If you’ve spent any time on BookTok or scrolled through "Best Queer Reads" lists over the last few years, you’ve seen the bright, messy cover of Old Enough by Haley Jakobson. It’s everywhere. And honestly? It should be.
Most coming-of-age novels feel like they’re written by adults looking back with 20/20 hindsight, polishing the rough edges of youth until they shine. Jakobson doesn't do that. She stays in the mud. She writes with the kind of "winsome bisexual chaos" that Vogue raved about, capturing that specific, frantic energy of being nineteen and realizing you might not actually know yourself at all.
What Is Old Enough Actually About?
The story follows Savannah “Sav” Henry. She’s a sophomore in college, she’s finally out as bisexual, and she’s found her "people"—a group of queer friends who make her feel seen for the first time. She has a crush on Wes, a student in her Gender Studies class with "stupid long eyelashes," and life seems like it’s finally starting.
Then Izzie calls.
Izzie is Sav’s childhood best friend. She’s getting married. This news doesn't just bring joy; it brings a tidal wave of trauma. Because being around Izzie means being around Izzie’s older brother, and being around him means confronting the thing that happened when Sav was sixteen.
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It’s a "campus novel," sure. But it’s really a book about the friction between who we were and who we are becoming.
Why the Bisexual Representation Matters
Jakobson, a Brooklyn-based writer and self-proclaimed "Gemini apologist," wrote Sav as a character who is already out. This is a huge shift from the typical "questioning" narrative. Sav knows she's bi. The world knows she's bi.
The conflict isn't about her labels; it’s about the nuance of those labels.
- The 50/50 Myth: Sav (and Jakobson) rejects the idea that being bisexual is a perfect split of attraction. It's messy.
- Queer Community: The book explores the "chosen family" dynamic, but it doesn't romanticize it. Her college friends, Vera and Candace, can be annoying. They fight. They have "toxic situationships."
- Authenticity: Sav feels like an impostor. When she’s with her college friends, she’s a "cool queer girl." When she’s back home with Izzie, she feels like a ghost of her teenage self.
Jakobson nails the secondhand stress of having your two "worlds" collide. That terror of your college friends meeting your childhood friends? It's visceral.
Handling the Heavy Stuff
Let’s be real: Old Enough is a book about sexual assault survivorship. Jakobson is very intentional here. She includes a content warning and approaches the subject with a "delicate but honest" touch.
There is no "magic healing" moment.
Sav doesn't wake up one day and realize she’s perfectly fine because she named what happened. Instead, the book shows how trauma snakes through your daily life—how it affects your grades, your flirting, and your ability to stand up for yourself. It’s about the nonlinear nature of recovery. It’s raw.
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The Breakup Nobody Talks About
While the romance with Wes is sweet, the real heartbreak of the book is the "best-friend-breakup."
We’re taught that romantic breakups are the ones that destroy us. But losing a childhood friend—the person who knows your "original" self—can be just as devastating. Sav has to decide if loyalty to a person who doesn't see the new version of her is worth the cost of her own peace.
Why You Should Care in 2026
Even though it was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and a Lambda Literary Award finalist back when it dropped, Old Enough remains a staple. Why? Because the "Gen Z undergraduate experience" Jakobson describes—the social anxiety, the performative "wokeness," the desperate search for meaning in a Gender Studies project—hasn't changed.
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If you’re looking for a book that feels like a hug from a friend who’s also slightly high and oversharing on the subway, this is it. It’s a love letter to the people who hold us together while we’re falling apart.
Practical Next Steps for Readers:
- Check the TWs: If you’re sensitive to depictions of sexual assault or trauma, read the author’s note first. It’s designed to "hold you back" and keep you safe.
- Follow the Author: Haley Jakobson is a "killer follow" on Instagram (her own words, but it’s true). She’s active and often shares insights into her writing process for her upcoming sophomore novel, CAVEGIRL.
- Read the "Big Bisexual Book": If you’ve felt underrepresented in queer fiction that often leans into the "coming out" trope, dive into Sav’s world where the identity is the baseline, not the destination.