Ophelia After All

High school senior Ophelia Rojas, who’s Cuban and white, is wild about the roses she grows, but to her friends and family, her salient trait is her “thirstiness”: always having a crush on some boy or another. Which is why her sudden interest in quiet Afro–Puerto Rican classmate Talia Sanchez surprises and confuses her. Prom’s in three weeks, and there’s drama in Ophelia’s friend group, which includes Black and white characters as well as teens of Korean and Pakistani descent, about who’s going with whom. Savvy about the complexity of intersectional identity, debut author Marie packs a lot of action into those three weeks, and shows a wonderful knack for creating sweetly complex relationships—like Ophelia’s bond with her parents as well as longtime bestie and neighbor Sammie. While there’s plenty of information for teens grappling with sexuality—and inclusive portrayals, including aromantic, asexual, bisexual, and pansexual representation—the book never feels like a manual: Ophelia, Talia, and their friends are fully human creations. Ages 14–up. Agent: Thao Le, Dijkstra Agency. (Feb.)