Reviews - Forest Hills Bootleg Society

283 reviews for:

Forest Hills Bootleg Society

Dave Baker

3.49 AVERAGE

lala_books's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional funny informative reflective

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

jmontg18's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mandelb's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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: Yes

okay I loved this. much more than all the other graphic novels I've raced through recently, the attention to detail here really demanded I take my time and pore over every page. I love the underlying thesis that every side character in every story is tragic and complex and funny, and I love the overarching thesis that having friends can save your life and ruin it. girls who hold onto each other so hard they leave a mark..... yeah. love the art style, especially Melissa's design. so so many unexplored paths and stories at the fringes, even in the main girls stories, but in ways that suggest they have rich inner lives rather than leave them feeling unfinished. I think Kelly's arc is my favorite, that she is very publicly going through this transition of like, oh I love this in a way no one else gets. that's so hard and weird! and of course I truly understand so deeply connecting with something that feels out of nowhere, even if anime has never particularly been for me. and on top of all this, lush and beautifully drawn, especially the wide shots and backgrounds. wow. great book.

leolikesbooks's review against another edition

1.0

1.5 stars. Maybe.

I can’t find my notes on the book anymore, so I’ll keep it short here.
I disliked every single character in this book and found the dynamic between the friend group very uncomfortable to read about.

Kelly’s anime obsession was portrayed in a way that felt completely unrealistic to me. It was so over the top and I couldn’t take her character seriously.

I found the completely random information on random people unnecessary and didn’t get the point of it.

The ending wasn’t great, but it fit the story and made sense.

The art style was alright though.

[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]