Ophelia After All" was everything and more I imagined it would be. It's an irresistible contemporary YA novel about Ophelia, a teenage girl, dealing with crushes, friendships and the struggles of the last weeks of her high school journey.

Anyway, although I didn’t quite love Ophelia as a character and I didn't particularly care for her in-group melodrama, Ophelia After All makes for a refreshing YA in that it prioritizes Ophelia’s coming of age over any potential romance she may or may not have along the way (more of this please and less of the ‘i met my OTL in high school’). This story managed to subvert romance conventions which were unexpected in the best way possible. Still, other aspects were more predictable. Similarly to other contemporary YA novels Ophelia After All tries to be more self-aware of the cliches of the ‘teen coming of age’ genre but then they end up incorporating those tropes anyways. Ophelia, who loves rose-gardening and has always been having a lot of crushes on boys, suddenly has to deal with a new kind of crush - a crush on a girl named Talia. This was one of the things that made the book resonate with me so deeply. I said that it would have changed teen-me’s life. But it still hit me deeply as an adult. Because OPHELIA AFTER ALL takes the reader’s hand gently and tells them that it’s okay to change. That change is an integral part of life. And we are everchanging. Teenager. Adult. It doesn’t matter. What Ophelia experiences in this book is a universal feeling.

Starting 2022 with OPHELIA AFTER ALL as one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. This is a coming of age story that follows Cuban-Irish American teenager Ophelia as she goes through her last few months of high school. As this huge chapter of her life comes to an end, she feels like everything is changing. Including herself. And she feels lost and untethered. Ophelia After All" is a stunningly gorgeous book about discovering who you are, finding your support systems, and learning to be okay with where you are on your own journey. Ophelia's struggle with finding her identity and coming in terms with her newly discovered sexual felt very genuine. All her life, Ophelia has always ‘fallen in love just a little bit every day with someone new’. To all her family and friends, Ophelia has always been ‘boy crazy Ophelia’, but when Ophelia realizes that she has a crush on one of the girls at school, this calls everything she knows about herself into question. Anybody would get frustrated in such situations. So, Ophelia's tantums and burst offs were understandable. We would never!” Agatha clutches her hand to her chest. “You know we gave up that immature practice decades ago, dear Samuel.” Started off annoyed at our grad song, but we’re circling around to prom again,” I reply. Tomorrow, prom will officially be three weeks away, so her irritation was due to return. Ophelia's friends were adorable, sometimes annoying and honestly just like a group of friends shortly before their graduation would behave. It was realistic and I think teens will relate to their drama, heartbreak and (not always successful) attempts to finish this chapter of their lives harmoniously.

Ags rolls her eyes, her bedazzled lashes shimmering in the sunlight. I swear a light breeze fans my face as she blinks. “Like I want to deal with other people.” Ophelia After All is probably one of the best YA contemporaries I've ever read - gorgeous, incredibly heartfelt, so tender and yet so real. I love this book with my whole heart and it will stay with me forever (which is why I've added it to my 'forever in my heart' shelf). ❤ This book made me laugh out loud. This book made me cry. It had me on my toes. It broke me apart then gradually sewed up the broken pieces together again. In a word, reading this book, was an amazing experience. I, for one, think it’s sweet that O has a hobby she cares so much about,” Ags says, patting me on the head. I swat her hand away. “I just wish it didn’t get in the way of the thematic integrity of our senior year.” Change is inevitable in life. You can't stay the same throughout your whole life. But we have to admit that changes are scary. We all, at some points of our lives, wonder if our loved ones would accept our changes, whether they would love the "new us" all the same. "Ophelia After All" says with so much gentleness and love - it’s okay to change, it’s okay to be unsure about who you are. The people who truly love you will always stay by your side, no matter what.Ophelia may not have a label for her sexuality, but she definitely gives all the delightful disaster bisexual vibes a reader could hope for as she endearingly bumbles through her identity crisis... Deeply relatable." — NPR Other than narrating Ophelia's journey of self discovery, this book explores a lot of different themes of teenage life. The story also focuses on various problematic issues that prevails in our society. The novel offers a heartfelt tale about family, friendship and high school drama. I adore Ophelia's friend group - by the end, I felt like they were my friends too? Racquel has this unique and stunning way of bringing her characters to life. Filled with realistic elements, this lovely coming-of-age story follows Ophelia as she explores her identity as well as the ups and downs of high school... This touching debut offers an emotional ride that readers will be happy to embark upon." — Booklist The struggle that she went through was raw, true and authentic. Her tantrums, breakdowns, and messy thoughts were so honest and felt real. her journey on figuring out her sexuality was in depth and meaningful, and it brought me to tears.

Beautifully written, with a lot of charm and loveable characters, who aren't always perfect (and they don't need to be!) and whom I won't forget any time soon, "Ophelia After All" is 100% worth a read if you're a fan of YA contemporaries. On thing I definitely have to say. This book is surprisingly honest to the high school experience. These days, it pretty hard to find books which present the reality of high school. Reading a realistic high school story once seemed like a dream. Racquel Marie has made our dream comes true. "Ophelia After All" offers a very genuine approach to the raw, messy and complicated high school life. There are unnecessary quarrels, dreamy crushes, hilarious pranks, cheesy acts, complex love triangles, romance, heartbreaks and many more....and ophelia’s hopelessly romantic outlook on life. how she falls in love fast fully. how she gives her heart away to those who don’t see the gift that it is. it was how i too used to see the world. Ophelia After All" is a story of love, heartbreak, family and friendship. It is about the struggles we all face but still tend to overlook. A story of self discovery that I found spectacular and unparalleled. It would be a delightful and pleasant read for every YA reader out there. we’ve watched this shit show love triangle bullshit go on for months. i think it’s our business now The ending felt so right for the story and left me feeling extremely satisfied. I really enjoyed how everything wrapped up because, again, it was very realistic, and that's something I always appreciate in my contemporaries.

Sammie was my favorite next to Ophelia, he was also relatable. He's also funny, cute, and awesome. Ophelia and Sammie are platonic soulmates, I adore their friendship a lot! Ophelia After All is all about love, discovery, and friendship, and family. We follow Ophelia, a 17 year old Cuban Irish girl who is in her last year of high school, as she navigates through spiraling changes and self-discovery. I’m loved already, right here, right now. Loved even if I change, even if I’m not the same Ophelia I’ve always been. Loved by people who are willing to try memorizing a song from a Shakespearean play the night before their senior prom in the simple hope that it’ll make me smile, make my not-so-foolish dreams come true.” Not all change is bad. We may lose some things but we will always gain something better. We cannot stay the same forever. It's okay to be unsure, confused, and scared. What's important is that we will face the change with hope and with a strong attitude. Let's also not forget that there are people rooting for us. Even if we change, those who truly love us will stay by our side no matter what.

I glance at Agatha, both of us trying to keep a straight face, though it’s harder for me than for her. “I think you guys might want to sit this one out, trust me,” I reply.