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sarahthewebnerd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Body shaming, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Classism and Racism
serendipity421's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
nerdysread's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Such a beautiful and emotional read. I read it in a library and tear up in public. The drawing are as beautiful as the story. The characters are great and Marlene is such a good MC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
notsobinaryart's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Bullying
Minor: Death of parent, Body shaming, and Grief
shaipanda's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
5.0
I absolutely adored this!! Although this is very clearly a middle grade book, I didn’t feel that was detrimental to my enjoyment at all. I loved seeing Marlene’s journey with her hair and this book deals with such important issues such as anti blackness, bullying, self love and self confidence among many others
This was an adorable and really well done graphic novels covering really important topics :)
This was an adorable and really well done graphic novels covering really important topics :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Misogyny
kianareads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
thinking about the girl who didn’t know how to take care of her hair or embrace the frizz.
thinking about the girl who straightened her hair for 5 years straight.
thinking about the girl who even after finally starting to embrace her natural curls, had to straighten her hair for dance competitions.
sending that girl lots of love and wishing that I had been able to read this book all those years ago. might've changed the whole game for me.
this graphic novel is a beautiful exploration of grief, anti-blackness, the narrowness of white beauty standards, and bullying. it's also a resounding ode to family and self-love.
so happy I was able to get this into the hands of my students this year. when I first put this book out on display there were lots of “hey, that looks like me”, “hair twins!”, and posing with the book. 🥹 now, the book is well-loved, as is all of the curly hair in our classroom 🫶🏽
yes, this is a middle-grade book (and it’s themes are absolutely perfect and so incredibly necessary for that age) but it is also a love-letter to curly-heads everywhere (so go read it!!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Grief
mariasnow's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Having curls myself and struggling with feeling like they aren't pretty, I related to some of the feelings the main character had. Such an important book about loving yourself for who you are and looking a certain way doesn't determine your worth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
notapenguin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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: Bullying and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
avisreadsandreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Bullying, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
emily_mh's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Ortega and Bousamra simply knocked it out of the park with this well-paced, gorgeous graphic novel. It presents a story about MC Marlene’s hair journey, with a big focus on navigating texturism. The narrative explores what texturism looks like and where it comes from. It shows why Latine communities like Marlene’s carry over that stigma, and the alienating impact this can have on members of said communities. Marlene in particular feels as though she cannot express who she is inside on the outside, as she is made to straighten her hair. As the narrative progresses, she learns more about the beauty of natural hair, unlearning texturism and sticking up for her hair choices. I particularly loved the scenes where she was being taught how to care for her natural hair. It was wonderful to see her relationship with it be turned from one of frustration and sadness to one of literal care and love. I also loved how the book shows the bonds that are strengthened through the process of hair care and expression. Marlene’s best friend Camila is so sweet, looking up hair tutorials for Marlene and finger-curling her hair. Marlene’s relationship with Tía Ruby was particularly special. She was so gentle with Marlene, so supportive and helpful. There was so much joy there, with Tía Ruby getting to teach Marlene, and Marlene finally getting to learn more about her hair.
So above all, the story underscores the importance of hair in the Latine community. It’s not “just hair”, because hair evokes racism and texturism, as well as self-expression, joy, and bonding.
As a final note, the art style of this graphic novel was GORGEOUS; it made me so keen to read Bousamra’s upcoming project! The soft, solid colour palette combines with the rounded, full illustration style to give off a rich, cosy, nostalgic vibe. I’m obsessed with the way Bousamra drew hair in particular!
Rep: Dominican-American MC, Domincan-American SCs, Latina SCs
Rep: Dominican-American MC, Domincan-American SCs, Latina SCs
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, and Death of parent
Minor: Grief
Major: texturism, internalised texturism Minor: loss of a loved one