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mygnomehands 's review for:

Mall Goth by Kate Leth
5.0
emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley.

Liv Holmes is a 15 year old bisexual goth who's just moved to a new town with her mom. The suburban shopping mall in her new town offers a refuge as Liz navigates her new terrain.

Story: I did not expect this to be as deep as it is! I went into reading this with the idea that it was going to be a cute little coming-of-age in the aughts read, and then, Leth threw in discussion of grooming behavior and toxic/predatory men and boys. While not what I expected, I really enjoyed the story. Leth did an excellent job balancing the two aspects of the story, and I left feeling like I got to witness Liz's full experience. 
I love love loved that Liz went to the safe adults in her life for help. Seeing healthy adult child relationships in YA stories seems rare. I also really liked that the girl characters weren't pitted against one another. That's such a worn-out trope.

Art: I enjoyed the clear lines and colors in this graphic novel. The style was well-balanced between whimsy and seriousness which went really well with the overall story.