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loverofeels's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stunning art!! the plot sucked me in at first, but the first 3/4 of this was repetitive enough that it started to get tiresome. it kinda became a cycle of "laura acts unpredictably" --> "freddy responds accordingly, treating her friends badly in the process" --> "her friends are understandably angry" --> repeat. the scenes with freddy's parents and those with eric and buddy felt kind of random, since the plotlines with her mom being annoyed, eric being bullied, etc were unresolved. i'm not sure whether those scenes were intended to paint a picture of her life as a whole or to serve as a foil to freddy and laura's relationship, but either way it didn't work for me.
i also don't love that freddy's one act of standing up for herself—breaking up with laura—only came after reading the email from the advice columnist. it would have been nice to see her come to that realization on her own and have a few honest conversations with laura and her family, rather than having a moment of bravery and suddenly everything's fine.
a lotta negativity in this review, but i honestly didn't hate this. the author does a good job depicting teenage emotions in a realistic way and the illustrations are certainly easy on the eyes. just leaves something to be desired.
i also don't love that freddy's one act of standing up for herself—breaking up with laura—only came after reading the email from the advice columnist. it would have been nice to see her come to that realization on her own and have a few honest conversations with laura and her family, rather than having a moment of bravery and suddenly everything's fine.
a lotta negativity in this review, but i honestly didn't hate this. the author does a good job depicting teenage emotions in a realistic way and the illustrations are certainly easy on the eyes. just leaves something to be desired.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
one thing i absolutely love to see nowadays in cartoons or comics is diverse characters <3 i don't care if they're extras, seeing hijabis or pocs makes me truly happy :') so yeah, in terms of diversity, this is a 10/10. also the illustrations were really pretty and the pink theme was lovely <3
as to the plot, i love how the story deals with different serious topics. the main one is toxic relationships and how it affects the main character and, eventually, her friendships. laura dean is a perfect example of what a toxic and manipulative partner looks like. this story is basically about slowly being able to cut the person who's hurting you off.
and yeah, i know it is just a graphic novel and that it should only have one focus but there were some other subplots which would have been very interesting to see such as chris and buddy's relationship and how they managed to go through their ups and downs or, more importantly, doodle's process of abortion.
however i am aware that this story had one important theme and the author decided to stick to it. that's why really liked that, even though a possible romance with vi was hinted, it was never shown. it's cool that they focused on solely the toxic relationship and the happiness you feel after so many downs and after being able to acknowledge your worth and finally let go
so yeah, this is a really nice read and i encourage every teen who has ever gone through a toxic relationship to read it! :)
ps: another thing i'd like to mention is how the story didn't have any straight token friends. everyone around freddy's circle is queer
as to the plot, i love how the story deals with different serious topics. the main one is toxic relationships and how it affects the main character and, eventually, her friendships. laura dean is a perfect example of what a toxic and manipulative partner looks like. this story is basically about slowly being able to cut the person who's hurting you off.
and yeah, i know it is just a graphic novel and that it should only have one focus but there were some other subplots which would have been very interesting to see
however i am aware that this story had one important theme and the author decided to stick to it. that's why really liked that, even though a possible romance with vi was hinted, it was never shown. it's cool that they focused on solely the toxic relationship and the happiness you feel after so many downs and after being able to acknowledge your worth and finally let go
so yeah, this is a really nice read and i encourage every teen who has ever gone through a toxic relationship to read it! :)
ps: another thing i'd like to mention is how the story didn't have any straight token friends. everyone around freddy's circle is queer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit and Homophobia
pey333's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
saucy_bookdragon's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A story with complex characters that accurately portrays an abusive relationship, especially how abusers cut you off from friends, or at least try to. All told with a beautiful art style that uses only black, white, and pink.
TWs: emotional abuse, unplanned pregnancy, drinking.
TWs: emotional abuse, unplanned pregnancy, drinking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Lesbophobia
sprucewillow's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
I love Doodle, I hate that she got the short end of the stick most of the story, but the ending was happy :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
infinitefandomstrash's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit
comrade_mia's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Abortion, Infertility, and Pedophilia
callmeneeks's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Abortion, Alcohol, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
letiross's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
elwirax's review
reflective
fast-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
2.0
Rep- lesbian Asian MC, Queer SCs
I really loved the art style in this graphic novel and how much LGBTQIA+ and bipoc characters there were. However, I didn't like the overall story/plot that was all over the place. I didn't really like Freddy as a main character, there was a scene where a character was practically forcing their boyfriend to come out which was horrible. Not to mention the multiple cheating scenes and a pedophilic side plot. It was just not my thing.
The author aimed to comment on many topics such as toxic relationships, manipulation, abortion and cheating but because this is a graphic novel, they were not explored in the depth they deserved to be.
The ending wrapped up too well and too quickly despite how heavy these topic were and I think making this graphic novel longer would've helped in terms of a proper discussion.
Given how short this graphic novel was, I felt no connection to any of the characters and if I can't feel that then no matter how interesting a plot may be, I won't care enough in the end.
Overall, not my favourite graphic novel which is a shame as I expected to really enjoy it.
I really loved the art style in this graphic novel and how much LGBTQIA+ and bipoc characters there were. However, I didn't like the overall story/plot that was all over the place. I didn't really like Freddy as a main character, there was a scene where a character was practically forcing their boyfriend to come out which was horrible. Not to mention the multiple cheating scenes and a pedophilic side plot. It was just not my thing.
The author aimed to comment on many topics such as toxic relationships, manipulation, abortion and cheating but because this is a graphic novel, they were not explored in the depth they deserved to be.
The ending wrapped up too well and too quickly despite how heavy these topic were and I think making this graphic novel longer would've helped in terms of a proper discussion.
Given how short this graphic novel was, I felt no connection to any of the characters and if I can't feel that then no matter how interesting a plot may be, I won't care enough in the end.
Overall, not my favourite graphic novel which is a shame as I expected to really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abortion
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit