Title: Ophelia After All
Author: Racquel Marie
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Pan Macmillan (UK), St Martin's Press (US)
Pages: 352
Release Date: 29 Sep 2022 (UK), 15 March 2022 (US)
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Hello fellow book lovers, today I'm sharing my review for the gorgeously crafted and inclusive coming of age YA, Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie which explores identity, self discovery and the complexity of adolescence that will tug at your heartstrings and melt even the coldest of hearts.
Synopsis
A teen girl navigates friendship drama, the end of high school, and discovering her queerness in Ophelia After All, the hilarious and heartfelt contemporary YA debut by Racquel Marie.
Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.
So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love - and sexuality - never did run smooth.
As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.
Review
This was a delightfully heartwarming story that I absolutely loved! Racquel Marie’s storytelling was so beautifully immersive and the characters utterly endearing that I didn’t want to put it down for even a second.
I absolutely ADORED Ophelia who was such a sweet and relatable character. I loved her emotional journey, which truly saw her blossom into a compassionate individual, who doesn’t need to define herself based on labels or other people’s expectations. It’s a powerful message, but also a universal one. For Ophelia’s experiences and journey into finding herself (and coping with change) is something we all encounter at some point in our lives, and I know that her story will resonate with soo many readers.
The cast of supporting characters that we meet were also really well written and felt realistic—I was particularly pleased to see a positive parental relationship between Ophelia and her parents, especially her father who was really supportive of her—it’s not something we get often in coming of age YA and I’d love to see more like it in future.
I also really enjoyed the importance of friendship that the plot primarily focuses on and the depth and diversity conveyed through Ophelia’s friends, all of whom felt like real teenagers all dealing with their own struggles (Wes and Agatha were just a couple of my faves.)
I also loved how inclusive the representation was —from Bi, Aro, Ace and Pansexual rep to the representation of Black, Latine, Middle Eastern, islamic and Bi-Racial characters; it’s also one of the few books I’ve encountered that truly reflects the multicultural society that many people—myself included—grew up experiencing.
Overall, Ophelia After All is a phenomenally heartfelt debut, full of loveable characters, a generous sprinkling of Shakespeare and a compelling, realistic portrayal of teenage life that fans of contemporary YA and coming of age stories don’t want to miss.
And a massive thank you to Pan Macmillan for this stunning PB copy.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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