So cool. Everything, everyone, just awesome. Great artwork; lots of character comes through. And the reader's guide interview between Venable and Crenshaw is pure book geek bliss, and without a corporately market-tested series of questions for readers, although it would be fun to have readers answer those same questions where applicable. Library copy

A strong debut. Venable delivers a thoughtful coming-of-age novel about a young woman in the mid-2000s who is uncovering family secrets, negotiating friendships, and figuring out her own sexuality. The art is gorgeous—Ellen T. Crenshaw's pages are beautiful, hand-inked and expressive as an old-school New Yorker cartoon. In my uninformed opinion, she's every bit as good as seasoned graphic novelists such as Craig Thompson and Jessica Abel. I hope she keeps illustrating graphic novels because I want to read all of them. Didn't get five stars because I was meh about the end - I was absolutely satisfied with the story, but it felt overlong and I did not think there was enough resolution for Amanda's friendships. The narrative is right to be gentle with Amanda, but she is an ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE FRIEND and I don't think the book fully reckons with the pain she inflicts on herself and others. Still, on the whole, I really liked it.