Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
Out Now from Feiwel and Friends; 352 pages
Content Warnings: Explicit language, underage drinking & smoking, sexism, racism, mentions of Islamophobia, discussions of sex, homophobia, sapphic fetishization, use of a homophobic slur, nonconsensual kiss
About the Author: “Racquel Marie grew up in Southern California where her passion for storytelling of all kinds was encouraged by her friends and big family. She received a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in gender and sexuality studies from the University of California, Irvine. Racquel primarily writes YA contemporaries starring queer Latine characters like herself. When not writing or reading, she loves practicing beauty and special effects makeup, watching and producing YouTube videos, and teaching herself to play ukulele in spite of her extremely long nails. You can learn more about her writing and love of books through her Twitter, @blondewithab00k.” (Bio taken from author’s website.)
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With prom, graduation, and the start of the rest of her life right around the corner, the last thing Ophelia Rojas needs to deal with is an identity crisis. She’s always known who she is, a hopeless romantic, and what she likes—her rose garden, her friends and family, Cuban food, and a lot of boys. But when Ophelia starts to develop a crush on Talia Sanchez, the cute girl from government class, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself. As her feelings for Talia grow stronger, her perceptions of her identity become more complicated. Ophelia must decide if she wants to remain the girl that she thought she was or discover who she really is—and potentially risk losing everything.
Full of heart, Racquel Marie’s debut novel, Ophelia After All, is a bright spot in the contemporary YA genre. I absolutely adored the main character, Ophelia. She is such a wonderfully complex character—steadfast in her beliefs of who she is, yet simultaneously unsure if she really is who she thought she was. I was so proud of her growth by the end of the novel. Ophelia’s journey to accepting her sexuality was one I felt honored to bear witness to. Another aspect of this book that I loved was the amount of diverse representation in it. From Ophelia’s Cuban heritage, to the vast array of sexualities among her friend group, it was wonderful to see so many different identities and cultures be highlighted. I think everyone would benefit from reading this book. Ophelia After All is an ode to the journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and love in all its beautiful forms.
PRR Writer, Sadie Cruz