Everyone Sux But You

by K. Wroten

A bold and singular young adult graphic novel about the highs and lows of adolescence, queer love, and learning to accept yourself for who you are—unflattering Tripp pants, choppy mullets, dirty Docs and all—perfect for fans of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Daria and Ladybird.

High school senior Carson Flynn doesn't give a damn—about you, about school, or about her future. The only thing she cares about is jumping into mosh pits at punk shows with her best friend Ash.

But when Ash and Carson's friendship becomes something more, a lot of complicated feelings enter the pit swinging: the unresolved grief they share over the loss of Carson's mother, the realities of growing up queer in small-town America, and the biggest bruiser of all: what does it mean to love and be loved?

As Carson discovers new corners of her heart, she sees that her too-cool approach to life may have been keeping her closed off from her potential. Maybe there is something greater out there, a bright future full of promise . . . if only she could convince Ash to see it too.

Everyone Sux But You, the first young adult graphic novel from award-winning comics creator K. Wroten, defines what being a teen feels like while redefining what a graphic novel for teens can be.

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

368 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:

*2.5 rounded up

There’s a difference between a character and pawns with problems. Here all we have is the face of teen ennui. At the throws of an uncertain future, grief, and confused love, we have a scattered odd-end group of emo kids who really don’t know how to hand out their love. On top of this, they don’t even know what they want. And at the base of this, these people, in essence, are not people. They’re just problems. They have no heart or soul. They have all their great Netflix one-liners, but without any of the heart. It’s a confused mess of a book without any strong direction. If its only purpose was to portray the face of teen angst, then this is it. And that is all.

Highly underdeveloped, but enjoyed the style in its wide-eyed Gumby-flimsy Scott Pilgrim emo-ness.

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this fun little graphic novel!

this one is available tomorrow, May 20th, 2025.

--

i love k. wroten's graphic novels. i've read cannonball and was very familiar with their work in the messy queer genre. this little graphic novel is a speedy read and no exception to their previous skill; i would, in fact, say that this story was even better than their other work.

here's a story about a couple of best friends named carson and ash, both obsessively attached at the hip and yet, it's not for the better. no, this is a friendship that becomes toxic whenever they start to express feelings for each other, even if it means leading other people on. even if it means that they make plans to escape the featureless midwest for the west coast, a dream that gets derailed whenever carson gets into a dream school on the east coast.

this is a story punctuated by trauma and truly personifies the Bigness each choice in your youth seems to be full of, when everything feels like the end of the world when really, your life is just beginning.

loved this one.

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You were sleeping beauty with a bedbug infestation. And I am the Orkin man. Here with your sweet salvation.”

Woah! This was a trip down memory lane. I know people say that everyone goes through an emo phase, but mine was around the same time that this book takes place. Mentions of MySpace, Radio Shack, Blockbuster… it all made my head spin at times. In a good way.

Everyone Sux But You is an introspective look at one person’s life growing up in a small town as a queer person and the relationships that shaped who they grew to be. It felt very surreal looking at the similarities to what I went through at the same time in my life and how looking back and I know that I was severely depressed. So seeing it through those lenses, I know that the MC was put through the wringer.

This was a great story, but I felt like I knew where the ending was taking me… and I was right, but that’s okay. Because I got to learn the lessons with the characters and feel the heartbreak.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an elder emo from the Midwest, this one really got me.

[laurel! · Rating 4 out of 5]

the emotions in this are so raw and real. i loved the addition of songs as chapter titles, i tried to listen to each song during its respective chapter to get the full experience!

i see some people complaining about the art style --- personally i really enjoyed it, it felt authentic to the characters. sometimes side characters were a little difficult to differentiate at first glance, but context clues could make it pretty obvious.

i loved frankie and she deserved better. she was just relentlessly nice to carson even though carson was not exactly doing the same. sometimes it was tough to see why carson was so attached to ash -- wish we got a flashback or two about that! i also wouldve liked the reveal of why ash didnt like jazzy earlier, as for a lot of the first half it seems like ash is just being mean to jazzy for fun.

really enjoyable story overall, a very 'meaty' and complex story for a graphic novel which i appreciate! check this one out when it publishes in a couple weeks :)

[KT]

as i was reading this i was like these characters are probably 2-3 years older than i am and when they graduated i was like CALLED IT - k wroten absolutely nails the late 2000s teenage ennui, the way that u are embroiled in ur surroundings and the same ppl and ur day-to-day drudgery without any escape or respite until of course everything changes rapidly... loveeee the art style. ill confess that i wasnt much of an emo kid (i was solidly in nu metal land lol), but i was peripheral enough 2 it to appreciate the depictions... there were some pieces of the story that felt a little nebulous to me, including the passage of time within it, but i don't think that works against it. i think the main thing i would have liked to have seen more of on the page was ash's relationship to syl in the past. it wouldn't even have to be super spelled out or explicit, just a couple of hints would have done the trick...

but yeah, overall i felt very immersed in the world of this graphic novel. really good stuff !!

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ash reminded me of my piece of shit ex so much that it was starting to ruin my enjoyment of this graphic novel. I'm so happy that Carson left her fucking worthless bitch ass behind.

Sorry for being so mean 💀 this character was insanely similar to my ex that it out me in a bad mood.

The art style also wasn't the best in my opinion and a lot of the humor was not for me.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a hefty graphic novel, both physically and emotionally, and I did ultimately like it and get a lot from it. But it was an especially slow read because I was trying to write a review for No Flying, No Tights and I was having trouble with the font and also, some of the ways characters were drawn - I sometimes found it hard to decipher what was being said and what was happening to whom. I feel like I could go back now and get more from the parts that confused me having waded into the bigger picture, but I might need a bit of time before I try.
Some of the things that really stood out to me that are definitely going to gain it some fans: the chapters are laid out like the tracks on a mix tape that Carson, one of our main characters (arguably our protagonist) receives from her best friend, Ash, who she is in love with. All the songs (and a lot of music references in the book) are early aughts emo music (Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, etc.) and they are included in their entirety at the end of the book (some Spotify users have already created an accompanying playlist). The book is also a pretty relatable exploration of grief, toxic relationships/friendships, and depression. The palette is very minimal - mostly black, white and a light indigo - and this gave it a whole mood but also might have contributed to some of my confusion while reading.
So the story goes: Ash was kind of awful to Carson, Carson was negligent of other people's feelings as she was so absorbed with Ash and also, quite a bit negligent with her own feelings and needs. It is through heartbreak and detaching herself from Ash that Carson is finally able to start healing. The overall message here is that love that leads you to abandon yourself is not really love.
I am giving it four stars because I feel like, despite its messiness in presentation, it is going to stick with me - and I feel like it's going to stick with a lot of other readers, too.

[Paige (pagebypaigebooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 Stars

“If falling in love really is like fireworks, it's only because it's dangerous, stupid, and ought to be illegal... yet idiots do it every day.”

I'd like to thank MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.

Instagram Post

Blog Post

Content Warnings: grief, self-harm, emotional abuse, suicide

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed how the characters, like real teenagers, made mistakes and were messy. However, it felt repetitive as they made the same mistakes over and over. The plot explored the idea of toxic relationships and how harmful they can be. But it was a bit difficult to follow at times because the book starts in the middle of certain events. I thought that the art style captured the mood of the characters and the overall tone of the book well.

[Sana · Rating 2 out of 5]

'If falling in love really is like fireworks, it's only because it's dangerous, stupid, and ought to be illegal... yet idiots do it every day.'

Human beings are complex creatures and so by that logic, I should at the most love and at the least find it interesting when a story that dares to explore the toxic relationships we sometimes find ourselves in especially as queer teenagers. However, virtually nothing worked for me here.

First off, my experience of getting thrown in Carson's story in the middle of a concert with Carson and Ash conversing as if in code didn't help. That feeling of missing a lot of the references on account of Carson being emo even though I'd say I'm pretty well-versed in pop culture references never really went away either.

As for Carson and Ash as characters boy, are they stuck in a toxic loop of their own making. I just couldn't handle them especially Carson making the same mistake over and over so reading this became quite a task since it's clocking in at close to 400 pages, a rarity when it comes to graphic novels. I get that they are teenagers, still have lots to learn, and that it does take a lot to come out of the haze of toxic relationships but their relationship basically bordered on codependency and going behind each other's backs over and over which got old quickly.

I did like Carson's self-reflections, though and the ending is actually nice but felt very surface level and not exactly earned after all the self-destructive behavior the characters were made to go through especially Carson.

Ultimately, Everyone Sux But You was just not my thing from its characters to the story to art. I usually love limited color palettes in comicbooks and while the purple here is gorgeous, the style just made things more messy than clean which then clashed with understanding what was happening on a particular page on more than few occasions.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

As funny as this can be at times, Everyone Sux But You is a raw and emotional story of a high schooler dealing with grief, love, change and outgrowing things that once meant the world to you.
Carson and Ash have always had each other and always will. Ash is the only person who truly understands Carson and her grief over her mom's passing, and the futility of trying hard at anything in life because it's all pretty pointless. Their friendship becomes complicated when Carson realizes she has feelings for Ash, but Ash is dating the new exchange student even though she and Carson kiss...things get messy, and the girls hurt each other and themselves. Carson has to plot her own way forward, but is afraid of leaving Ash behind and going back on the promises they made to each other.
I, a 32 year old, LOVED this. I was a sophomore the year these girls were seniors, so I got all the references (which are pretty deep cut and imbedded - like calling someone a "cog in the murder machine" during the MCR's "Teenagers"-titled chapter) and loved them. I worry that this is going to be lost on teens who were not even alive in 2009, but I feel like the universal feelings and challenges the girls face here will connect with young readers regardless. It's hard to grow up and outgrow people who were once so vital to your life. It's also hard to realize that apathy and nihilism aren't going to bring about a life that is worthwhile.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone Sux But You is a graphic novel that follows high school senior Carson Flynn as she navigates her life as a queer teen in a small town. The other character is Ash, Caron's longtime friend, and the two have complicated feelings for each other. Throughout the book you follow the two as they go to school, work their jobs, date and break up, listen to music, and makes plans for the future--ultimately deciding whether their friendship is worth it and if there is more there. The story is also layered with flashbacks to the death of Carson's mother. The story is difficult to follow at times with the flashbacks, and some of the characters look alike due to the shading in the book. Teens today may not get the references to 2009 era music and shows, but it's enjoyable enough without it. That being said, the story comes together very well in the end, so for the students who will appreciate this storyline, tell them to stick it out: it's worth it. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.

[Ashley (my.bookish.chapter) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read that I admittedly took my time with so I could absorb the message. I enjoyed finding references to my high school years from song titles to the illustrations throughout the book.

Carter has a very deep and troubling high school experience which a lot of people can relate to. The story also highlights just how much teens can be unrelenting trash talkers in the cruelest of ways. I’d still never want to go back to those times, even all these years later.

This is a story about finding oneself, understanding your worth, and how sometimes it means you can’t always have everything you want (at least, not in that moment) no matter how much you want it.

[Meggie Ramm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the tortures of being a queer emo kid in the early aughts, where the only potential for romance is the only other queer kid OR your best friend who might be straight. While Carson muddled through some truly terrible times, this is also the version of the high schooler I WISH I could be. Someone who made mistakes but still stood up for themselves in the end. I got confused at times, there was a part of the mom plot that still left me muddled, and some of the characters looked very similar, but it's still a honkingly huge impressive comic. Good for emo kids who were on the scene, or people who liked Low Orbit.

[Kaytlyn Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

really really nails the trapped feeling of being in relationships with people who only want things from you and you are not allowed to be your own person without being called selfish

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work is thoughtful for a teen graphic novel, but it feels a little messy and I wasn’t a huge fan of the art. I will say that it is very realistic of how life and relationships (especially first loves) can be, so I appreciated that about it. This work isn’t a favorite of mine this year and I don’t think I’d re-read it but I do give it props for what it covers.

Carson is an emo punk lesbian girl who is too cool for most things except for hanging out with her best friend Ash and going to mosh pits at concerts. Carson is in love with Ash, but Ash is a bad influence on her. Carson wrestles with the death of her mother, whom she and Ash both loved very much, and Carson begins to make friends/relationships with others around her at school – different girls, a gay dude, doctors, and teachers. Carson applies for prom queen with the only other queer person at school and they win. Carson also applies for college as a photography major with the encouragement of one of her teachers and even begins to develop relationships with other girls through their love of music. Yet she throws that all away for her situationship with Ash after Ash kisses her. Ash is struggling with her divorced parents, failing senior year, and dating a boy while kissing Carson. Ash picks up Carson and tries to drive them out of the city but in a fit of wildness and toxicity, Ash takes her hands off the steering wheel, landing Carson in the hospital. The book ends with Carson understanding her relationship with Ash is not loving. We see Carson visiting Jazzy (one of the girls she liked from school who taught her music) in NY.

Didn’t Like: I didn’t like the art style – heavy bold lines with little detail. It made it hard for me to distinguish some of the characters and to decipher what was happening in some of the scenes. I think some teens nowadays may have a hard time relating to the whole 08-09 punk grunge vibes they have going on in this book. Some of the references, especially the music, might fly over their heads?

Liked: I loved the color palette – the black, purple, and white. I thought it was awesome that each chapter was titled after a song and that a full soundtrack (title and artist) is located in the back (Mayday Parade and Paramore, let’s go!!) It really fits the emo alternative punk music vibe the book has going on. I liked how the book showed how Ash’s “love” was not really love at all. I was like EWWW whenever she said something that was just so...inappropriately rude and cutting down. And then I was like AHHH when Carson kept making the WORST DECISIONS, going back to Ash, even though Ash kept hurting her! But it clearly showed me how that happens to some, and we can see how easily someone can decide to just quietly go along with that out of a “love” for someone. It shows teens that they shouldn’t have to destroy themselves for another person. I appreciated how Ash’s actions were contrasted with so many other people’s care for Carson in different ways. Love the subtle razor blade scene (powerful with little graphicness) and the nods towards depression, suicide, and despair. We love the 988 suicide hotline resource at the end!!! And the LOTR references! I also thought the author’s note was quite helpful and would be useful for teens. The author speaks about how she saw how her teen years were when she looked back years later, and how difficult circumstances, relationships, breakups, and love were. But how you could grow and rewrite your story and that you have to keep going and moving forward.

“Unlike your body, when your heart breaks, it doesn’t start repairing itself on its own. So we attempt to fix it ourselves in any way we can. But there is no guaranteed method. You have to risk doing it wrong in order to learn to do it right. Each experience brings us a little closer.” (340-341)

“If you have to abandon yourself in order to be with someone, it’s not love.”

[Hal Schrieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Wroten's work--particularly their lines, sharp contrast, and experiments with style! I also find that they return again and again to innocence/adolescence as a theme; their love of the darkness of the teenage heart begins to feel like a nostalgia trap even as they make the case for their obsession with perfect aesthetic focus. Once again, this is about a gender-variant too-serious sad sack with a guilt complex and a habit of idealizing women/infantilizing themselves/becoming fixated on perfection... Carson flops in love and life, following in the footsteps of their suicidal mother, who acts as a precursor for their teen bestie/would-be girlfriend. A more normal girl named Frankie likes Carson, but is not as obsessed with showy demonstrations of devotion or ruckus-making, so is consistently sidelined as Carson tries to make a pact to form a band/flee to California with their codependent best friend, who in turn is fucking a boy. Carson's bones are broken in two separate incidents that are their best friend's fault. The setting this time is Scene Teen Mid-2000s, and our love interest is a girl with raccoon-pattern extensions who probably has borderline personality disorder--and is so destructive, in contrast to Carson's sad Goodness, that one wonders about the author's sympathies for girls who are out of control and probably in need of significant support--or who will end up dead in a few years. There's a beardy stoner gay guy who is an exact double of a similarly drawn character in Eden II. I like a lot of landscapes; the use of periwinkle tone blocks of color in a book that is mostly high-shadow black and white enhances the whole look of the book, and the jokes about the period are exact, specific. The main character's grandmother is a practitioner of the occult, a side detail that adds some amusing unreal flavor. The whole book mirrors the tone of Daria, with sapphic angst amped up to 11, and that does really work for the part of my heart that really wants more Daria at all times.

For people who have loved insane people and been hurt by them, or fallen for girls who aren't sure if they're ready to be gay, it's totally relatable, except for the argument that they will always kill or hurt you if you stay with them--and the implication that complicated people aren't actually capable of love or care. Straight boys aren't given any leeway to be human either-- they're bad artists in the background. The chaos and heartbreak of being lovelorn over a narcissistic, bicurious woman who steals your song titles to give to her boyfriend is high-relief and well-executed, but there's curiously little introspection in this and Eden II compared to Cannonball. In Cannonball, the narcissism of the protagonist herself is clear; here, it seems invisible to Wroten.

I do love that at the end Carson is with an adult goth girl who seems better for them. That's sweet.

[Crimmas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed all of Wroten’s books, but ever since Cannonball they’ve quickly become one of my favorite indie comic artists. On this book I’ll admit to being a little biased, having come up in a similar place and time. But a lot of people have, and afaik there haven’t been nearly enough stories digging into it. Maybe this is a good place to start.

The story digs into rural emo life with the gift of hindsight and mental growth. It’s empathetic and funny without shying away from the reality of how ruthless, destructive, and self-absorbed some very wounded people can be. The climactic events of the story are almost disorienting with how true-to-life the characterizations are. I had those same conversations in those years. I have had them again in the past year with the same person, thankfully for the final time. The frightening refusal to believe that anyone can grow (because they can’t, or won’t) nailed a certain… personality type.

Balancing the immense weights of grief and emotional instability was a genuine and loving kind of nostalgia for the comforts we found in a very, very strange decade. Maybe the emo era was the beginning of self-acceptance. At ground level, in a hostile environment, it was a place for not-yet-fully-aware queer/neurodivergent/minority kids to congregate outside of the reductive circles of what was expected, and that made it very powerful (not that it was always safe). Maybe that just sounds like a continuation of punk rock, but there was an emotional honesty to it that was freeing. It occupied a space between accepting alienating emotions and experiences for what they are and learning to stop chasing the limerence dragon, something that took me decades to learn. For me this story really lands that weird balance between learning to cope and learning to grow. There’s a lot of stumbling involved in learning to walk.

[Laura Inga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book suggested by Dr. CV in class, in which I borrowed it since it claimed to be a book about queer, alternative romance and life. I was curious, but a little skeptical about the writing quality, since many comics with really strong or even pandering aesthetics tend to favor illustrations over plot development. This was very fortunately not the case here. I really loved this read, and it felt extremely comforting to know that someone could relate to the events I had growing up in my life.

This book is about a Midwest highschooler who deals with her first queer 'relationship'. The struggle to figure out what to do with her life, how to address her issues in love, and what she wants her future to look like while balancing trauma.
Carson's mom died while she was young (implied suicide) and was supported by her best friend Ash. Now in high school, over the course of the book, their friendship develops into something complicated and toxic, making Carson question what her ambitions really look like, who she is without Ash, and how she wants to be a real friend to the people around her.

The simple colors, art style, and series of events portrayed in the book are striking to the eyes, and pleasing to read. It's somewhat fast paced and an overall enjoyable read. I think I would end up reading this again out of comfort, and I listened to Parachute by Hayley Williams on repeat the entire time. My heart hurt, and it was so worth it. I wish I had this book growing up in early high school, my younger self would've loved this so, so much, and it healed a younger version of me that understood that life is not so simple when you always choose to live inside your emotions.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carson is in love with her wild and crazy best friend Ash, but Ash always seems to be too busy getting into trouble and pulling scams to commit to a relationship. Since Ash is a narcissist, she always manages to twist things to make it seem like Carson's fault that things are awkward between them. Life is tumultuous for Carson beyond the normal teen angst--her mother died in what some say was a suicide. No wonder she likes emo music so much.

Carson finds herself at a turning point: either she transforms into Ash (giving up on college, breaking the law and engaging in risky things, and treating those who love her like crap) or betraying Ash by pursuing college.

I picked this graphic novel and started reading some of up, then got distracted by other books, so when I came back to it, I was rather confused about who some of the characters were. The art is distinctive--it reminds me of graffiti art in a way. I am dense, so it didn't dawn on me that flashbacks about her mom were depicted in purple. I think if I read this a second time, I would get more out of it. The characters are close enough in age to me that making each other mixed CDs brought up some nostalgia for me--but I never got into emo, unless we are talking "The Cure" kind of emo. I am big into music and played in bands, so the portrayal of musicians felt hilariously accurate to me.

[Zaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone Sux But You has a sharp art style that matches its characters and the messy complicated feelings of senior year. It took me a while to connect with this story because I wasn’t very attached to any of the characters at first, and especially disliked Ash. She is supposed to be a chaotic and harsh person, and certainly represents a lot of what Carson has struggled with regarding the loss of her mom and feeling adrift. But, Ash was just way too self absorbed and hectic for me. Part way through the book I was much more invested in Carson’s other relationships and the stories behind side characters.

I enjoyed all the references to pop culture at the time (2009) and graduated high school just 2 years before Carson so a lot was familiar to me. The running theme of song titles as chapters was an enjoyable detail. I found some of the writing to be a little jumpy and confusing, but maybe those were references I didn’t get. While this book didn’t connect for me as strongly as I anticipated there are certainly teens out there who will relate to this story, and the emo/hardcore scene it takes place in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone Sux But You is a time capsule into toxic teenage queer codependence and mutual want/heartbreak in a way that's pretty real! Inspired by author/illustrator K Wroten's own experiences as a youth, we follow Carson Flynn, a very of-the-era emo kid dealing with grief and loss and the lack of sense of self trying to just get through her teenage years side by side with long time friend Ash, who's been there through it all-- and not always for the best.

I think a lot of us queer adults have had some sort of toxic queer teen relationship of sorts (mine was never romantic but like...) so even though this was set in the era after mine (I think they in this graphic novel graduated in 2009 and boy was it rife with 2008/2009 references, from MySpace to the housing crisis/recession to the music cited at every chapter while I graduated in 2001) there was a lot I could connect with despite being rather straight-laced myself at that age.

It felt a bit long and took me a minute to get into, but once I got into it it crawled under my skin and into the deep places I look back on occasionally like, "haha, wow, teenage years... huh..."

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot to love about "Everyone Sux But You" - incredible narrative pacing, engaging and lively artwork, and a deeply moving story. This is one of few works that attempts to seriously consider the social context around emo music as both a cultural phenomenon and a worldview - this was more than an aesthetic for a lot of teenagers, the music and the scene gave form and feeling to inexpressible longing, grief and feeling at odds with the world at large.

I love how the story is framed with an epistolary format (Carson writing a letter to her mother), as well as how richly developed all the secondary characters are too. Wroten has poured into making this midwest, mid-2000s high school world feel not just real, but felt. They have an incredible eye for detail - the cringey lyrics of a self-styled music bro, the gentle reassurance of a queer teacher that endeavours to help the protagonist reach beyond her circumstances... all of it synthesises together in Wroten's gorgeous lilac and black drawings. There's a real liveliness to the poses, expressions and backdrops of every scene. This is a really knockout book that I think will have an especially meaningful impact on teenagers and youth struggling with similar issues. A real landmark feat in YA graphic novels.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Lesbians, man. No boundaries."

They say that smell is the strongest sense tied to memory but, for me, it's always been sound or, more specifically, music. When I hear particular bands or songs or albums, I'm immediately transported back to certain times or events from my life, maybe because I was actually listening to that music at that specific moment or, more often, because that music soundtracked that era of my life. All the emo and pop-punk music referenced in K. Wroten's queer coming-of-age/doomed romance comic, "Everyone Sux But You," was a part of my life, too, so I saw a bit of myself in these characters, despite being a straight, white, middle-aged man. Combining elements of "Scott Pilgrim," Liz Suburbia, and Punknews, "Everyone Sux But You" is a punchy, messy, and occasionally heartwarming graphic novel about perhaps the most punchy, messy, and occasionally heartwarming time in a person's life. It didn't entirely work for me, story-wise, but I loved these characters because they were 100% the kinds of kids I would've hung out with in high school (ugh, high school, am I right?). Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go blast some Bayside.

[norm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this graphic novel i really enjoyed this one a lot actually i read a lot of graphic novels but this one definitely is up there with my favorites i loved the old school MySpace emo / goth vibes and all the nostalgia regarding the music and just the time the book took place i really loved how the color of all the art was a really pretty purple and black it really fit the theme. This novel had a lot of storylines it touched down about finding yourself, navigating loss , friendships , love etc it had it all and for that i wanted to keep reading to see what our main character goes through and seeing the growth of the character as well.. This novel was over 300 pages and that is one of my favorite thing in graphic novels i think people who like graphic novels will really like this one a lot i sure did. Cute artwork , good story, good side characters it also touched down on mental health as well and i think that is a very important topic.

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review!!

This is a very insightful graphic novel about a young woman learning to change and leave behind what hurts her. I loved the look at codependency and understanding that you can be a better person and leave behind those who want to keep you where you are forever. Carson and Ash’s friendship was so toxic and unhealthy and I’m glad Carson was able to see that. She pushed everyone away who was trying to help her for Ash. Carson also struggles with the sudden death of her Mother when she was younger and that bled into her dependency on Ash. The ending actually had me wanting to tear up a little bit because I know we’ve all had friendships that were awful we hung onto for too long at that age. The art in here was weird but in a good way. I really enjoyed this and look forward to more like this!

[Badger · Rating 5 out of 5]

2009. two teenaged life-long friends struggle with the imminent divergence of their paths in life. this struck such a realistic chord, and i loved every choice the author made with this story. one thing in particular i loved was how all the side characters were so three-dimensional and had their own complete worlds. it was very similar to the movie the edge of seventeen
which i also highly recommend. the art was also unique and paired perfectly with the story and characters.

i think a lot of people could connect to this story. being young is hard, and good things and people are often indistinguishably knitted together with their harmful counterparts.

my thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the early digital review copy.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone Sux But You is a solid coming-of-age story that explores the complexities of growing up. However, I have to admit that I’m not the target audience for this book, and I had difficulty relating to the main characters. The teenagers in the story make some questionable decisions, which, while realistic, made it hard for me to connect with their experiences.

Additionally, the artwork could be challenging to follow at times, as I struggled to distinguish the characters from one another. This made it harder to engage with the visual aspect of the story.

While I can see how this book might resonate with its intended audience, I personally couldn’t recommend it based on my experience. But, again, I acknowledge that I’m not the target demographic for this book.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 2006, this coming-of-age graphic novel explores multiple topics relevant to teens (and some that will also resonate with adults): grief, growing up queer, accepting yourself, not knowing what to do with your life, the troubles of high school, love, heartbreak, mental health struggles, etc.⁣⁣
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I enjoyed how the narrative flows between the main character writing in her journal to her deceased mom to her everyday life as a student. I found the characters and their interactions realistic.⁣⁣
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The novel has a great ending showing the fmc’s growth & I appreciated the overall message.⁣⁣
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I also really liked the black and purple art style, as well as the track list the author provided for Carson’s emo mix cd!⁣⁣
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Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for access to this ebook!⁣⁣

[Millie Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving a terrible person is HARD. Coming to terms with growing up and having to leave behind what holds you back is harder.

Gotta say, never met an Ashley I liked. Always ironic since it was almost my name. Carson deserves the whole world they’re building for themselves. I like that we’ll never know what ended up happening for Ash, I hope she finds herself too.

I LOVE how this toxic relationship was represented. The shame, the embarrassment, how it makes you feel that pit in your stomach because there’s never a right answer when you talk to them. Everything you do or say somehow directly impacts them, especially most of all when you decide you have to let them be. There’s nothing you can do. They always seem to hate that. And I always seem to hate that for them.