I understand what this book tried to do, and I actually feel it did it pretty well. It’s just that it didn’t work for me. I actually like reading about teenagers being exceptionally messy, and I feel like the graphic novel format often lends itself exceptionally well to all of those exaggerated feelings and bad choices. But I’ve realized while reading this that I prefer it when there’s some external plot that holds the narrative together and can be juxtaposed with all the big feelings. You know, like the werewolves thing in Squad or the anime bootlegging in Forest Hills Bootleg Society. Here, though, it’s all about the feels and the drama and nothing else. Freddy, the MC, is incredibly self-absorbed, and also Laura Dean-absorbed, and she barely pays attention to what’s going on with her friends or anyone else, really. There are all those other characters floating around, and the narrative, through Freddy’s lovesick, confused, selfish gaze, barely pauses enough to let us get to know anyone—or at least that’s how it is for the large part of the story.

And like I’ve said, I get it! That’s the point! This *is* a story about a teen girl being confused and self-absorbed and locked in her own hurting! And it also did get better in the second half once Freddy’s started learning her lessons, noticing the cracks in her friends’ relationship that she just thought of as “perfect,“ and being there for Doodle. But with nothing else to focus on through the entire story but this one storyline, I don’t know, it was kind of equal parts underwhelming and overwhelming for me. Probably a classic “it’s not the book, it’s me“ case, to be fair.