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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
e_lace's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Hope Larson is right. The Tamakis have raised the bar for young adult graphic novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy
lovely_lisa's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child death and Grief
honeyandthyme's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beauty of this book is the way it encapsulates the mindset and worldview of a young pre-teen just coming into her adolescence. The world is small, the harsh truths unknown, and the life of teenagers/those older than her a strange mix of terrifying, dangerous, and enticing. The characters and their struggles (whether big or small) were very realistically portrayed, making each character feel like a fully complex creation.
Overall, this book didn’t have a plot, and nothing much happened. I don’t mind this, as I find it an interesting microscopic look at one slice of life. However, this style of book (graphic novel or otherwise) relies on the characters to do most of the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, I found this novel lacking somewhat in that department. The main character is largely unlikable, mostly due to her flawed intake and regurgitation of the world around her. There isn’t much by way of character development, but I find myself not wanting to fault the book because it is intended to be a realistic look at about a week in one summer in one girl’s life. None of the characters can change all that much in that time frame.
Overall, this isn’t a bad book, and it’s a very quick read (took me about an hour). But I can’t think of anyone I’d recommend it to, and didn’t find it memorable. A good summer read with an interesting perspective, but otherwise... meh?
Overall, this book didn’t have a plot, and nothing much happened. I don’t mind this, as I find it an interesting microscopic look at one slice of life. However, this style of book (graphic novel or otherwise) relies on the characters to do most of the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, I found this novel lacking somewhat in that department. The main character is largely unlikable, mostly due to her flawed intake and regurgitation of the world around her. There isn’t much by way of character development, but I find myself not wanting to fault the book because it is intended to be a realistic look at about a week in one summer in one girl’s life. None of the characters can change all that much in that time frame.
Overall, this isn’t a bad book, and it’s a very quick read (took me about an hour). But I can’t think of anyone I’d recommend it to, and didn’t find it memorable. A good summer read with an interesting perspective, but otherwise... meh?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexism
Minor: Suicide attempt
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was an interesting read. I loved the illustration style, particularly the blue tones, but unfortunately didn't feel very attached to the story or characters. I think that's because I was expecting more of a solid plot but instead it's more of a glimpse into the characters' lives during their summer trip. It means the end has a slightly unresolved feeling, which I think I would have enjoyed more if I'd had different expectations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
zimmie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Miscarriage