Si on était...#1

Si on était... (What If We Were...) #1

by Axelle Lenoir

Depuis la nuit des temps (8 ans), Marie et Nathalie s'adonnent à leur jeu bouche-trou préféré : le Si on était. L'exercice est assez simple ; une personne nomme un sujet – admettons « les fruits » - et les participants doivent ensuite s'imaginer quel fruit ils seraient. Un jeu facile à jouer mais extrêmement difficile à maîtriser, car voyez-vous, si le sujet est nul (comme les fruits) ou si les participants ont des faiblesses au niveau de l'imagination, ce jeu devient rapidement encore plus plate que de fixer le vide. Heureusement, Marie et Nathalie sont des expertes en la matière et même après 8 ans, elles parviennent à se renouveler constamment.

La série humoristique d'Axelle Lenoir, prépubliée dans le magazine pour ado Curium, est enfin disponible en album! Pour l'occasion, trente pages de contenu inédit viennent approfondir l'univers singulier de Marie et Nathalie, pour le plus grand plaisir des nombreuses et nombreux fans de Si on était...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Comics, LGBT, Humor, Fiction, Contemporary

80 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2019

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less a story than a teen magazine in the guise of a YA graphic novel, we have bffs Nathalie and Marie where they regularly play "what if we were. . ." (magical creatures! scientists! what if we were actually responsible?) as a kind of fun, creative game. We also get pages of diaries, lists of fave Halloween costumes, lists of fave movies, that kind of fun thing you get in teen mags. No ads, though, thank goodness.

Then, outside of the friendship, a romance seems to be developing, on the periphery, with one of our friends. I think teens would find this cute and fun; I'd like more story, but it is light and breezy art and characterizations. I think Lenoir gets teens, as she seems to channel her past teen girl self very well.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming. The imaginative improv gimmick gets a little old but it's interesting as a mechanism to get to know these characters really well. The art is loose and stylish, there's depth to the world building, and much more than I expected there was much a sweet, caring plot about love and friendship and discovering who you really are and want to be. A lot of fun.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Chantaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I discovered Axelle Lenoir earlier this year with Camp Spirit. She's got a zany sense of humor that I just click with, and What If We Were... is much the same. While you could consider this more like a series of short stories in the lives of these two best friends, it's fun and silly and still manages to have something of an ongoing story.

I also love Axelle's art. Her character designs are fun, and the nature of this book has her showing off all sorts of different character designs within the What If We Were stories the girls imagine.

I can see how this might not work for some readers, but Axelle just clicks for me and I enjoyed it a ton.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting characters are wasted on two- to three-page gag strips wherein they parody various genres by playing a game of "what if?" Imagine if these two teenage girls were vikings or secret agents or superheroes or whatever crosses their mind. The humor was just too flat and forced for me.

However, if you are patient and sift through the chaff, there is a sweet little romance hidden within told in bits and pieces that almost makes the rest of the book worthwhile.

I'd love to see the characters in an actual story instead of this comic strip format, especially since the creator is very talented, evidenced by her previous book, the highly enjoyable Camp Spirit.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a bunch of queer comics recommendations somewhere and tried to add them to my "to be read" list. This was one and I'm a fan of the amazing artwork and fun, loose story idea of two BFFs playing an imagination game. We get to see the creative costumes they'd wear if they were from different eras (70s, 90s, Vikings, superheroes, etc.) and enjoy their playful banter. The queer part comes in as one of the teens is "in love" with a mystery girl at school who eventually joins their fun.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations in this graphic novel. The storyline is very loose, but there is an overarching story mixed in with all of the girls' rounds of "What if...." It's just a fun, easy, feel good read.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual idea but works really well, I'm pleased there was an underlying storyline otherwise I don't think I'd have connected to the characters too much. I love Marie and Nathalie's contrasting personalities and their friendship... Really cute, fun and great illustrations. I'm looking forward to the next installment and can't wait to see where their imaginations take them next!

Thank you Netgalley and USE Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[AquaMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

All-Around Cute.

Artwork reminded me a bit of Noelle Stevenson (early Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, Nimona), of whom I'm a big fan (just love her style).

And the story itself... A bit meandering and hidden underneath all the "What If..." imaginings, but totally adorable. Nat and Marie are BFFs who live in their own world, a world where they can be anything they want to be. And we're not just talking the whole "What will you do when you grow up" sort of scenarios that are (mostly) based in reality. "What If..." is the game they play everywhere and anywhere, and they don't need devices or counsels or anything like that. Nope. Just their exceptionally creative and far-reaching imaginations (I love this! Did I mention how much I love this?). And each other, of course (awww). This is how it is and how it has always been.

But suddenly things get shaken up by the arrival of new girl, Jane, who threatens to shake up not only The Game, but everything about Nat and Marie's entire world. Can their friendship (and the Game) survive this new arrival?

This book has it all! Friendship, creativity, romance, drama, humor, a cute cat (Want to make me love a book more? Throw in a random cat. Works almost every time. The sole exception being the Narnia series, and we ALL know how I feel about THAT).

So, yeah.... This book was awesome!

But what if there was a sequel? I'd add it to my TBR list the moment it was announced, endure months and months of torturous waiting for it to be released, and read it as soon as it arrived on the shelf. If I had to fight off a band of Ninjas to get to it first, I'd do it. Of course I would! Hopefully there is a sequel. I want more Nat and Marie and Jane adventures. And Sasuke! Looooooove Sasuke! (I've a weakness for Stripey Cats).

[Sophie lit ça · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai été conquise par le diptyque L’esprit du camp d’Axelle Lenoir (qui publiait alors sous un autre nom) et cette nouvelle bande dessinée décalée et délurée qui joue sur l’humour et met en scène des adolescentes actuelles dans lesquelles les lecteurs peuvent se reconnaitre m’a tout autant plu même si on est complètement ailleurs.

Lien vers la critique complète : http://sophielit.ca/critique.php?id=2184

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathalie and Marie have been best friends since grade school. They have a game they play, "What if we were...," where one of them chooses a topic (in a band, spies, the most brilliant scientist in the world), and they take turns saying what their lives would be like. It's cute and imaginative, and the kind of thing the reader has likely done with a bestie. We get all kinds of goofy fun friendship feels floating around, and it's just sweet. As the story progresses, we learn that Nathalie has a crush on someone, but is too shy to do anything about it. When Jane (the crush) approaches Marie to ask about Nathalie, Marie starts to nudge Nathalie into taking action finally. Now we have all kinds of coming of age feels, figuring out who you are feels, first love feels, and outside looking in feels. Marie is happy her best friend has found love, but she senses the effects that will have on their friendship, and thinks about how life in general will likely cause them to drift apart in the future, and oh my heart! Those feels hit really close to home, and I'm not crying, you're crying! So, yeah, this was a great story that totally snuck up on me and put me through all the emotions; the characters are great, I so wanna hang with these girls, and having a fly on the wall view of their friendship is adorable and geeky/dorky good times. Jane is cool and weird too, and fits in well with the two, and I'm hoping the story will continue and explore that aspect, the entrance of a third person in a friendship when the new person is a significant other, and how that delicate balance is struck. I loved the art- Marie and Natalie's personalities are palpable, and Lenoir really makes them come to life with her quirky style. Absolutely recommended.

#WhatIfWeWere #NetGalley

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see how this could be charming to another reader. The art is reminiscent of Noelle Stevenson, lively and expressive, and I always enjoy when an artist/author pays attention to fashion and clothing in their characters. The story was a bit tedious and I admit I didn't find the game that the whole book's theme is based on to be very fun to read about. It might be fun to play.

[Ryze Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

there’s a certain type of author who writes based on shows like she-ra and steven universe, leading to stories that are cloying and obnoxious. this is such a book. it’s probably not a good thing that i thought the characters were 12-13 until i was halfway thru the book. i caught myself checking to see how soon it would be over multiple times. would’ve been 1 star but queer rep 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Jessica {Litnoob} · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!

Both the premise and art were adorable and the stories made it even more so. Both of the girls had their own style and voice and their friendship was the stuff epic loves are made of. I’m always on the hunt for good solid friendships and these two made me very happy I found them. More awesome and emotionally mature friendships please.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Fun characters with heart and clever format. I like how it talked about comic strips and manga as well as other cultural touchstones and references to Canada. Also reference recent forms of media. Nathalie being teased for being a snob was great. I didn’t always love the diary pages.

Great drawing style, with some fun style variations.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super quick read and I enjoyed the creativity that silliness behind the game, as well as the underlying plot in this slice-of-life comic. Hope that there will be a sequel at some point, as I want to see what happens to our cast next!

[Tuni · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is great, and I loved seeing all the different character designs in the what if scenarios. But it lacked any sort of substance. I think fewer what ifs, so you could actually dive into them and have a story, would have been better.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. The art is wicked, but like, not REALLLY a plot...

[Christelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Quel petit bijou. Les personnalités des filles, saillantes et réjouissantes, leur amitié, les relations, les audaces à avoir, l'humour qui m'a fait japper de rire, chaque fois un peu surprise, même si j'aurais pu m'y habituer.

Plus la bédé avance, plus on y trouve un fil conducteur, une trame qui se construit (plutôt qu'une sérialisation d'épisodes de jeu créatif mais plus hermétiques qu'on retrouve dans le premier tiers, et qui m'avait un peu moins accrochée) -- et le jeu en vaut pleinement la chandelle, c'est absolument savoureux! Cinq étoiles pour la deuxième moitié du livre -- quatre en tout parce que, avant de m'y rendre, il y a fallu que je me motive à m'y mettre.

[Audrey | Adapter au secondaire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deux meilleures amies qui jouent à leur jeu préféré : « Si on était… »

La proposition est plutôt originale. Les illustrations sont vraiment géniales et j’ai beaucoup aimé les pages de BD ponctuelles qui étaient non-conventionnelles. Ça amenait du dynamisme à la lecture!

Toutefois, les univers explorés par les filles lorsqu’elles s’apprêtaient à leur jeu ne me rejoignaient pas du tout.

Si non, les nombreux passages cocasses et la relation amoureuse qui se développe entre Nathalie et Jane ont également été plaisants à lire.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if we were... WOW! I got all the nostalgic feelings from when I was a teenager. The whole vibe of this graphic novel reminded me of the relationship I have with my best friend from when we were kids to now. Aspects of both Nat and Maria remind me of myself and my bff, to the things they do together to their likes and dislikes. I just loved this so much aand I can't wait for the next volume of this series.

The charcaters in this book are funny and sarcastic at the same time, just an amazing relationship they have.

I need the next one now !

[Poda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is okay and the art is amazing!

I just don't think the way the story is done is for me. it reads like it was released weekly in a newspaper, which isn't really for me when I read a graphic novel.

the friendship is so wholesome though.

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny & imaginative, with some alterations in style and setup, but overall, not much.
The actual core of this "friendship" is the big thing that keeps it from being a strictly 3 star book and makes it 3.25 at least.

[Merenwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and hilarious - just what I needed during a very difficult few days. I hope there are more volumes because it was left pretty open-ended.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the artwork. The set up of this follows a "what if" game between two best friends (ie "what if we were vikings," "what if we were magical creatures," etc) in which we get mini comics revolving around each topic. This is more of a "get to know" the characters story rather than a focus on plot, which was nice to leisurely read.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certain parts were better than others. Overall, just ok

[Ry]

dnf

[Ana Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não liguei pras personagens e tbm caguei pra história sla

[MaiaReadss · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ super cute

[madiireadthis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect LGBTQ+ YA graphic novel to warm your heart and make you laugh. I loved reading this 🤍

[Tori Aguazul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute