I didn't like Victor and Nora on a conceptual level and in its execution. It's painfully reminiscent of the "sick-lit" era of YA fiction that saw teenagers self-actualize through relationships with manic pixie dream cancer patients.

Outside of its premise, its execution also fell flat. The narrative relies on the reader caring about Victor and Nora's relationship but these two lacked any semblance of chemistry or emotional connection. While the story told us these two were falling in love I never once believed in their whirlwind summer romance.

My disinterest in the romance stemmed from how shallow both Victor and Nora were as characters. We get a basic sketch of these two's inner lives. Victor is cold and brooding after the death of his brother and Nora feigns a bubbly zest for life after a terminal diagnosis. But, outside of melodramatic narration and on-the-nose visual imagery, the book never explores these two with much depth.

The characterization wasn't helped by Issac Goodhart's mannequin-esque art style. While Goodhart's drawings were pretty each panel felt overly posed and unnecessarily detailed. The characters lacked a softness that could have humanized them. This stiffness also made already awkward romantic scenes all the more unnatural. I will say I did love the colour story of Goodhart's art. The contrasting warm and cool tones for Victor and Nora were effectively utilized.

And finally, I didn't appreciate the story's ending. Nora's lack of agency and the complete disregard for her core motivations for the sake of the plot felt like spit in the face from an already mediocre story. I really disliked Victor and Nora and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking to get into DC YA graphic novels.