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ravensandpages 's review for:

The New Girl by Kid Toussaint
2.0
adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I received this book as a digital ARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel with beautiful art follows a young girl named Elle starting at a new middle school. I will start with what I did like about this book: it has a gorgeous art style with vibrant characters and unique design, and I love stories about a tight-knit group of childhood friends. I always love the fast-pacedness of a graphic novel, but it would have been nice to see Elle and her friends grow closer through the story instead of showing it quickly through a two-page spread of pictures. Thought it was adorable and I could see her friends cared for her, it happened so quickly that it didn't feel like the five had really formed any tangible bonds. Luckily, their characterization was consistent and their supporting Elle helped them grow closer in a more organic way. 

I liked the variation of Elle's different personalities and their worlds within her mind. However, inaccurate depictions of disassociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder, can be really harmful to those who deal with the disorder daily. You cannot be born with DID or have it injected into you through a science experiment; it is caused by trauma, usually occuring during childhood. I was hoping this would be a contemporary story and was excited for a story where kids with DID might be able to see themselves, but the mystery surrounding Elle's birth makes me worried this is yet another story using a personality disorder for shock effect or a plot device without doing proper research and thinking of the ramifications. I'm equally worried that Elle's black & blue-haired alter will fall into the harmful stereotype of people with DID having violent alters in later volumes. Elle(s) is beautiful, but unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because of this.