Reviews

Forward by Lisa Maas

opossum_life's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

jansyn_liberty's review against another edition

5.0

Captivating. Made my heart sing!

lesbianelvira's review against another edition

hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

all relationships are a risk. all of our pain has to be faced (instead of yoyoed between repressed and obsessed over, @ rayanne). lesbians can and must try to take things slow sometimes.
enjoyed this dawning of the 2010s-feeling work that was so, so lesbian (though definitely very middle class white lesbian).

killianmgov's review against another edition

2.25

this was a nice story about two individuals that meet later in life & have to work through what it might mean to love someone / be with someone romantically again.

palindromephd's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the trueness of this graphic novel; the grief and confusion felt so real. Also, a lot of lesbians not knowing how to figure out feelings which is very much a mood. But I didn't love the art style and I think the story would have been better if it had been deeper and longer with more developed side characters.

mariahhanley's review against another edition

5.0

I quite desperately needed this book today.

oldie's review

fast-paced

2.5

celina25's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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? Yes

3.25

tripp_2mylou's review against another edition

3.0

Hmn...where do I start? I liked this well enough but also, in terms of my own personal style, there are things I probably would have handled differently. The art drove me a little nuts - all the lesbian characters looked alike and it was confusing; everyone looked like people-shaped blobs half the time and the lesbians were all people-shaped blobs with short hair and big foreheads. Which is weird considering I follow the artist on Instagram and really like most of her art there. I have no explanation for what happened here. In terms of things I would do differently in storytelling: I think the most compelling part was Ali's story. If it was just about her perspective, as someone figuring out how to move forward in grief, I would still have been here for it. At the very least, I feel it should have started with her story. Rayanne's side of things felt a little dialed in - I mean, do people really nag other people about "getting out there again" that much after a break-up? It felt more like what the author thought would happen and less authentic. Ali's journey, in contrast, completely nailed what it's like to love someone and share things with someone who has died. Those parts were beautiful and felt true. Once it got to her part, the story came alive and then all the later dialogue (even on Rayanne's side of the story) felt more real and fun to read. I could see it play out like a film.

Overall, it did win me over and I am glad I read it.

tripp2mylou's review against another edition

3.0

Hmn...where do I start? I liked this well enough but also, in terms of my own personal style, there are things I probably would have handled differently. The art drove me a little nuts - all the lesbian characters looked alike and it was confusing; everyone looked like people-shaped blobs half the time and the lesbians were all people-shaped blobs with short hair and big foreheads. Which is weird considering I follow the artist on Instagram and really like most of her art there. I have no explanation for what happened here. In terms of things I would do differently in storytelling: I think the most compelling part was Ali's story. If it was just about her perspective, as someone figuring out how to move forward in grief, I would still have been here for it. At the very least, I feel it should have started with her story. Rayanne's side of things felt a little dialed in - I mean, do people really nag other people about "getting out there again" that much after a break-up? It felt more like what the author thought would happen and less authentic. Ali's journey, in contrast, completely nailed what it's like to love someone and share things with someone who has died. Those parts were beautiful and felt true. Once it got to her part, the story came alive and then all the later dialogue (even on Rayanne's side of the story) felt more real and fun to read. I could see it play out like a film.

Overall, it did win me over and I am glad I read it.