Review: Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

 

Falling in love is the greatest and scariest feeling in the world. Ophelia knows this. Her parents know it. Her best friend Sammie knows it too. But what Ophelia didn’t know is how confusing falling in love can be.
‘Boy-crazy’ Ophelia has a new crush. Of course she does! When doesn’t she? But this one feels different. Ophelia doesn’t know how to explain it to other people, or how to explain it to herself. Ophelia develops feelings for a female classmate and she begins to question if she is still the young woman she thought she was, and if she is the young woman others thought they knew too?

Ophelia After All is a romance novel and so much more. It is a book about a young woman on a journey to better understand herself. The novel explores love in all its many guises; love of self, love of others, familial and romantic love, love of culture. The book presents a diverse cast of characters navigating questions of desire, sexuality, heritage, popularity and friendship.

Initially, it took me a moment to fall into the lingo of American high-school students, and to understand the Spanish phrases interlaced throughout the text, but I was soon embedded in the world of big-hearted Ophelia and engaged in the authenticity of the text.  

Ophelia After All is a heart-warming read, with an important message (albeit a little heavy-handed at times) that we are all on a journey of self discovery and understanding.

Brigid O’Dea