**Arc / gifted copy received in exchange for an honest review**
3.6 ⭐️ Sapphic romance, the troubles with friendship, and dreams that pack a punch.
First of all, I just want to say how much I adore Balazs art. I picked up Donuts & Doom the other year purely because his art style is awesome, and I feel like this graphic novel was even better. I’m obsessed with the colour pallets and the chapter transitions.
As for the story I did have a lot of fun. This one is pretty focussed on navigating friendships with a shared friend. However I liked the dream scenes the most. It brings an action edge to the comic that works brilliantly.
I marked this down a little because I was a tad confused by the romance. Without giving spoilers, it was a bit all over the place and as such hard to understand the pairing at times. I actually think perhaps the novel would have worked better without the romance entirely, or by adding some more clarity to that side.
All in all a solid read, but I would have liked more from the romance side.
Rep// Sapphic MCs. Central romance is WLW/sapphic.
Thank you to net galley for this advanced ARC copy
Dream Girl Disaster by Balázs Lorinczi is a charming and fast-paced graphic novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I ended up reading it in a single sitting because the story was such a page-turner.
The novel follows three friends who find themselves caught in a complicated friendship triangle while trying to put their differences aside to create a student film. The story captures many familiar teenage experiences, including friendship struggles, creative ambitions, uncertainty about the future, and budding romantic relationships.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its artwork. I particularly loved the clever use of black-and-white panels to distinguish between dreams, reality, and the filmmaking sequences. It added an extra layer of visual storytelling and made the different elements of the narrative easy to follow.
While I enjoyed the relationships between the characters, I did find myself a little confused at times about who was dating whom. By the end, everything falls into place, and in some ways that confusion reflects the messy reality of teenage emotions and relationships. That said, I felt the romance wasn’t the strongest aspect of the story. The friendships and the characters’ shared passion for filmmaking were far more engaging, and I think the novel would have been even stronger if those elements had taken centre stage.
The whole book feels like it was created by someone with a genuine love of filmmaking, and that enthusiasm shines through on every page.
Overall, Dream Girl Disaster is a cute, engaging, and highly enjoyable graphic novel with wonderful artwork and relatable characters. I’m looking forward to reading more of Lorinczi’s work in the future.
Two rivals teaming up to save their best friend's film project? Sounds innocent enough, right? WRONG. Like, let's be real; we all knew this was heading straight into enemies-to-lovers territory from a mile away ;)
Anyway, I thought 'Dream Girl Disaster' is cute, charming, and clearly written with a lot of love for filmmaking. I especially appreciated how Susie's passion for film can be traced back to Jo's mum introducing her to the works of John Carpenter. As a fellow Carpenter fan, I fully support this life-changing educational experience.
That said, almost everyone in this book is varying degrees of insufferable. The real MVP is Jo's mum, who remains supportive, encouraging, and generally the most likeable person in the entire cast.
And my biggest issue was the pacing. The story often feels rushed in some places and drawn out in others, which also affects the flow of the lettering and dialogue. A clearer visual hierarchy for the speech bubbles would have made certain conversations much easier to follow.
I’m also still not entirely sure how the whole shared-dream situation works. Maybe there’s an explanation I missed, but it felt more like one of those plot points you’re expected to accept and move on from. Which, to be fair, isn't a dealbreaker if you're willing to suspend your disbelief.
Overall, I still think it's a sweet story with a lot of heart, even if it could have benefited from tighter pacing and a little more clarity.
Thank you NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and Top Shelf Productions for the e-ARC!
I’m lucky enough to have had the privilege to read this one early (in one sitting) on the behalf of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I have to say it’s a graphic novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The artwork and colouring were adorable to look at throughout, reminding me heavily of the ever-popular webcomic art-style we see so often nowadays in the best of ways. Panelling-wise, it was a brisk read with a smooth flow between each drawing that told a story all on its own—something I particularly appreciated given that occasionally the dialogue here proved itself a bit of a weak point.
More often than not I do think it’s a fitting dialect for the age of the target audience of the book, and the characters’ age groups, yet there were multiple times where I simply felt it didn’t flow as well as it should have. All of the dream-like artwork helps to carry the story the majority of the novel’s three-hundred pages, though I do think me not quite being the target audience here in terms of reading age impacted my enjoyment at times.
Overall, this is a sweet, harmless crowd pleaser that I absolutely enjoyed reading: it just never managed to blow me away.
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.
So the reason I wanted to read "Dream Girl Disaster" is because it popped up on Netgalley's graphic novel section and the moment I saw it was queer I knew I wanted to read it. Friends, this was such a cute little graphic novel. I loved the premise of the story. The idea behind it was wonderful, and magical, and genuinely made me wish there was a whole series around this friend group. The artwork was beautiful and the colours were genuinely perfect and dreamy (pun intended). However, sadly, this story was just too short for me. It genuinely felt a little rushed and I wish there was more to it. Everything was just resolved far too quickly for my liking, and personally I felt like it could have been flushed out more. Don't get me wrong, I'd still recommend this graphic novel if you want something cute, lighthearted and queer to read. However, I'm just greedy and want more.
Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with an eARC.
This was a nice quick read. I really liked the art style but the story itself didn't click as much. Sometimes I was honestly confused about which pair I was supposed to ship and which one the author meant. I liked the figuring things out in your dreams and doing things to save your friendship parts. The story itself felt like it ended a little abruptly but it probably won't matter if there is a book 2. I did like the physical characteristics of the women shown in the art, it was refreshing to finally not see the stereotypically thin women. Overall, it was a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick queer read.
As always, Lorinczi's art style is engaging and divine. I'll always pick up a graphic novel by them for their elite visual characterizations and stellar use of color. I can personally relate to this storyline of being a filmmaking creative and the challenges of working in collaboration with others where communication is heavily lacking. The trio's dynamic is interesting, but I do wish that there was more clarity of their complexities before the reveals towards the end. It would've provided more nuance and depth to their storylines whilst they were occuring instead of just in the conclusion, especially so with Jo's self discovery storyline. Can't wait for the next Lorinczi!
Thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for the arc!
Thank you NetGalley and Balazs Lorinczi for the e-arc of “Dream Girl Disaster”
For me this book was a solid 3.75 ⭐️
As a huge lover of the graphic novel format I knew that I had to request this one as soon as I saw the words: “queer, movie and rivals”. The art style is simply stunning and really sets the scene for the book. I adored that the colors were mainly purples because it does add to the dreamy side.
I also enjoyed the story, however, I think that it should have been a little longer for the conflict to have a better resolution. The concept is so interesting and I couldn’t put the graphic novel down.
Overall, if you’re looking for a cute, quick and queer story in a graphic novel format look no further 🎥
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
A cute teen drama/romance that has … polyamorous vibes? It also has that thing where something takes place in college but it feels also like high school to appeal to teenage readers who want to be in college already but need the setting to be close to their current situation… But I digress.
The art is cute and clear, and fits the story well. The story is also well crafted, if a bit superficial. The beef between two of the main characters is rather severe, I feel, but also not treated as it’s that bad? I have mixed feelings. All in all I feel like there could be more to this story, but that it got a bit watered down to appeal to a teen audience. Still, good for the queer teen in your life.
“Two rivals put aside there differences to help their friend make a student film. Easy, right? In your dreams!”
That basically describes this whole graphic novel. Two girls who hate each other but work together for their best friend. You expect an enemies/rivals to lovers. But the ending is different. It was still super cute. I just hoped for something else. Either way it was a beautiful graphic novel with a cute storyline. Tension (which made me think that ending was different) and clumsiness.
I had a good time reading this and I would recommend it. Loved the artwork and the story is unique.
Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC. This was my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book. I don't dabble in graphic novels very often but I do enjoy a good enemies to lovers and the description and the sapphic rep had me hooked!
This book was not what I expected at all, and that is all I can say without spoiling anything. I finished it in a single sitting and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! It reminded me of the times in school that all my friends decided we would make a student movie too, except we chose nature and our movie ended up kinda sad... i loved how teenage friendships have been potrayed in this, and I relate to Jo on an absolute spiritual level!!
Received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was a cute graphic novel which can easily be read in one sitting. The story is about 3 young people involved in a long-time friend triangle with a more recent romantic element. The college-aged characters are making a film, but unfortunately, the film is beset by problems between the other characters. There are some interesting dreamscapes which lead to greatness and disaster. Ultimately, the characters confront the issues, and…..
I will say that while the art style is great, I was not a huge fan of the color palette.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The art was so beautiful and also, I didn't know who I was supposed to be shipping for most of that!! I really thought that was going to be an enemies to lovers for like... most of the book. And it's okay that it wasn't, I was just a little confused, honestly. I wish we had gotten a little more info on how the whole dream situation happened, but I loved the final theater scene so much. Thank you for the early copy!
I was given the opportunity to read this title by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review
4 out of 5 ⭐️
I wanted to read this as I love graphic novels and the idea of a LGBTQIA+ graphic novel massively appealed to me. I enjoyed the story although the ending was as somewhat predictable for me. The graphics are beautiful and the hues used really are evocative of the dream sequences. Overall a lovely story with great representation, carefully handled discussions about sexuality and a tongue in cheek plot. Definitely enjoyable.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC!
This was an interesting graphic novel that kind of worked for me; disclaimer that I think it will work better for a different audience. I liked the characters - they were all uniquely developed. The art style is cool, too, and I love the shifts throughout. I think where it fell flat for me was that the main beef between the fighting "friends" was that it was both over-the-top dramatic and not fleshed out enough. The plot itself didn't have a ton of gravitas towards me, but it was an all right read.
Thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC!
First off, the art style is incredible. I absolutely loved the art in this book and I am so excited to see more work from the artist! The writing was also really good, the plot was interesting, the dialogue was intriguing and kept my attention and I was happy with the ending!
Definitely a great comic with amazing writing and visuals! Would absolutely recommend!
Great read!! Interesting storyline. They can enter their dreams and spend time there. About friendship!! It hard when you have to give undivided attention to two friends that never get along together. At last tho they put aside their hatred to save their friendships. Great read!! Love the artstyle!! . . Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~
Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this graphic novel!
I really did like the art and the fact we have “non stereotype looking girls”. Now I wasn’t impressed with the fact this wasn’t a enemies to lovers romance unfortunately, it kinda missed the mark for me on it. But look, I did enjoy the story and it was an addicting read!
Thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC!
I really enjoyed this. It was a quick and cute read. The dreams were an interesting aspect to the story - I will say I wish we learned a little bit more about the dreams and how they even happened in the first place. All in all, this was a so sweet and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and easy comic!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review!
The premise was so compelling and the queer sub(main?)plot was honestly more confusing. The art is cute but wow, two of the leads are SUCH jerks to each other!! Susie deserves better friends.
A fun read especially if you enjoy John Carpenter movies!
Received an ARC from Net Galley! Really enjoyed the art style and the use of colour to show dream and no dream! I felt at times the pacing was a little off. We spent ages seeing the two girls hate each other then suddenly they’re hugging. It had a nice story of coming together to help their friend but yeah, the pacing wasn’t doing it for me!
I thought the concept was cute, but it was way too confusing/unorganized. If you’re putting the dream element in and making it true, go with it until the end. Also, I would have rather that all of them would end up together, and the way it played out was just meh
This was a cute and quick read that was perfect for pride month! I loved the art style and the choice of a purple and grey color palette. The speculative part was not really explained so you just have to go for vibes and enjoy the story.
This is a fun story about friendship, dreams and making a student film. The art style and colour palette are great, and the story has some fun themes and ideas. The plot and relationship dynamics weren't always super clear, but it was an enjoyable read all the same.