Old Enough

A Novel

By: Haley Jakobson

Narrated by: Jenna Kray, Haley Jakobson

Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Bisexual Fiction

“Old Enough is full of growth, heartbreak, and winsome bisexual chaos.”—Vogue

A debut novel “as astute, funny, and loving as your best friend from college”* about a young bisexual woman who is pulled between a new sense of community and loyalty to a friendship she’s outgrown

*Isle McElroy

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.

©2023 Haley Jakobson (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Winner of SheReads’s Best of 2023 Award—Contemporary Fiction

A New York Times Editor's Choice

One of Harper's Bazaar's "18 Best Queer Books for Pride Month and Beyond"

One of NBC News' Must-Read Books to Celebrate Bisexuality Day

Featured in NYLON's “June 2023's Must-Read Book Releases”

One of LGBTQ Reads’ Most Anticipated Titles

One of Pink News’ “23 brilliant sapphic books that will be taking over your reading list this year”

Included in Lit Hub's "New Books to Check Out Today"

One of The Messenger's "Best Books to Read During Pride Month"

Featured in the Skimms' “14 Reads That Belong In Your Beach Bag This Summer”

One of The Lesbrary’s “30 New Sapphic Books Out in June”

Included in Autostradde's "Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way Summer 2023"

One of Scary Mommy's "12 Queer Romance Novels to Get Your Heart Pumping"

Featured in Fangirlish's “20 LGBTQ+ Books Coming Out This June”

One of Luxury London's “Best Books of June”

Included in Scary Mommy's "New Summer Reads"

“Jakobson is at her best when she allows the bubbles of denial and guilt to rise and burst with Savannah’s anger at her assailant, at her friend, at her mother and at a society that makes it impossible for any legal definition of justice to prevail…Through Old Enough, Jakobson offers a guiding hand to her readers. If you’re going through this mess, you’re not alone, she seems to say, and if you’ve already survived, you’ll understand.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The minute you crack the cover of Haley Jakobson’s Old Enough, you’re likely to recognize protagonist Savannah Henry; not because you’re necessarily queer, or a college student, or a survivor of sexual assault, or a person with a complex relationship to your lifelong BFF, but because Jakobson writes Sav with enough humor, heart, and nuance to make her feel simultaneously relatable and unique… Watching her form a sense of herself and learn to detach her self-worth from the world’s expectations of how survivors should live, love, and heal is genuinely gratifying…Old Enough is full of growth, heartbreak, and winsome bisexual chaos.”—Emma Specter, Vogue

“Equal parts funny and romantic . . . A provocative work of art about a young woman who struggles to accept the pain and trauma of the past while looking forward to brighter days in the future.”—Cosmopolitan, “The Best LGBTQ+ Books of 2023”

An utter gift

This book is an utter gift for women, survivors, and anyone who had ever wanted to have their story told through the most gentle, loving, human voice imaginable. I found myself tearing up, beaming, giggling each in turn. I was so sad when it was over, and am so grateful for this incredible novel (and voice performance),

Devoured this

As most of the readers here, I found Haley and her writing style on Instagram when those girlies were the thing. She’s stayed in my feed due to the fact that she’s vulnerable, honest, accountable and offers a really validating perspective to many on a lot of the things we as women in the US haveexperienced in this life. So often these thoughts, feelings and emotions go unspoken and in turn leave so many of us feeling alone. I felt as though I was observing what I wished my college experience had been like, Sav had the courage to be who I have since become and grown further from. Jakobson did a phenomenal job sharing an important story and pushing to challenge readers own thoughts in the process. Bravo!

P.s. have met Haley in Brooklyn once recently and have to say the narrator chosen sounds suspiciously like her!

This book broke my heart in the best ways

The most beautiful book I’ve read/heard. It is so relatable in so many ways but also broke my heart in just as many. I recommend this book to anyone who will hear and all I will talk about. I’m obsessed and read it 3 times over already!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

TW:
Incredibly raw and amazingly written. This without a doubt surpassed my expectations. As a victim of SA myself this made me recount my own experiences as I am currently in a Psych and Social Justice class and had to do a similar assignment of the one Sav did. I chose sexual assault and the effects of it within different systems (medical and criminal justice system etc)

Listened twice, loved it both times

Elder millennial here 🙃 These characters gave my college age in the closet baby queer self so much healing.

Figuring it

Well written, the words flowed and the characters were well defined. A girl comes to to terms with her trauma and learns what she wants to be

Book I needed in finding myself

I’ve had the honor of watching the author blossom and grow through her writing journey and self discovery. She’s one of my “bi-cons”, an artist who’s tenderness speaks to my own. This book held me, cradled all the edges raw from life and have me a glimpse at one of those million lives you could live but didn’t choose. This book explores so much about what it means to figure it out, be human, love, live fully and joyfully and queerly. The narrator may or may not now be my big crush atm. Thank you Hayley for doing what you’re made to do.

Totally Awestruck!!

I’ve had this audiobook on preorder since I heard of its release date and the wait was well worth it!! Words can’t begin to describe the love I have for this literary art.
Haley Jakobson approached several important and sensitive topics with such care and tenderness that her words, the characters she carefully crafted and even the plot lines felt like a warm hug. I have never finished a book feeling more seen and validated in my adult life. I hope every young person has the opportunity to read this book and feel the same connection to it as I have. I didn’t want it to ever end. I’m so excited to read more from Haley in the future, I’m now a life long fan ❤️
In terms of the audiobook performance….WOW! Jenna Kray absolutely killed it and I can’t imagine a better person to have narrated this title. If Jenna hasn’t yet started a career in narrating audiobooks…I hope they consider because I want more! Jenna’s voice was so tender, so careful, so loving and funny and did each character such justice that I’m still SO blown away.
I’m so close to starting the book again & am on my way to buy a physical copy as we speak!! Haley, I can’t thank you enough for this! So much love 🤍

Loved!!

Like others I have been following the author on insta and have loved her writing! This book was everything I could have hoped. The dialogue was amazing and the story line took on so many important story lines in such a nuanced thoughtful and relatable way. Also I can be pretty picky with audio book narrators and I loved Jenny a lot and thought she did an incredible job. It felt very authentic and not too gimmicky which often voice acting can be. I loved this book!

Just a girl figuring her self out

I loved this story. I felt like I was the main characters journal. She took me through the journey of adulting and everything that came with growing up