Best friends Agnes and Daisy must learn to say goodbye in this coming-of-age YA graphic novel perfect for fans of Booksmart and Pumpkinheads from debut creator Victoria Evans.
Daisy and Agnes have always had each other.
And that’s all they’ve ever needed—or wanted, at least. So when Agnes’s mom drops the bombshell that she and Agnes are moving at the end of the summer, the girls are crushed.
All seems lost until the pair unearth "The History of Everything," an old friendship scrapbook with the ultimate bucket list to make their last summer together unforgettable. But when Daisy starts dating a charming drummer, her social calendar suddenly has less room for her best friend. Insecurities bubble to the surface, and Daisy and Agnes begin to question if their friendship is meant to last the summer, much less forever.
In this tender graphic novel debut, Victoria Evans delves into the heart of a best friendship and explores what it means to grow up without growing apart.
What's funny is that I absolutely shipped Daisy and Noah at the beginning, and wanted her to find love or another friend so she'd know it would be okay after Agnes left, but then she kept taking him to all the events she and her best friend had planned, and downplaying their interests because Noah didn't get them.
I still had a good time with this, don't get me wrong, I even felt my heart squishing and shed a few tears throughout, but I would've loved this so much more if the girls got to do all they had planned and Noah was in the background being a supportive boyfriend.
Too much time was spent on them fighting, it took Daisy so long to come to her senses. And Daisy didn't even properly apologise for it all, while poor Agnes constantly had to be cool with everything, her only "fault" is that she didn't talk to her friend a bit earlier about what was bugging her.
I will say that the story felt realistic, I could 100% believe this happened in real life because it has, I just wish the story didn't focus so much on Daisy's boyfriend ruining the list is all.
As an alt person, I loved the fashion and the art style, and would definitely read another novel by Victoria Evans. I'd also love a little sequel to this, so these two can get the ending they deserve.
i just want to start this off by saying the art is GORGEOUS and adds so much to this story. art style is something that can easily draw me into or push me away from a graphic novel, and this easily became one of my favorites.
the history of everything follows two best friends who have to spend one last summer together as one of them is forced to move away, and if you have ever had to make a move like this (i have), it will certainly hit close to home. victoria evans easily shows the difficult emotions that come with knowing you have to tell your closest friend bye, being scared of what will come, and trying to plan your time after the move happens.
the two best friends, agnes and daisy, approach the move in different ways and have to come to terms with that and find what works best for them in order to have an excellent final summer and future together even while they’re hours apart. this story does a great job at showing how one has to approach their own feelings, but also take into consideration the other party’s. agnes and daisy butt heads as they try and navigate this upsetting time, but at the root of it, they are lifelong best friends and evans does a great job portraying this dichotomy.
overall, the history of everything is a gorgeous coming of age story that highlights this upsetting moment many people experience. evans’ art style really highlighted the character’s emotions which i loved as agnes and daisy navigate growing up, love, and all sorts of relationships. plus, it was just a bonus for me that they were two alternative outcasts. i highly recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves, or had ever found themselves, in the character’s shoes because it truly is heartwarming.
*thank you to netgalley and harpercollins’ children’s book | harperalley for this arc!*
This was a story I'd read or watched a thousand times. I enjoyed the art style and aesthetic, but the story itself was really predictable. I wished it had taken on a new angle of the "it's our last few weeks before I move, let's make the most of it!" trope. It was very similar to others I've read and watched (tv shows and movies) in the past. Not a bad story, and the art was great. It's just a tale I've read and seen a bunch of times before.
Teenage drama of new boyfriends and moving away - now with cute alt goth girls!
After learning her mom took a new job over 12 hours away, Agnes is desperate for one last great summer with her best and only friend, Daisy. Their summer plans will complete their long-lost friendship scrapbook, but keep getting interrupted by Daisy's new crush-turned-boyfriend. Agnes tries to be flexible and wants the best for her friend, but their friendship might be breaking apart.
Really liked this, the art style, tone, and overall plot was great! Their outfits are a dream, a good mix between 90s and modern goth. I wish I was this stylish as a teenager, bonus that Daisy is plus-sized but this is never treated like a plot point. It's so nice to see a "spending all her time with new boyfriend" plot where the boyfriend is actually a good guy! Makes the whole thing feel real and you understand each character's POV.
I do think Agnes is way too big of a bitch to her mom (she says how she HATES her in like the first 10 pages wtf), especially when her mom is actually really cool with her daughter's attitude. I do get the outbursts, and I still liked her as a character, but oh my god I hate when kids are such brats to their parents. There is also hints towards her going through the stages of grief which makes her more sympathetic. Daisy is really sweet, and yeah should have definitely carved out more time specifically for her best friend, but I also get her annoyance at Agnes as the story goes on.
The depiction of female friendship with the usual dose of teenage angst and drama makes for a great graphic novel!
A very pretty art style with a solid plot. Got very annoyed with Daisy's character ngl, like girl have we learned nothing, do not ditch your friends for a fancy new boyfriend. At least it was a nice change of pace that the boy wasn't like egging her on, he understood that she needed to fix things with Agnes and knew that it was important after Daisy finally told him the whole story.
The art style/costume design on this graphic novel is fabulous, fwiw.
The plotting though... the characters were thoughtless in a way that is typical for teenagers, but narratively frustrating and unbalanced. The story presents it as if Agnes and Daisy were equally at fault, but that's just not true? The story is just a bunch of bad shit happening to Agnes and she has to tank it .
I really hate the "I hope Jakey dies" meme for a lot of reasons, but frankly, if there ever was a situation for it... I mean, Noah (the Jakey) was a perfectly sweet character. He respected Daisy's boundaries and was very understanding. The problem is that Daisy kept inviting him to shit and prioritizing him over Agnes.
would i recommend this book? yes! trigger warnings: abandonment, grief.
i literally inhaled this, oh my god. i finished in about thirty minutes and really all i can say, over and over, is that this was so cute! i've been looking for the perfect little graphic novel, and i swear this was it. the art style was so beautiful and the reliance on "gothic" colors like blacks, blues, purples, and reds to tell the story was such a unique spin on it. and i really do have to stress how good the art was, because i fully believe that the art is the selling point of the book.
the story itself is cliche as all get out. a very cookie cutter "best friend moves away, they have a fight, they make up" story, but with a more gothic spin on the characters is really what this was (so i know you're probably questioning the five star rating, but i'm very lenient when it comes to graphic novels!) what i did appreciate, cliche story aside, was the depiction of the rocky relationship between agnes and her mom—because agnes never really hated her, and her mom was still willing to jump to her aid and protect her no matter how angry agnes was at her. i think that depiction of her mother's maternal instinct was really sweet, and i just love that they still had a good relationship by the end of the book despite their twists and turns. i know the focus of the book is friendship, but i did like the depiction there (but don't go into this expecting a sugary sweet mother/daughter relationship because it's not that lol).
i also think the depiction of friendship and the hardships even the best of friends can go through was really great too. despite how predictable the overall story was, it was still nice to see a depiction of friendship that, while it may not have been the healthiest when truly put to the test, was still able to persevere.
anyway enough half asleep ranting. very sweet book with gorgeous illustrations, definitely give it a read!!
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was expecting a great friendship story but sadly this wasn't what I got. I really loved the illustrations but the story put me off a little. I thought i'd get these two best friends saying goodbye but instead I got a lot of fights because of a stupid boy and the friend who did nothing wrong ended up apologizing and that's a big no-no. This made me a lot angry and not in a good way. But I really liked the drawings and the concept. I just wasn't a huge fan of the plot. I was very enthralled though. I just didn't enjoy how things turned out but that was quite literary my problem, doesn't take anything away from the book itself.
Remember being a teen and having your best friend move away? The spiraling and existential crisis that ensued? Wondering if you were really meant to be friends forever, or just temporary and inevitably doomed?
Somehow nostalgic, tender, and all together sweet: Victoria Evans manages to capture the experience with this tale of friendship and growing as you go.
This story is centered around two best friends: Agnes and Daisy. Right as summer starts, Agnes finds out her family’s moving at the end of the summer.
Having friends move away usually feels like the end of the world. For the most part, the world keeps going afterwards, but change is tough! Agnes and Daisy try to make the most of their last summer together; making it unforgettable by following an old beloved scrapbook, despite the unexpected developments in each other’s lives.
Wonderful art and great character design, paired with great color schemes!
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this!
A very cute and relatable story. The characters were so well-realized and I could see both of their perspectives as they navigated change, friendship and family drama. This was written and illustrated by a local artist and I loved seeing the little nods to Ottawa throughout.
This was a cute coming of age YA graphic novel about two best friends who have one last summer to spend together before one moves away. But when Daisy gets a new boyfriend she finds herself wanting to spend more and more time with him, leaving Agnes all alone. A bit angsty and the art has strong goth vibes but it was still a good book about female friendship.
The story follows two best friends, Agnes and Daisy, trying to navigate their summer together, but things get complicated when Daisy starts spending more time with her boyfriend, Noah. From early on, I could tell this was going to be one of those plots where a friend prioritizes their romantic relationship over their friendship, and honestly, it’s not my favorite trope. It’s frustrating to watch someone disregard their friends just because they’re in a relationship, even if it’s somewhat understandable—she’s a teenager and it’s her first boyfriend. Also, Agnes never really expresses her feelings clearly, which makes it harder for Daisy to realize she’s hurting her—but at the same time, Daisy should’ve just known. Friends shouldn’t have to spell it out for you to stop neglecting them.
That said, the friendship between Agnes and Daisy felt very realistic. Their dynamic, the misunderstandings, and the emotions all rang true, even if they annoyed me. Noah, surprisingly, was a decent character—he didn’t fall into the usual annoying boyfriend category, which was a nice change. I also really liked Agnes’s mother and their relationship; it added a grounded, heartfelt element to the story.
I liked the character design, the art was great overall—Agnes’ room in particular, I loved her room.
In the end, I was happy that things worked out, but this kind of plot just isn’t for me.
a classic "parents force you to move away from all your friends" tale, which ALWAYS gets me, with a side of "your best friend got her first boyfriend and ditched you" which ALSO ALWAYS GETS ME!!! i just felt so bad for agnes this whooole novel, and like....okay i know they made up at the end but daisy being like well agnes stopped talking to me because i was ditching her for my boyfriend and ignoring the bucket list we made together SO i'm going to....do the bucket list items with my new boyfriend! daisy that's CRAZY WORK. very messy and accurately teen but also the plot kinda fell flat for me beyond my outrage at daisy hahaha. very very cute art though!!
I absolutely loved the art style so much, but I hated the boyfriend storyline and how there was no actual apology or recognition from Daisy that her actions caused a lot of grief for Agnes, like bringing her partner along to everything, changing plans on a whim, and abandoning Agnes mere weeks before she was supposed to move away forever. Them reconciling at the end without so much as an apology from one another is unrealistic, or maybe I just value communication and remorse in relationships LOL
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
After the devastating news that her mom got a new job and they’d be moving 12 hours away, Agnes and her best friend Daisy plan to finish the adventure book list they started as kids and have the best (and hopefully not last) summer together.
What starts out as a fun way of doing and remembering all the fun things they’ve done while growing up turns sour after Daisy starts inviting the new boy (and her new crush) in town along with them. The plans they have begin to change which only ignites the fear in Agnes that they are both going in opposite directions. Will their friendship end and this be the last memories they have of each other?
This was incredibly sweet and full of friendship. As a teenager, everything seems a million times worse: the move is the end of the world, you’ll never make another friend, you’ll never see each other again, or something even worse. As an adult we know that if it’s meant to work out, it will. If you want to stay friends, you make the time. You have to be a good friend.
I feel like The History of Everything was very accurate to what friendship is like, especially when one person meets their first love/boyfriend. Love can make people do things that they wouldn’t normally do. You have to speak up and talk honestly. Once they finally did that, it all worked out.
Graded By: Mandy C. Cover Story: Goth Potatoes BFF Charm: Big Sister Swoonworthy Scale: 3 Talky Talk: The Exquisite Horror of Reality Arty Art: Broody Bonus Factor: Hunter Relationship Status: I’d Hug You Even if You’re Too Cool For That
Daisy and Agatha decide to make a summer bucket list and plan when they'll do everything so they won't have any regrets when Agatha moves away. But then Daisy starts dating, and communication falls apart. It's unclear how they'll stay friends if neither can be honest.
For what it's trying to do, this graphic novel succeeds marvelously. I'm not a huge fan of middle school drama and miscommunication, but it was handled well in this book. The art style is great, very nostalgic.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read The History of Everything.
I absolutely adored this beautifully illustrated graphic novel about friendship. Agnes and Daisy are childhood best friends but as they are getting older, everything is changing. I really loved this story and how real it felt- so many readers can relate to different aspects of this story. 4 stars
3.5⭐️ The emotional depth in this novel, particularly its exploration of friendship, was well executed. I enjoyed watching the characters grow and learn about themselves and each other. The artwork was beautifully done and easy to follow. However, I believe there could have been further character development and a stronger resolution (though I did find the ending cute!)
4.5 stars...oh my gosh...why am I crying right now?! I felt so heartbroken for Agnes through this entire book and that ending just hit me hard. I have to round this up to 5 stars because it made me so emotional...I'm not sure it has that full 5 star new all time favorite feeling...but I was caught off guard by how much this one got to me.
I felt like this book was weirdly lacking in heart. I would say the biggest appeal was the art style (very 6teen). I would say not enough happened and too much of the same thing happened. I would also just like to add my friend group literally last year was trying to balance Supernatural marathons with various Summer responsibilities trying to cram in as much as possible before I moved, so this story should be relatable to me but it just wasn't.
I’m sobbing 😭 Now I want a second book to see what happens next. I want to see how life goes the next year for both of them and if they keep in touch. I loved this book. Full of millennial teen nostalgia. Perfect little slice of life story.
An excellent young adult graphic novel focusing on how friendships change. I was totally jealous in highschool when one of my best friends hung out with her boyfriend everyday instead of the rest of us.