Navigating With You Vol. 2

Navigating With You #2

by Jeremy Whitley, Felia Hanakata (Illustrator), Linden Cahill (Color Artist)

Can the love that blossomed in their junior year survive a senior year that's pulling them in different directions?

A month ago, Gabby Graciana and her family left Durham, North Carolina to return back to their lives in Miami, Florida. For Gabby, that meant leaving behind her girlfriend Neesha Sparks. But they swore to keep up the tradition that brought them together—their manga book club.

But not every manga can be the right one at the right time, and they find themselves flailing for a next book. They discover that their favorite mangaka is working with a studio to produce an anime of one of her other stories, so book club chats become anime watch parties. But that's not the only thing in their lives that is changing.

An ex from Gabby's past returns to her life in an unexpected way as Neesha, finally comfortable in her North Carolina town, rediscovers her passion for activism—and a new group of activist friends that she might have more in common with than her now long-distance girlfriend.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

208 pages, Paperback

Expected publication November 24, 2026

About the author

Jeremy Whitley is the son of two teachers and the husband of a third.

Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.

Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two children Zuri and Amara.

Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.

Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
Stonewall Honoree
VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Harvey Nominee
1 time Ringo Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this story of two high school girls finding one another over a common interest in manga, my first thought was "Do we really need a 2nd one? The 1st one was excellent and pretty much told their story." However, Whitley gives us a realistic look at what happens when one of them moves away and they try to maintain a long distance relationship during their senior year in high school. I was in one with my wife for over a year when we first got together and it was really hard. I can't imagine throwing in high school on top of that. So this one is a bit more meloncoly. It's also an ideal world where any bigots instantly get stamped out. Still, I found this to be the rare YA comic book that is actually worth a read.

[Paz · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the advanced e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars

Oh, Jeremy Whitley, you have done it again. What a wonderful story about love, friendship and growing up. When it comes to coming of age stories, Whitley is a safe bet, he always delivers a beautiful and heartfelt story.

This comic was such a surprise. I did not know a second volume was coming out and when I saw it available I got so excited. I'm so happy there's an independent publisher like Mad Cave Studios betting on character focused stories for younger audiences. Stories that feel realistic, written with care for both characters and intended audience. I did not think this story needed a sequel, and yet here I am happy it was released and I got to read it.

So, this volume picks up soon after the events of volume one. Neesha and Gabby are long distance girlfriends now that Gabby is back home so they have a time set up every week to talk and share a new series together. Last volume they had a book club, this time around they have an anime club to fangirl about.

Gabby is back in Florida, she's nervous for her first day of school, but she quickly reconnects with old friends. However, an old ex, her first girlfriend, is also in one of her classes and she's having a tough time seeing them. Their breakup was messy and Gabby is still hurt about her feeling so easily dismissed. Through Neesha's encouragement, Gabby gives Cary a chance. Here, we see Gabby meeting Cary as a whole new person. Through this friendship she can finally heal some old wounds and open up about her ptsd, and Cary has his first real supporter in Gabby when opening up about transitioning.
Meanwhile, Neesha is also meeting new friends. She's invited to a high school club, heads of different associations meet to talk social issues in school and this reignites her passion for social change and activism. Through these meetings she meets Noli. Intelligent, hard-working, disabled and beautiful Noli. Who gives Neesha the chance to work with her on a political campaign and make a real change out there.
With these new friendships, personal developments and goals there's a lot of change for both Gabby and Neesha, and though they do love each other what happens when you are seventeen, about to choose your future and meeting new people? can long distance work?

I think Navigating With You is a beautiful exploration of friendships. I love how Whitley writes these teenage girls that feel real, that struggle, and care, and mess up and forgive each other. I love how these young relationships are the focus, yet in the background there's always Neesha's mom and Gabby's dad to support their kid. These are beautiful examples of love and care, and the parents are present and more often than not my favorite scenes are with them.
This volume follows the girls for a whole year, their last year of high school. And though in volume one we are made to believe they are each other's happy ending, I like how Whitley's message here is that there are people that come to your life temporarily, yet it doesn't matter if they stay, you'll always be grateful for having met them.

Like I said, this was really a surprise. It was a great sequel, with a beautiful art style that is just so pefect for this story. It's fresh, it's lively, it's wonderful for this story of queer love.

[Raaven💖]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I loved the art here and while I’m a little sore because this scenario feels like something that kind of happened to me, I’m glad that everything worked out for everyone involved.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really liked the first volume and was so excited to see this one pop up on Netgalley. I did a have a brief pause as the cover seeming to suggest two love triangles in this book as Neesha and Gabby are long distance dating in this one, but as I enjoyed book 1 so much I decided to give book 2 a try too. And I am glad I did as I really enjoyed this sequel. I felt like it really adds to Neesha and Gabby's story and I had such a great time reading this one.

There's something about this book that really worked for me, I liked the characters and wanted to keep reading. The artwork is well done, fits the story and I like how it adds to the story. I also appreciated the the way topics like disability, being queer, mental health and such are addressed in the story. The book also deals with topics like long distance dating and figuring out what you want from life and what to study. This book again has another story that takes place alongside the main one, this time it's an anime Neesha and Gabby watch together and the themes mirror some of the things they go through in real life. It all blends together in an engaging read and I had a great time reading this one and didn't want to put it down.

I really like both Neesha and Gabby as characters, they are likable and feel real. In this book they have a new issue to deal with long distance dating and life pulling them in different directions. There are frequent phone calls and messaging, but the distance still creates it's own struggles especially as both are drawn into a different direction. Neesha meets fellow disabled activist Noli who obviously has a crush on Neesha from the start. While Gabby re-connects with her ex Cary and the two grow closer again and work through why Cary broke up with her in the first place.

While I don't like love triangles in books and this one basically had a double love triangle, I couldn't help but actually really like what these two characters add to the story. Both Noli and Cary are great interesting characters in their own right with their own struggles and personalities. I liked seeing how these new connections brought out things in Gabby and Neesha. And I also appreciated how neither Noli or Cary pushes Neesha and Gabby to break up. They were just so nice which made it hard to really feel as annoyed about the love triangle. And then I actually really started liking the connection Neesha and Noli as well as Cary and Gabby build. But then when Gabby and Neesha were together they were so sweet together and I didn't want them to break up. It left me feeling quite conflicted. I was quite upset with Neesha for keeping a big secret from Gabby and how she handled that as well as a later scene. In the end I am really happy with how the romance plot line got resolved and it really felt like a good ending for everyone and I really liked the message and themes there as well.

To summarize: I had a great time reading this one. Book 1 was awesome and while I was a bit hesitant about starting this one with the double love triangle I also was super excited to see how the story continues. This was such an enegaging read with great characters, well done artwork as well as some interesting themes and messages that deal with everything from being queer to being disabled, being POC as well as some mental health issues and topics like long distance dating, deciding what you want from life and what to study. While I wasn't looking forward to the double love triangle I actually ended up liking the two new characters that got introduced as love interests, both Noli and Cary are such likable and interesting characters in their own right and they never push Neesha and Gabby to break up. I was feeling quite conflicted as I really liked these new relationships both girls were building and how that pulled out different aspects of their personality, but then when Neesha and Gabby were together they were so sweet and I wnated them to make things work. I did get quite upset with Neesha how she kept a big secret from Gabby and then what she did later. In the end I am really happy with how things got resolved and in a way that was good for all characters involved. This was a great read and I am really happy I read it.

[Kristen Newlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

When I finished the first volume I was told immediately that there was a Volume 2 coming out soon. I was excited to read and it didn't disappoint! From the beginning I could sort of tell where the story was going but still enjoyed how we got there! I was a little sad at the cheating plot point because no one wants Noli and Neesha to be together more than me, however....I wish it wasn't because of that. But overall I loved this book and how it handled long distance struggles as well as Cary and his story sprinkled in throughout!

[Fussl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

When I read the first book I really enjoyed it so when I saw there was another I definitely had to read it too.

I loved the character development in this one, getting to see how the characters grow older and change and find what is right for them even if it wasn't what they initially thought it would be.


Also really appreciated the ace rep thats always great!

[uwu_cat_avy]

I NEED THIS BOOK NOW

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** Thank you to the author for a copy of the ARC ***

In this second installment of Navigating With You, Neesha and Gabby are doing the long-distance thing now that Gabby's gone back home. The girls being apart showcases that it's perfectly normal and healthy to have their own things going on and that the romance is just one aspect of their lives. It's an important part for them, but Gabby's focused on reconnecting with her old friends and continuing to heal from abuse, and Neesha is using her free time to dive back into activism and make new connections. Of course, they miss each other, but that's healthy, too. These girls love each other, but they're also teenagers, in a long-distance relationship, and start to realize their goals and lifestyles aren't so similar. They're in their senior year of high school, thinking about colleges and trying to figure out what kind of people they want to be, as well as learning new things about themselves, so it makes perfect sense that Gabby and Neesha would grow apart and be more present in their immediate lives than focused on someone living far away. Naturally, this leads to tension and conflict between them along with a desperation to maintain their relationship as it is.

I appreciate that the girls can reflect on their actions and how they've hurt each other and discuss their feelings after conflict. It's so incredibly important to learn how to take responsibility for how your actions have affected someone, and address and resolve conflict in a way that respects both parties, even if the solution isn't what you had hoped. Life can be complicated and messy, and I really like the idea that young adults will be able to see this portrayed in a healthy way in this graphic novel.

Some other things I liked:
- It's really neat to see the leaders of the various clubs getting together to support collective social issues.
- It's refreshing to hear that Noli's parents were accepting of her coming out. I really like the peek we get into Tamil and Desi names and how to pronounce Noli's real name. Noli's mom is a standout.
- I related to it so much when Cary talks about how his mom buys him gifts rather than showing her daughter she loves him. Like me, he has to learn that you can't buy a relationship.
- I can't get over how cool Neesha's mom is. She's so supportive and I love that she teases her teenager about everything. She's probably my favourite character in the series so far. And shout out to Gabby's dad, too. He made me tear up - he's so sweet.

I remember really enjoying the first volume, but I think this one tops it. I prefer this art style, too. I kept thinking how gorgeous Noli is and how handsome Cary is! There's even more diversity and representation, which is a delight to see, and the story hits so many beats that I relate to personally. When I was first figuring out that I was queer, so many of the key people who helped me through it were long-distance friends I'd made online through shared love of fandoms. We used to talk for hours daily, and I can't express how important and meaningful it was to have a support group like that at the time. It's been about 15 years since those days and though we gradually grew apart, those people will always have a special place in my heart. That's what this book is about. Just because your relationship with someone changes or ends, doesn't lessen the impact and value that person contributed to your life and who you are. Maybe you'll stay friends forever, maybe you'll send them a DM every now and then to check in, or maybe you break up or lose touch, but they'll always be with you in some way. Isn't that beautiful?

Whitley words it perfectly here:
"Some people change your life for the better and they're with you forever, even though you have to let them go."

[Zaidee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very excited to see a second part of Navigating With You, though at first I was a bit worried I wouldn't like this as much as the first. The art style has changed, and now there are anime scenes interspersed throughout the story instead of manga like in book 1. I shouldn't have worried though, because I absolutely loved this sequel.

The new art is expressive, fun, and the use of saturated colors works well for visually separating out the anime scenes. The first time this is introduced into the story felt clunky to me, but later sequences fit in with the plot much more smoothly. I actually enjoyed the anime storyline so much that I found myself invested in those characters as well. Reminiscent of Evangelion and Pacific Rim, there are action packed scenes with a much deeper meaning behind them. These side characters learn to understand grief, loss, and how to hold space for those you have lost while also moving on in life. I enjoyed seeing how Neesha and Gabby related to the show in connection with their own lives. Surprisingly involved for something secondary to the main plot.

Once again, Whitley has done a fantastic job of capturing the nuance of relationships. I genuinely liked every character in this book. Even when the girls make mistakes, it just serves to illustrate how complicated we are as individuals, and the self awareness it can take to form relationships with others. Everyone here is sweet, sometimes messy, and just so human! The adults are also a breath of fresh air. We hear about the ones who are less than ideal, but we get to see the relationships that are working, the parents who are trying. Neesha's mom cracked me up, and Gabby's dad showed a real strength in vulnerability as he comforts her through a distressing situation.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a more nuanced and relatable version of love, strong friendships, and plenty of fun nerdy references. Additionally, teens with disabilities and mental illness will find compassionate and honest representation here. Whitley does a wonderful job of articulating the ways in which we all deserve to have love and connection, whatever our differences may be.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Maverick for the digital ARC!

[K.C. Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hm. I have some mixed feelings here on who is telling the story vs. the rep that this story includes. There were places here where the dialogue felt quite forced, especially when it tried to hit some Gen Z slang and/or incorporate AAVE. I don't remember that standing out to me as much in the first volume, but there were places here where it knocked me out of the story, especially in conversations between Neesha and her mom.

That said, I do like the overall direction this volume took. Loving that queer found family vibe with ace and trans rep (yaaaaayyy) and some realistically messy developments in the characters' love/personal lives. The way fandom plays into the narrative remains delightful. I don't want to offer spoilers around the plot but I liked seeing a different kind of coming-of-age love story than we usually get in this genre. All the character growth was lovely, and the overall message of how we choose to love each other, highlighted by the anime that gets sprinkled in throughout the narrative, was relevant and heartfelt.

This is very much slice of life, with minimal plot in the strictest sense of the word, and a lot of character-driven moments of connection, changing expectations, and characters trying to find their place in a world that doesn't make space for them. Queerness is rarely a source of pain, with one side character being the major exception, and disability shows up in much the same way; how people react to and engage with disability is a much bigger issue than disability itself.

Overall, a solid follow-up to book one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this charming graphic novel. I initially didn't think we needed a sequel to the first volume, but I'm quite pleased with the choices Whitley and the creative team made here.

[Xavier Whitman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Navigating With You Vol. 2 is a cute if a bit melodramatic slice of life. The story continues the relationship between Neesha and Gabby as it works through the perils of long distance and senior year decisions.

The first thing I noticed with this volume is that there was a change in artist between the stories. I didn’t particularly mind, as I find the art style to be just as cute as the original if just a bit different. It seems a bit less stylized than the previous.

I have to admit that I did not particularly love this story. I found the first volume to be a little too sappy for my taste, and this one didn’t really do any favors. It was essentially a third act breakup except it took up an entire volume, which led to both the main leads being somewhat unlikable throughout the entire book. Not the best choice for a story that is heavily reliant on likable characters.

I did enjoy seeing Neesha and Gabby be able to grow as people separate from each other. They did just sorta feel too reliant on each other in the first book, and it made them somewhat bland.

Also, I felt like Gabby’s asexuality kinda came out of nowhere. Maybe I just missed it, but I felt like there was no lead up or real pay off to that realization. It’s kinda of a shame since Whitley himself is asexual, and I imagine would have an insightful opinion on the topic.

Overall, Navigating with You Vol. 2 was not for me personally and I can’t imagine it would be a fun read for anyone who is really attached to the Neesha/Gabby relationship. Also, how fast can an entire anime be written and animated. I fear that the timeline is a little fucked in that regard.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Comics for the advanced copy.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Neesha and Gabby are BACK, and no one should even THINK about cracking this second volume without reading the first. You need to know how these two got here.

When readers pick up with our favorite charming young couple, they're still geographically separated. This is tough, but they seem to be, uh, *navigating* it pretty well at the start. Their video chats are all set, they're in pretty good communication, and they're mostly talking through their issues. That noted, there are clearly challenges bubbling up that they are NOT dealing with well, and that causes them to turn to other people and to some challenging coping mechanisms.

While they continue to navigate each other, they are also navigating themselves. Both have realizations about who they are, what they need, and what they will and will not accept. The people in their immediate spaces also really influence their outcomes and behaviors.

I really liked the direction this volume took. It's not the sweet, sappy love story we sometimes get with young characters. It's more complicated, layered, and real. The target audience will really benefit from all of the great parts that run through this series, but especially from seeing how things roll toward the end of this book and how the characters deal with their situation/s.

This is another wonderful book in an excellent series, and I'm already excited for the next volume.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Maverick for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

We rejoin Gabby and Neesha as the try to manage long distance, different wants, and new people in their lives. The secondary story, a new anime, follows a world with monsters and children, and a woman, who can create guardians to fight them.

I will admit, I have mixed feeling about this book. Its a good story, and a good representation of people growing apart, and wanting different things. But I didn't like the narrative choices made in this edition, and I may chose to just enjoy the original edition.

I thought the new characters were interesting enough, for Neesha we have a new activist group, and another disabled woman who flirts with her, and we get Gabby's original friends back as well as her ex, now trans.

HoweverI don't like the way our protags developed. Neesha cheating on Gabby felt so out of place. And I don't like the at they weren't endgame. I just... really enjoyed them. And I'm frustrated that there's no mention of the manga they shared the first edition, I need to know how that got divided since the last one was literally gifted by the author because they were together.

[Kiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 of "Navigating With You" opens with Gabby starting high school back in Florida and reconnecting with her old friends & ex. Neesha opens with her being head first into activism regarding how back accessibility is downtown in her city. This leads to her meeting some new friends at school who also are community activists. As the two navigate their new social circles their long-distance relationship becomes more and more strained.

It was really interesting to see the two girls grow and mature as the drama of their lives unfold. I was not expecting the amount/kind of relationship drama in this volume, though, as the previous volume didn't really deal with that. However, it was done in a way that feels natural and would make sense for each of them as they grow and change. I also really enjoyed the artwork in this volume. (It was illustrated by a different artist this time around.) The students who frequent my library will really enjoy this story as a whole.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to Jeremy Whitley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I was so worried I wasn’t going to enjoy this one as much simply because I knew early on that long distance wasn’t going to work for these two, and that broke my heart a little.

But the way they navigate their relationships, the blocks they hit, the difficulties communicating well, the feelings Neesha has for someone else, all of it was just so well written and explored. These are two young people who love each other, but who want very different things. I got especially emotional when they finally talked it all out and decided to just be friends instead.

I really loved Cary’s journey in this. It’s a side plot, but a really beautiful, important one. I also loved Gabby realising she might be on the ace spectrum. It’s a small moment, but a great one.

I felt this was just such a well balanced, realistic, emotional sequel and I loved it a lot.

[Ali Suchy · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

I gotta be honest, I can barely remember what happened in volume one but I remember that I really liked it so I jumped at the chance to review the ARC of volume 2. And wow, I think this might be better than the first one, but also sadder. Neesha and Gabby are doing long distance, with plans to meet in person only a few times before they go to college together next fall. Both girls get sucked into new and renewed friendships, and begin to grow apart, even though their love for each other is still strong. The art was lovely and captured such a pure form of the emotions and experiences the girls have, I felt like I was right there with them. So wonderful!
Honestly, this one made me cry. I loved it. I need to own both volume physically now. I definitely recommend these books to everyone, but check out the content tags before hand.
I received a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong follow-up can't quite live up to the first volume, especially when a long-distance relationship is awaiting exploration behind that foreboding front cover.

A melancholy air sets in early, and no matter how well done the script and art, a sense of inevitability had me protecting my heart instead of letting it run loose with the story.

Still, if a third volume were to appear, I'll definitely be in line to read it because I'm all in on these characters.


Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.

[Jasmine Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really beautiful story about growing apart from your long-distance love and finding additional people in your corner. I loved the artwork and the disability rep. The anime story within was really poignant too, with a powerful message about grief. Bonus points for asexuality and trans rep.

Thank you to Maverick for the opportunity to read and review.

[V · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars
Navigating With You Vol. 2 is a heartwarming story about young sapphic love and how it can change when growing up and entering new phases of life.

What I like most about Navigating With You Vol. 2:
~ Vivid and beautiful illustrations!
~ Well-written and emotionally complex characters!
~ Very heart-warming bond between FMCs!
~ Great disability rep (cerebral palsy, PTSD, limb difference / leg prosthesis user, panic attacks)!
~ Many queer characters (lesbian FMC, bi FMC, asexual rep, trans boy rep)!

My rating breakdown:
💙Romance: ★★★☆☆ 3/5
♿️Disability rep: ★★★★☆ 4/5
🦋Diversity: ★★★★★ 5/5
📘Plot : ★★★☆☆ 2.5/5
⌨️ Writing: ★★★☆☆ 3/5
🖋️Illustration: ★★★★☆ 4/5

Thank you Mad Cave Studios for providing me with an ARC of this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.