Creative, colorful and charming. Each of these characters are incredibly endearing and I'm certain their stories will empower other children who share some of their same struggles and insecurities.

This book begins with a foreword explaining that Indigenous people have lived in a post apocalyptic world since colonialism began, and each Indigenous person's journey can be considered a story of overcoming apocalypse. Each of the comics included in this volume were harrowing to read and designed with obvious care and attention to historical details. I can barely begin to conceptualize the trauma Indigenous people have been subjected to since contact and the strength a creator would need to so beautifully display stories with such a large amount of pain attached. I believe this is necessary reading for anyone living in North America and hope to read more comics where Indigenous people have a chance to reclaim their history and voice.

Very cute and illustrated with what has to be my favorite art style of all time. I loved Nakamura's dramatic facial and emotional expressions and the way he was depicted in general. First crushes can feel almost ridiculously intense and it was enjoyable to follow along and laugh at Nakamura's story while also remembering how silly I was at his age. Every bit of attention from a crush carries so much weight as a teenager and I think the story was paced well with consideration to the amount of anxiety Nakamura feels during each interaction with Hirose. 

I didn't rate the book as highly as I could have since it did use a few boys love tropes I dislike, but regardless I was relieved the characters weren't hypersexualized and overall I think this story is appropriate and sensitive enough for teenage readers. I look forward to cheering on Nakamura in the sequel!