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Best friends Susan, Daisy, and Esther's adventures at university continue in Giant Days Vol. 8.

It’s the end of second year for best mates Susan, Daisy, and Esther, and cracks are appearing in the foundation of this unshakeable trio. Between (irritating) new loves, (secretive) old loves, (unlikely) new friendships and (terrible) old houses, they’ll be lucky to make it to third year alive!

John Allison (Bad Machinery, Scary Go Round) and illustrators Max Sarin and Liz Fleming shepherd us through another action-packed semester in Giant Days Volume 8, which collects Issues #29-32 of the Eisner Award-nominated series.

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2018

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1150 people want to read

About the author

John Allison

319 books828 followers
John Allison is the author and artist of the British webcomics Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

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5 stars
1,667 (38%)
4 stars
2,092 (47%)
3 stars
593 (13%)
2 stars
24 (<1%)
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5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
Profile Image for Sam Quixote.
4,801 reviews13.4k followers
November 4, 2017
Boyfriends and girlfriends behave badly threatening friendships left and right in Giant Days Volume 8! Daisy’s girlfriend Ingrid runs up a disastrous heating bill forcing poor Daisy to choose between her love and her best friends Esther and Susan. Meanwhile, just as Esther befriends Emilia, Emilia’s beau McGraw reveals his on/off relationship with Susan has been secretly on for months! Will he and Ed Gemmell (sporting an unwise Anakin Skywalker braid) survive Emilia’s brothers’ wrath? Also - find out McGraw’s first name!

I’m not even surprised at the consistently high quality of Giant Days anymore. John Allison and Max Sarin have delivered every single time before, and continue to, that I just save up these comics for when an arc completes, pick a time when I can enjoy them, and smile my way through another flawless read!

If you’re unfamiliar with the series that summary might read like a cheeseball Hollyoaks knockoff but Giant Days is so much better than that. It’s a unique blend of inventive, imaginative comedy and young adult drama flawlessly executed by a creative team who can’t seem to put a foot wrong. Writing and art is first class all the way, once again.

The characters and their stories continue to grow in new and compelling ways. I loved McGraw’s moustache origins, Daisy hustling rugby players at pool, and the little details as always - the Jeff Goldblum shower curtain, Esther’s gossip hat, and the gentle ribbing of triggered snowflakes on campus and the dominance of Funko Pop at comics shops these days. And I love where the series is headed too - who will end up living with who? Is John Allison slowly steering Ed towards Esther for their star-crossed romance (fingers crossed)?? These seemingly small questions become so big when you have a writer this good who can get you deeply invested in their characters!

To anyone who wants to read a cracking non-superhero comic, this is it (not that I wouldn’t recommend this to superhero comics readers either!). It’s the greatest comic in the world, bar none, and Volume 8 only further highlights that. POWERFUL Giant Days!
Profile Image for Chelsea (chelseadolling reads).
1,552 reviews20.1k followers
September 11, 2018
I'm sad to say that this volume was a little rough for me :( everything felt really disconnected for the first two issues so I had a hard time getting back into the swing of things. HOWEVER McGraw has my whole heart and I am extreeeeemely excited to see how things go in the next volume!
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author 6 books32.1k followers
September 21, 2018
The end of second year for Susan, Daisy, and Esther, and though the pace is just as frenetic as always, and the jokes just keep on coming, things appear more serious than ever, and we can begin to see that they may not be together for always! Yes, sorry, Real Life intervenes for them as it does for us all, and yes, uni life may indeed come to an end! But not for at least a couple years, at least, don’t worry, so let’s go to the pub! Things will change pretty dramatically for them as a trio next year, but one can see they will be still fundamentally connected as bff.

Events (ones that I can share without making the great Unread annoyed):

*Daisy’s irritating girlfriend Ingrid is great in creating tensions between the three, such as running up the heating bill to astronomical heights. Requiring Daisy to face off a gaggle of footballers in betting at pool to see if she can raise the cash
*We actually find out McGraw’s real name! (No, not from me, not ever!)
*McGraw has been in a secret relationship—okay, an affair!--for months (okay, I’ll say it, sorry) with Susan, (yes, back together, yay!)
*Esther becomes friends with Emilia, McGraw’s Actual Girlfriend (yes, whom McGraw is cheating on! Pay attention!).
*We find the origin to McGraw’s moustache, which involves a former girlfriend.
*Esther’s gossip hat

Otherwise, it’s just uni days as usual, going to classes, living in a disastrous old house, supporting each other (and responsibly rescuing drunk people at parties). Max Sarin is keeping up the manic pace with Alison, visually just as silly, with lots of pop references throughout to make one smile. It took me (an American, after all) a volume to get into this, but my rating has been gradually, incrementally creeping up to my first five star, though I am rather certain a reread that I will do of the whole series will probably make almost all of it five stars, because it is really good fun, and so well done.

Why five stars now? Because the volume seems less episodic, and somehow more cohesive, and thoughtful, even as splits threaten. Serious Issues That Young People Face are being faced, and though on some level this might point to less manic fun, it feels like the series may actually have the potential to really deepen, as the group moves toward growing up. My fave so far.
Profile Image for destiny ♡ howling libraries.
2,002 reviews6,196 followers
September 20, 2019
Vol 1: ★★★★☆
Vol. 2: ★★★★★
Vol. 3: ★★★★★
Vol. 4: ★★★★★
Vol. 5: ★★★★★
Vol. 6: ★★★★★
Vol. 7: ★★★★★
Vol. 8: ★★★★★
Vol. 9: ★★★★★
Vol. 10: ★★★★★

It wasn't my favorite volume of the series, but still an easy 5-star rating from me. My only complaint was feeling like things were a little disconnected in the beginning, but by the time I reached the second half of the volume, all was well again. I can't tell if the events in the last few pages were just drama at face value, or if it's an indication that the creators are gearing up for the end, but the idea of it being the latter makes me so sad. :(
Profile Image for Melissa Chung.
948 reviews323 followers
February 24, 2019
Giant Days Vol 8, big changes will be happening in Vol: 9. I wonder how it will go. Need to pick up volume 9 and find out pronto. This graphic novel series is just so fun. Ingrid is a nut. I hope Daisy sees this soon or is able to talk with Ingrid about her feelings. My favorite characters are Esther and McGraw. I love her goth look and his mustache is epic. Not only that but they are really good friends and are always trying to "fix" things.

Sorry this review isn't much of a review. Kind of hard when it's the eighth book in a series. Just know that their second year in college is finally over. And the gang is looking for accommodations...again. Love live Ed's coffee maker!
Profile Image for Emma.
1,012 reviews1,027 followers
June 9, 2020
As always I loved this volume of Giant Days! I'm so happy that my favourite couple is back together! I'm sorry to say that Ingrid has to go, I didn't like how she put Daisy on the spot and asked her to choose between her and her friends, it wasn't nice.
I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for the girls since this ending is definitely hinting at some very important changes in their lives.
Profile Image for Austra.
809 reviews115 followers
July 10, 2019
Ak, šīs pieaugšanas sāpes. Izvēles, atbildības, attiecības.

Ar katru lappusi arvien vairāk iemīlos šīs sērijas ilustrācijās. Visa tā emociju gamma :D
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,347 reviews281 followers
October 9, 2018
A pleasant diversion, as always, with some added dramatic heft as renewal time for the roommates' lease promises to shake up the status quo. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it all turns out next volume.
Profile Image for Robin Stevens.
Author 52 books2,587 followers
September 5, 2018
Yes! Giant Days! It is so great, one of the best looks at college life ever. Esther, Daisy and Susan feel like my friends, and I have a bit of a crush on McGraw. (14+)

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. If you use it in any marketing material, online or anywhere on a published book without asking permission from me first, I will ask you to remove that use immediately. Thank you!*
Profile Image for Lost in Book Land.
954 reviews167 followers
September 4, 2025
I am attempting to finish two books today (Sawkill Girls and an ebook ARC I have on my kindle). However, in the meantime, I wanted to get my review posted for Giant Days Vol. 8 because I have been itching to pick up volume nine after the ending of the last one. With graphic novels like Giant Days and Saga, I will not let myself read the next one until I have reviewed the one I just finished reading so I will be less likely to get plotlines confused. So without further ado let’s do this!

SPOILERS AHEAD

As I have said with past volumes since I am so far into the series I plan to keep it semi-vague with the plot lines so I will not spoil anything large for a new to the series reader. In this volume, the girls experience some love troubles, make some new friends, and grapple with house issues and deciding to renew the lease or not for the next school year. The last issue about the house and the lease are so topical for many college-aged people. I faced a similar struggle with my college bestie once (we spent countless hours looking for a place to live and deciding what to do about it and then our plans did not work out). However, I know that we are not the only ones who go through this, I know so many college kids deal with this at the end of a term when they finally move out of the dorms. I continue to love how the issues the girls deal with are so realistic and sometimes things even I have experienced before myself. I love the art style of these graphic novels still and I love how the story is still evolving for each character! I gave this volume five stars on Goodreads.

Re-read Review:
Hello!

I am thrilled to say that I have been re-reading Giant Days again, and while my original reviews are still live here and on Goodreads, I wanted to share some updated thoughts as I re-read this series. It is one of my favorite graphic novel series of all time, and it brings me so much comfort and joy. If you have not yet read Giant Days, I definitely recommend checking it out. I own copies, but you can also read them on Hoopla if your library has this service.

SPOILERS AHEAD

We are back at school with Daisy, Susan, and Esther for another semester and a lot more chaos. The group has some division in this volume over living situations, Daisy’s hurricane of a girlfriend, and the scandal of Susan and McGraw.

I already said I love this series, but this volume is packed with so much development for each of our main characters and even a few of the side characters. I am excited to dive into volume 9, and I might for this re-read at the end, actually read the final issue (I have never read it because I just do not want the story to end).

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars
Profile Image for Michelle.
625 reviews89 followers
March 6, 2020
Volume 8 of Giant Days finds Susan, Esther, and Daisy continuing their journey into early adulthood and the changes and challenges this brings (all while making many hilarious jokes, because obvs.)

I wish I could point my finger on how the humour in this series works so well, but it’s hard to pin down. You honestly just have to experience it to get it. Like I said in my review of volume 7, I think it’s how Allison infuses the humour into such relatable experiences -- you’re laughing because this shit has likely happened to you or someone you know at some point in your life. Ie. Daisy’s eccentric and challenging girlfriend Ingrid - who hasn’t had a bad boy/girlfriend intrude on a friend group and cause problems? Or McGraw’s story about his mustache.

My only quibble with this volume was I felt a bit iffy about how

Still an amazing volume though. Can’t wait to get my hands on more.
Profile Image for Anete.
590 reviews86 followers
July 14, 2019
Mūsu varones pieaug. Problēmas kļūst dziļākas, un, iespējams, ne viss ir tik vienkārši atrisināms, kā šķiet sākumā, un biedējošās pārmaiņas ir neizbēgamas.
description
Profile Image for Ashley Daviau.
2,262 reviews1,059 followers
June 21, 2020
I just freaking adore this series so much! With each volume I read I fall more and more in love and I would be thrilled if there were hundreds of volumes for me to read forever. It’s just such a simple, fun and relatable story that just makes me feel good. This is a definite must read if you’re looking for a feel good read about the trials of being a girl and getting through it with your girlfriends. And I may or may not be slightly obsessed with McGraw!
Profile Image for rachel, x.
1,795 reviews938 followers
July 29, 2022
#1) Giant Days, Vol. 1 ★★★★★
#2) Giant Days, Vol. 2 ★★★★★
#3) Giant Days, Vol. 3 ★★★★★
#4) Giant Days, Vol. 4 ★★★★★
#5) Giant Days, Vol. 5 ★★★★★
#6) Giant Days, Vol. 6 ★★★★★
#7) Giant Days, Vol. 7 ★★★★☆
#8) Giant Days, Vol. 8 ★★★★☆
#9) Giant Days, Vol. 9 ★★★★★
#10) Giant Days, Vol. 10 ★★★★☆
#11) Giant Days, Vol. 11 ★★★★☆
#12) Giant Days, Vol. 12 ★★★★★
#13) Giant Days, Vol. 13 ★★★★☆
#14) Giant Days, Vol. 14 ★★★★☆


Representation: Daisy (mc) is a lesbian.

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Profile Image for ashley.
174 reviews715 followers
January 27, 2018
Before I start, I want to be clear when I say I adore this series and I love the topics they touch on, and the way they go about telling the stories of normal college students ... but... I did find this collection to be a little less focused than usual. I wanted more flow between subjects and storylines. I didn;t necessarily dislike any storyline they used, I just wanted them to be more fleshed out, and connected throughout the issues that made up this volume. I found issue 29 held no real purpose to the others except to show us a friendship that to me felt rushed.

Again, I love this series very much, and it will remain one of my favourite comic series to date - but this collection was not my favourite.
Profile Image for Dev.
2,462 reviews187 followers
April 29, 2018
A really great end to the girls' second year [unless of course they throw a random one-off issue into the next volume like last time] and I can't wait to see what happens in year three! A lot of relationship drama in this issue but it's incredibly realistic and relatable so I actually didn't mind for once [gasp]. Some highlights:

super special awesome rare collector's edition bill


#relatable content: fandom edition


GIRLS HELPING GIRLS!
Profile Image for Carmen.
181 reviews55 followers
October 18, 2018
I'm loving these girls more and more each day. Reading this comic is one of the best things ever. No matter how high you've set the bar for the next installment they Never let you down
Profile Image for Filip.
499 reviews55 followers
October 27, 2022
Friendships, relationships, living together–what do all these have in common? They tend to get messy, especially when you’re just turning twenty.

Those are the lessons our heroines are met with, come Volume 08 of Giant Days. I first read it in 2021 and promptly forgot to review it; revisiting the series again has been an absolute thrill, in part because this really is the best slice-of-life comic in the universe, but also because I couldn’t ask for better reading company.

Esther, doing brilliantly at uni for once, meets her match in Emilia (she of the stolen McGraw boyfriend, enemy to Susan, Spanish Conquistador, Yadda-Yadda); but are they destined to be enemies? Not as such, and especially not when a sleazy Lit teacher shows his true colours in one of the best panels in the history of paneling:

Sleeeeeeeeeazy

The friendship between these two is adorable, even if we all know its days are numbered. Wait, how do we know that, again? Well, Reader, keep your eyes on our gal Susie and find out what plot twi–it’s a McGraw thing. That’s it.

I warned you lot– m e s s y .

Daisy meanwhile is pulling double duty, dating the German exchange disaster student Ingrid while also trying to set up our lad Ed Gemmell with the perfect woman for him. Only, Ed does what Ed does best: makes an awkward exit. Daisy reacts calmly to that, as Daisy is prone to do:



Really, it all goes horribly, horribly wrong by the end of the volume, when every one of Esther, Susan, and Daisy’s secrets come to the fore and the bill comes due–I mean here a literal bill, one of such an astronomical figure, you’d be forgiven to think this volume a direct commentary on contemporary electric bills in the UK, he said, in Autumn 2022.

It’s all remarkable good fun, even as the big fight leaves you worried, for the first time ever, about the special friendship our three protagonists have. As always, I can’t recommend this series enough, Reader! John Allison hasn’t failed to deliver a crackling read yet, not where this series is concerned, and Max Sarin’s illustrations are some of the finest across the industry.

Profile Image for Fiebre Lectora.
2,318 reviews678 followers
November 8, 2024
Reseña completa:https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...

Llegamos al final del segundo año de estudios de Susan, Daisy y Esther, y a pesar de lo estrecha que es su relación, comienzan a aparecer grietas en los cimientos de su amistad: nuevos romances, nuevas amistades, antiguos amores, y una casa que se cae a cachos, les pondrán las cosas muy difíciles para salir adelante, ¿serán capaces de hacerlo sin perderse las unas a las otras por el camino?

Como siempre, nos encontramos una historia plagada de situaciones cotidianas presentadas de una forma la mar de cómica, y es que estas personajas son únicas <3. Además, se aprecia realmente el gran desarrollo que han tenido desde el principio, cómo han ido cambiando las dinámicas y su forma de actuar, aunque en esencia sigan siendo las mismas.

Mucha tensión, muchos dramas, decisiones personales y la duda de si es factible o correcto seguir viviendo juntas, ¿será el comienzo del fin de su amistad? ¡Espero que no! Pero, desde luego, estaré ahí para seguir viviendo sus aventuras y desventuras.
Profile Image for Patty .
817 reviews374 followers
March 4, 2019
** 3.5 stars **

Not the strongest volume in this series. The plot didn't flow as well, also the ending?? UGH.
Profile Image for ash.
605 reviews30 followers
June 6, 2024
These are just such fun slice of life stories and I never get tired of the art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews

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