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coffeedragon's review against another edition
2.0
I received an e-copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I ended up downloading this title because I really liked the softness of the cover and the style of the character. I didn’t really look at what the book would be about so I was really confused once I started reading. I wasn’t really sure why Harriet was so suspicious of the people around her (and her surroundings), why she kept slipping (I figured it was important once her father asked if she was being clumsy), and what the purpose of the book was (where the story was taking us). Once it’s revealed that Harriet has multiple sclerosis I started to understand things a bit better and with the author’s note at the end, I started to appreciate this book more. Even though the author mentions their intent on covering an invisible disability like MS, I also think they did a really good job at portraying a character with anxiety. When Harriet finally talks to her parents I felt a connection with her feelings and even felt some jealousy at how close-knit her family was considering their situation (which I loved)
The reason I ended up giving this book a 2/5 is that the story lacked feeling to me. While there were moments where I could connect with Harriet, there were even more moments where I just felt disconnected. I have to wonder if maybe it’s an age thing (I mean, I’m not 13 anymore) or if maybe the author went about the presentation a bit too obscurely (or maybe both)
I also wasn’t a fan of how I got some racist vibes from Harriet but the author does mention in the A/N that there was still segregation happening so it makes sense Harriet would be mirroring some of society’s views (idk historical stuff, this is set in 1996). Although it makes me wonder about Harriet’s family. It’s pretty obvious Harriet is of Hispanic descent (father’s side) but I’m not sure about her mother. It seems rather ambiguous to me. This also makes me wonder if no Spanish dialogue is being used because Harriet is so far removed from the language (second, third generation) or if it’s a limitation of the author (according to GR, the author is from New England, non-Hispanic?). I’m a first generation kid so my house speaks mainly in Spanish, however, I have visited some more removed generations where the parents still speak Spanish and their kids don’t and some dialogue (though limited) is still used
I really wanted to 3-star like it, but I couldn’t
I ended up downloading this title because I really liked the softness of the cover and the style of the character. I didn’t really look at what the book would be about so I was really confused once I started reading. I wasn’t really sure why Harriet was so suspicious of the people around her (and her surroundings), why she kept slipping (I figured it was important once her father asked if she was being clumsy), and what the purpose of the book was (where the story was taking us). Once it’s revealed that Harriet has multiple sclerosis I started to understand things a bit better and with the author’s note at the end, I started to appreciate this book more. Even though the author mentions their intent on covering an invisible disability like MS, I also think they did a really good job at portraying a character with anxiety. When Harriet finally talks to her parents I felt a connection with her feelings and even felt some jealousy at how close-knit her family was considering their situation (which I loved)
The reason I ended up giving this book a 2/5 is that the story lacked feeling to me. While there were moments where I could connect with Harriet, there were even more moments where I just felt disconnected. I have to wonder if maybe it’s an age thing (I mean, I’m not 13 anymore) or if maybe the author went about the presentation a bit too obscurely (or maybe both)
I also wasn’t a fan of how I got some racist vibes from Harriet but the author does mention in the A/N that there was still segregation happening so it makes sense Harriet would be mirroring some of society’s views (idk historical stuff, this is set in 1996). Although it makes me wonder about Harriet’s family. It’s pretty obvious Harriet is of Hispanic descent (father’s side) but I’m not sure about her mother. It seems rather ambiguous to me. This also makes me wonder if no Spanish dialogue is being used because Harriet is so far removed from the language (second, third generation) or if it’s a limitation of the author (according to GR, the author is from New England, non-Hispanic?). I’m a first generation kid so my house speaks mainly in Spanish, however, I have visited some more removed generations where the parents still speak Spanish and their kids don’t and some dialogue (though limited) is still used
I really wanted to 3-star like it, but I couldn’t
ang_soko31's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the art and was liking the story but i felt like it suddenly stopped. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending I wish we got to see Harriet in the writers group and reading all the books she was given.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
3.0
Harriet and her family get a handle on her illness and their new location/life. Books and a wise neighbor help.
adelavmb's review against another edition
2.0
The book had a great premise but fell flat because of the execution. I wasn't able to care about the main character, whom I found annoying and whiny, especially since we don't find out about her illness until very late in the book. I got quickly bored reading about her letters to friends who don't write back, which is more of an obsession really, since she didn't really know them as well. I wish the book focused more on Harriet's personality disorders (she is constantly lying, making up stories about the people around her) or at least the chronic illness aspect.
The one thing I enjoyed was the character Pearl, an elderly woman who lives downstairs, who is trying to connect to Harriet and keeps recommending books that might help her, even though she doesn't really even bother to read them.
The artwork was ok, but nothing particularly notable about it.
The one thing I enjoyed was the character Pearl, an elderly woman who lives downstairs, who is trying to connect to Harriet and keeps recommending books that might help her, even though she doesn't really even bother to read them.
The artwork was ok, but nothing particularly notable about it.
maroula's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
TBH I wasn’t feeling reading today. We all have those days, but after some disappointing news yesterday reading was the last thing I wanted to do today. However my goal of reading a book a day in the summer would not be ignored. Enter Sincerely, Harriet.
✏️
Harriet is bored and stuck at home in her apartment in Chicago, missing her friends at camp during the ‘90’s. Harriet also is dealing with multiple sclerosis She befriends the older landlady who tells Harriet what it was like for her son who had polio in the 1950s. She gets Harriet to write down her feelings. This helps her find an outlet for her loneliness & her active imagination.
✏️
This was a very quiet graphic novel and just what I needed today. Something a bit serious but not too sad. Learning about various chronic illnesses can put things into perspective and the artwork was very appropriate for MG audience.
✏️
Harriet is bored and stuck at home in her apartment in Chicago, missing her friends at camp during the ‘90’s. Harriet also is dealing with multiple sclerosis She befriends the older landlady who tells Harriet what it was like for her son who had polio in the 1950s. She gets Harriet to write down her feelings. This helps her find an outlet for her loneliness & her active imagination.
✏️
This was a very quiet graphic novel and just what I needed today. Something a bit serious but not too sad. Learning about various chronic illnesses can put things into perspective and the artwork was very appropriate for MG audience.
acourtofreading's review against another edition
3.0
this graphic novel had some lovely illustrations and an interesting story that anyone who moves to a new (bigger) city can relate to. Harriet struggles with loneliness, restlessness, and a lot of curiosity. She also has something else going on in her life that you find out later on that helps connects some dots.
yokorie's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet book about a lonely girl trying to find comfort in herself and in her surroundings. As a disabled woman I'm so happy to see all of the work geared towards younger audiences centering on living with a disability or recognizing yourself as disabled. I'm familiar with Searle's comic work from anthologies I've picked up, but this is the first full-length story I've read by her. The colors within the panels are muted and calming, which contrasts strongly with the summer heat Searle described, as well as the turmoil that Harriet is going through: it makes for an interesting layer to an already great story. I'm looking forward to more young adult stories by Searle.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
Moving is already tough... without piling on a bunch of other things.
It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling aspects of the story.
Searle reveals the circumstances around this kid and their life bit by bit.
But the things revealed are largely what make the book unique.
This book is a good demonstration of the compounding effects of different kinds of marginalization. Harriet is Latinx, and disabled, and even though both of her parents have jobs (Papa's a nurse, Mom's a mechanic :)), it's tough to keep up with the various bills that come from living with chronic illness.
Like so many fictionalized autobio pieces (I get the drift that this is marginally along those lines), this is a piece about the human need to connect. And be seen. And to find your place in the world.
Give it to the Telgemeier fans who are aging up a bit.
It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling aspects of the story.
Searle reveals the circumstances around this kid and their life bit by bit.
But the things revealed are largely what make the book unique.
Spoiler
This is a story about invisible disability. And chronic illness. Not so much the medical details of chronic illness - more about how having chronic illness affects everything else in life. In Harriet's case, her chronic illness has led to her family having to relocate to a bigger city where she can get treatment. She has left her friends. Her parents had to leave jobs they loved to get worse jobs that pay less in the bigger city.This book is a good demonstration of the compounding effects of different kinds of marginalization. Harriet is Latinx, and disabled, and even though both of her parents have jobs (Papa's a nurse, Mom's a mechanic :)), it's tough to keep up with the various bills that come from living with chronic illness.
Like so many fictionalized autobio pieces (I get the drift that this is marginally along those lines), this is a piece about the human need to connect. And be seen. And to find your place in the world.
Give it to the Telgemeier fans who are aging up a bit.