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A review by rainbowrocky
Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Overall this was an adorable graphic novel and a quick and fun read! The art style was so cute and I was obsessed with the monochromatic pink color palette Costa used! I wished I had something like this growing up because the easy sapphicness of the story warms my heart💖 The casual diversity of a butch Japanese American soccer player, a manga-obsessed Jewish American fanfiction writer and aspiring author, and a Brazilian American cheerleader hellbent on getting into Harvard was wonderful to see.
I do wish that Regina in particular wasn’t iced out of the story like she was, especially because she is the only dark-skinned lead in the novel. That rubbed me the wrong way, but otherwise I appreciated the overarching message of being yourself and finding a loving partner who will support you through that. I just wish more focus was on Regina finding someone like that for her as well. She clearly has a lot of anxiety about getting into a good university and I found it odd none of the other characters in the book supported that. That’s what knocks this story down from 5 stars to 4.5 for me.
Otherwise I did enjoy the adorableness of Chloe and Belle getting together and sent my boyfriend all the pictures of their relationship as it progressed😂 It’s funny because I was just like Belle in high school, pretending to be less girly than I was, and looked more like Chloe because I presented very butch and was often bullied for it (I’m AFAB nonbinary for context). So seeing that kind of representation was wonderful and them exploring their interests on the page was even better.
The infidelity aspect of the story I didn’t appreciate, but at least it was addressed in a healthy way within the story. Still, Regina deserves better. Honestly, it would have been even cuter if all three girls got together in the end—the narrative was so so close to supporting an ending like that. I explored polyamory in high school, so it’s not like it’s impossible. That kind of representation would’ve made the story 5 stars for me and really would’ve nailed the fairy tale ending queer kids deserve home for me.
I do wish that Regina in particular wasn’t iced out of the story like she was, especially because she is the only dark-skinned lead in the novel. That rubbed me the wrong way, but otherwise I appreciated the overarching message of being yourself and finding a loving partner who will support you through that. I just wish more focus was on Regina finding someone like that for her as well. She clearly has a lot of anxiety about getting into a good university and I found it odd none of the other characters in the book supported that. That’s what knocks this story down from 5 stars to 4.5 for me.
Otherwise I did enjoy the adorableness of Chloe and Belle getting together and sent my boyfriend all the pictures of their relationship as it progressed😂 It’s funny because I was just like Belle in high school, pretending to be less girly than I was, and looked more like Chloe because I presented very butch and was often bullied for it (I’m AFAB nonbinary for context). So seeing that kind of representation was wonderful and them exploring their interests on the page was even better.
The infidelity aspect of the story I didn’t appreciate, but at least it was addressed in a healthy way within the story. Still, Regina deserves better. Honestly, it would have been even cuter if all three girls got together in the end—the narrative was so so close to supporting an ending like that. I explored polyamory in high school, so it’s not like it’s impossible. That kind of representation would’ve made the story 5 stars for me and really would’ve nailed the fairy tale ending queer kids deserve home for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcohol