relatable. I feel seen as I read Chapter 20 because it felt like I was the main character in that chapter.
"I’ve spent most of my life telling myself I know who I am; a lifeboat of identity in the turbulent waves of growing up. A hopeless romantic, a rose gardener, a chismosa, a girl who falls for every boy who looks her way. I forgot that there are parts of me I’ve yet to discover, versions of me I’ve yet to become."
This book is an immersive contemporary mainly because Ophelia's character as a romantic appealed to me and she definitely pulled me into her story right off the first chapter.
I also liked how the author narrated Ophelia's journey of questioning and her first steps towards finding herself.
Shakespeare references and quotes aside, this is an enjoyable YA contemporary that should be in your to-buy list. Legit this book made me want to read Hamlet!
P. S. Imagine all the bookstagram photos of this book ft. all the gorgeous flower flatlays
What's in this book: Cuban MC, Latinx rep (Spanish-American), supporting cast of queer teens (bisexual, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, questioning)
I highly recommend if you enjoy: You Should See me in a Crown, Perfect on Paper, Sex Education (Netflix show)
Trigger warnings: racism (mentions of), homphobia
RATING: 5stars