A Smile Like Yours

by Emily Thomas

For fans of Heartstopper and Bloom, a sweet YA graphic novel about first love - and navigating life when you see things differently.


Rhys Moore is worried as he starts his first year of university. And not just about the usual things. Rhys has face blindness, which means he struggles to recognize and remember people’s faces. He has ways of coping, but they don’t always work, so he isn’t sure how to manage being around so many new people. There is one bright note, though. Malcolm. He’s caring and kind, and he’s empathetic when Rhys finally reveals his disability to him. Could Malcolm be just what Rhys needs to get through the year?

Emily Thomas’s debut graphic novel offers a delightfully fresh take on falling in love and learning how to truly see another person. It’s both a compelling queer romance and a pitch-perfect coming-of-age story that keenly captures the ups and downs of university life. Readers are sure to be swept up in the romance as Rhys navigates his new feelings and experiences. The book deftly explores themes of disability, friendship, love, mental health and queer identity. A note about prosopagnosia, known as face blindness, and an author’s note are included at the end.

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

312 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 2, 2026

About the author

Emily Thomas was born in London, and has lived there most of her life – except between the ages of 13 and 18 when she lived in Maldon in Essex on board a Thames Sailing Barge, with her family of seven assorted siblings and stepsiblings and two warring cats. Emily also works as an editor of many different kinds of books, including children’s and young adult fiction. She now lives in Brixton, with no pets and a lot of books.

Reviews

[Alice Oseman]

An adorable and heartfelt story about finding your people in the big, scary world of university! A Smile Like Yours has artwork that bursts with feeling and characters you want to wrap up in a warm blanket.

Emily Thomas created a gorgeous guest mini-comic for Heartstopper several years ago, and I was incredibly excited to get to read their debut graphic novel! Congrats Emily!!

[Emily]

From the rights report: "This queer YA graphic novel follows Rhys Moore, a university freshman with developmental prosopagnosia, as he navigates his new collegiate life, friendship and even a romance with a cute roommate."

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute! I've never read a book with a character that has face blindness so that aspect was really interesting.
If you like Bloom or Heartstopper: Volume One then you will love this book too!

[B.C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautful art style and colours!! Travelling along with these characters on their journeys to self-discovery while navigating the chaos of balancing uni, family, social life, and self-care with heartfelt and high friction moments that keep you flipping the pages!

There is never a dull moment and always something new to spot when going through it again!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss+

I liked the protagonist and his friends. Reminded me a little of Heartstopper