Welcome to Litsy!

3.75/5 ⭐️ Graphic novel about a toxic relationship and important friendships. Great character development!

Taking a sick day today...perfect for getting caught up on my reading assignments. Next up: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me. 💔

This graphic novel was based on a YA book, and it addresses toxic relationships and how to let them go. Laura Dean is beautiful and popular, but ultimately strings Freddy along when it‘s convenient for her. It was painfully relatable seeing a teenager navigate a relationship lacking communication while her partner takes advantage of it. It reminds you which relationships are worth keeping.

This was a great YA graphic novel grappling with a toxic relationship and how it reverberates back on your life, your friendships, & your self-confidence. I liked the black and white art style with pops of pink throughout.
#LGBTQ2023 lesbian/wlw rep @Kenyazero
#2023ReadySetRead title has 7+ words @Clwojick

This was very fun to read; the illustrations were so clever & it was funny & touching in all the right places

Absolutely loving this so far😍 The illustrations are so lush, it's funny and I love the pink💗

4 books down, 96 to go for this year's reading goal! #JumpStart2023

Next up! #JumpStart2023

I had a pleasant afternoon with some friends, but now I'm so tired. It has been a hard week.
I'm trying to read the tagged graphic novel... I hope to not fall asleep during the reading!

I liked this graphic novel enough to make it a pick, but there were some times I was a little lost in the story.

This was such a satisfying read! I think this is definitely destined to become a queer classic for this generation. But even if you‘re not part of the queer community, everyone know these people, and has felt these things, so this one really cuts deep and reminds you of how agonizing it is to be young and fall in and out of love for the first time. #PopSugar2022ABookSetDuringAHoliday

oh man, what lesbian hasn‘t fallen hard for a laura dean?!? funny, awkward, messy and so honest. loved.

This book is just a lot of fun! Showing the drama and heartache of an on-again-off-again high school lesbian relationship. The growth of the main character is heart-wrenching and beautiful to see

Lovely book with a great message. I really liked the art style, it worked well with the story

I read this graphic novel really quickly and as a kind of break from high fantasy books because I wanted something light and cute to read. It delivered! I really loved the message that this book sent and quite liked the main characters as well as the art style! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Definitely could have been shorter. I think this is a must read for teenagers/young adults, especially if they‘re dealing with a toxic relationship. Adults will be endlessly frustrated with the main character‘s choices. Just breathe and remember she‘s only 17 and we‘ve all been there.

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/stqzcDsVNcY

Enjoy!

This was the beautifully sweet, messy and hopeful lesbian graphic novel that I needed when I was this EXACT dumpster fire in high school. Freddy examining what it means to be a friend, a girlfriend, and what love she wants to accept and give punched me so hard in the stomach. Everything Mariko Tamaki writes is perfect, but this was extra perfect.

This was so stressful to read that I had a hard time deciding whether to give it a pick or a so-so. 😅 But it is a really well-told and well-drawn story about dumpster fire high school lesbians. I loved Doodle and Buddy sooooo much and wanted everything good to happen for them. Freddy eh, and Laura Dean… 😡

The cover echoes a motif throughout the book of people with fair, short hair turned away from the viewer. Not sure what to make of it though.

Promising start 😆

Freddy is dating the most popular girl in school, who keeps breaking up with her or otherwise ditching her. Freddy's situation is similar to one many people find themselves in. Throughout, and especially at the end, emotions are handled really beautifully and honestly, and various advice throughout is solid and not preachy. I also adored the art style, especially when it came to backgrounds and plants. Warning for emotional abuse and pollyphobia.

I'm really loving this graphic novel. This panel stood out to me quite a lot because of how honest Buddy is about his feelings in this moment. It's super common to say things like "I'm ok" when you're not, and this was handled super well in this moment when Buddy's straight forward about his current anger. #mentalHealth #EmotionalHonesty #SelfCare

Tender & melancholy, but ultimately hopeful. An exploration of love that spirals into romantic obsession & the ugliness it can bring out in a person in relation to their friends & family as they become consumed. I love that this featured a diverse cast of queer characters & a particular subculture. The artwork was detailed & gorgeous; I was drawn to the colour palette & the soft wash of pink to break up the monochromatic scheme.

Haven‘t we all felt this way at some point in our lives?
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Graphic novels aren‘t really my thing; I wouldn‘t have read this if not for book club. I think the end message was good, but it was hard to sympathize with the main character. I liked all of her friends much more than her. The “Dear Anna Vice” concept was uneven, and the transitions between scenes were sometimes difficult to follow. Overall just meh
#bookclub #teachersoflitsy

Another graphic novel with utterly gorgeous art. Rosemary Valero-O‘Connell is AMAZING. This is a lesbian love story but not - kind of a out of love story rather than an in love story. If you‘ve ever been in a controlling relationship, you‘ll know how real this is. I love the detail in the art - there‘s so much to look at and love. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A great exploration of the intense spirals of romantic obsession and how being trapped in a loop with someone who is toxic for you can make you toxic to others. I remember going through periods of time where I was so focused on trying to navigate my own teenage struggles that I was a shitty friend, and this brought me back to that problematic tunnel vision. This book was full of great queer characters, and I love the artwork and color palette. 🖤

"Polyamorous or monogamous, your love should be a thing that brings something to you. It's true that giving can be a part of love. But, contrary to popular belief, love should never take from you, Freddy."

I wish I had absorbed that message way back when, but it still feels like a lesson I'm relearning over and over, and it feels fresh each time. ?

That's the spirit, Freddy! 💓

I absolutely loved this book!! The representation of often marginalized voices is so incredible to see. Every single character is either a member of the LGTBQ community, a POC, or a woman. But the plot (dating an ass hole in high school) is so relatable regardless of who you are. This wonderful graphic novel teachers about relationships, friendships, betrayal, toxic partners, and identity in such a beautiful way

“Your love should be a thing that brings something to you.

It‘s true that giving can be a part of love. But contrary to popular belief, live should never take from you”

This was definitely a #BlameLitsy choice. While the artwork was beautiful (loved the millennial pink, gray, black, and white aesthetic), the story kind of fell short. I kept expecting something big to happen, if not just some self-realization from the main character.

Current early morning Saturday read 🌸

Stopped at the indie bookstore and did my little part for the economy of Hood River, OR.

Three excellent books have been recognized by We Need Diverse Books. 😁

https://diversebooks.org/wndb-announces-the-2020-walter-awards-winners-honorees/

Loved this graphic novel full of relationships, friendships, teenage jealousy and drama. 4⭐️ #2020book5

A graphic novel about relationships in high school. How knowing someone is bad for you doesn‘t keep you from going back. And about how friendships can change when one person in wrapped up in a significant other.

"Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me" was definitely not what I expected and I loved it!⁠
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It was full of angst, love, friendship, and heartbreak that it was tugging on my heartstrings in such a way that growing up will do as told in black and white and accented in pink to make certain moments that more impactful as drawn by Valero-O'Connell.⁠

I‘m glad I read it - but - I didn‘t love the art style - but - I did like how far Freddy comes over the course of the book...

4 ⭐
I had no idea what to expect from this book but I loved it. It was an LGBTQ love story about learning to love yourself, and not just expecting everyone to love you. I started out really hating the main character Freddy. She was such a dish rag, laying splayed to be used when needed. But part of this book is her growing to have a backbone and discover that love can be both bad and good, but that the most important thing is you love who you are.

Between the trivia night fundraiser meeting and the boys I only got one book in. I did get two hour of an audiobook but that can not be seen in this total.

Better luck tomorrow.

BTW this was pretty good. Not great but good. Real review to come later.

This was just okay. I appreciate the inclusivity, but I was often confused about the characters as there wasn't a lot of detail and some drawings looked too similar. I also did not like how Doodle's storyline was so rushed. She encountered a traumatic and terrible experience, yet it's just "handled" with zero emotion. It's still about Freddy.

This was hard to get through. The protagonist is dating the horrible Laura Dean, to the detriment of all of her other relationships. By the end, I was so ready for Laura to be gone. But the ending, which dealt with how messy even “good” break ups are, redeemed the rest of the book. The art work was lovely, the color palette well done, the side characters all deserved their own books, but Laura Dean didn‘t seem worth the pining.

I just spent the morning with Mariko Tamaki‘s latest book. I have to say, if you‘d like the uncomfortable uncertain feeling of high school love with all it‘s ups and downs and spirals, it‘s right here. This really brought me back to my first really bad relationship, where I felt more serious than she did and spent months feeling broken hearted even though I had hopes it could work... spoiler- it totally didn‘t work for us!

Great queer YA!!!

I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels, and while this one's artwork didn't quite hit the mark for me, I loved its message to know your own self worth and to surround yourself with people who know it too.

#booked2019 #comicorgraphicnovel @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

At #texasbookfest and am so excited for today‘s panels!!! The weather is gorgeous and I couldn‘t be happier 😄 Books and bookish people are the best 😁

started my morning off by reading this one & quite enjoyed it
#readathon

At the Love Sucks event at #VWF2019, moderator Susin Nielsen asked if love had sucked for the panel authors when they were teens.
Mariko Tamaki: Definitely. I was a closeted lesbian in high school.
Brian Francis: Also was closeted in high school. Knew no love & went on weird dates with baffled girls.
Sabina Khan: Well, one set of parents went on a hunger strike when we announced our mixed Muslim/Hindu marriage.

Thirteenth book of maternity leave

Doodle reading Stranger in a Strange Land. ❤📚❤ #charactersreading

I've been reading a ton of the lgbt stock we've been adding in to the library and i just finished this one! it revolves around a dramatic lesbian relationship and i love it so very much