What If We Were... Book 2

Si on était... (What If We Were...) #2

by Axelle Lenoir, Pablo Strauss (Translator)

Teen girls rewrite the universe every day… but now they’re going even further! Reunite with Nathalie and Marie — and their new friend/crush Jane Doe — for their wildest, most hilarious games of imagination yet, including an extended fantasy epic!

Marie and Nathalie are the queens of make-believe. They’ve run through every scenario that is possible, somewhat plausible, or frankly unbelievable – secret-agent ninjas launching a surprise-attack on an ice-cream stand, super-heroes hell-bent on making country music disappear, even lost astronauts condemned to spend millions of light years in another dimension. The name of the game? “What If We Were…”

But all of this was a mere prelude to “What If We Were… For Real! ” The alternate version is just like the classic game, minus the mental gymnastics of thinking up fantasy scenarios. Because now Marie and Nathalie’s wildest fantasies are coming true… for real!

Let’s hope that years of practice have readied the girls for this new challenge, because they’re headed back in time on a magical quest to a new realm where they must defeat their physics teacher, an adept of black magic and sinister kidnappings!

Good luck, girls!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Lesbian, Young Adult, Bande Dessinée

88 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2022

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The eminently likable characters from the first book get to have a longer adventure -- a fairy tale with wishes, a villain, and a damsel in distress -- instead of a string of repetitive gags and this outing is so much better for it.

Goofy fantasy fun.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't a fan as much of the longer fairy tale piece and I'm wondering why Jane was so little of the focus. Not that I wanted a dramatic tug of war between the friends and the new girlfriend or anything, but she seemed to only pop up here and there despite enjoying What If We Were...

Hope there will be another!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 for me
There were little lags, and then something awesome, endearing, and/or funny would happen.
Loved the friendship between Nat & Marie, the inclusion of Jane and to a lesser extent Sam.
I enjoyed the letters to Santa.

The fairy tale portion felt like it went on a little long, but I was still interested in what would happen next and how it would turn from convention.

Thanks Axelle, let’s see what else hoopla has of your work.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than the first one

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book works best when it abandons the "What if we were" format and tries to tell an actual story. I was by no means surprised when I got to the end and Lenoir talked about how she wrote these as short strips for a magazine because that's exactly what these feel like. And while they are entertaining, they are much more entertaining in small doses.

[Sneha Jaiswal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't think "What if we were" would get a book two, it's a silly, crazy, amazingly drawn comic that's simply about two friends playing a game where they keep imagining themselves in hypothetical situations that range from mundane to insanely fantastical. If you liked book 1, you'll for sure like this one two.

I absolutely love Axelle Lenoir's artwork! Total fan.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a refreshing read

I loved the scenarios in this graphic novel. Imagination is often such an underrated theme and the author does a phenomenal job of portraying it with these characters. The visuals are stunning and I loved all the characters. Reading this as an adult reminds you that the world is beautiful and full of surprises.

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great exercise in wild imagination and how art can reflect that.
In regards to the actual narrative tho, there's still not much. Other than the extended segment in the middle about being in a medieval fantasyland, character development is shrugged off & actual relationships are nothing in service to the wacky visualizations going on in each panel.

[Christopher Dicaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une suite tant attendue!
Le retour de Marie et Nathalie, toujours bien accompagnées! Les histoires d'Axelle Lenoir, avec "Si on était... tome 2", sont parfaites pour développer l'imagination et prouver aux ados qu'ils peuvent être ce qu'ils veulent!

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this more than the first one. I feel like it was more developed and I cared about the characters more. The “What if we were…” scenarios were more fleshed out I felt like which made me enjoy them more!

[Morgan🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!

I liked this book better than the prequel, watching the characters grow and develop was nice! I like that it touched on some of the questions readers may have had about the first book. Art is super cute! and the what if scenarios were elaborated on more

[Chantal HK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deux amies très intenses jouent à si on était à un niveau inégalé, ce qui crée des moments étranges, comiques, existentiels, complètement déjantés....

[Annie Laflèche · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'était un réel plaisir de retrouver les filles pour de nouvelles aventures :)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Quick! Let's burn my dresses!"
I cackled!

[AquaMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So... what if I was...

A LIBRARIAN??

Well... I'd get to read ALL the books and even preview exciting and awesome NEW books (like this one) before they officially hit the shelves!!

And I'd get to hang out on Goodreads (and other Bookish Communities) and talk books with other Readers. Because it's all in the name of researching new books. And, as a Librarian, I would have to stay on top of that game, never letting anyone one-up me.

And for sure I'd have a cat or three, because every Good Witch Librarian needs a Familiar to do their bookish bidding and to cuddle up and make the reading environment extra cozy. Because books are just better when there's a cat about.

Oh, and I'd have a Magical Box that, when opened, silenced ALL the noise around me. So no need to ever say "Shush" ever again.

Actually, I AM a librarian, and all that I said right now... That's all true!

Except for the Magic Box bit. That was from an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark.

And I don't "shush" people. Not unless they're screaming bloody murder in the bathrooms again (our bathrooms have better acoustics than Carnegie Hall), in which case I'd usually first check to see if everything is all right. And then I shush.

As for my review:
What If We Were 2 was as good as (if not superior to) the OG. One, because the characters were already established, so it was like catching up with old friends rather than meeting new people for the first time, so skip all the clumsy introductions and awkward small talk. And Two, because the adventures were even more wild and fun...because the characters were even more skilled at the art of 🌈I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N🌈 than last time around. No spoilers, though

Axelle Lenoir is fast becoming one of my favorite Graphic Novelists. My favorite is still Camp Spirit, but the "What If We Were" duology is awesome too. And Secret Passages resonated with me in a way that only a book penned by someone who grew up in the 80s/90s and played the Ultra-Hardcore-Demigod level of the Holiday Catalog Game could.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Travis J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continued to love the drawing style, so many small details crammed in. Really missed have an overarching plot like Vol. 1 had and the magic/rules of the world expanded in a wild way. This kind of felt like watching Joker 2 where the creative was like eff you for glorifying the first one, I’m just gonna do whatever I want. I liked that it was a playground for experimenting and the creator obviously cares abt the audience (unlike Joker) but this was more medium with no clear interest in a Vol. 3. (I’d still read it tho!) (3.5/5)

[Christèle Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cette auteure est tellement une belle découverte j'adore tellement les multiple univers crée par Marie et Nathalie. Et j'aime beaucoup ses 2 personnages et les nouveaux qui prennent un peu plus de place dans ce tome là. C'est vraiment une ode à l'imagination mais aussi à accepter qui l'ont est comme on est.

[Molly]

so fun! i still love this concept and how these feel like weekly comic strips with a short adventure or joke, and then this volume includes a longer fairy-tale esque trip that was a blast. i'd love to see more longer/interconnected stories and more of the side characters in the future!

[bry:3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute are you jorking me, nat and marie forever sauce

[Vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish