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Always Raining Here: A Graphic Novel

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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?

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2025

4 people are currently reading
439 people want to read

About the author

Hazel and Bell

2 books3 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
Profile Image for Maia.
Author 31 books3,652 followers
December 31, 2025
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!
Profile Image for Jane (whatjanereads).
798 reviews246 followers
August 22, 2025
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
Profile Image for Bailey.
1,356 reviews96 followers
November 7, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Brittany.
236 reviews7 followers
August 26, 2025
*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.
Profile Image for Samantha (samsbookishbrews).
277 reviews
August 20, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Laura.
3,256 reviews102 followers
July 14, 2025
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.
Profile Image for ChristineReads.
262 reviews
November 6, 2025
"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
Profile Image for Mariana.
301 reviews7 followers
September 24, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Minna.
213 reviews29 followers
August 13, 2025
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 ⭐️
Profile Image for fanboyriot.
1,070 reviews16 followers
September 2, 2025

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)

Profile Image for Ryan.
5,778 reviews33 followers
June 25, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
98 reviews
May 3, 2025
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!
Profile Image for AkiDave.
77 reviews1 follower
November 12, 2025
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?
Profile Image for Carly Gesell.
80 reviews3 followers
dnf
August 15, 2025
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!
Profile Image for Tye Rose.
202 reviews8 followers
July 26, 2025
absolutely adorable. I would die for these two.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!
Profile Image for Katherine.
165 reviews6 followers
June 30, 2025
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!
Profile Image for Elaine White.
Author 45 books261 followers
December 9, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Rhiannon 🤍✨🐀.
473 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Jenny Radloff.
248 reviews
November 12, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Lexa Riffe.
138 reviews16 followers
July 9, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Charles.
176 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Lucy  Larsen.
573 reviews2 followers
October 16, 2025
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.
9 reviews
November 10, 2025
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.
Profile Image for Emma.
43 reviews1 follower
August 6, 2025
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.

Profile Image for Tanesha Johnson.
183 reviews7 followers
August 14, 2025
thank you to netgalley and First Second Publisher for this e-ARC of Always Raining Here. I'd give it a 3.5 rounded up for goodreads. One sentence summary - Carter is a horny, extroverted, and bubbly gay teen on a quest to have set with ANY single cute guy, when he sets his sights on Adrian, a very hard working and more reserved young man, chaos in the midst of a very cute love story unfolds.

I will admit when I first started this book, I was kinda put off by Carter, which I think is the whole point right? But as I continued to get to see him and Adrian interact more and more, I warmed up to him! I feel like you gotta get through the annoying / harassing part first, and then the book shapes up to be really adorable and heartwarming. I love that the book focused on normal teenage angst and teenage problems like school and perfectionism. I love how Carter and Adrian both were complimentary towards one another in their characters! I feel like the pacing was good and I loved the writing. The art is absolutely stunning and it's really well done.

I would recommend this book to folks who love LGBT+ graphic novels, girlies who love problematic main characters who eventually get it together, men who love men, and folks who love strong and important side characters.
Profile Image for Vayl.
98 reviews13 followers
October 6, 2025
I am a big fan of "Electric Bones" by the same authors. I'm shocked I didn't know about this one until now. Apart from that, I usually don't read the whole blurb (I have to stop doing that, I'm sorry), so I was surprised by the tone of the story, until I connected the dots to who wrote it. Of course, Hazel and Bell would have characters so funny and lovely like the protagonists in here.
However, let me talk about the art style. This is a new edition with the first 80 pages, with completely new art, and joining volume 1 and 2 together. I am very happy they did that. The change in style is so noticeable, the colors, the technique, I really can't deny their progress.
Talking about the story, it has a very nice flow, cozy but with heavy topics that add depth to it. I wanted to know more about their families. I think there were many things unsaid, only hinted at, and I would love to know how their relationship goes later on.
I recommend giving the story a chance, and if you don't know the authors, go check their website; the original art is all in there, also, with translations.

I received the advance copy from netgalley in exchange of an honest review, this edition will be out on November 11.
Profile Image for Crystal.
61 reviews5 followers
October 21, 2025
While I really love a teenage coming out story, and especially graphic novel, the critiques of this graphic novel are warranted.

Teenagers saying they want casual sex, mentioning Craigslist casual sex, and saying he needs to "bag the kid," all within the first few pages is a definite turn-off. However, I believe that the main character is meant to be insufferable. The main character, Carter, is a familiar face when I think back to high school. Yes, many of us were that insufferable and horny and stalker-ish. Do I, a grown woman, necessarily want to read about that? Not really, because I feel weird and icky.

You got to write the story, and you did all of this?

The art style was okay, but I didn't love it. It seems like a rushed art style that someone would use on the internet. This was originally published in that manner, and it honestly should have stayed there. It's not a Heartstopper level narrative.

Yes, the characters grow on you and begin to really fall for one another, but someone should have said something about the slightly problematic nature of grown people writing about explicitly horny teenage boys before publishing this.
Profile Image for Nathan Bartos.
1,212 reviews71 followers
March 27, 2025
***I received a free eARC of this book from First Second through Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.***
*2.5 stars
This was originally published online from 2011-2016, and you can really tell. The pestering and wearing down is really toxic at the beginning, but it is redeemed (at least in the eyes of the characters) by the guy "saving" a girl from unwanted advances (ironic...). I think the biggest strike against this is that I had apparently read the first half in August of 2022 and did not remember a single thing. In fact, I didn't even realize I had read it until I stumbled on my rating/review of Always Raining Here, Volume 1. Overall, this is fine if you're starved for a gay YA graphic, but there's plenty of better, more modern ones out there, so you shouldn't be.
Profile Image for Casso Briggs.
63 reviews
April 26, 2025
Originally a webcomic (I read as it was updating gosh I'm old) I love the updated art for part 1 from Hazel. Looking back it is a huge upgrade from back in 2012ish. The shift between part 1 and 2 for art is a bit noticeable as only part one’s art was heavily updated but it quickly goes back to the same style as that’s around the time the artist (Hazel) found their grove.

Some of the parts are a bit problematic (mostly how Carter talks to his love interest in the beginning aka too much emphasis on the getting in his pants and a bit boundary crossing) but he learns and grows into a better person. It is a funny and sweet life story between a boy with his first gay love and a boy who’s been heartbroken before learning to trust this new guy. Very much loved this series.

I wish the little side stories Bell wrote were included like the Winter Lodge stories and summer stories because they added so much to the boy's stories but it's fine.

Thanks to Hazel + Bell and NetGalley for the ARC!
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