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betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
Right before leaving for her summer art camp, Jade’s friend Phoebe attempts suicide. Despite not wanting to go, her mom insists it will be good for her to get away. Jade isn’t so sure. How can she focus on herself when her friend is going through such a rough time?
However, once she gets to the Art Farm, Jade realizes she has the opportunity to really focus on her art. As she gets to know her classmates, she also starts to fall for Mary, a fellow artistic. Working on her art for the summer, Jade channels her anger, frustration, and stress into her ceramic monsters. However, it’s her art that might force her to confront her real fear.
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this to review! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that graphic novels are my jam. I was excited to receive a copy of this, especially since it’s about art! Made me want to get out supplies and paint.
Right from the beginning, I was drawn in by the art style. It’s mostly in black and white, but there are pops of a reddish/pink color when emotions get high. It’s effective for the story that’s being told, and really helps to focus on the characters and the emotions in the story. It also helped in emphasize the sort of magical realism elements of the story.
While it doesn’t necessarily feel like a heavy book, McCoola deals with some heavy emotional things. Throughout the story, Jade is struggling with the fact that her best friend attempts suicide and she doesn’t know how to help. She’s conflicted about doing well at the art farm because it feels like she’s leaving Phoebe behind. All of these emotions felt realistic and I appreciated the way the art and the writing dealt with the topic of suicide.
The only thing that didn’t really work for me was the magical realism aspects. At times, it was a little unclear what exactly was happening. And if anyone else at the art farm noticed what was happening? I think just a little more clarification regarding that would have made this book even more stellar for me.
But, there’s queer rep and great discussions about art, so of course I’m going to love it. If you’re looking for a new graphic novel to pick up this summer, I’d recommend this one!
However, once she gets to the Art Farm, Jade realizes she has the opportunity to really focus on her art. As she gets to know her classmates, she also starts to fall for Mary, a fellow artistic. Working on her art for the summer, Jade channels her anger, frustration, and stress into her ceramic monsters. However, it’s her art that might force her to confront her real fear.
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this to review! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that graphic novels are my jam. I was excited to receive a copy of this, especially since it’s about art! Made me want to get out supplies and paint.
Right from the beginning, I was drawn in by the art style. It’s mostly in black and white, but there are pops of a reddish/pink color when emotions get high. It’s effective for the story that’s being told, and really helps to focus on the characters and the emotions in the story. It also helped in emphasize the sort of magical realism elements of the story.
While it doesn’t necessarily feel like a heavy book, McCoola deals with some heavy emotional things. Throughout the story, Jade is struggling with the fact that her best friend attempts suicide and she doesn’t know how to help. She’s conflicted about doing well at the art farm because it feels like she’s leaving Phoebe behind. All of these emotions felt realistic and I appreciated the way the art and the writing dealt with the topic of suicide.
The only thing that didn’t really work for me was the magical realism aspects. At times, it was a little unclear what exactly was happening. And if anyone else at the art farm noticed what was happening? I think just a little more clarification regarding that would have made this book even more stellar for me.
But, there’s queer rep and great discussions about art, so of course I’m going to love it. If you’re looking for a new graphic novel to pick up this summer, I’d recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Minor: Drug abuse and Grief
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I was provided an ARC by Algonquin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts are my own.
I was really excited to get my hands on this one as it combines two of my favorite things (hard-hitting contemporary and graphic novels), but I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would.
I was so intrigued going into this novel because the plot sounded unique to anything I've read in the past, but ultimately it felt all over the place at times and I had to fill in a lot of blanks myself. Don't get me wrong, I completely understood the overall message and lesson, but I think it could've been fleshed out a little bit more (for example the friendship between Jade and Phoebe:we are led to believe that Jade's been "defining herself by their friendship" but those signs were never there prior to Phoebe's suicide attempts. I get that the attempts were the catalyst for the entire story/Jade's emotions she's working through, but to suggest that the entire friendship was rooted in a sort of off-balance power dynamic was jarring to me. The romance in this novel also felt very rushed - I just wish the lead up was a little more prominent!
That being said, I thought the depiction of Jade's inner turmoil was extremely realistic and well done (and I love how it was reflected in her artistry!) It was a great representation of how mental illness truly affects us all, even if an individual isn't necessarily battling with it themselves. I thought the art style was great as well, and really enjoyed the contrast between the gray and pink color palettes to denote a happy memory/moment from the more negative, mundane thoughts Jade was having. Although I was expecting to enjoy this a bit more than I did, I'm looking forward to seeing what else these two create in the future!
I was really excited to get my hands on this one as it combines two of my favorite things (hard-hitting contemporary and graphic novels), but I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would.
I was so intrigued going into this novel because the plot sounded unique to anything I've read in the past, but ultimately it felt all over the place at times and I had to fill in a lot of blanks myself. Don't get me wrong, I completely understood the overall message and lesson, but I think it could've been fleshed out a little bit more (for example the friendship between Jade and Phoebe:
That being said, I thought the depiction of Jade's inner turmoil was extremely realistic and well done (and I love how it was reflected in her artistry!) It was a great representation of how mental illness truly affects us all, even if an individual isn't necessarily battling with it themselves. I thought the art style was great as well, and really enjoyed the contrast between the gray and pink color palettes to denote a happy memory/moment from the more negative, mundane thoughts Jade was having. Although I was expecting to enjoy this a bit more than I did, I'm looking forward to seeing what else these two create in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug abuse
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