Belle of the Ball

by Mari Costa

A young adult graphic novel about high school wallflower Belle Hawkins, who ends up in a love triangle after tutoring the girlfriend of her crush.

High-school senior and notorious wallflower Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush: Regina Moreno, head cheerleader, academic overachiever, and all-around popular girl. There’s only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star…and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her.

And while Regina’s plan works at first, she doesn’t realize that Hawkins and Chloe knew each other as kids, when Hawkins went by Belle and wore princess dresses to school every single day. Before long, romance does start to blossom…but not between who you might expect. With Belle of the Ball , cartoonist Mariana Costa has reinvigorated satisfying, reliable tropes into your new favorite teen romantic comedy.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Romance, Young Adult, LGBT, Queer, Comics, Contemporary

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2023

About the author

Mari Costa is a luso-brazilian cartoonist and 2D animator. Her works include comics such as Peritale, Life of Melody and The Well by the House on the Hill. She specializes in lighthearted fantasy stories with LGBT themes.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regina has her future all planned out for med school and marriage to her girlfriend, but when Chloe’s English grades take a nose-dive Regina has to find a way to ensure nothing gets off track. So why not convince the quiet girl, B. Hawkins, who has a crush on her to tutor her girlfriend for free? But what Regina never expected was that B. is actually Belle, Chloe’s former childhood best friend and feelings start to get complicated in Belle of the Ball, the absolutely adorable sapphic graphic novel from Mari Costa. With plenty of humor, awkward teenage drama and super cute artwork, this love triangle of the perfect popular girl, jock/gamer girl and wallflower team mascot is heartwarming and endlessly charming as it explores being true to yourself and finding your own path.


Usually love triangle tropes seem a bit stressful to me and you always feel bad for someone caught up in it, but Belle of the Ball pulls this one off with flair. The characters are great and Costa manages to depict a lot of nuance in each that makes them really dynamic and easy to have empathy for. Sure, Regina is easy to cast as a bit of a villain in it all, being a bit controlling, narcissistic, and taking advantage of Belle’s feelings, but we also see how Chloe sort of likes someone telling her what to do and truly feel Regina’s stress trying to be the perfect student (does Regina bear some slight vibe resemblances to Regina George? Perhaps!) I love the way everyone sort of stumbles through this story, from Chloe and Belle getting off to a terrible start when Belle asks Regina to the dance thinking she was single and is given a stern threat from Chloe to the way both of them are completely self-conscious and terrified when a half-remembered moment really sparks emotions.


I especially love the focus on the English tutoring here. It makes for some great comedic moments with Chloe being pretty obtuse about not learning it and Belle’s complete frustration with her over it. But what I really enjoyed was the opportunities to show how reading into things—like intentionality in story details or interpretability—in a literary way works and how Belle finally gets a foothold in showing that to Chloe through video games. This is a great way to not only get across to readers how “literary criticism” works, but also shows how video games are legitimate storytelling in a literary sense as well (not that the stigma is the way it was when I was still in high school, but it is cool to see). It also addresses expectations of people in a productive way, showing people are often a lot more underneath the surface than they get typecast in school society as well as how people change over time (the element of Belle as a child only ever wearing princess dresses is really cute too). Also we get a large scene involving a renaissance fair which is GREAT and just a really moving and adorable section of the book.


The art in this is great with extremely expressive characters and the red and black color palette looks wonderful. Costa created a really inclusive cast with a large variety of race and body types. Its just an all around well-constructed graphic novel, with great pacing and plenty of story that earns its ending without feeling like it wraps up too quickly. Costa is also great at playing with familiar tropes but doing them in a fresh way that is engaging and often surprising (another way this toys with ideas of expectations). It does seem to sort of criticize Regina for being so focused on grades and being an overachiever is shown as making her neglectful of Chloe, but it is more just a dynamic of how Regina isn’t as perfect as she wants to believe she is than an actual criticism of being good grade focused. I think teens will really relate to these characters as even as an adult I still found them very relatable and empathetic.

Belle of the Ball is a winner of a YA graphic novel that is full of great sapphic romance and positivity. I definitely recommend this one!

4.5/5

Chloe, Belle and Regina

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

go lesbians

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was waiting for my husband in our public library, started this graphic novel & was enjoying it so much that I took it home to finish.

A bright & breezy LGBTQ+ romance with a couple of twists & very engaging main characters. The only things I didn't like were;

* the raspberry colour palette. After a while I found it hard to look at.

* Chloe's apparently limitless allowance. But maybe that is normal for a child of a well off father in the States.

Looks like my old and wizened heart isn't completely hardened against romance after all!

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[*JEN the booknerd* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so wonderful and I couldn't have loved it more! Heartstoppers mixed with Mean Girl vibes but they're lesbians and omg so cute!!! Favorite graphic novel this year!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!!

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very queer high school rom-com comic with a satisfying message about growing into yourself and seeing others truly for who they are. It opens with a love triangle, but subverts that form into a more complicated shape by the end of the tale. Strong character designs and very effective limited color palette.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y’all, this was absolutely adorable! I did not read the synopsis of the graphic novel before reading and part of me is glad that I did that. This follows two main characters who were friends as children, but eventually grow apart due to life circumstances. They are reunited again when one of their partners asks the other to help tutor in English. Over the course of the graphic novel, we start to see one characters relationship slowly fall apart, as they begin to learn more about who they are and what expectations they have for themselves in the future. of course, as a result, these two characters end up finding out that they really understand each other, and that they value the friendship that they had in the past and that part of them is willing or wanting to explore this relationship now that they’re older. I think the only thing that threw me off a little bit about this graphic novel was the seamless way that our main characters were able to explore the relationship. I also have some questions about the epilogue, but overall, this was a great read. I really enjoyed the artwork and I love that the creator used hues of pink for the coloring. Overall, this was a great read and I am definitely interested in checking out more from this creator in the future.

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐️

- This was such a fun little high school story!! I loved that the author made all of the characters likable, flawed, and vulnerable. I was rooting for all three to have a happy ending! The pacing towards the end was a little fast, but overall the story was really cute!!
- I love that this was not only a romance, but a story about finding yourself and being comfortable in the unique hobbies you love. I would have preferred that the characters weren’t so mean to each other because Hawkins is a literal saint. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the love triangle between Chloe and Hawkins towards the beginning of the book because Chloe was so mean to Hawkins initially, but I loved seeing former kindergarten friends unite.
- The color scheme and art style was so pretty! It kept me engaged the entire story. Loved the overall message too.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content warnings: manipulation, cheating, alcohol consumption.

Rep: Belle is cis and lesbian, Chloe is cis, Asian-American, and lesbian, Regina is cis, Brazilian-American and lesbian.

This was too cute. I adored every single moment of this.

The pink of the artwork really made my heart happy too.

But the best, to me, was the reuniting of B and Chloe's friendship. They were so sweet together.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things get weird when Hawkins asked her crush Regina to Homecoming—not knowing Regina is still with her long-time girlfriend Chloe! When Regina realizes Chloe is failing English and about her jeopardize her 10-year Plan, she launches into action, using Hawkins' feelings to convince the other girl to tutor Chloe for free. It's a kinda good plan, except Hawkins and Chloe have a backstory neither is willing to admit...

This was such a cute graphic novel, with the potential to go off the rails in so many different ways.

I loved that it showcases the vast experiences of high school, along with the nuance. There's the Type-A, Straight A+ student who's pressured to get into an Ivy and get her PhD before 25 like everyone else in the family (and a dose of immigrant parents' pressure to boot!) and is a bit of a mean girl narcissist, the loser who self-isolates for fear of being Known and lets herself be stomped over by the Mean Girl because of ~feelings~ while also desperately wanting to be involved in things, and the rich jock who is tired of being perceived as a rich jock and conforming to the stereotypes of rich jock, but is also unwilling to let others see her real self for fear of being nerdy or disliked.

This unlikely trio starts off rough, with Regina manipulating everyone in her path and Hawkins going along with it because Feelings and Chloe because she can't see any other options...and because she kinda likes Regina steering a path for them. Yes, it sounds like Regina is coming off real bad, but again, I think those of us who are adults (and perhaps of this personality type) like to gloss over the fact that in many ways we were just as psychopathic as teens and how desperate we were for the approval and acceptance of our peers.

This book lets the kids be messy, and lets them grow and learn from that messiness, while giving everyone an adorable one-page happily ever, letting them explore unconventional dreams and paths to success, and keeping them all true friends in the end.

[Eva B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This did take me a bit to get invested but once I was...argh this was so cute!! The Renaissance Faire scene has my entire heart <3

[Sesana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a big no from me. It's a love triangle where two of the characters are dating each other, but one of them (Chloe) has an emotional affair with an old friend (Hawkins). This is ok because the old friend is nicer than the girlfriend (Regina), I guess, and also they are Meant To Be, because. Of course, Regina is thoroughly awful, but so is Chloe. They're both nasty and manipulative, and the only reason Hawkins puts up with them is because she's manipulative, too, just in an outwardly nicer way. Every possible relationship here, romantic and platonic, is toxic, and every character has deep personal issues that are never explored or resolved in any way. All of these characters deserved better than each other, and also needed a ton of therapy.

[tane'a · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so cute, i died

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

I liked the art style and pink themes throughout this book, and the messages through the tutoring lessons of "finding your own meaning in a story doesn't mean the author was lazy; it means that art is about interpretation" were great. The link to video games as their own stories was good too. And I liked Hawkins' arc about her clothing style.

But I didn't love the romance. It felt like Hawkins was treated pretty terribly by both Regina and Chloe throughout the book, with no real development in either dynamic. Chloe was just so mean when she and Hawkins first interacted - and look, maybe I shouldn't have read this right after arguing with my sister, but if I'm not going to take "you don't have any friends" and "ugh, shut up, you take too long to say anything" from her than I certainly wouldn't take it from a stranger I'm tutoring FOR FREE. And when Chloe realizes that Hawkins is her childhood friend, THEN she's nice!

I was so annoyed at the scene where Chloe helps Hawkins because she accidentally got drunk and Hawkins calls Chloe "perfect" and "secretly actually really nice." No, that's not how this works. She can't be mean to you without provocation and then never apologize!

Even a brief "sorry for the way I acted earlier" would've been fine. But nope, we never get that, so I had a bad taste in my mouth the entire time they interacted for the rest of the book.

And that brings me to Regina, the third party here. She has a pretty major attitude switch halfway through. At the beginning, she's dating Chloe and apparently breaks up with and gets back together with her multiple times. She manipulates Hawkins into tutoring Chloe for free, weaponizes Hawkins' crush, and doesn't treat anyone very nicely. Then, at the halfway point, she becomes a much more developed character. You can see her perfectionism and academic obsession hitting her hard, as well as her attempts to reel it in. I found myself wanting to see more of her.

Because, here's the thing - when Regina is mean to Hawkins, Hawkins stands up for herself. So why does Chloe get a pass? She's not as direct, but Chloe is so continually irritating.

This is the difference. I prefer a mean character who has to reflect and apologize for their actions over a mean character who's just "like that" and it's not treated as a flaw.

Whatever. The epilogue was pretty cute, but I didn't like Chloe throughout this whole book. 2.5/5 stars.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little high school story about friendship and love triangles. Fluffy, but oh so nice.

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cute! It had great queer rep and was just a fun and easy read. The high school drama and antics were entertaining. The art style was nice, I really liked all the pink vibes!

[Kelly Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I was going to love this graphic novel about friendship and romance, but the story did not address the constant controlling and mean behavior between the characters, and some parts of the story were just not believable. The characters felt too two dimensional to me.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely adorable! It's amazing to see a cute, high school romance with 3 Sapphic girls who each have such distinct and interesting personalities, interests, strengths, and styles. Belle of the Ball is a romance, but it's also a story about the importance of friendship, having confidence in yourself, and prioritizing what makes you feel happy and fulfilled. It's a rare love triangle where you like all 3 people, and you're rooting for all 3 of them to end up in a good place (which they do!). The art style and color palette is adorable too! Belle of the Ball made me smile throughout, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly for school libraries. If my school wasn't an all-boys middle school and therefore not quite the target audience (although boys definitely can and should read it too!), I would buy it for the library in a heartbeat. I might buy it for myself regardless!

[LesbianBarista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was honestly such a cute read all about loving yourself and finding people who will only help you grow into that fun and odd side of yourself.

I will admit, I'm bummed it didn't end in polyamory but in terms of love triangles, it was honestly one of the better ones I've seen. Belle and Chloe's love story warmed my heart and made me smile as the two slowly grew used to each other, got excited to be around one another, and inevitably got to be together.

The art style and expressions cracked me up. They absolutely perfected the moods and matched the fun tone of the story.

Loved it!

**Thank you to NetGalley & First Second Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

[Neon · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Five Stars.

First off I would just like to say that this was one of my most favorite graphic novels, and I'm not even really into romances, I'm an action guy mostly.

Art/Cover Art: The colour pink is my favourite, so to have a graphic novel in shades of pink... Fantastic.

One of the characters reminds me of someone I used to have a crush on before the both of us transitioned. But it's funny because they look like Chloe now, more than they did back when I was crushing.

I'm married now, so it's just kind of nostalgic.

The plot is super cute, set in high school at a time everyone is planning for college.

Cute as heck. I'd buy this.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

LET'S GO LESBIANS, LET'S GO!

This was so cute! I did not read the blurb so I had no idea where it was going but I loved it. My singular complaint is that I wish there was more but it's still a really long graphic novel so maybe I'm pushing it but I loved that all the characters had their own things to work through and make progress and be cute and adorable and even the character that feels a little bit irredeemable at the beginning has her own moment. Lots of love for this very pink and very gay graphic novel.

[Lemony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo les lesbiennes, bravo les butchs, bravo les fems, bravo les mean girls lesbiennes, bravo les lesbiennes toxiques

C trop drole les gens qui aiment pas pcq les persos sont manipulateurs et toxiques, baby c des lycéennes, of course they are, mais je pense principalement que c des ados qui savent pas communiquer, seems pretty accurate for me, bref moi j'ai kiffé n'en déplaise aux rageux

[jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

the sweetest love triangle! (a real one) i love it soooo much. very queer joy and very much gay disaster mc and butch/femme love interests and i had no idea where this was going but! so fun so pink so gay 🫶

[Brie · Rating 5 out of 5]

UGH, this one got to me and my gay little heart 🥸💜. Super sweet (with Spot On pacing and direction) 10/10 would recommend picking up Belle of the Ball.

[Lune · Rating 4 out of 5]

mimi comme tout

[Brigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one day before I had to return it to the library. Also I thought this would end with a poly ship.

*clown noises*

The art style is cute, but yeah not a fan of cheating... the conflict was so quickly resolved too.

[Brujaxa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really cute! The story has more depth than it looks, and I really enjoyed it.

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was charming! I am so thoroughly sweetened by the romance in here- it's fluffy, nerdy, and involves real, actual friendship at the core of the relationship. Plus, lesbians going on an adorable renaissance festival date?? Sign me tf up for more of this. My only real gripe is that the ending happened superrrr fast, and I think the story would have felt more real/satisfying to have those final few scenes fleshed out a few more pages.
Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed books like "Heartstopper" or "Giant Days".

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! It reminded me a lot of Heartstopper. I loved all the characters and how they interacted with each other. The story was fantastic as well. It was so cute! I would highly recommend checking this one out if you like cute, slice-of-life graphic novels.

[meghana. s · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS THE SAPPHIC LESBIAN GRAPHIC NOVEL OF MY DREAMS OH MY GOD EVERYONE READ THIS NOW OR DIE

[Zimmy W · Rating 4 out of 5]

omg this was messyyy. but fun and very cute!