Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This is a beautiful graphic novel about not having it figured out in high school,and falling in and out of love, and art, and friends, and confronting your pain. It’s about disordered eating and self-harm. A review said it’s for those kiddos who’ve outgrown Smile and Drama and Best Friends, and I agree.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
This was a sweet book featuring both queer platonic friendships and a budding romance that only has a moment near the end, but that was fine for me. Liked the addition of the zines to the story, as well.
This graphic novel was such a great one that should be in schools and read by the younger generation! I loved the art work because it reminded me of other graphic novels I’ve read! The only reason I didn’t give it a 5 stars is because I feel like there were a lot of assumptions through out the book instead of just the story. But it was cute and I wish there was a second one!
"Even if I wasn't great at communicating my feelings, I'd figured out a way to express them when it counted most: by turning them into a story and drawing that into a comic."
AAAAA I love this! I love the characters and the ART! And that it is about how art helps you grow. I just love it. Love the mental health depictions. I love the lgbt representation. I love finding yourself through art!!! Yes! I love Win and I relate to her so so much.
AAAAA I love this! I love the characters and the ART! And that it is about how art helps you grow. I just love it. Love the mental health depictions. I love the lgbt representation. I love finding yourself through art!!! Yes! I love Win and I relate to her so so much.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Wow. Just wow. I bought this graphic novel purely based on the cover and the synopsis, knowing absolutely nothing about the story or the author, and I was not expecting to be hit with so many emotions by such a beautiful piece of art. When I first began reading I was blown away by the art and the colour scheme, but as I continued I remembered what high school was like for myself, and I could relate to Winifred more than I had first thought I might. Winifred is for all of us who’ve spent nights lying in bed awake, thinking over all the things we’d said in the day and all the interactions we’d had with other people, and constantly feeling like people think less of us because of our appearance or personality. Winifred is for all of us who have looked in the mirror and cried because the person looking back doesn’t fit “the mould”. Winifred is for all of us who have loved someone we didn’t think would ever love us back, but when they do, all the little doubts tap on the windows of our mind and tell us we’re not worthy. Winifred is for everyone. I think we can all see a little of ourselves in Winifred and we can all learn a little from this story.
Fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Drama and Shannon Hale’s Real Friends will love The Greatest Thing.
✨
It’s the first day of sophomore year and Win is struggling because her best friends transferred to a private school. In art class she meets Oscar and April and strikes up a real friendship with them. However, each is hiding and struggling with personal demons, but Win’s comic series is what keeps her going. This is a YA graphic novel about friendship, honesty and loving yourself.
✨
I read Sincerely, Harriet last year and remember really liking the artwork, but not the story as much. I believe Searle took this GN to the next level because she was writing about her own experiences in high school. I thought it was compelling, honest and will be such a comfort to so many teens who read it, as many are dealing with the same issues as well.
CW: eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harm
4.25 ⭐️ because it was slow at some points
✨
It’s the first day of sophomore year and Win is struggling because her best friends transferred to a private school. In art class she meets Oscar and April and strikes up a real friendship with them. However, each is hiding and struggling with personal demons, but Win’s comic series is what keeps her going. This is a YA graphic novel about friendship, honesty and loving yourself.
✨
I read Sincerely, Harriet last year and remember really liking the artwork, but not the story as much. I believe Searle took this GN to the next level because she was writing about her own experiences in high school. I thought it was compelling, honest and will be such a comfort to so many teens who read it, as many are dealing with the same issues as well.
CW: eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harm
4.25 ⭐️ because it was slow at some points
* I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *
Oh boy this book was so good but so rough at times. Rough in the way of me wanting to reach in and take care of April, Oscar, and Winifred and tell them everything would be okay and get better. I appreciated the threads of hope and optimism woven throughout, but honestly this book got too real at times for me. Not in a bad way, just in an emotionally difficult way. At one point, the three main friends all write secrets on pieces of paper and put them in a hat to guess which secret belongs to each of them, but then they all write "I hate myself." That was a very big oof. The tone of it reminds me of "Lady Bird" and "Eighth Grade," where it depicts young people feeling trapped and struggling to come into their own. Fortunately, it does work out, but not without a rough journey to get there. If you are in an emotional place to handle it, I'd highly recommend checking it out.
Book TW: self-harm, disordered eating, suicidal ideation
Oh boy this book was so good but so rough at times. Rough in the way of me wanting to reach in and take care of April, Oscar, and Winifred and tell them everything would be okay and get better. I appreciated the threads of hope and optimism woven throughout, but honestly this book got too real at times for me. Not in a bad way, just in an emotionally difficult way. At one point, the three main friends all write secrets on pieces of paper and put them in a hat to guess which secret belongs to each of them, but then they all write "I hate myself." That was a very big oof. The tone of it reminds me of "Lady Bird" and "Eighth Grade," where it depicts young people feeling trapped and struggling to come into their own. Fortunately, it does work out, but not without a rough journey to get there. If you are in an emotional place to handle it, I'd highly recommend checking it out.
Book TW: self-harm, disordered eating, suicidal ideation
This novel is aimed straight at the teenage heart, and written with a nuance and realistic grip on teen issues that few comics get right. Searle touches on romance, body image and eating, academics, anxiety, art, sexuality, and gender through organic story and character growth, without making her audience feel that she's trying to stuff too many topics in one book. Instead, this novel is full and complex because real young people are full and complex, and their interactions even more so. I recommend this to any comic lover, and to any young person struggling with the very real challenges of loving their friends and loving themselves.