Tessa is so down bad for Imogen from the very beginning, this is every girl’s dream. I really love the way Imogen’s character has been meticulously built as an antithesis to the girl-kissing-but-boy-crazy, heartbreaking, “male centered” bimisogynistic stereotype, and one of the many kinds of bi women that the discourse refuses to acknowledge—overly cautious in a way that hurts herself more than others, more interested in authentic romance and friendships than sexual experiences, struggling intensely with comphet (the kind aimed specifically at questioning women) that is ironically coming more from gatekeepy queer circles than from straight people in her life, a consistently great ally and respectful listener towards others—to a fault in the form of disservice to her own self.

I’m really looking forward to how things fall into place for Imogen, and while I empathize with Gretchen a lot (another very clever character and yet another example of the kind of bi woman ignored by the discourse—or seen as a rare, valiant hero/spokeperson for “actually committed sapphics” of sorts, which I of course disagree with), I kind of want her to be held accountable for how she’s pidgeonholed Imogen into a caricature straight person role. Gretchen’s character is a great way to demonstrate bi activists don’t think individual sapphics the enemy, we just think everyone needs to reroute how we channel their frustration into the patriarchy/bigots and be cautious about heavily policing other queer/questioning/allies—and that divisive behaviour is certainly not limited to lesbians. I love the counter-example of a more open-minded queer friend group that have been able to process their traumas in healthier ways, I love Imogen’s obvious (and endearingly oblivious) queer femme(4butch) behaviours, and I’m so excited for more Tessa scenes. <3

I’ve known this book was going to be great from the moment it was announced and the But I’m a Cheerleader-inspired cover art dropped, but it’s almost dizzying (in the best way) how Betty is zeroing in on contemporary toxic internet behaviours. I feel like I’m fifteen reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and once again experiencing Betty magically open up the world a little more when it’s most needed, and the dedication to Sophie Gonzales, whose Perfect on Paper was also a cultural reset, was so heartwarming. 🥹