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popgoesbitty's review
5.0
Loooots to unpack in this gorgeous graphic novel. What a beautiful, terrifying.... REAL story. I don't know who I love or who I dislike. The COMPLEXITY! Phew....
nolansmock's review
4.0
Well, first of all, the title is hilarious considering what's actually in the book. The three or four men that show up are almost apparitions, hardly there at all and baring no weight on the story. There's a conversation between a mother and daughter, composed carefully to bury the lede that her father was in the room the whole time. He says a word or two. Another funny thing about this mostly unfunny book are how tiny everyone's heads are. Everything else is rather depressing though, not in a negative way, but we navigate through disorganized addictions, attachements, ways to cope, and how hard it can be to just get by when we're alone. The way the story unfolds hurts. I feel the betrayal of trust viscerally. There's a cool technique where the color drains from the characters. I think it sort of represents when the characters' hidden motives become transparent to the reader, but it could be up to more interpretation. The panels are painted and really beautiful, just a small, sad story about how we can keep going, even if we keep failing.
librarypatron's review
4.0
Startling and emotionally riveting. I adore the way Tommi draws female bodies.
livcrans's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chroniqled's review
4.0
an honest portrayal of how people struggle to form relationships in this age where it’s so easy to doubt someone’s intentions.
this graphic novel shows just how far people are willing to go to feel some semblance of love— even looking for it in the wrong places, and knowing full well it is unhealthy. due to desperation, some people can push themselves to the extremes just for an ounce of affection, and it doesn’t matter in what form it comes from. some settle for abusive and toxic relationships, but they stay nonetheless because they feel like it’s the only chance they have at “love.” this perspective promotes a skewed view of love, and one that can even affect others.
here, codependency is highlighted as something that can become a product of toxic relationships. it can stem from childhood trauma (neglect or abuse from parental/authority figures) or trauma that was acquired from a toxic partner. a victim will then have the tendency to codepend on others, and it becomes a vicious cycle in their lived if they do not learn to break free from it.
this book was so raw, and straight to the point, that i couldn’t help but gasp at how much truth a lot of lines held. i could actually pinpoint them in my life— may it be within myself, or i have observed these certain behaviors in others.
this simple, but heavy-laden story has given me much to think about, and it is definitely not one to be taken lightly.
i recommend this book to people who are interested in reading this exploration of codependency.
this graphic novel shows just how far people are willing to go to feel some semblance of love— even looking for it in the wrong places, and knowing full well it is unhealthy. due to desperation, some people can push themselves to the extremes just for an ounce of affection, and it doesn’t matter in what form it comes from. some settle for abusive and toxic relationships, but they stay nonetheless because they feel like it’s the only chance they have at “love.” this perspective promotes a skewed view of love, and one that can even affect others.
here, codependency is highlighted as something that can become a product of toxic relationships. it can stem from childhood trauma (neglect or abuse from parental/authority figures) or trauma that was acquired from a toxic partner. a victim will then have the tendency to codepend on others, and it becomes a vicious cycle in their lived if they do not learn to break free from it.
this book was so raw, and straight to the point, that i couldn’t help but gasp at how much truth a lot of lines held. i could actually pinpoint them in my life— may it be within myself, or i have observed these certain behaviors in others.
this simple, but heavy-laden story has given me much to think about, and it is definitely not one to be taken lightly.
i recommend this book to people who are interested in reading this exploration of codependency.
chrobin's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Just finished this and still feel like I'm processing it. The art is a strange mix of surreal/abstract, with hyper realist backgrounds and people drawn with oddly out of proportionate heads and bodies and unnatural skin colours and changing hair. I felt like I didn't quite *get* what the art was doing.
The story is about two women who almost make a connection: one, Eliza, is a struggling 32-year-old single mom and poet who has a tendency to let people walk over her; the other is Sasha, living with her parents in her late 20s while dealing with a mental health crisis. Sasha pushes and pushes for an intimacy and Eliza sort of lets her until it gets too intense. Hmm. Lots to mull over here. I was happy to see Eliza possibly making a healthy connection at the very end? Watching Sasha try to connect was often cringe-worthy; be prepared if you don't like second hand embarrassment!
The story is about two women who almost make a connection: one, Eliza, is a struggling 32-year-old single mom and poet who has a tendency to let people walk over her; the other is Sasha, living with her parents in her late 20s while dealing with a mental health crisis. Sasha pushes and pushes for an intimacy and Eliza sort of lets her until it gets too intense. Hmm. Lots to mull over here. I was happy to see Eliza possibly making a healthy connection at the very end? Watching Sasha try to connect was often cringe-worthy; be prepared if you don't like second hand embarrassment!
emilychau's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25