Oh so cheesy, but it’s fun! I’m also happy that Najika wasn’t completely passive. She had some backbone and maturity while remaining cheerful. All too often the female lead lets people run over her. 

But here the two love interests and most of the characters, outside of the mean girls, are pleasant and kind. Of course, Akane was utterly annoying and awful. Also, I was surprised that an older manga touched on eating disorders and crash diets. 

 This retelling of Secret Garden is like a little love letter to New York City. I have never read Secret Garden, but I enjoyed this story and the modern elements. The talk about anxiety and panic disorders was great too, and the artwork was cute. 

4.5 

 I loved the art direction. This is very slice of life. There’s a plotline about Jay’s acne struggles, his realization of being asexual, and his drifting apart from his bestfriend. It’s not necessarily cohesive but as a memoir-lite I wouldn’t expect it to be. 

I thought this was good. Not necessarily entertaining but engaging. Unlike recent YA/MG that teach others about racism and microaggressions, I felt like this one was speaking to Black readers or anyone who has had to deal with ignorance and discrimination. Because of the different audience, this is more relevant to kids of colors instead of repeating what they already know. 

The book acknowledges some people will have straight up racist and/or ignorant views, and it’s up to YOU if you want to engage and correct them. I think that’s a balanced message to tell kids though, at times, the book can imply just being nice to racist people or people with a racist belief will change them.

very realistic that Ms Baylor stayed the same way.

 

In addition, Madlyn’s parents are working hard in different states and counties, so she has been moved to different schools and, now, a different living arrangement. The frustration Madlyn feels with her life being uprooted but not wanting to burden her parents was very well done. 

Also, I love Louisiana accents, NOLA in particular, and the spotlight on creole heritage was great. The cloud motif and the dry fires went well together. 

 This wasn’t super romantic, and certainly not swoon-worthy, but having a girl rock band and a black rocker as the lead was fun. Black ladies with guitars are one of my favorite things. I also liked that the characters had some nuance, but Candi was utterly exhausting. 

Seb’s whole life was supposed to be this sad sack existence, but I didn’t really feel it. He was too passive and spineless. Maybe a few more flashbacks, or at least longer ones, of younger Toni and Seb would have made me root for them more. I felt like I was being told why they had a connection but never seeing it.

it’s a little awkward that he’s basically the manager. Those manager + artist relationships (usually) never work out, and the dynamics can feel imbalanced. 

I don’t know. Did I want Seb to grovel more? They went from distance to not knowing how the other felt to banging … a fast trajectory. And every time they had sex was after a super emotional moment. Emotions run high and some people like to use ex to get their mind off of things. But I wish they could’ve had a heart to heart during a casual moment.   

Instead, I enjoyed Toni’s family drama more, which is something I hadn’t thought I would say. Her mom’s consumed with getting her big break and just phones her parenting in, and her dad is a former deadbeat who doesn’t make it a secret he doesn’t need Toni around. Because of this, Toni’s had to take care of herself, so her falling out with Seb is even more hurtful. 

This is cute, but it ends so lackluster. There's a climatic point where the students begin to seriously suspect Ms Jeepers as a vampire, but it never reaches a full conclusion. I've never read the original, so I can’t compare it.

Instead of a "the end" I was expecting a "to be continued." Still, this will be great for new readers to graphic novels. The panels are big and easy to follow.

 Finally, we’re getting the biggest plot point revealed, but it’s a bit confusing. 

 First, I’m in LOVE with the adorable art style and color palette though the art does make Noah’s father look chinless in side profile. 

As far as the story, I was rooting for Noah’s seamstress dreams. I’ve seen that men’s fashion can be spectacular when it wants to be (shout out the men’s 70s fashion and Wisdom Kaye).  I also love that he’s understanding but not a pushover either. It’s a fine balance, and he has it. Platonic friendship is the center here, and I thought that was lovely though someone was a flaky mcflakerson. 

The misunderstood rich white girl gets old, and I don’t know why it couldn’t just focus on Noah. In the era of blockbuster Marvel movies is liking comics still so weird? Maybe Azarie’s friends just didn’t get her, but it felt like a dated thing to tease someone about. I don’t like to make comparisons, but this…

is exactly Trixie Tang’s arc in the <i>Fairly Oddparents</i>. A rich girl who liked comics and stereotypically-“boy” things. Back then, superhero media wasn’t as mainstream either. Now, the cosplay thing makes sense; that’s still seen as dorky and weird

 

Of course, I definitely still liked the story. Popular kids (and mean girls) having depth is one of my favorite tropes. And focusing on a cosplay group is something different than I expected and enjoyed. 

Losing interest fast

Very disorienting, purposefully so, but interesting. It’s very hard to get alien invasion stories right, but I like the spin Stargazer had. It starts strong, gets stupid in the middle, but ends fine. This was beyond confusing, but I didn’t have a bad time reading.