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Old Enough
A debut novel about a young bisexual woman who is pulled between a new sense of community and loyalty to a friendship she's outgrown
Savannah Sav Henry is almost the person she wants to be, or at least she's getting closer. It's the second semester of her sophomore year. She's finally come out as bisexual, is making friends with the other queers in her dorm, and has just about recovered from her disastrous first queer "situationship." She is cautiously optimistic that her life is about to begin.
But when she learns that Izzie, her best friend from childhood, has gotten engaged, Sav faces a crisis of confidence. Things with Izzie haven't been the same since what happened between Sav and Izzie's older brother when they were sixteen. Now, with the wedding around the corner, Sav is forced to reckon with trauma she thought she could put behind her.
On top of it all, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class--sweet, funny Wes, with their long eyelashes and green backpack. There's something different here--with Wes and with her new friends (who delight in teasing her about this face-burning crush); it feels, terrifyingly, like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.
With a singularly funny, heartfelt voice, Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what finding your people can feel like--for better or worse.
Savannah Sav Henry is almost the person she wants to be, or at least she's getting closer. It's the second semester of her sophomore year. She's finally come out as bisexual, is making friends with the other queers in her dorm, and has just about recovered from her disastrous first queer "situationship." She is cautiously optimistic that her life is about to begin.
But when she learns that Izzie, her best friend from childhood, has gotten engaged, Sav faces a crisis of confidence. Things with Izzie haven't been the same since what happened between Sav and Izzie's older brother when they were sixteen. Now, with the wedding around the corner, Sav is forced to reckon with trauma she thought she could put behind her.
On top of it all, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class--sweet, funny Wes, with their long eyelashes and green backpack. There's something different here--with Wes and with her new friends (who delight in teasing her about this face-burning crush); it feels, terrifyingly, like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.
With a singularly funny, heartfelt voice, Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what finding your people can feel like--for better or worse.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2023
396 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,353 reviews
April 24, 2023
old enough is the kind of book i wish i had at 17.
reckoning with your past life when coming of age, especially one that was traumatic, is so painful. having a community to get you through that time can literally make or break you and it filled my heart to read as our mc Sav found her queer community in college.
more thoughts to come!! 💖
reckoning with your past life when coming of age, especially one that was traumatic, is so painful. having a community to get you through that time can literally make or break you and it filled my heart to read as our mc Sav found her queer community in college.
more thoughts to come!! 💖
May 19, 2023
old enough follows savannah on her coming of age journey; navigating friendships, relationships, identity, and past trauma.
with a complex bisexual fmc and an extremely diverse cast of characters this book had incredible sexuality and gender representation.
there was also the potential to create a well loved found family, but it simply didn’t feel believable to me. the characters, and their connections, seemed surface-level and lacked development which is so disappointing bc i liked some of these side characters SO MUCH and would’ve loved if more attention had been given to them and their relationship to our fmc.
despite dealing with a theme as heavy and heartbreaking as sexual assault this book still unfortunately fell flat for me, as i felt like very much of the novel was superficial and constantly throughout was waiting for another layer of depth.
another big issue for me is that this is marketed as new adult but reads like a ya book. the writing seemed choppy and the dialogue felt a bit awkward, cringey, and childish.
the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
with a complex bisexual fmc and an extremely diverse cast of characters this book had incredible sexuality and gender representation.
there was also the potential to create a well loved found family, but it simply didn’t feel believable to me. the characters, and their connections, seemed surface-level and lacked development which is so disappointing bc i liked some of these side characters SO MUCH and would’ve loved if more attention had been given to them and their relationship to our fmc.
despite dealing with a theme as heavy and heartbreaking as sexual assault this book still unfortunately fell flat for me, as i felt like very much of the novel was superficial and constantly throughout was waiting for another layer of depth.
another big issue for me is that this is marketed as new adult but reads like a ya book. the writing seemed choppy and the dialogue felt a bit awkward, cringey, and childish.
the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2023
as a gay person i can say that nobody fucking talks like this in real life
July 16, 2023
this book feels like going on tumblr felt as a teenager lol. lots of discussions of sexuality and gender that didn’t feel really fully explored, and a big focus on found family despite the fact that the found family being explored here was very underdeveloped. the writing was quite juvenile, which perhaps was meant to capture the internal voice of this young woman coming into herself, but idk I think you can do a coming of age book without making it feel so young.
however, I will say that this book was not without its good qualities. The exploration of sexual trauma and being a survivor was very thoughtful and nuanced in its depiction. Sav and izzie’s relationship was also really compelling and there was genuine emotional conflict and tension within their relationship, something sorely lacking in the rest of the book. I really wasn’t interested in her college friend group lol they were so flat as characters. Wes was also not a particularly 3d character however I did enjoy them as a love interest lol, they were a sweetheart.
Overall this book was decent but not great. The sections focusing on izzie and savs friendship and its fallout and savs feeling surrounding their friendship & her assault were really well done; they honestly felt like they came from a different book than the rest of this novel
however, I will say that this book was not without its good qualities. The exploration of sexual trauma and being a survivor was very thoughtful and nuanced in its depiction. Sav and izzie’s relationship was also really compelling and there was genuine emotional conflict and tension within their relationship, something sorely lacking in the rest of the book. I really wasn’t interested in her college friend group lol they were so flat as characters. Wes was also not a particularly 3d character however I did enjoy them as a love interest lol, they were a sweetheart.
Overall this book was decent but not great. The sections focusing on izzie and savs friendship and its fallout and savs feeling surrounding their friendship & her assault were really well done; they honestly felt like they came from a different book than the rest of this novel
September 12, 2023
4.5* I’m sobbing okay?
dnf
May 2, 2024dnf'd at 11%, nothing that serious the characters are just kind of annoying lmfao and tonally this feels very YA?? just not for me ig!
January 5, 2025
3.5
I loved the messages of this book even if the execution fell a bit flat for me. Haley Jakobson does a great job of addressing issues of sexual assault and trauma, sexual orientation and gender identity, and the complexity of friendship. I really resonated with how Jakobson portrayed the aftermath of trauma and how we can make decisions that are self-destructive in the process of trying to cope with past pain. I also so appreciated how she wrote about the intensity of friendships and the bittersweetness of when friendships change or fade with time.
Even though I deeply enjoyed the themes and messages of this book, the writing left a fair amount to be desired for me. The dialogue and some of the prose in general came across as corny and forced; the writing just didn’t feel realistic enough to me which made it hard for me to really immerse myself in the story. Still, I’d say that Jakobson’s heart and intentions were in the right place with this debut.
I loved the messages of this book even if the execution fell a bit flat for me. Haley Jakobson does a great job of addressing issues of sexual assault and trauma, sexual orientation and gender identity, and the complexity of friendship. I really resonated with how Jakobson portrayed the aftermath of trauma and how we can make decisions that are self-destructive in the process of trying to cope with past pain. I also so appreciated how she wrote about the intensity of friendships and the bittersweetness of when friendships change or fade with time.
Even though I deeply enjoyed the themes and messages of this book, the writing left a fair amount to be desired for me. The dialogue and some of the prose in general came across as corny and forced; the writing just didn’t feel realistic enough to me which made it hard for me to really immerse myself in the story. Still, I’d say that Jakobson’s heart and intentions were in the right place with this debut.
June 20, 2024
Changing to a 5 star and honestly wishing teenage me could have read this <3
I honestly feel at a loss for words over how much I adored this. The moment I started it I was sucked into sav’s life and couldn’t put it down. You see sav finding herself living as her true self at school and grappling with the life and friendship she lived beforehand as well as a trauma she experienced and is still healing from. This was raw and I could feel that the author put so much care and thought into this story, it honestly had me weeping. I adored savs journey from beginning to end and the bisexual coming of age in this was everything and the community sav found for herself had me emo!
Will be thinking about this forever!
I honestly feel at a loss for words over how much I adored this. The moment I started it I was sucked into sav’s life and couldn’t put it down. You see sav finding herself living as her true self at school and grappling with the life and friendship she lived beforehand as well as a trauma she experienced and is still healing from. This was raw and I could feel that the author put so much care and thought into this story, it honestly had me weeping. I adored savs journey from beginning to end and the bisexual coming of age in this was everything and the community sav found for herself had me emo!
Will be thinking about this forever!
January 12, 2024
There was a lot to like about this book, but the actual writing itself just never really hooked me and I am bummed I didn't love this as much as I expected to!
CW: rape, victim blaming, slut shaming, ptsd, transphobia
CW: rape, victim blaming, slut shaming, ptsd, transphobia
July 17, 2023
3.5⭐️ as someone who had an Izzie growing up, it's a horrible experience and I would rather have had a 100 bullies growing up than 1 absolutely terrible bestie you can't shake off 😭
July 16, 2023
So, I think I’d rate this about 3.5 ⭐️ but I rounded up because so many aspects of this hit home.
This is for the girls who hate going home. For those who feel like they’ve outgrown their hometown and that will always hurt. This is for the girls who lost a friendship that felt like forever. This is for the girls who doubt themselves and their experiences, who bend to please others.
This is for anyone who has been hurt, but hid their pain to comfort others.
And, this is for those who have found healing in their chosen family.
This is for the girls who hate going home. For those who feel like they’ve outgrown their hometown and that will always hurt. This is for the girls who lost a friendship that felt like forever. This is for the girls who doubt themselves and their experiences, who bend to please others.
This is for anyone who has been hurt, but hid their pain to comfort others.
And, this is for those who have found healing in their chosen family.
March 21, 2024
not to be mean but i've never read something that made being gay sound so lame
April 24, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. Old Enough deals with a bunch of different things that I gravitate towards in books. Like groups of queer friends, messy relationships, dealing with past trauma, and coming of age. Sav is in her sophomore year of college and has come out as bisexual after having her first queer fling. But things become complicated when Izzie, her childhood best friend, announces that she’s getting married. Sav is dreading the wedding and having to be around Izzie’s older brother because of what happened between them when she was sixteen.
Sav’s group of college friends were so amazing. I loved Vera and Candace so much. I read the first half of this book in the waiting room of an auto shop and I was actively having to stop myself from laughing out loud or smiling too much. There were so many lovely moments of them supporting one another and also just hilarious moments as well.
The book also deals with some heavy topics, it definitely had me tearing up at multiple points. A large focus is Sav dealing with sexual assault in her past, how she thinks about it now versus when it happened, how she opens up to people, and figuring out what justice means for her. A lot of the conversations in the book start in a gender studies class that Sav and her friends are taking. I felt like that was a smart way for Haley Jakobson to bring up different opinions through the various students in the class.
I could go on and on about the different things I loved about this book: Sav’s crush on Wes, the arc of Lara the sorority girl, the complicated dynamic between Sav and Izzie, Sav’s relationship with her mom, Sav’s relationship with sex, and so much more.
If you love stories about queer friendship, romance, and coming of age then give this one a shot if you feel up to the subject matter surrounding sexual assault.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Sav’s group of college friends were so amazing. I loved Vera and Candace so much. I read the first half of this book in the waiting room of an auto shop and I was actively having to stop myself from laughing out loud or smiling too much. There were so many lovely moments of them supporting one another and also just hilarious moments as well.
The book also deals with some heavy topics, it definitely had me tearing up at multiple points. A large focus is Sav dealing with sexual assault in her past, how she thinks about it now versus when it happened, how she opens up to people, and figuring out what justice means for her. A lot of the conversations in the book start in a gender studies class that Sav and her friends are taking. I felt like that was a smart way for Haley Jakobson to bring up different opinions through the various students in the class.
I could go on and on about the different things I loved about this book: Sav’s crush on Wes, the arc of Lara the sorority girl, the complicated dynamic between Sav and Izzie, Sav’s relationship with her mom, Sav’s relationship with sex, and so much more.
If you love stories about queer friendship, romance, and coming of age then give this one a shot if you feel up to the subject matter surrounding sexual assault.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 22, 2023
dnf i’m sorry this was so cringe
July 30, 2023
Arguably the most juvenile depiction of navigating queernesss and queer spaces. I hated this. HATED. the prose is laughable. I DNFED at 20% ok byeeeeeeee
July 15, 2023
In theory, this is my type of book. The execution was not, however.
Even though at the core of this is a SA story, the side characters all felt very fake to me. The author does a nice job of describing outfits, but I couldn't help rolling my eyes at some of the dialogue. Also multiple times, the word vagina was used to describe the vulva, and in a book where social liberalism seemed to be on every page, getting anatomical terms terms wrong seemed lazy. I mean literally at one point Sav goes "I put on a t-shirt that said trans rights are human rights, which is the bare minimum"
I also couldn't get past the fact that all of the characters we meet are extremely good-looking but also great at school and also only into sex. All Vera and Candace ever really talked about was who they wanted to sleep with, or who they had slept with. I am all for sexual liberation, but as a book, it was kind of boring after a while.
Maybe I'll like the next novel by this author.
Even though at the core of this is a SA story, the side characters all felt very fake to me. The author does a nice job of describing outfits, but I couldn't help rolling my eyes at some of the dialogue. Also multiple times, the word vagina was used to describe the vulva, and in a book where social liberalism seemed to be on every page, getting anatomical terms terms wrong seemed lazy. I mean literally at one point Sav goes "I put on a t-shirt that said trans rights are human rights, which is the bare minimum"
I also couldn't get past the fact that all of the characters we meet are extremely good-looking but also great at school and also only into sex. All Vera and Candace ever really talked about was who they wanted to sleep with, or who they had slept with. I am all for sexual liberation, but as a book, it was kind of boring after a while.
Maybe I'll like the next novel by this author.
April 26, 2023
I received an arc for this book and DNF’d 20% in. I was SO excited about this book and then so dissatisfied. I relate to Sav as a character on so many levels so I’m shocked it still fell flat for me. While I think this book offered great representation, especially Sav as bi rep and an SA survivor, it is not well written. It didn’t bring anything new, in fact it’s attempts at progressive ideologies ultimately remain shallow. I kept waiting for it to go deeper, even just one liners to give you something to chew on. But that never happened. Everything felt very surface level. The reader is never given anything to ponder.
I appreciate and am thankful for the representation of gender and sexuality. We need more of this in publishing. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited for this book. I did love that in this book gender and sexuality are presented matter of factly rather than a spectacle. That was well done. However, the overall theme of gender and sexuality lacked complexity which almost made it feel cold and distant.
It felt like someone telling me their life story with all the wrong details and no finesse. There is a lack of a distinct voice.
Ultimately, the writing felt too lazy and the pacing was too slow. 20% in to the book and I knew nothing of substance about any of the characters. Which, I can look past slow paced books, however a combination of slow, uninteresting, and writing that felt scattered caused me to give up.
I appreciate and am thankful for the representation of gender and sexuality. We need more of this in publishing. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited for this book. I did love that in this book gender and sexuality are presented matter of factly rather than a spectacle. That was well done. However, the overall theme of gender and sexuality lacked complexity which almost made it feel cold and distant.
It felt like someone telling me their life story with all the wrong details and no finesse. There is a lack of a distinct voice.
Ultimately, the writing felt too lazy and the pacing was too slow. 20% in to the book and I knew nothing of substance about any of the characters. Which, I can look past slow paced books, however a combination of slow, uninteresting, and writing that felt scattered caused me to give up.
August 25, 2023
oh i hate to be a hater of a queer coming of age novel because they are my absolute fav but this book just fell really flat for me.
firstly this should be marketed as YA - it’s quite frankly not well written enough to be adult fiction, nor are any of the characters real enough human beings to be adult fiction characters. each of them was some sort of manic pixie dream girl edit of a real person in some sort of desperate attempt at otherness and i just couldn’t get past this. can i also say that i actually don’t think izzie was remotely this MONSTER savannah kept trying to portray her as and i actually felt quite bad with savannah trying to gatekeep queerness whenever poor lil iz was around and trying her best.
secondly, im sorry but savannah was just SO dislikable?? she never communicated with anyone and then proceeded to get annoyed at them when they didn’t understand how she was feeling, it’s giving sally rooney and it’s my LEAST favourite way an author can write a character like i’m BEGGING you to just HAVE A CONVERSATION.
anyway x
2 stars because it is actually relatively bingey and despite all of the above i didn’t actually hate it. ending was sweet and all wrapped up and everyone lived happily ever after.
firstly this should be marketed as YA - it’s quite frankly not well written enough to be adult fiction, nor are any of the characters real enough human beings to be adult fiction characters. each of them was some sort of manic pixie dream girl edit of a real person in some sort of desperate attempt at otherness and i just couldn’t get past this. can i also say that i actually don’t think izzie was remotely this MONSTER savannah kept trying to portray her as and i actually felt quite bad with savannah trying to gatekeep queerness whenever poor lil iz was around and trying her best.
secondly, im sorry but savannah was just SO dislikable?? she never communicated with anyone and then proceeded to get annoyed at them when they didn’t understand how she was feeling, it’s giving sally rooney and it’s my LEAST favourite way an author can write a character like i’m BEGGING you to just HAVE A CONVERSATION.
anyway x
2 stars because it is actually relatively bingey and despite all of the above i didn’t actually hate it. ending was sweet and all wrapped up and everyone lived happily ever after.
August 12, 2025
my favorite read of the year so far 🥹 a love letter to friendship, healing, figuring it out, and queer joy that made me laugh, cry, and everything in between.
cw: sexual assault, bullying, transphobia (challenged)
cw: sexual assault, bullying, transphobia (challenged)
October 9, 2023
I have never read a book that captures the pain of a friendship breakup so well. Truly beautiful.
June 26, 2023
I just did not believe in these characters or the world they lived in. It was so unlike reality that it seemed fantastical which was irritating to me.
June 20, 2023
I went into this debut with zero expectations and it truly blew me away! If you like strong character driven novels that question social constructs, explore the challenges of maintaining old friendships, found family and recovering from the trauma of sexual assault/rape - this book is for you!
While this is a longish story, we really get a deep-dive into Savannah 'Sav' Henry's freshman year of college where she learns how to be her openly bisexual self, make new queer friends, crushes on new love interest and attempts to heal from her past, all while trying to be supportive as her cishet childhood best friend plans her wedding.
Deeply emotional and utterly relatable. This is a great read and I truly can't recommend it enough. Haley Jakobson was a new to me author and I cannot wait to read what she writes next. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
⚠️CW: rape/sexual abuse, homophobia/biphobia
While this is a longish story, we really get a deep-dive into Savannah 'Sav' Henry's freshman year of college where she learns how to be her openly bisexual self, make new queer friends, crushes on new love interest and attempts to heal from her past, all while trying to be supportive as her cishet childhood best friend plans her wedding.
Deeply emotional and utterly relatable. This is a great read and I truly can't recommend it enough. Haley Jakobson was a new to me author and I cannot wait to read what she writes next. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
⚠️CW: rape/sexual abuse, homophobia/biphobia
June 28, 2023
original review 12/16/22:
I absolutely loved this book -- I stayed up until 12:30 am reading it because couldn't put it down! I've loved Haley's writing on Instagram for a while now and I'm so glad I got to read her book early thanks to an Edelweiss eARC. This book spoke to so many parts of me -- I had a very delayed bi awakening, I had a brutal best-friendship-fallout in high school and then again with a different person about a year ago, I experienced something traumatic in college that wasn't quite assault but certainly wasn't consensual, and which I have a hard time talking about and still think about (less than I used to, but still) to this day. I have never read a book that spoke so succinctly, or at all, about these things I have experienced and I loved it expressly for that reason. I wish Savannah Henry could be my friend!! The end made me quite teary-eyed and was very moving. I loved the message that your past does not define you and that you are worthy of love and respect and friends to hold you in your time of need. I'm so proud of Haley, and I loved this :')
(thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Random House for the eARC xx)
re-review 6/27/23:
even better the second time! I got to meet Haley at the Strand for her book signing and it was lovely to hear her read from the book herself. This book is so healing and such a gift for all of the bisexual girlies and all of the too-much girlies and all of the survivors amongst us -- I'll be coming back to it for years to come, I'm sure <3
I absolutely loved this book -- I stayed up until 12:30 am reading it because couldn't put it down! I've loved Haley's writing on Instagram for a while now and I'm so glad I got to read her book early thanks to an Edelweiss eARC. This book spoke to so many parts of me -- I had a very delayed bi awakening, I had a brutal best-friendship-fallout in high school and then again with a different person about a year ago, I experienced something traumatic in college that wasn't quite assault but certainly wasn't consensual, and which I have a hard time talking about and still think about (less than I used to, but still) to this day. I have never read a book that spoke so succinctly, or at all, about these things I have experienced and I loved it expressly for that reason. I wish Savannah Henry could be my friend!! The end made me quite teary-eyed and was very moving. I loved the message that your past does not define you and that you are worthy of love and respect and friends to hold you in your time of need. I'm so proud of Haley, and I loved this :')
(thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Random House for the eARC xx)
re-review 6/27/23:
even better the second time! I got to meet Haley at the Strand for her book signing and it was lovely to hear her read from the book herself. This book is so healing and such a gift for all of the bisexual girlies and all of the too-much girlies and all of the survivors amongst us -- I'll be coming back to it for years to come, I'm sure <3
June 23, 2023
A gorgeous campus novel about friendship, queerness, being a survivor and all of those things at once.
This book holds the reader through ups and downs, and felt like a safe space to explore the hard truths it examines.
My favourite part was the queer joy!!! Queer community has never been done like this and it made my heart grow three sizes.
This book holds the reader through ups and downs, and felt like a safe space to explore the hard truths it examines.
My favourite part was the queer joy!!! Queer community has never been done like this and it made my heart grow three sizes.
November 16, 2023
The positives to this book: incredible representation and inclusivity. Introduces readers to the topic of how sexual assault trauma can be slow to appear in someone’s life, but is something that carries with them.
The negatives: everything else. This book seemed to be marketed as an adult fiction book, but the writing honestly seems meant for a middle school/grades 6-8 level. While the book does a good job at being inclusive and showcasing teachable moments for those less familiar with LGBTQ+ culture, there were so many random characters throughout that it was impossible to form a connection with any of them. Changing the flashback chapters to second person POV made the story seem disjointed. The quote that truly made me question whether I should even continue reading this book:
“My leggings were draped over the hamper, and I could see the crotch was white and sort of flaky from dried discharge, but I grabbed them anyway and slid them on.”
^ I am all for normalizing bodies and how they function. But WHY was this needed as almost a full paragraph!?? So many times, this book seemed to say things just to prove a point or make a statement.
The negatives: everything else. This book seemed to be marketed as an adult fiction book, but the writing honestly seems meant for a middle school/grades 6-8 level. While the book does a good job at being inclusive and showcasing teachable moments for those less familiar with LGBTQ+ culture, there were so many random characters throughout that it was impossible to form a connection with any of them. Changing the flashback chapters to second person POV made the story seem disjointed. The quote that truly made me question whether I should even continue reading this book:
“My leggings were draped over the hamper, and I could see the crotch was white and sort of flaky from dried discharge, but I grabbed them anyway and slid them on.”
^ I am all for normalizing bodies and how they function. But WHY was this needed as almost a full paragraph!?? So many times, this book seemed to say things just to prove a point or make a statement.
June 23, 2023
TW- SA
a queer coming of age book that felt alittle more YA. i never knew how much i needed this one, i never wanted it to end. affirming as someone who’s bi. widely diverse characters. so emotionally moving. finding your chosen family + finding yourself while healing from things that have happened to you in the past. whew!!! i don’t read books twice but i’d absolutely read this again.
a queer coming of age book that felt alittle more YA. i never knew how much i needed this one, i never wanted it to end. affirming as someone who’s bi. widely diverse characters. so emotionally moving. finding your chosen family + finding yourself while healing from things that have happened to you in the past. whew!!! i don’t read books twice but i’d absolutely read this again.
March 27, 2023
3.5/5 ☆
TW: sexual assault
This took a second to get into, but I'm glad I stuck through and finished it to the end. The writing here is unique, a bit YA-esk, and is probably what threw me for a loop when I initially began my read. Old Enough is a powerful coming-of-age story about Sav, a bi college sophomore who is learning to navigate her friendships and past trauma after finding out her childhood best friend is getting engaged.
Jakobson does a really good job at dialogue in this book and the conversations surrounding SA (though very upsetting) was oddly comforting because of how retable Sav's feelings were. Definitely felt seen and I applaud Sav's honesty - I know how difficult it must have been. Her journey to healing is just beginning, but like her friends in the book, I am very much rooting for her.
TW: sexual assault
This took a second to get into, but I'm glad I stuck through and finished it to the end. The writing here is unique, a bit YA-esk, and is probably what threw me for a loop when I initially began my read. Old Enough is a powerful coming-of-age story about Sav, a bi college sophomore who is learning to navigate her friendships and past trauma after finding out her childhood best friend is getting engaged.
Jakobson does a really good job at dialogue in this book and the conversations surrounding SA (though very upsetting) was oddly comforting because of how retable Sav's feelings were. Definitely felt seen and I applaud Sav's honesty - I know how difficult it must have been. Her journey to healing is just beginning, but like her friends in the book, I am very much rooting for her.
May 7, 2024
Stop letting white girls who live in Brooklyn write about shit they learned from Twitter and IG infographics in 2017!!!!!
March 19, 2025
This book had really excellent representation with some very tricky topics handled wonderfully. It did not shy away from tough topics (TW: this storyline very much centered around S/A, victim blaming, slut shaming, and a variety of topics branching from these. Be mindful going in if this is something that will trigger you!) while handling them extremely delicately. I haven't read many books that are so candid about the experience of rape victims, and I really loved it for that.
I also found the toxic childhood best friend dynamic to be very relatable and I think a majority of people would relate to this as well.
The diversity in the cast of characters was so nice to see. That said, I'm unsure if this is a me issue (full disclosure: I have had the flu and my brain is not working at the capacity that it usually is, so it might just be me), but there were so many characters and they didn't necessarily feel different a lot of the time in the way that they were written, so I was forever confused about who was who, aside from our main 2-3 characters. The book lost me many times, causing me to have to flip back through and be like "wait, is this the person that _... no? Wait, who is that one then? Who am I even reading about rn?"
Also, perhaps this is just the circles that I have been part of in my life, but no one I have ever met talks like the people in this book. It made the queer spaces described feel so juvenile it gave me second-hand embarrassment, which drove me nuts because I loved what this was trying to do but the execution felt incredibly childish and unrealistic. It's really a bummer because I do think it did a lot of good in shedding light on the importance of finding your people, and I wish kids growing up when I did had a book like this. The execution just kind of flopped for me.
I also found the toxic childhood best friend dynamic to be very relatable and I think a majority of people would relate to this as well.
The diversity in the cast of characters was so nice to see. That said, I'm unsure if this is a me issue (full disclosure: I have had the flu and my brain is not working at the capacity that it usually is, so it might just be me), but there were so many characters and they didn't necessarily feel different a lot of the time in the way that they were written, so I was forever confused about who was who, aside from our main 2-3 characters. The book lost me many times, causing me to have to flip back through and be like "wait, is this the person that _... no? Wait, who is that one then? Who am I even reading about rn?"
Also, perhaps this is just the circles that I have been part of in my life, but no one I have ever met talks like the people in this book. It made the queer spaces described feel so juvenile it gave me second-hand embarrassment, which drove me nuts because I loved what this was trying to do but the execution felt incredibly childish and unrealistic. It's really a bummer because I do think it did a lot of good in shedding light on the importance of finding your people, and I wish kids growing up when I did had a book like this. The execution just kind of flopped for me.
August 18, 2023
“you would have gotten here eventually…i know you would have. and you deserved the chance to do it on your own terms.”
oh wow. i want to say so much about this book but i’m not sure how vulnerable i should get in a goodreads review, but i only have like four friends on here anyways so who cares! pretty much everything about this book related to my own experience being a nineteen year old college student, down to the smallest, tiny details. this made it a hard read at times but it made me feel so seen and healed. it gave me so much compassion for my past self, a girl who stayed home from work some days to google definitions of what rape really was, and a girl who was navigating losing her closest friend at the time because of this event, at the same time as she was navigating coming out as queer! all things sav goes through in this book!! crazy!!
haley jakobson’s writing was so good, i flew through this book. it made me laugh just as much as it made me ache. loved watching her relationship with her friends and her crush grow throughout the novel too! that’s the thing about traumatic events; they happen alongside real life, and both can and do coexist and don’t often cancel out each other. i also fell in love with wes and their love of the color green and their wall covered in muna and florence + the machine albums.
also, SUCH good queer rep in this book. felt so real and true to being a queer person in your 20s right now. so much queer joy in this book!
all in all, i have maybe never felt so seen by a book and i wish so badly that i could give this book to me @ nineteen, who didn’t tell anyone for a whole year, who struggled to believe even herself at times: this one’s for you baby! it’s finally your life!!
“…lost in the sea of what finally, finally, felt like my life.” <3
oh wow. i want to say so much about this book but i’m not sure how vulnerable i should get in a goodreads review, but i only have like four friends on here anyways so who cares! pretty much everything about this book related to my own experience being a nineteen year old college student, down to the smallest, tiny details. this made it a hard read at times but it made me feel so seen and healed. it gave me so much compassion for my past self, a girl who stayed home from work some days to google definitions of what rape really was, and a girl who was navigating losing her closest friend at the time because of this event, at the same time as she was navigating coming out as queer! all things sav goes through in this book!! crazy!!
haley jakobson’s writing was so good, i flew through this book. it made me laugh just as much as it made me ache. loved watching her relationship with her friends and her crush grow throughout the novel too! that’s the thing about traumatic events; they happen alongside real life, and both can and do coexist and don’t often cancel out each other. i also fell in love with wes and their love of the color green and their wall covered in muna and florence + the machine albums.
also, SUCH good queer rep in this book. felt so real and true to being a queer person in your 20s right now. so much queer joy in this book!
all in all, i have maybe never felt so seen by a book and i wish so badly that i could give this book to me @ nineteen, who didn’t tell anyone for a whole year, who struggled to believe even herself at times: this one’s for you baby! it’s finally your life!!
“…lost in the sea of what finally, finally, felt like my life.” <3
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