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, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT, Disability, Queer, Contemporary

312 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2026

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!!

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a sweet romance. Mostly. This graphic novel covers Rhys's first year at university, and his growing romance with flatmate Malcolm. Rhys has face blindness and anxiety issues, which I thought was handled really well. Thomas obviously took great care to portray Rhys's face blindness in a way that's realistic and easy to for the reader to understand. The same goes for Rhys's anxiety, and Malcolm's realization that he's asexual. They are, of course, much more than their personal issues. Their romance is a cute slow burn that takes most of the school year, and they make a very cute couple when they do get together.

But one of the reasons it takes most of the school year is that Malcolm has a girlfriend. A girlfriend Rhys is fully aware of, so they're both to blame when Malcolm cheats on her with Rhys. I dislike infidelity in romances, unless it's handled carefully. I don't think this was at all. Everybody takes it very, very lightly, including the girlfriend, Lottie. I was really uncomfortable that Malcolm's confession to her that he'd cheated ended with Lottie comforting him. In the end, she isn't treated like a real character. She's just an obstacle, and I hate that. It didn't entirely ruin the book for me, but it definitely made me lose all interest in the romance itself.

[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."

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was incredible! The artwork is so cozy and warm while tackling a lot of heavy topics such as coming out, first year of college and starting over somewhere new, as well as anxiety and panic attacks due to disability. The story was so lovely and having both asexual representation and prosopagnosia( or face blindness) and covering both topics in an educational manner is huge! Both topics do not get nearly enough representation so this was really incredible to see. Also due to the format of the book being a graphic novel story wise the author and illustrator were able to change up the start style and add colors to emphasize when the characters were being recognized vs when they could not which was genius! I can’t imagine how overwhelming it must be to go from living somewhere small and then moving into a big city and how busy it is, but adding the extra layer to this it’s completely understandable dealing with anxiety was such a huge part of this story.

I’m so glad I picked this one up and I highly recommend!

[Prilla Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally… representation, done right.

As someone who also struggles with face blindness and an anxiety disorder, and who is also bi and on the ace spectrum.. this one made me tear up quite a few times. It is so refreshing to see myself in these characters.

It’s not perfect, but it’s cute, a quick read, and offers solid representation.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is SO cute. I love how Rhys's facial blindness is represented, with his identifiers in color!

[°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ blumenimherz ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆❀° · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is just perfectly cute and soo damn cool, loved every second of it ☆

[Lady Jayme, Baroness of the Lost Moon of Poosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I’m in the minority since I did not love this book. The representation in the book was great, but I found the main character’s semi-constant spiraling and panic attacks about his grades, his face blindness, crowds, etc. to be a bit of a drag.

[Ellie Amélie]

Such a kind, gentle, and comforting book, and my favorite depiction of prosopagnosia ever. It made me feel incredibly seen. Thomas's art style is absolutely beautiful and the panels focusing on on individual features before coming to life in color as Rhys recognizes the person he's seeing made me go "yes yes yes!!" because that's exactly it. When you can't remember people's faces, you instead get to know people through every other aspect of them. It can be difficult and scary, but it can lead to noticing and appreciating so many other things that you might otherwise not pay as much attention to. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and revisiting the experience of freshman life, friendships, self-discovery, and emotions now that it's my first autumn after graduating :,) I feel like I'm not doing this book justice in my review, but it really was so lovely and will have a special place in my heart for a long long time. I gave it a hug after reading it.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet YA graphic novel about a university student from Wales, Rhys Moore, navigating his first year at a college in London. Rhys has anxiety and prosopagnosia (face blindness), and has never been to London before. He gets a crush on one of his flatmates, who is dating a girl, and who is also asexual. I enjoyed how the art captured prosopagnosia, and the friendships Rhys made. A fun read.

[Corrie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, sweet, and layered with human characters who feel their emotions in big ways, make mistakes, and work for the friendships they have. I really enjoyed how prosopagnosia was portrayed in this story, and the way the artist used colour to highlight the features in people that stand out when they can't recognize faces.

[lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so wholesome!!! loved it so much i finished it in one sitting?? which is amazing considering the hot mess my attention span is at the moment. glad i found it at the library and took it home right away! 4/5 stars!!

[Lucy Lightning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chased away the Heartstopper blues.

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, but I don’t like “cheating” as a plot point regardless.

[Chibi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A supposed to be a cute, heartwarming story is ruined by the CHEATING!

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so cool seeing how the author conveyed the main character's facial blindness.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhys Moore is a gay Welsh boy with prosopagnosia who is just starting university in London. 'A Smile Like Yours' is his coming-of-age journey, where the shy, anxious boy navigates the difficulties in his social life and in his academic studies (medical microbiology, in honour of his world-explorer scientist mum) in his first year at uni.

Mostly it is about his relationship with Malcolm Green, one of his flatmates, who is studying the fine arts (embroidery - how absolutely lovely!), and who has a long-distance girlfriend, Lottie. Slight spoiler, but Malcolm is a biromantic asexual.

Things definitely get complicated between Rhys and Malcolm (Rhys's face blindness is the least of it), as feelings stir and blossom, out of control.

Both lovely boys are at different stages of dealing with anxiety, as well.

Other players in Rhys's uni-story are: Oli Patton, who is his fellow biology and medical student, and new best friend (they are also nonbinary); his other flatmates Aanya, Holly and Fabian; and the seniors Fen (student rep) and Orla, who are girlfriends. Rhys's teasy but loving and supportive older sister Cari is also a laugh.

I knew basically nothing about prosopagnosia before I read 'A Smile Like Yours'. I had heard of face blindness, but not the scientific term for it. So it was great to read any piece of media, let alone a graphic novel, with a protagonist who has prosopagnosia - 'A Smile Like Yours' is told from Rhys's point of view, and we follow him and explore the world and life as he sees it; as he interacts with the people around him.

Which brings me to the artwork. It's cute and charming and I really like it. It's mostly white, with different shades of purple and lilac, but whenever Rhys searches for a person's unique indicators or "identifiers" that don't have anything specifically to do with their face, in order to recognise them, that person is in colour. They literally light up for him. This is a fantastic and accessible way for the reader to understand Rhys's perspective, through his prosopagnosia, and how he navigates life with it. How he processes people, even his family who he has known since birth, and how he makes new friends at university, by relying on identifiers, and context clues (the scene where he explains all this to Malcolm is bloody brilliant). He even has trouble registering his own face in mirrors and in photos, and what he looks like.

Colours are huge indicators in art, in establishing character and feeling.

And 'A Smile Like Yours' is certainly a feelings-type book.

The art also reminds me of the works of Nick Sharratt. How nostalgic!

Onto the negative critiques now:

The issue of how Rhys and Malcolm get together (not a spoiler, I'd say it's obvious) while Malcolm is in a monogamous relationship is, thankfully and appreciatively, handled better than I expected. It's still slightly iffy. It turns out I have as low a tolerance for cheating as apparently everybody else does, but this cheating storyline at least treats Malcolm's girlfriend, Lottie, as a character deserving of respect...except when she is once referred to by Oli as "The Girlfriend" with a capital T and G. Ugh! But Lottie is as lovely and likeable as nearly everyone else...then she conveniently disappears near the end of the book, after an off-panel official breakup. What a shame.

The only character I don't like is Fabian, or Fab, as he's called. He's the stereotypical laddish frat boy of Rhys's friend group: meaning, he's a sexist, horny douchebag, who goes through girls in his bed as quickly as he does his boxers. Or tissues. One of Fab's moments of bare-minimum decency is when he backs off flirting with a girl he just met when he realises she's a lesbian and already spoken for - no means no no matter what, you one-dimensional, one-track-minded, one-organ-functioning sleaze! What's worse is the obnoxious git is never called out for his comments and behaviour; at best his friends treat him like he's an idiot, which he is, but I wouldn't call him a harmless idiot.

It's 2026 - 2000s unchecked perverted frat boy Neanderthal-ism and so-called "locker-room talk" should not be tolerated anymore. Why are we still writing male characters like this? We know by now that, in both real life and fiction, they are not funny or charming; they are scum, misogynistic scum, even when they are not, higher powers forbid, rapey.

At least Fab isn't in this graphic novel much. Though it seems like the author had planned to do something more with his character at some point in development. For example, he is the first to discover Rhys and Malcolm's affair when Malcolm is still with Lottie, and he deals with the infidelity in an immature way and seems to have a bitter chip on his shoulder about it. But this is abandoned later on. Fab never says or does anything that furthers any progression in the story. He is inconsequential.

In one of the more touching interactions between Rhys and Malcolm, Rhys confesses that his biggest fear is not recognising his mum, as her STEM job takes her abroad most of the time. Whenever she does see him, she might have changed enough that the physical attributes that Rhys uses to identify her won't be there anymore, and he won't be able to recognise his own mother. It is a startling, heartbreaking and beautiful moment. And yet, at the end where his mother is home and he sees her, it is treated as nothing. There is no buildup, no anticipation, no special moment, no scene, period; Rhys's mum is suddenly just present and that's that, as if she'd always been there, along with his dad and sister. Did the author forget about the abovementioned scene? About that aspect of Rhys's character? About the mum being away for the rest of the year?

Rhys's love affair with Malcolm, and his studies, really take precedence over everything else in his life, don't they?

Rhys could have talked more about his prosopagnosia; as in, mention it at all to his friends, other than Malcolm, and Oli, Fen and Orla. From the beginning it seems as if he will eventually open up about it more to people, especially during the scene where he is talking about his day to his mum on the phone, about how he is struggling and becoming depressed and lonely. But then it is never brought up again. It's never made clear if the rest of his flatmates know about his face blindness. In fact, Aanya, Holly and Fab are kind of gradually phased out of the story near the end, sadly minus Fab. Like Lottie, they barely get a chance to develop as fully-fledged and fleshed-out characters in their own right.

In the scene where Rhys attends a tabletop gaming club/society with Oli for the first time, he says he has face blindness (this is after he told Malcolm), which Orla thoughtlessly dismisses, not believing it to be a real thing. Their conversation is interrupted before he can fully explain his condition - and hopefully educate her - and then it is never followed up on. It's gone from the book just like that.

Another character issue left unresolved.

And as nice as the artwork is, there are a few inconsistencies to it. For example, the Dean's Talk at the Fresher's Fair: the Dean's glasses disappear and then reappear in each panel she is in, as she talks on stage in the lecture hall.

There are other little moments that bother me, but only marginally.

'A Smile Like Yours' - Malcolm's smile is one of his identifiers, and it's the only facial feature that Rhys registers - its niggling, bumpy, wobbly flaws can't ruin its cakey whole, and it is a strongly recommended YA graphic novel from me. It's so sweet and charming minus Fab! A lovely, starry, Christmassy comfort blanket of a comic.

It is like 'Heartstopper', and Becky Albertalli's novels. It is one of the better LBGTQA+ YA graphic novels out there. Its diversity and inclusivity points are off the charts. Wide spectrum queer rep, race rep, disability rep, mental health rep, body positivity rep, it is all here again minus Fab.

I haven't even talked about how much it reminds me of my own time at university in the UK - over ten years ago!

How things change and yet stay the same.

I am old. But 'A Smile Like Yours' made me feel young again.

It is guaranteed to warm your heart, and make you smile.



"It's often easier to let others recognize me first and go from there."

"It's surprisingly easy to blame yourself for the way you were born."

"It actually feels really good to say this out loud."

"I'm sure people would want to help make things easier if they could."

"I've never met a smile like yours before."



Final Score: 3.5/5

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is going to be the most perfect recommendation for any fan of Alice Oseman (which is me!!). The art is just beautifully executed. The work with color is brilliant. I didn’t even realize that it was done in shades of purple and gray until one of the characters comes out as asexual. Beyond that, the “identifier panels” in full color to represent “that moment of clarity” when Rhys, the protagonist with prosopagnosia, recognizes someone are total genius. Super glad I ordered this for my library and I wish I still worked with teens so I could start recommending it ASAP.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short summary:

The story follows Rhys, a Welsh university student who is starting his first year away from home. Rhys has face blindness, which means he struggles to recognize people's faces, even those of people he knows well. On top of that, he also deals with anxiety and finds social situations difficult.

As he settles into university life, he slowly makes friends, learns to navigate his new environment, and develops feelings for his flatmate Malcolm. Throughout the story, Rhys struggles with whether he should tell people about his face blindness and worries about how they will react. Over time, he becomes more comfortable opening up to others and accepting himself. By the end, he has built meaningful friendships, grown more confident, and found people who care about him for who he is.


I absolutely loved this graphic novel.

What stood out to me most was Rhys. His anxiety, overthinking, and struggles with meeting new people felt incredibly real. Starting university is already overwhelming, and having face blindness on top of that made his experience even more interesting to read about.

I had never read a story featuring a character with prosopagnosia before, and I thought it was handled really well. The graphic novel format worked perfectly because you could actually see how Rhys recognized people through hairstyles, clothing, and other details instead of their faces. It made his experience much easier to understand.

I also really liked how wholesome the story was. Even though it deals with anxiety, disability, and questions about identity, it never felt overly heavy. It was sweet, comforting, and full of characters I genuinely enjoyed spending time with.

The romance was another highlight. It felt natural and cute without completely taking over the story. What I appreciated most was that the book focused just as much on friendships and finding your place in the world as it did on the romantic relationship.

The artwork was lovely as well. It fit the tone of the story perfectly and helped make the emotional moments land even harder.

Final Thoughts:

This was such a sweet and heartwarming read. The representation of anxiety and face blindness felt thoughtful, the characters were easy to care about, and the whole story left me smiling. It was wholesome without feeling cheesy and emotional without becoming too heavy. I loved it.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this. Emily Thomas captured the feeling of going off to college on your own so well, especially the anxiety and the homesickness. I also haven't read a YA book that featured face blindness before, so I liked that that representation was included as well. Rhys is such a relatable main character, and I loved his relationship with Malcolm. It was so sweet!

If you're looking for something to fill the Heartstopper hole in your life, this will definitely fit the bill.

[dearlyintrovert · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars

This was SO CUTE. Genuinely, this might be the closest I’ve come to a book that matches the vibes and reading experience of Heartstopper. So if you’re also chasing that same feeling, I highly recommend this. And now it makes so much sense why Alice Oseman personally blurbed this book! Much like Heartstopper, this follows a super cozy, wholesome friend group in a school setting as they navigate their first year in university. There’s also just something extra fun about a college-centric story that I can’t help but love. The dorms, the communal kitchens, signing up for clubs and activities, forging new friendships, making fun memories as well as trying to pass your exams. You’re all living this new chapter together and it’s so many things at once. I also just loved following Rhys and Malcolm. Their story is so sweet, and they each have their own things that they’re navigating, which just makes you feel for them even more and want to reassure them that everything will be okay. (Also, the ARTWORK. Love!)

If I’m being honest, the only reason I’m dropping this down to 4.5 stars is because of the cheating. It only happens one time on New Year’s Eve, and I know that they address it, but it’s still disheartening to read in a book that’s otherwise so positive. And you’re obviously rooting for these two characters to be together and you want their love story to be this beautiful coming together. And unfortunately, it does make you think juuuuust a bit less of them when that’s part of their story. Especially since you can’t even say, Oh, only one of them intentionally cheated because no. RHYS KNEW, TOO. So it does sour things a bit knowing that the first kiss these two characters share is one born out of cheating, when both fully knew that one of them was already in a relationship.

Side note: Bruh, Lottie is a SAINT. I don’t think I could ever be that patient and understanding if I had just found out that my boyfriend of four years had cheated on me over New Year’s.

So yeah. As much as I tried to look past this one thing, it did still end up tainting my reading experience by the end.

Final thoughts: Overall a really enjoyable, cozy read! I also loved following Rhys’s story in dealing with his face blindness, which I’ll admit I didn’t know a ton about but that I found really insightful. Just another new perspective that is so refreshing to read about and to have representation for. A great graphic novel to read for Pride Month! 💜

[Lucsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Heartstopper captures the high school experience, "A Smile Like Yours" captures the first year of university so perfectly that I had flashbacks. I knew Alice Oseman would be mentioned before I even saw her blurb, because this is perfect for the people who grew up on Heartstopper, and are now about to start uni.

This was another book that I almost didn't read, even though I was super interested in the themes and story, because of the way the DRC was formatted that demanded a bigger screen than my phone, and I'm so happy I grabbed my laptop because this was such a unique book.

This story sets itself apart not only through the themes it portrays with so much care that we don’t often see being talked about, such as one character coming to terms with his asexuality and another dealing with his prosopagnosia, aka face blindness, anxiety and mental health, but how the author used the art to not only illustrate, but give us a real window into these character's worldview.

I loved that the entire book was coloured in the Asexual Flag colours and the way other colours were used very sparingly to illustrate Rhy's recognising others.

Rhy's, our Welsh king, definitely joins the ranks of the cinnamon roll protagonists, because this young man was the sweetest, and I'm so glad he found someone who not only appreciated that, but was just as sweet. Seeing a young man crying and struggling and being brave enough to not only open up to his friends but also get help was such an important storyline.

And even if I loved rooting for him and all the other characters, I loved this book even more for making them messy, flawed and conflicted in realistic ways for people their age, who were going through such transformative and important experiences as they were still figuring themselves out, and didn't always make the best decisions.

This is a story that is definitely worth your time, not only because of the character's arcs and themes it touches on, but because it was clear how much care was put into it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this author will gift us with next.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Kids Can Press for this DRC.

[GlitterWater79 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute gem this book is! I happened to come across it in a newsletter and ordered a copy on the strength of the cover and knowing nothing about the book. So glad I did. I enjoyed Rhy, Malcolm, and everyone around them. It reminded me so much of my own first year in college and how my identity and my community expanded exponentially in such a short amount of time as I discovered myself and felt more at ease to share more of that with other people. It was also a treat to read a book that does deal with the ‘coming out’ trope but in a way that recognizes the applicability to other aspects of queer identity in terms of its intersections with invisible disabilities and sexuality on a much more complex spectrum than the acronym LGBTQIA covers.

I loved the illustration style and the ways it figures into the story of a characters disability. It was not only handled in a way that felt creative yet appropriate, but also was revealed to the reader in a way that really forwarded plot in a way that didn’t objectify the disability but informed it. The book was as strong at the visual story being told as that in text. I also just love the colorways of the book in general, especially since purple is my faaaaaavorite color 💜💜💜.


I felt the same heartwarming love and joy at the end of reading this book as I do the Heartstopper series and some of the other queer graphic novels I’ve read, so if that appeals to you, you’d find this of interest. But also, for people
Interested in disability and asexual/aromantic identity, this will also be of interest to you. I really respect the way the author-illustrator did her homework on the issues and crafted a story that’s so real, relatable, and inspiring.

I hope to read more graphic novels by Emily Thomas or other books that are similar.

[YSBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Smile Like Yours was a lovely read. The story follows Rhys, a 19-year-old Welsh student starting his first year at university. Rhys struggles with anxiety, perfectionism, and prosopagnosia (face blindness). We watch him adapt to being away from home, manage his difficult coursework, navigate new friendships with his flatmates, push himself to expand his social circle, and gradually become comfortable sharing his neurological disorder with others. Along the way, he explores his romantic interest in his straight-presenting flatmate Malcolm, who, naturally, reciprocates his feelings.

The representation in this book is fantastic. Rhys is white, gay, and has anxiety, agoraphobia, and a disability. Malcolm is Black and biromantic asexual. Rhys’s flatmates include characters who are Muslim, Asian, and lesbian, and his new best friend Oli is nonbinary. These identities are presented sensitively and affirmingly, while also showing the very real biases and challenges these characters face in society.

The art style enhances the story beautifully. Most of the book is illustrated in shades of purple, but Rhys’s identity markers, used to help him recognize others, are highlighted in full-color pop-out boxes. While the reader doesn’t initially know Rhys has face blindness, the visual style gives subtle clues before he explicitly mentions it. The illustrations have a soft, endearing quality, with cutesy elements like sparkles around characters and scenes that emphasize feel-good emotions.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming, thoughtful, and visually engaging story. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Gwyneth Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooooh, this exploded my little queer Welsh heart! This sweet YA graphic novel explores crushes, community, and anxiety during the first year of college, a time when every single thing feels like the end of the world. Our protagonist Rhys is a cutie patootie who has facial blindness, a disability which is very rarely portrayed in media, let alone with this much thought and care! Emily Thomas uses her art to show how Rhys uses certain features/accessories to recognize people, also playing with portraying things in full color or black and white to signal his thought process. What a joy to read something that thrives in the medium it’s in!!! The love aspect is very sweet and you root for them at every step of the way while acknowledging how confusing sexuality is at that age.

Plus, WALES!!! They speak Cymraeg!!!! Aberystwyth mentioned!!!! It made me so happy to see Wales shown in such a beautiful light.

A Smile Like Yours is a sweet YA graphic novel that’s perfect for fans of Heartstopper or those who just want to giggle and kick their feet. 4.5/5 from me, this will definitely be a staff rec when it comes out in June 🌸

[Katy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Smile Like Yours is a YA graphic novel about a group of teens in their first year at university who struggle to find their way in this new phase of their lives. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the inclusion of an invisible disability of prosopagnosia or face blindness. Rhys can only recognize people by identifiers like their clothes or hair but can't recognize them by their faces, even his family members. The graphic novel style was paired with this aspect beautifully by highlighting the identifiers Rhys uses to recognize people and highlighting them in a different color from the rest of the artwork. My second favorite aspect was the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ identities in the book and the discussions the characters have around sexuality. Since these were the two main themes (invisible disabilities and sexual orientation), a lot of the book was also about trust and developing relationships with other people, which I think is so important for young people to read about. This book is definitely the next Hearstopper and I can't wait to see kids reading it. This is a must add to any library serving young adults and up. This was a five-star, cream of the crop read for me.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhys Moore is off to London to kick off his first year in uni. It is something he is both looking forward to and dreading. He bases the challenge of having face blindness, which means he struggles to recognize people via their faces. He has found a way to recognize people by things they were often, like their glasses, but it is still not easy. He is fortunate in that he is able to find a great group of friends with his suite mates at the dorm and a club for tabletop gamers.

He finds a special friendship with Malcolm, who is kind and caring. They quickly find themselves spending a lot of time together. Rhys does find himself having feelings for Malcolm, but tries to push them away to protect their friendship because he know Malcolm already has a girlfiriend.

This was a fun and sweet rom-com for teens. I really enjoyed the characters and their individual stories as they juggle the challenges of college while each also faces their own personal demons. The illustrations fit the tone of the book, and the creator makes great use of color to try and help capture how Rhys compensates for his face blindness.

[pineapple tofu · Rating 5 out of 5]

As he dips into his first year at university, Rhys Moore struggles to fit in, especially when connecting with new people and dealing with his face blindness condition. Yet, using identifiers to help recognize someone helps him along the way, even when making friends with Malcolm. While Rhys eventually opens up to Malcolm about his face blindness, friends and drama still unfold at their university. By the end of the year, can Rhys be open to telling the rest of his friends about his condition, all while passing his exams?
An absolute treasure of a graphic novel. Set at a London university, Rhys Moore struggles with anxiety and also face blindness. While there’s dating, drama, and a whole lot of studying for exams, this story shows the ups and downs of mental illness and how Rhys copes with it all. Burgendys and Whites paint a picture of Rhys’s life through art, biology, and finally learning about one’s own sexuality.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always looking to add more graphic novels to my shelves~ I don’t think they get nearly enough appreciation, despite being able to convey so much emotion and depth in a relatively short amount of time. A Smile Like Yours was such a lovely addition to my collection.
Following Rhys as he starts university and navigates life with prosopagnosia (face blindness), I appreciated how thoughtfully the story handled disability representation. It felt like a meaningful part of Rhys’ experience rather than something included solely for the plot.
The romance was adorable, capturing all the excitement and nervousness of first love. Combined with the challenges of a new stage in life, it made for a charming story about growing up, finding your people, and learning to navigate a world that suddenly feels much bigger than before

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Smile Like Yours is a charming story about Rhys, a freshman at university trying to navigate the stresses of the school year—including making new friends. Rhys has prosopagnosia (face blindness), and I appreciated learning about how this impacts his life, as well as the strategies he uses to recognize people. Emily Thomas explores his experiences in a thoughtful way. I also appreciated the exploration of asexuality in one of the other character’s arcs—especially in approaching allo-ace relationships. In addition to this beautiful representation, Thomas captures the struggles and joys of university life from exam prep and study buddies to joining societies and making new friends. A Smile Like Yours is a heartwarming story that made me smile and brought me so much joy. It’s definitely a new favorite.