Always Raining Here: A Graphic Novel

by Hazel and Bell

Carter is an impulsive, fun-loving, extremely gay teen on a mission to finally hook up with any cute, single guy who will have him. Unfortunately, his options are slim. Enter recently-single Adrian, Carter's very cute, hardworking, and stressed-out target who rebuffs all of his clumsy seduction techniques. Adrian initially plays along but slams on the brakes when he realizes he is still in love with his ex.

After a messy, uninhibited night at a house party that results in Carter helping both Adrian and his best friend Maria--the two boys form a tentative friendship. As their friendship progresses through countless hangouts and a few too many pizza slices, the two become integral to one another. But can their vague relationship survive their first official hookup, Adrian's self-destructiveness, and a big fight that threatens any chance of either confessing?

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

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter is a horny teenage boy looking for a hookup with few options at his Vancouver high school. He starts an over-the-top flirtation with Adrian, one of the few other out gay students, which only serves to irritate Adrian. But they run in the same social circles and keep seeing each other at parties, at theater rehearsals, in French class. When Carter starts genuinely showing up for Adrian when he most needs a friend (or just a willing volunteer) their relationship starts to change. I first read and loved this story as a webcomic in the early 2010s, and I'm so delighted to see how successfully the story translated into a stand alone graphic novel. There's new art, bonus comics, and an epilogue story. I'm glad this queer coming of age tale will reach more readers now that it's out in bookstores!

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young teen boy trying desperately to find any another gay guy in his small home town to actually falling in love with someone.
This started of really funny with Adrian being a horny idiot and getting turned down by Adrian over and over again. But while he’s kinda mildly staking him to get his attention after all he’s actually starting to like him and they become reluctant friends.
I liked the story overall and how Adrian turned into a really nice guy after all, falling hard for Adrian.
I wish Adrian’s problems with his past relationship and his parents were told a bit more detailed and actually talked about (and maybe solved in the end).

You can tell this is a bit older, since some of the jokes and actions here felt kind of inappropriate to me honestly. I’m an adult so I can tell that hooking up with someone while drunk and not accepting a no is actually not good behaviour and not super funny in real life. Since this is addressed to a YA audience I think some bits should have been reworked to a more modern manner, but maybe that’s just me.

Over all this was a fun and quick read!

Actual rating: 3,75

[Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no nostalgia tied to this webcomic, so I found it to be just ok. This started out really funny and then took on more depth. I do wish that Adrian's character, and specifically his relationship to his parents, was explored more. We barely get any context and have to read between the lines for the story to make sense. I don't know if this was content that was originally in the webcomic and got cut, or what. You can also tell that comic started over 10 years ago--nothing overt, but some things are just clearly aged. However, I did enjoy it overall and found it to be a fun quick read.

[Malale · Rating 4 out of 5]

El cariño que siempre le he tenido siempre a este webcomic desde sus inicios, cuando seguia los uodates de las páginas semanalmente, es el que me ha hecho pillarme este tomo recopilatorio. Releerlo ha sido genial (no me acordaba de lo estupidamente gracioso que es Carter) y encima está redibujado al estilo más moderno y pulido de las autoras. Estoy contentísima con él, aunque es verdad que me ha sorprendido que este ligeramente censurado (el webcomic tiene rating +16 y este diría que es pg +13). Quizás más adelante me pille también los dos volumenes originales, para tener ambas ediciones

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for early copy for review*

The story in this was really cute and I liked how the characters evolved. I am not sure if it is because I had an advanced copy, but the art wasn't great for the whole book. Some of it was terrible and made the reading experience not as great.

[Samantha (samsbookishbrews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

I'm new to the world of graphic novels but I really loved this one! It was so fun getting to watch Carter and Adrian fall in love without even realizing it was happening. I also really enjoyed having the graphics! I will definitely be reading more graphic novels in the future.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet love story, once we get past the problematic beginning.


While I really enjoyed the character development of these two characters, Carter and Adrian, what I didn’t like was that Carter couldn’t take no for an answer, when he tried to “court” Adrian. This got a bit uncomfortable. But once Carter started to see more of Adrian, other than just a hot boy to pursue, and saw him as a human being he could enjoy hanging out with, the story got soooo much better.


As the story developed and we saw that Adrian was a theater nerd and that Carter started watching the rehearsals and even volunteered to go pick up scenery, we see how these two could get together in the end.


Not quite on a par with Heartstopper, but what is. 🙂


Originally a webcomic, apparently the first half had to be redrawn because the artist had gotten so much better, while they wrote it.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 11th of November 2025.

[ChristineReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Always Raining Here" is a lighthearted graphic novel that captures someone chasing love in all the wrong ways. Carter is impulsive and goes for what he wants, oftentimes without considering what others might want or even if they want the same thing.

I felt like this story started a little rocky for me. I am glad I continued reading, not only because it was cute and fun at the end of the day but also because we really get to experience character growth in both Carter and Adrian. We see both of them grow into themselves and ultimately into their relationship with each other. If you were to ask me where this shines, that would be where.

If you love graphic novels and lighthearted reads that celebrate queer love and characters I Would absolutely recommend this. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced readers copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 rounded up to 4 out of 5 stars

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story so much!! I think I’ve read it three times already over the years. This new version with the updated pages is even better. I really like Carter and Adrian, and I love their story. The art is a little inconsistent but it makes sense when you remember that it was drawn over the course of several years, artists evolve after all.

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pub date: November 11th, 2025!!

This was so cute! I am devastated that this is a standalone!! I need more of them!! This graphic novel covered harder topics than I had anticipated from the summary, and I still had a great time. I thought with how the graphic novel started it would be on the goofier side, which it was at times, but there was also some difficult situations a teenager might face included in here, and I really like how the authors navigated through that.

But ESSENTIALLY, this was about a horny teenager who thinks all he wants is a casual hook up, but ends up falling in love, and somehow that had me emotional by the end. This novel covered such a real relationship, and the struggles between two people who are learning to communicate how they feel towards each other, and also who are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want. I wasn't initially sure how the story was going to play out, but I was so surprised to find myself tearing up at the end.

I absolutely adored the art style, and loved the little extra mini story/panels! They were sooo cute!!! I honestly could have read another 100 pages of them. I really hope they decide to make another one with these characters. And my only complaint is that I know that this was originally released from 2010/2011, but with it being remade, I think that the word "Hogwarts" could have been left out of this published version.

Thank you netgalley and first second books for this arc!

4.25 ⭐️

[fanboyriot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually really cute. The art style was so pretty and the characters were amazing. Carter was such a funny character and I adored him and Adrian was such a lovable character too. They fell for each other all the while not even realizing it, which is a great plot point.

(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.)

Read For
✓ Small Town
✓ Hate to Love
✓ Hurt/Comfort
✓ Good Friendships
✓ Young Adult (High School)

⚠️ Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Police brutality
Minor: Cursing, Racism

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Spice Level: 🌶️
Sad Level: 💧💧

Plot: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Enjoyability: 10/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Carter

Pages: 256
Format: ebook
Language: English
Release Date: 11, November 2025
Rep/Extras: Gay (main characters)

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a new fix that now that Heartstopper has ended, Always Raining Here will help fill that gap. This queer love story starts out a little hard. But you grow to love the main character. By the end, it’s just so bleeping happy. These are two guys who maybe shouldn’t like each other but they do. There are things about growing up and family expectations. Apparently, this was a Web comic that’s been turned into a full book for First Second. It translates well, but there are occasional jump scenes where it feels like there might be something missing in between. But overall, the story works well. I know once you read it, you’ll want more.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC!

🌧️❤️

Always Raining Here is a very cute and fun story. The two main characters, Adrian and Carter, are complete opposites of one another and start of on rocky grounds but manage to be drawn to one another.

Adrian is a ‘go with the flow’ kind if gut and Carter is a ‘goody two shoes and always studying’. The banter between the two main characters is actually pretty good and eventually you can start seeing the adoration for one another throughout the story.

Funny, cute and sweet!

[AkiDave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this stories years ago online. Years after that, I was at Disney Springs (Downtown Disney), reading it on the Webtoon app and realizing that I’ve read this story before. Now in 2025, I bought the ebook version of this and had that realization once again, that I’ve read this book before.

It’s almost beautiful in a way? That a story comes into your life at certain moments. Wonder if this story will come back into my life again, years later. Where will I be? Who will I be?

Who knows? And I wonder most of all, why?

[Carly Gesell]

dnf @25%

this graphic novel was not for me, maybe i have just grown out of YA which is very possible. i couldn't get over the toxic beginning the relationship had. the continual hitting on someone after being told no or being turned down rubbed me the wrong way. and some of the language i found to be a bit vulgar or offensive for this to be considered a young adult read.

thank you to first second books and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

started off a little iffy, the first third or so felt like it was written for a different demographic (and it’s a teen book and i’m not a teen soooo…). but i’m glad i stuck with it, it was a cute story and i liked how it progressed!

[Tye Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely adorable. I would die for these two.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s sweet to see these two hooligans figure themselves (and each other) out. Also the art is adorable!

[Lisa Pineo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought about this book for a while before writing the review. I liked it quite a bit at first but some things started occurring to me and it went down a star. I was happy to see the book set in the Great Vancouver area as that's where I live. The way it was described was weird though. I guess since this isn't set in the present time it's not as weird that there are so few LGBTQ people out in the guys' school but even set 10 or so years ago it still seems a bit odd. And no, it's not always raining here. At first I liked the two main characters, Carter and Adrian, but after a while I got uncomfortable with Carter's constant stalking and asking Adrian out. Yes, things were working out for them by the end of the book but really, take a hint and stop when someone tells you no. It's not an invitation to badger them into hanging out or going out or sex. I liked how Carter mellowed a bit and Adrian's anxiety was also lessened over time. I think I enjoyed the art most of all. While I enjoyed the story overall, I don't think I'll feel much of a draw to read the next in the series.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet graphic novel, but it unfortunately opens on a consentless pursuit that's really off putting until some character development begins to happen within the first quarter of the book. I could easily see Carter's introduction encouraging people to close the book. Once you move past Carter's invasiveness and boundary crossing, his story intertwining with the complicated and overworked Adrian's left me wanting more. I really loved the art style and the depth of the color palette as well. I do wish that more of the subplots were wrapped up and not just left unfinished (the theater performance, Adrian's ex, etc) and that the initial consent issues were addressed more directly instead of being dismissed as a part of character development.

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for the arc!

[Elaine White · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this, but...actually, I was really disappointed.

There was unnecessary sexism (male opinions about women), a HUGE focus on sex, and there was an attempted date rape scene that really had no place in the story and felt completely unnecessary.

Honestly, there was a huge frat boy mentality to both MC's. I've read novels about adults who act more like teenagers than these two do. They alternated between horny frat boys and too jaded for their age.

I was expecting far more cuteness, some teen angst, but in the end it was just a bit meh. There was no real resolution or explanation to what was going on with Adrian's parents, and the other guy (I've honestly forgotten his name already) spends half the book shamelessly stalking him just because Adrian is the other only gay guy in school who is half decent to look at. He magically falls in love with Adrian, despite knowing NOTHING about him.

I might have given this a 3* for potential, but honestly, it's a 2* in reality.

[Rhiannon 🤍✨🐀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

For as much as I liked the artwork, this actual story was pretty off-putting. It’s very awkward at the start with teens propositioning for sex? Stalker turned boyfriend? Idk this whole comic was a miss for me and there’s way better coming of age queer comics imho Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the chance to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Jenny Radloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diese Graphic Novel erzählt die Geschichte von Carter und Adrian. Carter hat gerade entdeckt, dass er schwul ist, und möchte unbedingt sexuelle Erfahrungen sammeln; allerdings gibt es in seinem Umfeld nur wenig Optionen dafür, weshalb er Adrian ins Visier nimmt. Adrian ist jedoch unglücklich verliebt und überhaupt nicht begeistert von Carters plumpen Annäherungsversuchen.

Diese süße, queere Young Adult Geschichte hat mich von Anfang an in den Bann gezogen, auch wenn mir Carter erst mit der Zeit sympathisch wurde. Ich mochte Carters Entwicklung im Verlauf der Handlung und auch die Themen, die hier aufgegriffen werden und die viele junge Menschen beschäftigen, wie schulischer Leistungsdruck, Sexualität und Selbstliebe. Die Geschichte hat sich die Zeit genommen, die Beziehung der beiden zueinander authentisch entstehen zu lassen, wie aus Fremden Freunde und schließlich vielleicht auch mehr werden konnte. Auch hatte ich so die Gelegenheit, die beiden Protagonisten kennen und verstehen zu lernen, was bei vielen anderen Graphic Novels zu kurz kommt. Es gab ein paar Dinge, zu denen ich mir noch mehr gewünscht hätte, bspw. wie Carter am Anfang seine sexuelle Orientierung entdeckt hat oder wie Adrian am Ende zu seinen Eltern steht. Die Geschichte hat einen guten Abschluss, aber meiner Meinung nach besteht auch Potenzial für eine Fortsetzung.

Die Art und Weise, wie die Geschichte visuell dargestellt wurde, hat mir wahnsinnig gut gefallen. Ich mag den Zeichenstil und die Farben sehr. Lediglich die Sprechblasen waren für mich manchmal etwas irritierend angeordnet.

Fazit:
Eine wahnsinnig schöne queere Geschichte über Freundschaft, Liebe und Selbstwert, die ich nicht nur jüngeren Leser:innen absolut empfehlen kann.


in English:

This graphic novel tells the story of Carter and Adrian. Carter has just discovered that he is gay and is eager to gain sexual experience; however, there are few options available to him in his environment, which is why he sets his sights on Adrian. Adrian, however, is unhappy in love and not at all enthusiastic about Carter's clumsy advances.

This sweet, queer young adult story captivated me from the start, even though it took me a while to warm up to Carter. I liked Carter's development over the course of the plot and also the themes that are addressed here and that concern many young people, such as academic pressure to perform, sexuality, and self-love. The story took the time to let the relationship between the two develop authentically, showing how strangers could become friends and eventually perhaps even more. This also gave me the opportunity to get to know and understand the two protagonists, which is something that many other graphic novels fail to do. There were a few things I would have liked to see more of, such as how Carter discovered his sexual orientation at the beginning or how Adrian stands by his parents at the end. The story has a good completion, but in my opinion there is also potential for a sequel.

I really liked the way the story was visually presented. I really like the drawing style and the colors. Only the speech bubbles were sometimes a little confusing arranged for me.

Conclusion:
An incredibly beautiful queer story about friendship, love, and self-esteem that I can absolutely recommend, and not just to younger readers.

[Lexa Riffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter recently came out to his family and his friends that he is gay. His family was very supportive and basically knew before he did. Now that he is out, he is ready to meet other gay teens and "hook up" and explore his sexuality. He is very impulsive, head strong and likes to just enjoy life without having any strong set goals. That is until he meets Adrian.

Adrian, is a newly single , also gay teen. He is quite the opposite of Carter. Adrian is hardworking, high strung and motivated for the future. Unlike Carter, Adrian does not have the full support of his family. He feels a lot of pressure to be perfect and not disappoint his parents to the point he will go without sleep just to get extra study time in.

Carter tries many, many ways to woo Adrian. Most of these are epic failures.

The story brings us along the journey of these two very different boys finding them selves and finding each other, and making some new friends along the way.

This volume is beautifully illustrated and brings the story to life. I love how well the story shows the major differences in both Adrian and Carter and how they can bring out the best in each other. The raw truth and vulnerability will resonate with so many people who are still finding their way.

The side characters help move the story along too, you can really see how they are from two very different worlds but that even though they may not have the same friend groups or hobbies they aren't so different after all. Its awesome to see a story where the main characters have good friends there not only to be there and help them but also call them out when they are doing something wrong.

Sex is mentioned and talked about openly, however aside from making out there isn't anything illustrated that is to graphic for teen readers. I would personally not give this to a younger teen, but one who really does understand the more adult nature of relationships. (15/16+)

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books | First Second for the Digital ARC for review.

[K.C. Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

I hear people’s complaints about the uncomfortable beginning, but like… what were y’all doing in high school? Because pretty much everyone I knew was a horny mess modeling their relationships on the idea that sex was the goal, because the air was rancid with hormones. So I found the focus on sex at the beginning to be fairly realistic, though it might have bothered me more if Carter’s arc hadn’t pretty quickly taken the turn it did.

It find it interesting that people want upper YA books to be sweet and wholesome when that diverges so far from my experience/memories. This books ends up being mostly G-rated (maaayyyybe PG), and Carter in particular realizes that sex isn’t his (only) priority. I actually appreciated this in the context of an Achillean romance, because when we talk about sexuality, soooooo much emphasis is put on what happens in the bedroom. So honestly, it makes sense that any queer young adult living in out society would believe that queer relationships start/end with sex. It even comes up in one of the conversations Carter has with his friends about body parts, as if anatomy is the most important aspect of a person or a relationship. Ring any bells?

All this to say, I found the first hundred or so pages of this to be refreshingly realistic on that front. Adrian’s arc is a little different, as he catches up with Carter’s emotional growth.

There were a few lines in here that I didn’t love (“I know I’m being a real girl about this…”), but in a place and time where we’re balancing the desire to keep kids innocent forever, while also being hyperfixated of sex and p*rn, I think some people aren’t giving this comic quite enough credit.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. 💅

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!!

I'm not gonna lie, I read page one and I was worried. Openly gay guy, people referring to him as a "converted bi-kid" for a reason why gay guys weren't interested in him, not taking no for an answer - not just about a date, but explicitly about sex - and the love interest saying he's being a "total girl about this" because he doesn't want sex with someone he doesn't love. Very clearly written in the early 2010s, which it was. Doesn't excuse the writing, but did put it in a different perspective, at least a little bit, for me. But once you get past the party, it becomes a lot better. You can definitely tell when the authors reached a turning point, with characters taking accountability and talking through their issues. A lot of things were left unfinished, plot-wise, but I also found that a bit charming about it. Because that's how life is sometimes, Adrian's parents are probably still overbearing, he was probably unable to rejoin. I liked that those things weren't rushed to be fixed and finished. In my opinion, it was a positive about the story.

Although the beginning was definitely pretty rough for me, it ended up being worth it in the end. And a huge kudos to the artist, as they redid the first 80 pages since they've improved so much since then. That's such a massive commitment, and it definitely paid off. The art really sold the story for me. This is a very "real" story, with characters that aren't perfect by any means and it's important to remember that.

[Lucy Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would first like to start this review by thanking Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC copy of this comic in exchange for an honest review.

I really did like this comic and found it very cute but not particularly memorable among the YA comics that I have read. If you are just looking for a simple YA romance novel, then this book is a very good place to start. However, personally, when I read books, I am usually looking for something that is just a little bit more intriguing than a simple romance story. However, on the other side of that, if you are just looking for a simple palate cleanser type story, then this is perfect.

I think, if I wanted this story to stand out and be more than it was, it would need to be longer and more complicated. I do feel like this story was more about the art than it was about the storyline. If I was more of an artist than I am a writer, I think I would have enjoyed that aspect more, but I’m more of a writer. Because of this I did feel like the storyline was lacking just a little bit. I did like that the art was very good at conveying their emotions just in the style. When the characters felt silly, they lost dimension, when they were serious the art became more detailed. I did think that was really cool. The spicy rating was also a level 2.

Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. Not a bad book but probably not my type of comic personally.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge thanks to Hazel and Bell, First Second Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review!

Always Raining Here starts off in a high school setting, with Carter attempting to find another gay boy at school to hook up with. He eventually sets his sights on Adrian, who has absolutely no interest in Carter’s propositioning. However, Adrian underestimated just how persistent Carter would be in achieving his goal.

This was a cute and quick read. The art was simplistic, yet expressive and I feel that it gave the characters more life and personality. However, I was a bit disappointed by how quickly the plot seemed to move. Adrian clearly has some unresolved tension with his parents, but the story never quite delves deeper into it. Additionally, it feels that most of the relationship development happens off-page and as a reader, the big emotional argument felt a bit abrupt when the relationship still seemed like it was still developing. I would have much preferred it if the story took its time to dig deeper into the lives of each boy and allowed their actions to be a natural progression from their experiences and personalities. I also wish that there was a bit more gradual character development, rather than a relatively quick change of heart. Nonetheless, it was a sweet depiction of a high school relationship and I greatly enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy of Always Raining Here by Hazel and Bell.

My biggest question is, will there be a second book with these characters? I am so invested and I wish they had talked about more of the topics presented in the book! For example I wish Adrian’s issues with his parents had been addressed and it seems like he experiences lots of anger and self hatred. Also, we don’t learn much about what happened with Adrian’s first relationship that is mentioned in the overview description of the graphic novel. I can relate to Adrian at times and would have liked to see these topics explored more, but I understand this novel is also about Carter. Carter, at first, was not my cup of tea, but he had such great growth and charming personality throughout the graphic novel. I liked how the two main characters figured out that there is still love for them, even if they aren’t “perfect.”

The art style on the cover of the book is what drew me to it and then the description. But overall it was the realness of the character’s emotions and love that made me keep reading.
I recommend this book to those who want a feel good graphic novel with a charming ending.