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srdavis24's review against another edition
4.0
Very relatable and real. At first I was a little disappointed with the ending like “Really? That’s it? Come on.” But then I realized, yep, that’s actually pretty accurate. Whether or not the author meant this, I think the final pages are ironic because it’s actually just the beginning of the main character discovering her sexual identity. I still would have liked to see the author’s reflection looking back on this experience.
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this graphic memoir - the story was really compelling, even if the art wasn’t the best. That was before I learned that the author isn’t an artist - she taught herself to draw just to tell this story! It’s basically her coming out story - how she fell in love with a girl at summer camp and realized she was a lesbian. I rave a bit more about this book on my blog.
queenofthesouthernsun's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
1.75
So this book made me uncomfortable.
I completely understand that this is a memoir and recounts a lived experience by the author, and I really, really don't want to take that away or belittle it for her. And I understand the experience of being at summer camp and having a crush on the cute counsellor that makes you evaluate things about your life.
But also having been on the other side of the camp leader/camper dynamic it is NEVER okay to pursue a relationship with a camper or insinuate that's what you want to do! I couldn't overcome the fact that Maggie was 15 and Erin was 19 (17 and 21 at the end respectively) and that's what ruined it for me.
I completely understand that this is a memoir and recounts a lived experience by the author, and I really, really don't want to take that away or belittle it for her. And I understand the experience of being at summer camp and having a crush on the cute counsellor that makes you evaluate things about your life.
But also having been on the other side of the camp leader/camper dynamic it is NEVER okay to pursue a relationship with a camper or insinuate that's what you want to do! I couldn't overcome the fact that Maggie was 15 and Erin was 19 (17 and 21 at the end respectively) and that's what ruined it for me.
doctorwithoutboundaries's review against another edition
4.0
America! Why are you giving kids awards for shooting guns?!?! All the teenagers handling rifles in this book really freaked me out.
A good book otherwise. The scratchy amateurish art style takes a few pages to get past, but it doesn't take away from the story; indeed, I almost felt it added to the sense of adolescent confusion.
A good book otherwise. The scratchy amateurish art style takes a few pages to get past, but it doesn't take away from the story; indeed, I almost felt it added to the sense of adolescent confusion.
nikkimouse_16's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this graphic novel. I wasn’t a huge fan of the illustrations because they just aren’t my style, but the plot was interesting and the characters were really good.
gingermojito's review against another edition
1.0
Cute but i dont love the art style and it was a little awkward
belwood303's review against another edition
2.0
It was hard to tell who was who and then it all felt anticlimactic too.
deschatjes's review against another edition
3.0
With a 15 year old protagonist this book raised a few concerns about whether or not to put it in the middle school library. You see, just yesterday we had an extensive discussion on language use, particularly swearing in our student population and how to try and moderate the more extreme violations of civilized conversations.
So I'm all for ensuring my books are gender and sexual representation, but when right in the middle of an early page a character is screaming "Lets F***ing ROW" even if I know that's how kids talk, I'm like "really, must it?"
There are other more important things going on in the book, so it will go into the collection. There is a lot of girl's discovering themselves that is important.
The thing is the sequel, "Lost Soul, be at Peace" is such a good book and so much deeper and just better generally and there's a place for having both in the collection. So sigh.
So I'm all for ensuring my books are gender and sexual representation, but when right in the middle of an early page a character is screaming "Lets F***ing ROW" even if I know that's how kids talk, I'm like "really, must it?"
There are other more important things going on in the book, so it will go into the collection. There is a lot of girl's discovering themselves that is important.
The thing is the sequel, "Lost Soul, be at Peace" is such a good book and so much deeper and just better generally and there's a place for having both in the collection. So sigh.
hannahinpages's review against another edition
3.0
honor girl is a book that i've always wanted to read and i'm glad i finally did! it's a nice, quick read and if you're looking to get into memoirs, this is probably a good place to start.
honestly though, and i feel this way about most graphic novels, is that i wish it was in traditional novel style instead. i have a hard time feeling as if characters and ideas are properly fleshed out in graphic novel form and i felt the same way with honor girl.
however, as someone who grew up with christians who acted very similar to some of the people in this book, i feel like it explored those topics in a super tangible way and i appreciated that a ton!
honestly though, and i feel this way about most graphic novels, is that i wish it was in traditional novel style instead. i have a hard time feeling as if characters and ideas are properly fleshed out in graphic novel form and i felt the same way with honor girl.
however, as someone who grew up with christians who acted very similar to some of the people in this book, i feel like it explored those topics in a super tangible way and i appreciated that a ton!
ceceewing_'s review against another edition
4.0
Such a beautiful and fun story! I felt completely transported into the world of this book, and it definitely gave me that summer-camp vibe. I really loved Maggie's character, and I thought all of the side characters were really fun as well. It was a really wonderful look into how Maggie dealt with her sexuality in such an important time in her life. It all had this ringing sense of realism, which is really good as it is a graphic memoir.
As far as the art style, it was not what I was expecting at all, but it didn't take me very long to adjust and get into it. In the end, I actually felt like the art style fit the story, so I don't think it detracted from my reading experience at all.
My only problem with this book was honestly (and I've heard a lot of people say this) how abrupt the ending was? I've read books where that hasn't bothered me, but the end of this graphic novel felt SO sudden, and it sort of felt like I had been left in a lurch, not knowing what happened to anyone, let alone just the main character. That was really my only issue with an otherwise fantastic graphic novel, which I would still highly recommend.
As far as the art style, it was not what I was expecting at all, but it didn't take me very long to adjust and get into it. In the end, I actually felt like the art style fit the story, so I don't think it detracted from my reading experience at all.
My only problem with this book was honestly (and I've heard a lot of people say this) how abrupt the ending was? I've read books where that hasn't bothered me, but the end of this graphic novel felt SO sudden, and it sort of felt like I had been left in a lurch, not knowing what happened to anyone, let alone just the main character. That was really my only issue with an otherwise fantastic graphic novel, which I would still highly recommend.