Mirka Andolfo's Sweet Paprika: Open For Business

Sweet Paprika. Open for Business #1-5

by Steve Orlando, Emilio Pilliu (Artist), Fabio Amelia (Letterer)

Love, ambition, and total workplace chaos collide when a rookie editor juggles a devilish boss, his confusing boyfriend, and one impossible author in this spicy romance comic!

At Infernum Press, Aubrey Jean tries to balance it all: winning the approval of his idol Miss Paprika, figuring out what his “boyfriend” Persica really means to him, and surviving the impossible demands of Durian—an infamously eccentric author no one else dares to handle. Between complicated romance and chaotic work life, Aubrey is about to learn just how messy chasing your dreams (and your heart) can get.

Sexy, emotional, and irresistibly stylish, this brand-new spin-off of the Harvey Award-winning series brings back the wicked charm of Sweet Paprika with a fresh, heartfelt queer perspective, starring the characters who debuted on the Eisner Award-nominated book Sweet Paprika: Black, White & Pink #1 but can be easily read by newcomers alike!

A queer love drama spin-off of the best-selling Sweet Paprika book, from acclaimed writer Steve Orlando (Scarlet Witch, Marauders, Commanders in Crisis) and rising Italian star Emilio Pilliu (X-Men: The Wedding Special, DC Pride 2025).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Romance, Fantasy, Comics, Erotica, Queer, LGBT

128 pages, Paperback

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[libriconfragole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un Graphic che mi ha fatto scoprire un mondo, quello della Andolfo e del suo saper spiegare così bene le relazioni moderne, in questo caso tra due uomini consapevoli, ma che devono divenire consci di ciò che davvero li attraversa nell’inconscio. Un inno alla coscienza di sè, della comunicazione in amore zia e a quel manzo di Persica!!

[Crawrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this collection of comics!
The artwork is amazing and fits so well with the story. Aubrey and Persica made me giggle and raise my eyebrows, it was a real roller coaster ride for Aubrey with finding balance in his everyday life. And also finding his voice. I sometimes wanted to shake every character but Aubrey. I really felt for him when it came to work, Kren and Persica. What a tornado he was on. But I'm happy he and Persica grew as characters. And the spice was really good and spicy.

I got this book for free as I'm an ARC reader, for an honest review.

[Miguel Maia da Cunha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Paprika: Open For Business é um arc que é um spinoff queer da obra original da autora Mirka Andolfo, escrito por Steve Orlando e ilustrado por Emilio Pilliu.

Tem uma leitura bastante divertida e envolvente, mesmo para quem nunca leu o original. Tal como eu! No entanto, foi muito fácil entrar neste universo e apaixonar-me pela Paprika e por todos os outros personagens. Estes são cheios de personalidade e a forma como se relacionam torna a leitura viciante.

As ilustrações são absolutamente fantásticas, são expressivas, sensuais e cheias de vida. Cada página é um pequeno prazer de observar, o que contribui imenso para a experiência.

O conteúdo adulto está bem presente e funciona muito bem, mas confesso que fiquei com vontade de ainda mais desenvolvimento nas relações principais. Há momentos muito bons, mas dava facilmente para aprofundar mais e tornar essas ligações ainda mais intensas (o que, para mim, só mostra o quão envolvido fiquei com a história).

No geral, foi uma leitura super divertida, envolvente e visualmente incrível. Um arc que me deixou com vontade de continuar e de passar mais tempo com estes personagens.

Recomendo sem hesitar.

[Rhiannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the art style used in this graphic novel, but the story itself was a bit dull and lacking in depth for my tastes. While I did enjoy seeing Aubrey grow enough to set boundaries for himself, both at work and in his relationships with Persica and Kren, things still stayed fairly surface-level. And, truthfully, by the end, I was a bit bored with how repetitive it had become. Each volume in this collection was largely a repeat of the previous one up until the very end, and didn't feel like a lot of character or story development was happening throughout so much as it all snowballed in the final volume.

Not a bad graphic novel, but not a favorite or one I'd be likely to revisit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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

I’m always down for a Mirka Andolfo book. The praise I give Unnatural for its spicy Zootopia vibes is nothing like the spicy Hazbin Hotel vibes of Sweet Paprika.

In Open For Business, we get the side story of two of Paprika’s queer employees who’re exploring an open relationship. There is some smut involved. It isn’t explicit, but we do see some peaches. And all the men are HAWT!!! Which just made me want to read it faster to see what (or who) they get into.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted eARC.

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publishing, Polyamory, and Other Excellent Ways to Discover One’s Boundaries the Hard Way
In “Mirka Andolfo’s “Sweet Paprika: Open For Business”,” Steve Orlando and Emilio Pilliu turn office farce and erotic confusion into a brisk, bright comic about the cost of endless accommodation.
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | April 8th, 2026

The real bruise in “Mirka Andolfo’s “Sweet Paprika: Open For Business”” is not sex. It is presumption. Who gets to claim Aubrey Jean’s time, body, steadiness. Who mistakes wanting him for knowing him. Who manages, against the odds, to look at him without turning him into staff, spectacle, or prize. Steve Orlando and Emilio Pilliu keep pressing that sore place beneath a surface all lacquer, blush, and horned glamour. The book arrives as workplace farce with erotic static – office chaos, a boss with immaculate hair and lethal standards, a hero trying very hard to give panic a sexier name – and then shows a sharper bite than the flirtation-first packaging suggests. What looks like a glossy queer office comedy tightens into a story about how easily being wanted can masquerade as being protected, or even properly held.

Aubrey works at Infernum Press, which at least has the decency to sound like what it is. He adores Miss Paprika, fears Miss Paprika, and has wrapped a suspicious amount of his polished editor-self around what Paprika might someday think of him. He is also with Persica, his “boyfriend-ish” boyfriend, a handsome devil whose ease with openness always feels a little better upholstered than Aubrey’s own. Kren enters through that arrangement and then refuses to stay filed there. Aubrey is promoted – in publishing, one of the cleaner ways to say “given more work and told to call it growth” – and rewarded with Durian, Infernum’s bestselling walking HR complaint, an erotic-thriller author so convinced of his own importance that every inconvenience he causes arrives dressed as inspiration. At first Orlando lets the office plot and the love plot pose as unrelated headaches. Then he lets them rhyme.

That is where the comic stops merely being fun and starts itemizing the cost. Work is not backdrop here. It is one more venue for the same entitlement to Aubrey’s availability. Persica wants love on settled terms. Kren wants the version of Aubrey he has made newly legible. Durian wants time, labor, obedience, immediate responsiveness. Paprika wants competence, and eventually something harsher than competence: the ability to hold a line. The same presumption keeps showing up in fresh outfits – flirtation, deadline, text, emergency. Bedroom, office, phone, meltdown. One snare, just better dressed.

This is why the book’s central triangle works better than its premise summary suggests. “Open For Business” is not especially interested in asking whether open relationships are progressive, doomed, liberating, or anything else that can fit neatly on a side of a debate. Wisely, it declines to become a position paper. It neither sanctifies openness nor punishes it. It stays in more inconvenient territory, where the feelings are clear but the ethics are not. No arrangement survives if one person lives inside it as principle while another keeps trying to manufacture comfort he does not actually feel. Persica is more at ease with the rules. Aubrey keeps trying to become the version of himself who would be equally at home there. The rules exist. The rules have been discussed. The strain lies elsewhere: in asymmetry, in secrecy, in the slow realization that one person can desire you generously and still misread the part of you now asking for help.

Aubrey’s voice is the thing that keeps the whole panic-machine moving. It runs on flirtation, nerves, and emergency glitter. He does not think in settled paragraphs. He darts, jokes, rebrands, panics, corrects, and then panics again with better lighting. Orlando is not after plushness here. The script would rather cut quickly than lounge. Persica smooths. Kren focuses. Durian declaims. Paprika can reduce a person to size in under a breath. Once or twice the emotional candor sounds a little pre-ironed, as though everyone has had time to prepare remarks, but mostly the stylization more than earns its keep. This is a book about people performing themselves while under strain. Casualness would be the stranger choice.

The prose, if one can use that word for a comic whose effects are so thoroughly shared with the art, has a nice instinct for nervous compression. Orlando knows how to build a line that lands as joke, self-protection, and confession at once. Aubrey’s narration keeps converting humiliation into wit half a beat before the humiliation can sit down properly. That speed matters. It is not merely tonal garnish. It enacts a character forever trying to stay clever enough to outrun what he knows. Even the book’s occasional over-neatness in dialogue belongs, at least partly, to its world. These people are not speaking from the depths of silence. They are speaking from inside self-presentation.

Pilliu’s art does not merely keep up with that speed. It shows what the speed costs. The pages blush, flare, and keep their pulse visible – pinks, reds, violets, flesh tones on the brink of trouble – while the line stays clean, rounded, instantly legible. These bodies are glamorous, yes, but never inertly so. They are made for panic, display, swagger, flirtation, embarrassment, and the occasional spectacularly bad idea. The layouts pass desire and embarrassment around the page like a rumor no one can quite contain. Office scenes crowd Aubrey with balloons, deadlines, reactions, and claims on his time. Then the book opens out for fantasy, exposure, or those rarer moments when a different kind of gaze enters the room. A shoulder angles. A face flushes. A panel suddenly leaves room around someone who has had none.

That last effect is one of the comic’s quietest strengths. It understands that erotic attention is not only a matter of what bodies look like. It is a matter of how much space someone gets to occupy while being looked at. Kren’s scenes often feel different not simply because Kren is another possible lover, but because the visual and emotional weather changes around him. The book slows. The room gets air in it. Aubrey is not less anxious, exactly, but he is less crowded. Orlando is very good on this quieter form of seduction. Not every threat arrives half-dressed and grinning. Sometimes it arrives as someone who can tell which part of your life has become unlivable and, for an hour or two, change the weather around it.

That is what Kren offers at first, and it is why he matters. He notices the version of Aubrey that feels less obvious, less rewarded on sight, less easy to reduce to charm and posture. He sees “nerdy Aubrey,” one might say, though the comic is better than the phrase. Kren’s importance is not merely sexual. He reads Aubrey differently, and Aubrey experiences that difference as relief. Orlando is smart enough to know that this kind of recognition is often more destabilizing than lust. Lust is easy to classify. Feeling newly legible can rearrange a life.

Persica, by contrast, is not badly drawn because he is flawed. He is more interesting because his flaw is not cruelty but assumption. He loves Aubrey, clearly. He desires him. He does not treat him cheaply. But he mistakes negotiated rules for inhabited ease. He takes the fact that they have spoken as proof that they are equally living what they said. That is a subtler failure than jealousy or neglect, and the book gets good mileage out of it. Persica is not wrong in a melodramatic way. He is wrong in the intimate, common, maddening way people are often wrong when they believe that clarity at the level of arrangement guarantees clarity at the level of feeling.

Durian, meanwhile, is not just comic business, though he supplies plenty of it. His “Sextective” franchise – a monument to vanity, bad taste, and the belief that lunch is for weaker imaginations – gives the book some of its best recurring jokes. More importantly, he embodies a familiar prestige sickness: the star talent so protected by the institution that everyone around him is expected to treat intrusion as proof of importance. Durian wants notes now, dictation now, attention now. He is the difficult-genius problem in a silk shirt and permanent emergency.

The comic is especially sharp on one office racket readers will recognize immediately: calling depletion opportunity. Infernum is heightened, certainly, but its account of creative labor is close enough to sting through the sparkle. It knows the office where a promotion is just a prettier name for attrition. It knows the institution that excuses terrible behavior because the terrible person sells. It knows how quickly prestige asks to borrow your life and how slowly it returns anything. Orlando keeps these observations light on their feet. The book never stops being sexy, hectic, and funny. It simply refuses to let the fun erase the drag.

Paprika is the comic’s slyest correction. She enters as icon, tyrant, erotic possibility, boss battle. She remains all of those things. What changes is that she becomes the one person in the room who can read the whole map. Aubrey’s problem is not one private mess and one professional mess. It is one arrangement failing across multiple rooms. If work does not support the rest of his life, work will eat the rest of his life. If love requires endless accommodation, love starts to resemble administration. Paprika never softens into a comforting mentor, and the book is right not to ask for that. It gives her something better: the clearest read in the room, and easily the coldest.

The five-issue structure helps because it understands that Aubrey’s life should never feel fully settled for long. The serial form is not just packaging. Interruption, reversal, text message, demand, cliffhanger. Another demand. The book moves by serial ratcheting, which turns out to be exactly right for a protagonist whose life is constantly being broken into. A slower version might have offered more inward sediment. It would also have lost the sensation that Aubrey can barely finish a thought before someone wants his time, body, labor, or reassurance. By the point he looks tired even while half-undressed, the comic has earned the look.

Its sharpest move looks simple until you feel how much weight it is carrying. “Open For Business” keeps distinguishing among kinds of wanting that romance stories often compress together. Being looked at is not being known. Being chosen is not being sheltered. Being praised at work is not being respected there. Kren’s force comes from the first confusion. Persica earns his place in the ending only when he begins to understand the second. Aubrey’s growth lies not in selecting the correct man as though from a moral menu, but in learning to reject those kinds of wanting that flatter him while leaving him least room to remain himself.

This is the book’s central achievement. It turns a premise that could easily have remained a stylish queer sex comedy into something more diagnostic without becoming solemn about its own intelligence. It understands that recognition is not automatically ethical. Someone can see you clearly and still try to possess you. Someone can adore you and still leave you lonelier than the person who notices the exact shape of your strain. Someone can praise your talent and still consume your life. The book keeps making those distinctions visible in prose, in structure, and in design.

Its central limitation is closely related to its strengths. By the final act, the book becomes a little too eager to prove what it has already shown. Kren begins as genuinely illuminating because he reveals what Aubrey feels is missing. By the end, his possessive streak sharpens just enough to make Aubrey’s choice cleaner. The move is legible enough to feel slightly arranged. Durian, too, repeats his point, however enjoyably. Persica’s repair arc lands, though quickly. The finale earns its exhale, then tidies the mess a little too obediently.

Still, it earns more than it smooths over. Aubrey finally stands up to Durian, which matters because the comic turns a running ordeal into actual growth. Paprika finally puts the great man in his place, which matters because the institution at last speaks a stronger language than indulgence. Aubrey chooses Persica, but not by retreating into the old arrangement. He chooses him after Persica stops confusing agreed terms with inhabited ease and starts listening to the person in front of him. Best of all, the book declines the fantasy of perfect settlement. It ends on better terms rather than perfect ones, which is exactly the size of honesty it can carry.

I land at 84/100 – 4 stars for a sharp, sexy, highly readable comic with real formal intelligence and real feeling, even if it settles some of its richest tensions a shade too obediently.

What stays, in the end, is not the triangle but the abrasion under it. Aubrey is looked at all over this comic – lusted after, evaluated, showcased, interrupted, worked to the bone – and the story’s real movement lies in his learning that display is cheap while shelter costs. The last thing “Sweet Paprika: Open For Business” offers him is not the triumph of being chosen, but the harder knowledge of which kinds of wanting still leave his edge his own.

[Nadine Sturgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artwork is fantastic! Thank you to NetGalley and ImageComics for the early read! I had never heard of the comic before, but once I read the synopsis, I was definitely intrigued. As stated above, love the artwork. The subject matter is great as well, and shows how activities can affect all parties involved. Also what one can think is better on the other side, and truly finds out it isn't what they thought. Aubrey and Persica are definitely going to have to put in some work for the relationship, but love them as they are. Kren is a great character but not sure how I feel about him now. Durian is just a major PITA and Paprika is a genius! Interested to see what else in going to happen with this crazy group!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for early copy for review*

4.5 rated up

This steamy and sex positive comic was so much fun. I loved the art style and how vibrant it was. I enjoyed seeing a queer open relationship the only thing that could have made it better would have been talk of safety and testing. I know some in poly relationships and communication plays such an important role so seeing a lack of communication be the conflict made sense to me. I hope to see more from this couple so I hope this won't be their only volume!

[Giorgia Braglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molto divertente! All'altezza della serie "madre"

[Bin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ Quirky steamy Hazbin Hotel that needs to have less bolded words

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is workplace chaos, queer romance, and emotional messiness all crammed into one glossy, ridiculous, and weirdly self-aware package. I thought Sweet Paprika: Open for Business knows exactly what it is and goes all in.

We’re at Infernum Press, where Aubrey Jean is barely holding it together. He’s a rookie editor with a devil-boss (Miss Paprika), a situationship with Persica that’s complicated on a good day, and an author (Durian) who is definitely high on his own reputation.

Solid 4 stars from me. It’s genuinely fun, unexpectedly grounded, and way more emotionally sharp than I was braced for. It didn't get the full 5 stars here because I thought some parts of Aubrey's journey, in particular, weren't as complex as they could have been, but the story's heavy work was accounted for.

One of my favourite things here: the fantasy world (demons, angels, all that) is just the backdrop for something that feels painfully real. Underneath the irreverence, it’s a gut-punch look at what happens when you don’t set boundaries, at work, in relationships, and especially when an open relationship starts to break down.

And as someone who is a workaholic, I really appreciated the workplace struggles and the cause/effect it had on the romance tension. The relationship problems don’t appear out of nowhere; they build in that painfully believable way where exhaustion + insecurity + miscommunication becomes a perfect storm.

The art, though? 10/10.

The art style? Gorgeous, expressive, and truly just a blast. The detail is rich but never overwhelming, and even the side characters pop. Bonus points for the way the artist censors certain scenes. It’s hilarious and somehow makes the complete vibe even better.

Spice level: definitely spicy, but not quite a "horny read."

There’s a lot of sex, but it’s so over-the-top and silly that it lands more in the “this is hilarious” camp than the “oh wow” one. It works because the story treats sex as just another part of the characters’ mess and growth, not the whole point.

By the end, I was fully rooting for Aubrey and Persica, and the emotional payoff hit way harder than I expected. It’s funny, stylish, and sneakily meaningful under all the chaos.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[E.Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

To start the review with the positive, the art is great. It's sexy but never lewd and a pleasure to the eyes.
I also liked seeing Aubrey's growth, Persica's friends are the definition of a great friends group, and I liked Persica as a character.

But that's the issue. I only liked Persica as a character. I understand where Aubrey's coming from and, like I said, I liked following his growth but not when I thought I was reading a romance. This was sold to me as a "spicy romance comic". Being open is great and I can absolutely love open relationships in my romance, but this wasn't an open relationship, this was Aubrey cheating. From the moment he decided to keep it all a secret, the line between open and cheating was crossed and I'll be honest, I thought Persica deserved better. He's the one who grovel when I think Aubrey was the one who needed to be forgiven. I can forgive cheating in books when the character is working hard to make things right, but that's not what Aubrey does.
Everything was very surface level too, and we don't dig deep into anything. Not Aubrey's self-confidence issues. Not open communication, or lack thereof. Not work-life balance and burnout. Everything is brushed over, like observing issues from afar but never really touching any of them.

The ending was abrupt and felt undeserved to me. For all the characters. How things wrap up with Kren just left me a bit baffled, because Aubrey is being quite the hypocrite there. I think the author tried to chew on too much and I ended up feeling like nothing was enough. Make it a story about the issues of open relationships and lack of communication. Or make it a story about the hero's self-confidence. Or make it a story about burnout and setting boundaries. But all three at the same time? It just didn't work for me.

All that being said, I think you would enjoy the book if you're looking for a beautiful graphic novel with very sexy scenes and a fun ride. "It not that deep" really defines this book, but I just wasn't the perfect audience for it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[AlyReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ARC READ FROM NETGALLEY*

Firstly! This is a pleasant surprise!
Mirka Andolfo was someone I heard about a long time ago and always loved the art style back then so I was happy to have an email that allowed me to read the ARC of “Open for Business.” Thanks Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the eARC!

Let's get into the review:

The story follows Aubrey as he navigates new dynamics of polyamory with his "boyfriend-ish" Persica while trying to balance work/life with him.

This story was fast paced, sex positive, funny, and despite the comical way they approach sex and their dynamics, there were moments that were real like the struggles of introducing new things to a relationship and working too hard at your job and I enjoyed the read!

The art has always been so enjoyable! So expressive and fun to look at! 10/10
Everyone in the world of Sweet Paprika are so unique looking and I always loved the world they are in and when old characters make an appearance!!

The drama was draaaaama in this thing and there were moments where I winced and was questioning the main characters' actions most of the time. (Yes Aubrey, I'm looking right at you.)
There's a lot of sex (and yes the censorship was hilarious) but despite it being a focal point, its more like a crutch in the matter of the real issues around it for the couple. I am glad everything worked out in the end but honestly?? The road there was a MESS (all because of a third party tsk tsk) that I truly didn't know if the couple could climb out of.

I was teetering back and forth on the rating and overall gave this one a solid
3 star 🌟🌟🌟
I really did like it but wished that it dived more and had Aubrey take a little more accountability in the end (to him and Kren, grow gdi GROW 🫩)

BUT MISS PAPRIKA ON THE OTHER HAND 😍
I shall go back to her in her book because my god I love that woman ❤️

Overall Rating:
3 🌟🌟🌟
Spice level? 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Pretty spicy, may be a little exaggerated here and there but it's fun either way! Thanks again!

[Laura R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Aubrey is an assistant editor, but when his boss Miss Paprika offers him a promotion to editor – and gives him the most demanding/demeaning client to work with, one who also happens to be the top-selling-writer for them, Aubrey will have to learn to balance his work life alongside his personal life. But when his relationship becomes complicated, he’ll have to figure out what exactly he wants before he loses everything.

This became very repetitive with the whole Durian being an absolute nightmare, Persica and Aubrey fighting because of Kren, Persica and Aubrey not speaking and just complaining about not speaking, Aubrey and Kren sneaking around, and Aubrey not wanting to make any tough decisions and grow a pair when it comes to any of it. That being said, I liked the way that the main focus of this was the idea of balancing personal and work life, because I feel like there’s a lot of people who struggle with this daily. I also like the fact that their open relationship – one that Aubrey didn’t want – became a huge issue, because it forced him and Persica to really consider what was important to each of them. There was a lot going on in the middle that got ridiculous, but I was entertained and enjoyed it. I loved the artwork and thought that it was well drawn. I wish the story was a little more edited as there were a few things that were repeated, a few others that were never addressed, and others that were missing overall. But I thought this was fun.

[TendaiisNarrative · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐ This is the first work I'm reading by Steve Orlando, and I loved it! Despite not having read the original series, it was easy to dive into the world and characters and get immersed in the story. I'm now really excited to explore more of this universe, and I'm really excited to start reading about Miss Paprika. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This story is funny and colourful, and it's easy to follow, but it also explores some heavier themes and topics when it comes to the complications that can come with relationships. I really found myself connecting to Aubrey, not just as someone who wants to become an editor myself, but as someone who has struggled with feelings of insecurity, comparing myself to others, and needing certain types of support that sometimes aren't there.

This was a really great exploration of the complexities of open relationships and the importance of not just open dialogue between partners, but the willingness to listen. I appreciated seeing things from both points of view, and there were several moments I found my sympathies shifting from one character to the next, showing how well thought out the characters and their perspectives were, despite how quickly they needed to come across in the short story. I can't wait to read more from this author!

[K.C. Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the blurb lied to me a bit. This was not what I expected, but the middle was silly enough that I started to get into it. And trust me when I say that I appreciated the burnout element of this story---my awful work-life balance is my toxic trait.

But I wanted something more... sincere in here. At times I understood where Aubrey was coming from, but for a story based on open communication, there's very little of it on the page. The last issue in particular was, like... what? How did we get from the beginning to the end? How does this resolution happen? Why is Aubrey upset at Kren for failing to do something Aubrey has been failing at for five consecutive issues? I appreciated the messiness of the characters, but they were so one-dimensional, and there was very little real emotion to balance out the chaotic weirdness of it all.

One star for beautiful, thirsty artwork; one star for Persica's friend group and wholesome circle of bros; one star because Aubrey's attraction to Kren on the basis of his own insecurities and a way to avoid conflict while also absolutely adding to the conflict felt very accurate and was the realest part of this narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork in Open for Business was striking, the color and detail gorgeous. It absolutely drew me in and kept me turning the pages! It brought to life this really cool fantasy world filled with demons and angels.

I appreciated the book for tackling challenging themes and exploring less traditional relationships. But I felt a little disappointed by some aspects. The main characters, Aubrey and Persica, didn’t work very well together for me. Their lives and desires just seemed misaligned. Since I didn’t fully support the couple, their relationship, breakup, and makeup fell flat. They seemed better off apart. I think this is because of how they were in conflict for the majority of the story, with Aubrey breaking the rules of their relationship in a way I would consider like cheating. There just wasn’t enough of their development for me to root for them. The ending felt surface-level and like they were just hurrying to get to a happy ending that didn’t really fit for me. So much of their conflict was realistic, but the abrupt makeup felt a little out of place.

Overall, the art was fantastic. The story was interesting and a neat exploration of how key communication is for healthy relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the eARC!

[Shiritaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zu meiner Schande muss ich gestehen, dass ich die Hauptreihe dazu noch nicht gelesen hab (obwohl sie im Regal steht 🥹) - aber nichtsdestotrotz hat das auch wunderbar ohne funktioniert. Zwar gibt's ziemlich viel spicy Content, aber irgendwie hat mich das hier tatsächlich nicht gestört - es passte einfach und fühlte sich absolut nicht deplatziert, übertreiben oder sonst wie an. Die Figuren bekommen alle im Verlauf recht viel Tiefgang, auch sieht man ihre Entwicklung sehr schön. Gab einige witzige Szenen, aber auch ein paar ernstere - und viel zum Schmunzeln zwischendurch. Das Artwork fand ich auch sehr schön, viele Details und die Proportionen waren auch richtig - passen auch wunderbar zum Zeichenstil. Der Plot hat einen durchgehend roten Faden und vermittelt ebenso eine sehr schöne Message.
Wer also Lust hat auf einen spicy Boys Love mit Tiefgang der etwas anderen Art, in dem es viel um das Miteinander, Wertschätzung (sich selbst und anderen gegenüber) und auch der Selbstfindung geht, der könnte hier viel Spaß haben.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I'll start with positive, the art was enjoyable. But that was not enough to save this story. It was comendable to see Aubrey finally set boundaries for himself, but it felt underdeveloped and kind of like "Oh shit, the book's almost over! Ummmm, wrap it up!" The story from volume to volume felt repetitive, with my least favorite trope taking center stage. THIS WOULD ALL BE SOLVED IF PEOPLE JUST TALKED TO EACH OTHER!!!! Eesh. It felt like reading a webtoon or fanfiction written by a highschooler that was trying to tell grown folks' stories. And while I don't identify as poly or open in my relationship, boy can I spot an UNHEALTHY open relationship and you could see this one from freakin space and if Aubrey and Perscia had any real friends at all, someone would've said something. I know the point was that it wasn't working, but I just don't think the proper conversations were shown on how they were going to make it work. This is a story, you have to tell the reader some things.

[Carly (carly_reads_queer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Aubrey and Persica, who are in an open relationship, invite a third into their bedroom it sends their lives into a tailspin. Being overworked and dealing with a horrible client while trying to navigate his open relationship with Persica and the new feelings he has for Kern, the angel the had a three-some with, inevitably blows up in Aubrey’s face.

I loved this! Beautifully illustrated in an explosion of color- this graphic novel jumps off the page. I loved the nuances of their open relationship and how they grew and learned more about themselves and each other by exploring. Their communication, by the end, was so satisfying and I loved that Aubrey learned how to draw boundaries in his work and in his love life.


What you’ll get:
•Devil/Angel
•Open relationship
•Editor in publishing/Office Mail Carrier
•Texting/Catching feelings for a hook-up
•Boss trouble + Horrible client
•Love Triangle
•Overworking
•Learning to set boundaries in love and life

[Lisa Foldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️
Aubry is working at Infernum press, for his idol Paprika.
He tries to impress her with his work, while having an “open” relationship with his boyfriend-ish Persica.
That open relationship wasn’t his plan, but he does meet someone. And this is causing problems. He also needs to work together with Durian, a writer for the firm he works for. And he’s making his life very hard as well.

First of all, the graphics are very well done. This book is very heavy on the spice. If you don’t like that, this book is not for you. But it’s very well illustrated. I was actually surprised there is a deeper layer in this. About trust and communication. About how to respect someone.
The ending was a bit too quick/easy, this definitely should have been a bit more realistic in my eyes. And there was some miscommunication. But overall it was still a fun read.

I received this book from NetGalley, but this is my honest review.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author and the Artist and the Publisher.

Let me say, I’m always down for a Mirka Andolfo book.
They are funny, beautiful art style, loaded with sarcasm and flirting.

But:
Either I don't remember or NetGalley censored some of the scenes. Cuz the Eggplant and the Sandwich.... 🤔
Also, I thought I read Sweet Paprika, but maybe I didn't read all of it???
And:
Durian is an absolute nightmare.
Persica and Aubrey fighting because of Kren was very predictable, especially due to the fact that Aubrey and Kren are sneaking around, and Aubrey not wanting to make any tough decisions and grow a pair when it comes to all of it, his job, his relationship, etc....

It is one of my least Favorite Mirka Andolfo's reads so far.
Anyway, this is a fun, easy and 18+ read.
The story wasn't that deep and rather predictable but nonetheless enjoyable.

[M]

Thanks Net Galley for the Earc!

I picked this up not knowing anything about this queer polyamorous story and I really enjoyed this illustration style! Actually I was completely taken aback at just how funny and dynamic and sexy the scenes are. Plot-wise I am a bit unconvinced, the character development seems it could have been a bit more thorough, as the main person, Aubrey, ends up straight-up cheating on his partner Persica by not telling him that he’s seeing another person. This isn’t dealt with properly as in the end it seems as if it was Persica’s fault for… being too hot and making Aubrey anxious?? Urgh. So while I really liked the premise and the visual style, the story could have been more satisfying in its treatment of a queer polyam relationship.

All in all though it is fun to read, quite a bit spicy and a good way to spend a little bit of time.

[Chad Cunningham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got a copy of this from NetGalley.

I have not read the Sweet Paprika book that this is a spin-off from, but Open for Business is a story of an angel and a demon who are kinda sorta in a relationship but it's a really open relationship and then there is insecurity and drama and....well, it kinda lost me.

I didn't find either of the characters compelling, so their relationship drama never moved me. That said, while this book wasn't to my personal taste that doesn't mean that it isn't to someone else's taste. The story is handled well and the art is good enough. There's a bit of spicy spicyness thrown in for good measure. If you connect with the characters their soap opera drama is gonna go over well.

[Milan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Image Comics for this ARC copy. I loved the illustration style of Sweet Paprika and getting to know Paprika's world. The illustrations in Open for Business are equally as charming (hot 🌶️🔥).

We are introduced to Aubrey and Persica, 2 employees at Infernum that decided to have an open relationship. Aubrey is a nerdy book editor and Persica is the hot gym bro that works in the mail room. I enjoyed the way Aubrey gained confidence and learned to set boundaries not only in his relationship, but at work too. Persica learned how to treat someone who is a delicate like Aubrey. The adversity their relationship faced was pretty much what Persica needed to pull his head out of the sand.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone not too familiar with open relationships, Aubrey and Persica's story was engaging, and I thought, done very well. It seemed respectful and was interesting to see the feelings of those in one. I felt the ending was satisfying and I enjoyed Aubrey's personal growth.

The art style is fun and pretty similar to the original Sweet Paprika books.

Read for: lgbtq rep, open relationship, boundaries-are-important, work/life balance, spin off in same world (with familiar characters), friends are the best

Thank you to Netgalley and Image Comics for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Waldkauzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

TLDR: Soap opera balancing queer relationship drama with chaotic work situations, with a painting stroke of a society of angels and devils. Plus, pretty and dynamic art.

I'm sure this will find its audience! It's not me personally though, the characters and relationship decisions were to frustrating for me to enjoy the read. For example, some character actions strayed to close to cheating in my opinion.

Recommended for comic readers looking for cutesy, complicated, sexy, queer, adult characters navigating romance and looking for a quick, fun read. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for providing an ARC for a honest review.

[Magsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such an interesting story/plot! Especially for it to be portrayed through a graphic novel but it worked so well, dare I say, it was the best way. The art and art style was such my jam. I loved it!
Combining the talented artist and their particular style with the concept of this story and its characters, really meshed well together. It was able to portray and display the wide array of emotions all the characters were feeling throughout. It was able to give a greater depth to a story that discusses real insecurities and struggles individuals face when in similar situations as our leads are in.
Don’t get me wrong, this story is sexy and a great time. It also advocates for feeling powerful within your own body. And how sex is a positive part of life and something to not be ashamed of.
The balance between sending specific messages that definitely go beyond the colorful pages of this graphic novel; and also keeping it lighthearted and easily digestible, is what really pulled it all together. Balance is key to really any story and this one isn’t an exception. It’s beautiful, it’s raw, and it’s life.
Struggling to balance work life and home life isn’t always easy.

Especially if you’re in an open relationship with a situationship that you didn’t want to be in, in the first place. And you have a mass of insecurities and anxieties about yourself that end up becoming amplified when your promoted to work for the worse person in your company and your work insecurities and stresses bleed into your home insecurities and stresses. And on top of that you’re having a secret affair with a guy your situationship doesn’t like. Even though you’re in an agreed upon open relationship. And you have zero ability to handle it all because you have no idea how to put your foot down….

I could go on, but then I’d just be spoiling the whole thing for you. Hehehehe. You’ll have to read it for yourself to figure out how it all ends for the three characters involved in said mess.

I really liked this one and I’m actually curious to check out more graphic novels by Mirka Andolfo and ones illustrated by Emilio Pilliu. Especially the original series that this spin-off was inspired by. This is another one I might just have to snag when it comes to physical on Jun 30th, 2026.


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!!
#MirkaAndolfosSweetPaprikaOpenForBusiness #NetGalley

[Lucsbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not about cooking! I repeat: this is NOT about cooking. But there's plenty of eating ;)

This is a comically accurate story about an open relationship from hell, so it makes sense that half the characters are demons.

I had a lot of trouble sympathising with the character that looks like Jesse Owens, but once I figured out what this graphic novel was about, I enjoyed it for the hilarious, racy mess that it was.

Thank you to NetGalley, Image Comics and Simon & Schuster for this DRC.

[ChristineReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Paprika follows Aubrey and Persica as they learn how to exist within their open relationship. I thought this graphic novel did a great job exploring different challenges that can come up with practicing ethical non-monogamy. The illustrations were beautifully done, they are bright at colorful. If you are looking for a story that captures human emotions and works on communication with your partner I would recommend. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.