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bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a character-driven coming of age story of a summer Rose spends with her family at a lake house. Her family situation is complex, with her mother suffering from depression after infertility issues, and so the story has a quiet melancholy feel as so much goes unsaid. The story is also focussed on the friendship Rose has with another younger girl, which was not without its difficulties with their age gap and long time between seeing each other. The art was evocative and effective at telling the story, but I found the story itself more sparse than I prefer and I didn't feel moved despite the emotional content. In the end I felt a little dissatisfied with the resolution when so much is left no better than before, and the character development is minimal for everyone - which is why I consider this to be a slice-of-life story. Overall, it didn't really work for me but was an enjoyable enough way to spend a few hours, and I can see why others would enjoy this more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Blood, and Alcohol
some_things_cosmic's review against another edition
4.0
the first time i read this book i was 13 or 14 years old. i understood what was happening in the book but i didn’t understand the true meaning of the book. i didn’t understand why this particular summer was so important. this book is SO raw and honest, to the point where it is physically uncomfortable to read - but that’s the point. it’s a totally unfiltered meditation on how young people see the world. i think the biggest thing i took away from the book is how important it is for adults to communicate with teens, and to do so honestly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
For a graphic novel to work both the narrative and the graphics need to marry and compliment each under and unfortunately in This One Summer the stunning graphics grossly outshone the narrative.
The story unfortunately fell completely flat and left me with with an overwhelming 'meh' feeling by the end. Rather than there being a lack of plotting, the plotting just stopped dead without any sense of growth or closure being found. The coming of age concept married with the summer of firsts should have been fun and engrossing with some lessons learnt however it was full of slut shaming and a character that seemed to overflow with an unexplained meanness. I feel the last line, when Rose is thinking to what could be in her future, pretty much summed up the sincerity of the story "maybe I will have massive boobs. Boobs would be cool."
It pained me to write such a negative view because the artwork is absolutely beautiful. The palette is a one of hazy lavender blue hues which at times feel dream-like or like a distant recalled memory. The tones very much matched the floating sense of melancholy throughout the book and the different page layouts from comic style squares to splash pages really kept the book moving. Each character is very much drawn as a distinct individual and there a lots of tiny details to keep you lingering on each page. There were so many gorgeous pages that, if I had owned the book, I would have ripped out to display.
Would I recommend it? If you want some stunning art work to look at and even possibly cut out and keep yes! If you want a meaningful coming of age story with growth then definitely no.
The story unfortunately fell completely flat and left me with with an overwhelming 'meh' feeling by the end. Rather than there being a lack of plotting, the plotting just stopped dead without any sense of growth or closure being found. The coming of age concept married with the summer of firsts should have been fun and engrossing with some lessons learnt however it was full of slut shaming and a character that seemed to overflow with an unexplained meanness. I feel the last line, when Rose is thinking to what could be in her future, pretty much summed up the sincerity of the story "maybe I will have massive boobs. Boobs would be cool."
It pained me to write such a negative view because the artwork is absolutely beautiful. The palette is a one of hazy lavender blue hues which at times feel dream-like or like a distant recalled memory. The tones very much matched the floating sense of melancholy throughout the book and the different page layouts from comic style squares to splash pages really kept the book moving. Each character is very much drawn as a distinct individual and there a lots of tiny details to keep you lingering on each page. There were so many gorgeous pages that, if I had owned the book, I would have ripped out to display.
Would I recommend it? If you want some stunning art work to look at and even possibly cut out and keep yes! If you want a meaningful coming of age story with growth then definitely no.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
coversofceilidh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
eliasiexil's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexism
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming
fernwormreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I felt like the subject matter was a bit too strong for characters that are aged 11/12. I understand that the topics in the book does affect children of that age but it was uncomfortable to read. Maybe that was Mariko Tamaki's intention.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh_adddyyyyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The book is a short story about shit going down. its interesting but not great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
bookishlybecca's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Second Read-through: July 2023
It's been many years since I first read this surprisingly complex and beautifully illustrated graphic novel. My thoughts and original review still hold up, for the most part, I think. The story portrayed through the gorgeous art and illustrations isn't exactly fun or easy to read and its subtlety almost makes it come off as bothersome and boring at times, but I think it perfectly portrays the lazy, whistful feelings of summer and confusing, sometimes scary feelings of growing up.
Things That Stood Out To Me This Time:
It's been many years since I first read this surprisingly complex and beautifully illustrated graphic novel. My thoughts and original review still hold up, for the most part, I think. The story portrayed through the gorgeous art and illustrations isn't exactly fun or easy to read and its subtlety almost makes it come off as bothersome and boring at times, but I think it perfectly portrays the lazy, whistful feelings of summer and confusing, sometimes scary feelings of growing up.
Things That Stood Out To Me This Time:
- The many small Ontario/Canadian references. (I particularly loved seeing the Tim Horton's cups. ;3)
The contrast between an unexpected (and, at least partially, unwanted) teen pregnancy and the loss of a very muchly wanted child. - Rose's naive and youthful viewpoint on her parent's relationship and the relationship between two teen strangers.
Her opinion of both her parents changed over the course of this summer, for sure. I get the sense that she's started to have the realization that every child eventually does: that her parents are very muchly human and, therefore, make mistakes. They also feel things deeply (often secretly) and have a lot more going on than anyone else realizes. She became very invested in the relationship between two teens as well, as I think they both fascinated and frustrated her. They seemed just as confusing to her as her parents, but she is more inclined to judge them at first, as they just seem like "dumb teenagers" to her and her friend Windy. It's not until later in the summer that she starts to understand that they also have a lot more going on and that their relationship (and the emotions involved in it) are just as complex and complicated as adults.
First Read-through: April 2015
Thoughts:
- This was utterly stunning! The artwork/style in this graphic novel is absolutely gorgeous! I love the super-drawn feel of it. It makes the characters and landscapes feel that much more real. There's so much variety and creativity in the different styles used as well. Almost every page was laid out differently than the last. It made turning the pages that much easier and made the book feel different and unique. The variety of panels and use of the pages added to the story too.
- Many reviewers seem to feel as though the story fell flat compared to the outstanding art, which, in a way, I'd agree with. The story and messages are very subtle, and there isn't an obvious resolution to anything. I, surprisingly, liked that though. I liked the subtlety and having to pick up on things that weren't as obvious; that the Tamaki cousins didn't directly turn a spotlight on to.
- I also felt the characters were VERY real and did grow over the course of the book. It was more of a mental/observant growth than a physical/action-oriented growth, but growth nonetheless. You don't see that very often, particularly in graphic novels, which makes me appreciate this beautiful book even more. (I will admit to not becoming overly attached to any of the characters or feeling a real connection to this graphic novel at all though. :/ Maybe that's why I can't give it a full 5 stars at this point...)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content
readalongwithnat's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I really enjoyed this one and thought it was a fun way to start #ReadGraphicsWithNat book club! Illustrations were beautiful, which was unsurprising to me. Iconic last line: "boobs would be cool."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Death
bookishandlegal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Wow…this graphic novel took me right back to being an awkward pre-teen trying to figure out relationships with friends, crushes, family, and yourself. I was Windy as a preteen girl—hyper, loud, short, chunky, annoying, obsessed with things my friends didn’t care about, trying to make jokes and worrying that my friends didn’t like me. Like whew…put me in a mirror, she is me. I really liked seeing Windy and Rose’s relationship change and develop over the summer and it was interesting to see that they were starting to grow apart as they got older and were realizing they’re only “summer beach friends”.
The storyline with Rose’s mom and her depression/miscarriages was also really well done. It was clear that she had depression and was struggling, even though it’s never explicitly said. It was also interesting to see Rose, a young girl not really understanding what’s going on, reacting to and dealing with her mom’s depression and just thinking she’s sad or a drama Queen. I can’t even imagine having to explain my depression to a young child and you can totally see Alice’s grief and struggle with that.
I love graphic novels because they can tackle really difficult subjects in an easy to digest way for teens and adults alike. Overall, I enjoyed this one and I’d recommend it!
The storyline with Rose’s mom and her depression/miscarriages was also really well done. It was clear that she had depression and was struggling, even though it’s never explicitly said. It was also interesting to see Rose, a young girl not really understanding what’s going on, reacting to and dealing with her mom’s depression and just thinking she’s sad or a drama Queen. I can’t even imagine having to explain my depression to a young child and you can totally see Alice’s grief and struggle with that.
I love graphic novels because they can tackle really difficult subjects in an easy to digest way for teens and adults alike. Overall, I enjoyed this one and I’d recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy