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ronitamohan_louisskye's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! It's cute, inspiring, hella queer, and the protagonist is a gorgeous fat WOC. A stunning and enjoyable read and an emotional rollercoaster in the best way. Loved it to bits.
thelesbianlibrary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
babytoadstool's review against another edition
5.0
"Your one job is just to accept what a person feels comfortable sharing about themselves."
As I process this book, the more I love it.
There are so many different aspects to this book and all of them are amazing.
In this book you have Juliet who is coming to terms with who she is as a Queer, Puerto Rican woman.
And throughout the story you are guided along a journey that Juliet is going through and the self discovery. I found that I felt Juliet's ups and down, to an extent.
I found this book to really have themes of body positivity, Queer positivity, and Black Love. And I loved that.
The art was beautifully done. And the choice of colours were just as amazing.
This was such an amazing book and I loved every second of it.
littlelibrarylady's review against another edition
5.0
Initially NetGalley allowed me to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. I wasn't able to access this copy before it expired, so I read the printed version of this book after it was released. This is my review of the printed version.
Beautifully illustrated and powerfully written, Juliet Takes a Breath is a wonderful graphic novel adaptation of the book of the same name! I have not read the book, but I've heard great things about it and can only assume it's fantastic after reading this book.
Beautifully illustrated and powerfully written, Juliet Takes a Breath is a wonderful graphic novel adaptation of the book of the same name! I have not read the book, but I've heard great things about it and can only assume it's fantastic after reading this book.
alina_hookedon_books's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advance readers copy from NetGalley. My opinions are all my own.
I like to start by prefacing that I have not read the novel yet, I own a copy but haven’t read it so I can’t speak to if this graphic novel adaptation is done well. But after reading this I definitely want to pick up the novel even more. I love Juliet ‘s explorations of self identify and finding other queers to confine in. I thought the discuss of white ally ship, the lack of discussion/awareness of the different experiences black queers experiences was done really well and important topic to bring forward. Overall I loved the illustrations so so much, I loved the support Juliet gets from her found family and eventually her own family, and loved that historical events of other queer POC was brought up. I’m sure the novel is a bit more fleshed out so I’m looking forward to reading it as well but still recommend checking out the graphic novel adaptation!
I like to start by prefacing that I have not read the novel yet, I own a copy but haven’t read it so I can’t speak to if this graphic novel adaptation is done well. But after reading this I definitely want to pick up the novel even more. I love Juliet ‘s explorations of self identify and finding other queers to confine in. I thought the discuss of white ally ship, the lack of discussion/awareness of the different experiences black queers experiences was done really well and important topic to bring forward. Overall I loved the illustrations so so much, I loved the support Juliet gets from her found family and eventually her own family, and loved that historical events of other queer POC was brought up. I’m sure the novel is a bit more fleshed out so I’m looking forward to reading it as well but still recommend checking out the graphic novel adaptation!
squirrel067's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
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? No
4.5
emerald_cottage_witch's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
OH. MY. GOD. I TOTALLY LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I can relate to this book. It's about this Hispanic woman (19) named Juliet who leaves her home to go to an internship, coming out to her family right before leaving. She stays with this queer woman who is running the internship. Juliet goes through a lot during this time, but she ends up being a confident proud woman. SPOILERS!!! I don't like how Juliet falls in love with this woman named Kira and at this point she knows Kira likes her back but Juliet kisses this woman she doesn't even know. (Literally,she knows nothing about this woman. All she did was cut Juliet's hair and they both thought the other was cute or what ever.) Also, Juliet feels bad after Harlow publicly does something practically racist and offensive so Kira brings her to her house. After talking and a couple of kisses, Kira gets a shower ready for Juliet. They end up having sex in the shower. Listen, they don't know each other that much and they haven't known each other for super long so I thought that was weird.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
seventhchariot's review against another edition
4.0
A queer latinx graphic novel!! hell yeah!!!
Juliet Takes a Breath is a graphic novel adaptation of the book that goes by the same name. I haven't yet read the book it is based on, but this graphic novel has stunning artwork and moving writing and I would implore you to pick this up as soon as it is released! We need more latinx lesbians in books and I think this one was wonderfully done!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Juliet Takes a Breath is a graphic novel adaptation of the book that goes by the same name. I haven't yet read the book it is based on, but this graphic novel has stunning artwork and moving writing and I would implore you to pick this up as soon as it is released! We need more latinx lesbians in books and I think this one was wonderfully done!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
whitcam430's review against another edition
5.0
This was much better than the novel for me. Also I think I want to be Max. I loved seeing Juliet come into her own and be able to just breathe. The QTPOC party was lyyfe and I need to find such space!
mmj_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review
Trigger warning for the book : an instance of sexual harassment at a grocery store that isn't explicit or too disturbing, but some might find it upsetting.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars because I mostly liked this book!
Let me start this review by saying that I haven't read the book this graphic novel was based on, so I can't speak for its quality as an adaptation. Therefore I'm reviewing this as I would a graphic novel I picked up for the first time.
I saw a book about a queer brown woman, and I (also a queer brown woman) got really excited about reading it. I know that I speak for a lot of lgbt+ folks of color when I say we're always hungry for representation, so finding this book was a delight. Juliet Takes a Breath doesn't disappoint in terms of having a lot of characters of color, particularly queer women of color, which is wonderful. I loved seeing woc of different body shapes, sizes, and personalities in this book. It's so refreshing seeing plus sized characters drawn beautifully and portrayed as the gorgeous beings they are. Actually the art in this novel is so warm and pretty throughout this novel that it's possibly my favorite thing about it.
However, setting the art and beautiful diversity aside, I found the delivery of the story a bit lacking. This might be because the original book has a lot of events that the authors of the graphic novel tried to fit in, but the pacing of the story felt a bit jarring to me. Juliet's character is one that I'd usually love and immediately connect with, but here the novel didn't give me time to connect to Juliet before jumping into the story and then introducing a lot of other characters. I understand that graphic novels can't flesh out characters as well as a written novel can, but portraying characters in a way that makes the reader more invested is pretty important. This isn't to say I didn't like Juliet, because I did, but I'm saying that the pacing of the story made it harder for me to get a grasp on the main character and follow her thought process and development. Events were happening too fast, characters were getting swiftly introduced (with a lot of background story thrown in) and then moved along as Juliet moves on to meeting the next character. I absolutely adore books that show older queer folks taking care of baby gays and guiding them along, and I LOVE that this book shows that but I also found myself wishing repeatedly that we were given more time to build a connection with these characters. Or to at least see Juliet really getting to know them and emotionally bonding with them, so that her interactions with them would have more impact.
The storyline itself is trying to communicate a very important message -one that I greatly appreciate- but I found the delivery to be a bit lacking because of the pacing. The message itself is clear when it's spelled out by the characters, and pushed forward by the events of the book, but it lacked the emotional punch I hoped for. The moment of Realization which spurs development for the main character felt really rushed, and Juliet didn't get to sit with it herself so that we can feel its impact on her or witness how she processed it. Once again we were immediately introduced to new characters after the conflict and swept up to another setting not long after. I realize even as I write this review that I should have probably read the book first and then I wouldn't be having this issue, but I believe that a graphic novel should be able to stand alone too. I don't know if this gets dealt with in the book, but the fact that Juliet's conflict with her mom was resolved "off-screen" in a couple of lines bothered me.
Overall I liked this story, and I enjoyed seeing characters that looked real and familiar to me. I appreciate the dynamics in this story and the message it's trying to deliver, but I think that the pacing could have used some work. I also wish that the novel focused more on Juliet herself and allowed her to be more introspective. I think I would have appreciated less panels about Harlowe (ugh) and Harlowe's house maybe, and more about Juliet herself and Juliet bonding with the other qpoc.
Trigger warning for the book : an instance of sexual harassment at a grocery store that isn't explicit or too disturbing, but some might find it upsetting.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars because I mostly liked this book!
Let me start this review by saying that I haven't read the book this graphic novel was based on, so I can't speak for its quality as an adaptation. Therefore I'm reviewing this as I would a graphic novel I picked up for the first time.
I saw a book about a queer brown woman, and I (also a queer brown woman) got really excited about reading it. I know that I speak for a lot of lgbt+ folks of color when I say we're always hungry for representation, so finding this book was a delight. Juliet Takes a Breath doesn't disappoint in terms of having a lot of characters of color, particularly queer women of color, which is wonderful. I loved seeing woc of different body shapes, sizes, and personalities in this book. It's so refreshing seeing plus sized characters drawn beautifully and portrayed as the gorgeous beings they are. Actually the art in this novel is so warm and pretty throughout this novel that it's possibly my favorite thing about it.
However, setting the art and beautiful diversity aside, I found the delivery of the story a bit lacking. This might be because the original book has a lot of events that the authors of the graphic novel tried to fit in, but the pacing of the story felt a bit jarring to me. Juliet's character is one that I'd usually love and immediately connect with, but here the novel didn't give me time to connect to Juliet before jumping into the story and then introducing a lot of other characters. I understand that graphic novels can't flesh out characters as well as a written novel can, but portraying characters in a way that makes the reader more invested is pretty important. This isn't to say I didn't like Juliet, because I did, but I'm saying that the pacing of the story made it harder for me to get a grasp on the main character and follow her thought process and development. Events were happening too fast, characters were getting swiftly introduced (with a lot of background story thrown in) and then moved along as Juliet moves on to meeting the next character. I absolutely adore books that show older queer folks taking care of baby gays and guiding them along, and I LOVE that this book shows that but I also found myself wishing repeatedly that we were given more time to build a connection with these characters. Or to at least see Juliet really getting to know them and emotionally bonding with them, so that her interactions with them would have more impact.
The storyline itself is trying to communicate a very important message -one that I greatly appreciate- but I found the delivery to be a bit lacking because of the pacing. The message itself is clear when it's spelled out by the characters, and pushed forward by the events of the book, but it lacked the emotional punch I hoped for. The moment of Realization which spurs development for the main character felt really rushed, and Juliet didn't get to sit with it herself so that we can feel its impact on her or witness how she processed it. Once again we were immediately introduced to new characters after the conflict and swept up to another setting not long after. I realize even as I write this review that I should have probably read the book first and then I wouldn't be having this issue, but I believe that a graphic novel should be able to stand alone too. I don't know if this gets dealt with in the book, but the fact that Juliet's conflict with her mom was resolved "off-screen" in a couple of lines bothered me.
Overall I liked this story, and I enjoyed seeing characters that looked real and familiar to me. I appreciate the dynamics in this story and the message it's trying to deliver, but I think that the pacing could have used some work. I also wish that the novel focused more on Juliet herself and allowed her to be more introspective. I think I would have appreciated less panels about Harlowe (ugh) and Harlowe's house maybe, and more about Juliet herself and Juliet bonding with the other qpoc.