Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes and so does everyone else. She loves boys, her best friends, taking care of her rose garden, and her parents. She has also set expectations for her future, which include having an amazing prom with her friends and having googly eyes for her date. As for college, she knows she will be staying local with her best friend, Sammie, while working towards a degree in botany. However, she begins to question herself and her plans when she realizes she might have feelings for Talia Sanchez. Ophelia can’t stop thinking about the night at a party when Talia admitted she kissed a girl and she liked it. Thus begins Ophelia’s crusade to find her true self, ultimately questioning her entire identity, scared of how it might affect her relationships.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Throughout the novel, I found myself rooting for Ophelia. She was an admirable protagonist who made you feel happy when she was happy, feel sad when she was sad, and feel lost when she felt lost.
Racquel Marie touched on many important themes, such as coming to terms with one’s sexuality, developing an identity as a young adult, and coming from a biracial family. I admired how Marie didn’t use the common trope of a happily ever after with the first person the protagonist develops a crush on. Instead, Marie used this as an opportunity for Ophelia to grow and to figure out who she really is. She also realizes the power of being honest to others about her identity and most importantly, being honest to herself. Throughout this journey, Marie utilized Ophelia’s friend, Wesley, as a guide through this journey of figuring out one’s sexuality. It was refreshing to hear a young adult explain the spectrum of sexuality as well as the comfort of not needing labels. It gave me hope for future generations to be able to have a wider range of characters to relate to. Marie continues the great discussion on the span of sexualities through other characters and their stories on how they came to terms with their identities.
As a senior in high school, Ophelia starts to feel more unsettled with the impending change. She begins to feel uneasy about eventually being without her parents, her close neighbor, and friends by her side. She questions how she will be able to survive without her coping mechanism of gardening every Sunday. This is a compelling part of the story, relatable even to me, a 25-year-old. With life changing so much, it’s easy to get lost in figuring out who you are and begin to isolate yourself from those who are trying to help you. Marie gave Ophelia’s parents and friends the opportunity to show their loyalty to her by always being there for her with tough love or words of comfort.
I also enjoyed Marie’s discussion of coming from a biracial family and the confusion it can lead to a first-generation child. Ophelia’s father is Cuban and her mother is Irish. While Ophelia can understand Spanish, she is not fluent, which makes her question if she’s Cuban enough. She also gets questioned when she’s with her mother as her skin doesn’t match her mother’s Irish skin tone. This theme was comforting to read as a biracial reader myself, reminding me I’m not the only one who questions if I’m enough of a certain ethnicity. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with their identity and is looking for a heartwarming story to lean on.
Mariana Felix-Kim (she/her) lives in Washington, D.C. with her lovely cat, Leo. When she is not working in the environmental science field, Mariana is constantly reading. Her favorite genres include non-fiction, thrillers, and contemporary romances. Mariana is half Mexican and half Korean. You can find her on Instagram: @mariana.reads.books
