Book Review: Epically Earnest

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Epically Earnest by Molly Horan
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on June 21, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction / LGBTQ, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Pages: 208
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley

In this delightfully romantic LGBTQ+ comedy-of-errors inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, a high school senior works up the courage to ask her long-time crush to prom, all while deciding if she should look for her bio family.

Jane Worthing's claim to fame is that she was one first viral internet sensations, dubbed #bagbaby--discovered as a one-year-old in an oversized Gucci bag by her adopted father in a Poughkeepsie train station.

Now in her senior year of high school, Janey is questioning whether she wants to look for her bio family due to a loving, but deeply misguided push from her best friend Algie, while also navigating an all-consuming crush on his cousin, the beautiful, way-out-of-her-league Gwen Fairfax.

And while Janey's never thought of herself as the earnest type, she needs to be honest with her parents, Algie, Gwen, but mostly herself if she wants to make her life truly epic. With a wink toward Oscar Wilde's beloved play, Epically Earnest explores the complexity of identity, the many forms family can take, and the importance of being . . . yourself.

This book honestly ranks up there with Ophelia After All for me. Disclaimer, also, that I’ve never read The Importance of Being Earnest. For me, this book reads like an readalike for Molly Kasperek’s work. If I was reading a pitch for this book, it would comp their books. There’s fast moving romance, basically everyone in the book is queer, there’s dealing with internet fame. The worst thing about this book was how short it was, leaving me wanting more and admittedly feeling kind of unfinished. Four stars because I genuinely liked it so much.

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