Becky Albertalli

I definitely don’t believe in the concept of “guilty pleasures” when it comes to enjoying things, but being a 36 year old who admits to fully enjoying (slightly cheesy) contemporary YA romance takes a certain amount of nerve. But Becky Albertalli’s books are so charming that I can’t resist! Her characters are always sweet and their stories are always heartfelt, and this latest novel, which follows high schooler Imogen as she discovers an unknown side of her personality as she falls in love, is once again absolutely enthralling. Imogen is at the very end of her highschool experience, and the novel follows her over a spring break trip in which she visits her best friend at college - where she will also be attending for the Autumn semester. She is thrown helter skelter into Lili’s group of queer friends, which she is totally fine with, until the catch is revealed: that Lili told everyone that they used to date eachother, putting Imogen into the precarious place of having to pretend to be bisexual or blowing Lili’s cover. Obviously this is pretty problematic, but it turns out the conceit is closer to the truth that anyone (including Imogen) expected, and as the weekend progresses she develops a crush on one of Lili’s friends and begins questioning whether she’s only ever had “real” crushes on boys before. Sometimes things are never quite as simple as they seem, and Albertalli explores the heteronormative expectations of society with her trademark wit and depth, bringing us a novel that I’m sure draws inspiration from her own experience as a formerly closeted bisexual person. I’m sure there’s a portion of the community who will continue to give her grief about her own experience and the novels that she continues to write in this genre, but I can’t help but feel like there’s a certain truth and honesty to her stories that shouldn’t be discounted. Regardless of what the critics say, I’ll continue to support her, because her books always bring a warmth to my heart and a renewed sense of humanity.… (more)