Scan barcode
katiemonty's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
SO cute and sweet
bookishintentions's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wintermote's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A very typical coming of age story. The graphic format and setting in Norway made this one a little different.
hellothereforeitsalex's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
As an adult it really gave nostalgia for being pre-teen. Really great storyline that touches on topics which affects that age group and I think would allow them to see themselves and feel seen. Also the illustrations are really lovely too.
babymoomoocow's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this so much. It was cute and charming. Matt Bagguley did a great job translating it. I could relate to Tuva so much. Being that age is hard, growing up is difficult. Nora Dåsnes really captured the being stuck in the middle feeling so well. The art and the typography is fantastic at conveying feeling. Only reason it wasn't a full 5 stars was because the ending was so short. The resolve was short lived and I wish we got a little more out of it. But I enjoyed nonetheless.
zanm's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wish I had this when I was 12. Teared up a bit. A really strong, sweet, coming of age story where the conflicts and stakes are written in a very realistic manner. Characters are given depth and shown to have a strong support system. Solid message, fast-paced, seriously great.
chamomiledaydreams's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I noticed this graphic novel because of its beautiful art style. Then as I flipped through it, I thought, "Wait, is this queer?" and decided to give it a try. The story takes place in Norway, so even though the main characters are in seventh grade, this is their final year before high school, and they've been attending the same school together since kindergarten. We learn about what's happening through the protagonist Tova's diary, and I love how this book combines written entries with illustrations and comics (in full-color, which really sets the mood).
The conflict in this graphic novel centers around the concept of maturity, especially among middle school-aged girls. Tova has two best friends, one of whom starts dating a boy and wearing makeup, and the other of whom is becoming increasingly intolerant of romance. Having a crush is equated with being mature, and Tova feels as though she must fall in love to stop being awkward and childish. It seems as though there are two camps of girls at school: those who fall in love (and are stylish and cool), and those who do not (and are careless with their appearance and resist the mainstream).
I relate a lot to Tova's story, because she gets caught between the two main camps. On the one hand, she does develop a crush (on another girl), but she is decidedly ill at ease in the group of more "mature" children. She doesn't enjoy wearing makeup, and she prefers playing outdoors to gossipy chatter. I love how the story criticizes what it means to be mature while so poignantly capturing the struggles of a girl caught in between childhood and adolescence. Tova's dad (a wonderful character) introduces the idea that she can be Team Tova, emphasizing the importance of staying true to yourself and not feeling the need to conform to one of two binary choices. As a nonbinary person, this resolution made my heart swell with joy.
As an aromantic person, as well, I related to Bao's storyline. She feels hurt and betrayed that her two best friends are leaving her in favor of romantic relationships, and this manifests in a rejection of romance in its entirety. Bao isn't canonically aromantic, and I'm sure that hers is an experience that plenty of alloromantic people can relate to. Regardless of Bao's identity, seeing a story like hers spoke to me and my experience with aromanticism. Bao struggles with the isolation that I myself have felt, yet the story ends with the reassurance that the main trio will stay friends and that they can overcome their troubles and communicate better. Bao learns to accept her friends dating other people, while her friends make sure not to neglect their friendship anymore. Tova's crush Mariam takes up relatively little space in the book, and we see Linnéa draw a firm line in the sand with her boyfriend, finally putting her friends' well-being before her first foray into romance.
The ending felt slightly rushed to me, in the sense that I was constantly wondering, "How is everything going to be resolved in such a small amount of time?" Things do wrap up neat escalation, but I wouldn't have minded a bit more deescalation first.
Still, I highly recommend this graphic novel. It's a rather large book, somewhere in between the standard size for novels and picture books, and that makes the art even more stunning and easy to appreciate. The font is large, too, and I found the entire book to be pleasant and easy on the eyes. It is geared towards a younger reading level, presumably the same age of the main characters (12 going on 13 years old), but that doesn't mean that older people can't enjoy it. In fact, I've found myself loving stories that take place in middle school lately: Jason Reynolds' "Track" series, Roshani Chokshi's "Aru Shah" series, and Molly Knox Ostertag's graphic novel "Roll Call." Many of them have relatable themes and struggles that directly challenge or refuse to prioritize romance, and "Cross My Heart and Never Lie" is a perfect example of this trend.
The conflict in this graphic novel centers around the concept of maturity, especially among middle school-aged girls. Tova has two best friends, one of whom starts dating a boy and wearing makeup, and the other of whom is becoming increasingly intolerant of romance. Having a crush is equated with being mature, and Tova feels as though she must fall in love to stop being awkward and childish. It seems as though there are two camps of girls at school: those who fall in love (and are stylish and cool), and those who do not (and are careless with their appearance and resist the mainstream).
I relate a lot to Tova's story, because she gets caught between the two main camps. On the one hand, she does develop a crush (on another girl), but she is decidedly ill at ease in the group of more "mature" children. She doesn't enjoy wearing makeup, and she prefers playing outdoors to gossipy chatter. I love how the story criticizes what it means to be mature while so poignantly capturing the struggles of a girl caught in between childhood and adolescence. Tova's dad (a wonderful character) introduces the idea that she can be Team Tova, emphasizing the importance of staying true to yourself and not feeling the need to conform to one of two binary choices. As a nonbinary person, this resolution made my heart swell with joy.
As an aromantic person, as well, I related to Bao's storyline. She feels hurt and betrayed that her two best friends are leaving her in favor of romantic relationships, and this manifests in a rejection of romance in its entirety. Bao isn't canonically aromantic, and I'm sure that hers is an experience that plenty of alloromantic people can relate to. Regardless of Bao's identity, seeing a story like hers spoke to me and my experience with aromanticism. Bao struggles with the isolation that I myself have felt, yet the story ends with the reassurance that the main trio will stay friends and that they can overcome their troubles and communicate better. Bao learns to accept her friends dating other people, while her friends make sure not to neglect their friendship anymore. Tova's crush Mariam takes up relatively little space in the book, and we see Linnéa draw a firm line in the sand with her boyfriend, finally putting her friends' well-being before her first foray into romance.
The ending felt slightly rushed to me, in the sense that I was constantly wondering, "How is everything going to be resolved in such a small amount of time?" Things do wrap up neat escalation, but I wouldn't have minded a bit more deescalation first.
Still, I highly recommend this graphic novel. It's a rather large book, somewhere in between the standard size for novels and picture books, and that makes the art even more stunning and easy to appreciate. The font is large, too, and I found the entire book to be pleasant and easy on the eyes. It is geared towards a younger reading level, presumably the same age of the main characters (12 going on 13 years old), but that doesn't mean that older people can't enjoy it. In fact, I've found myself loving stories that take place in middle school lately: Jason Reynolds' "Track" series, Roshani Chokshi's "Aru Shah" series, and Molly Knox Ostertag's graphic novel "Roll Call." Many of them have relatable themes and struggles that directly challenge or refuse to prioritize romance, and "Cross My Heart and Never Lie" is a perfect example of this trend.
geo81's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
leafblade's review against another edition
4.0
I recieved an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this one! It's definitely for the weird kids, and I wish I had something like this in seventh grade. While the words seem hand-written, they aren't hard to read. The art style is absolutely gorgeous and matches perfectly with the story. I loved how it takes the time and space to introduce some other diverse experiences apart from the main character liking girls, like how she only has one dad or her Vietnamese friend. This book was first published in Norway, and I do kinda have a prejudice of all slavic countries being extremely white and their families being like a dad, a mom, a daughter and a son. Which of course isn't true, but it's nice to see it challenged in fiction as well.
I loved this one! It's definitely for the weird kids, and I wish I had something like this in seventh grade. While the words seem hand-written, they aren't hard to read. The art style is absolutely gorgeous and matches perfectly with the story. I loved how it takes the time and space to introduce some other diverse experiences apart from the main character liking girls, like how she only has one dad or her Vietnamese friend. This book was first published in Norway, and I do kinda have a prejudice of all slavic countries being extremely white and their families being like a dad, a mom, a daughter and a son. Which of course isn't true, but it's nice to see it challenged in fiction as well.