original review
"Maybe it's not about whether my crushes work out in the end. Maybe it never was. Maybe it's about letting myself have them. Letting myself feel love and lust and heartbreak, my own version of magnificent misery in the process, and never changing my heart for anyone's benefit but my own. I don't mind being the lover, the one who waits, but I won't hesitate to love myself with all I've got in the meantime.”

Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys - way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her 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 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- change might be coming when she least expects it.

You know those books that you FEEL like you're going to love, and it's going to be a new all-time favorite, even though you barely know what it's about? This book was one of those for me. The reviews, the cover, everything about it made me decide that it HAD to be a favorite.

And thankfully, it was!! I loved this book. A new favorite of the year. A new all-time fave YA.

There are so many things about it that I love.

There's always a special, kind of indescribable feeling when you find a new character that you relate so much with, and I saw so much of myself in Ophelia.

Her fear of change. Of herself changing and people not understanding that this is who she is, all based on some preconceived idea. Of everyone around her, her relationships, and her own environment changing. How hopelessly romantic she is. Falling in love quickly and always being idealistic. Her relationship with her friends and family. It all reminded me of myself.

Reading Ophelia's internal struggles with identity, sexuality, and culture was heartbreaking at times.

But that's not the only thing that makes this book wonderful. All of the characters are amazing- I fell in love with all of them.

I ADORED how this is a coming-of-age YA novel without romance as one of the main plot points. I also really appreciated Ophelia's questioning because it is a process, and it might take a long time to find labels to suit you; not everyone needs them, and it doesn't make you any less queer.

Racquel Marie is definitely a new auto-buy author for me! I can't wait to see what else she writes next!!