Becky Albertalli (Kate in Waiting) is known for her warm and insightful stories about queer teens finding self-acceptance and first love. Her sixth solo novel (and a Kids Indie Next List pick), Imogen, Obviously, is both a sparkling romance and a moving account of a young woman's very contemporary bisexual awakening. Eighteen-year-old Imogen Scott, who is "hopelessly, blindingly, obviously straight," nervously agrees to pretend to be her best friend Lili's bisexual ex for a weekend. When Imogen meets Lili's college friend, dark-haired lesbian Tessa, she feels an instant attraction. A single weekend makes Imogen question if her sexuality might not be so obvious after all.
Imogen, Obviously portrays the Internet-era nature of discrimination against bisexual women through the eyes of one such young woman. Albertalli empathetically considers the nuance of queer identity and the harm caused by gatekeeping who is allowed to identify as LGBTQ+. Imogen, Obviously is a deeply personal novel about queerness in all its colorful complexity, and a rallying cry to "hold space for variation" in the LGBTQ+ community. --Alanna Felton, freelance reviewer