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Summer Spirit
A new YA graphic novel from French illustrator Elizabeth Holleville, Summer Spirit puts a fresh spin on the struggles of growing up as this coming-of-age story takes a supernatural and sinister turn.
Being a teenager is hard enough without finding out your new best friend is a 60 year old ghost...
Louise spends every summer at her grandmother's house with her older sister and their cousins. But this summer, Louise realises her relatives are fast growing up, without her. While they're concerned with boy drama, Louise is suddenly left alone. But then one day she meets Lisa, who will never, ever become a teenager...
Being a teenager is hard enough without finding out your new best friend is a 60 year old ghost...
Louise spends every summer at her grandmother's house with her older sister and their cousins. But this summer, Louise realises her relatives are fast growing up, without her. While they're concerned with boy drama, Louise is suddenly left alone. But then one day she meets Lisa, who will never, ever become a teenager...
262 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
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February 24, 2020Many thanks to NoBrow for sending me a copy of the English translation, SUMMER SPIRIT, to review!
A story about a girl on the cusp of adolescence spending her summer at her grandma's house... and meeting a ghost girl. Spooky, emotive, magical; SUMMER SPIRIT mixes a coming-of-age story with ghostly antics, culminating in a thoughtful, sometimes melancholic snapshot of one girl's summer as she realises she and others around her are growing older - unlike the ghost girl she meets, who will forever be pre-teenage. The beautifully minimal, pastel art style is perfect for the Mediterranean seaside setting and the creepy supernatural things happening slowly in the background.
A story about a girl on the cusp of adolescence spending her summer at her grandma's house... and meeting a ghost girl. Spooky, emotive, magical; SUMMER SPIRIT mixes a coming-of-age story with ghostly antics, culminating in a thoughtful, sometimes melancholic snapshot of one girl's summer as she realises she and others around her are growing older - unlike the ghost girl she meets, who will forever be pre-teenage. The beautifully minimal, pastel art style is perfect for the Mediterranean seaside setting and the creepy supernatural things happening slowly in the background.
June 26, 2020
A pre-teen spends her summer with her grandma and three cousins. While staying with her grandma, she befriends a ghost. The art was OK, very alt comix and rudimentary.
Received a review copy from Nobrow and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Nobrow and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
August 21, 2021
I sorta like the coloring best in this coming of age graphic novel that appears to be in woodcuts, with thick lines, not very detailed faces, about a group of teen girls involved in summer drama with each other and boys on the Mediterranean. Our main character, Louise, is younger and isolated from the fray, but meets a friend, the ghost of her grandma's dead sister, who lives in her grandma's house. The story for me is not all that strong or compelling, maybe 2-2.5 stars, but I bump it to three stars for the Mediterranean colors!
June 20, 2025
this quiet graphic novel is a supernatural slice of summer, following a french preteen who is spending the season with her older sister and cousins at their grandma's coastal home.
some things are done well here, like the drama between close family members, and the tension that arises when the youngest has different priorities than her teenage companions. such loneliness comes from being younger and feeling so out of place.
the beautiful color palette is very muted, which adds to the slow and somber summer energy. i really enjoyed the moody vibes, but wish there had been a bit more plot. so many threads are presented and left hanging. i also wanted more from the ghostly element - more urgency of the haunt!
some things are done well here, like the drama between close family members, and the tension that arises when the youngest has different priorities than her teenage companions. such loneliness comes from being younger and feeling so out of place.
the beautiful color palette is very muted, which adds to the slow and somber summer energy. i really enjoyed the moody vibes, but wish there had been a bit more plot. so many threads are presented and left hanging. i also wanted more from the ghostly element - more urgency of the haunt!
April 8, 2020
The ARC of this graphic novel was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
2.75/5 Stars
This graphic novel tells the story of Louise, a young girl who's on the cusp of adolescence and doesn't really know what to think about it all. It is set during summer, a period that the girl usually spend at the seaside at her grandma's house in the company of her older cousins and sister. Her grandmother is getting old and she's suffering from early dementia, which is something the girls start to notice.
There's also a supernatural element in this graphic novel: it's the ghost of the grandmother's dead sister, Lisa, who died when she was a young girl and who will never grow up and get old. During the summer and with their friendship growing more every day Louise will have to chance to realize what it means to grow up.
Even though it was a good story, I wasn't much involved and I felt like something was lacking.
The drawing style was very nice and I also enjoyed the color scheme that was used.
2.75/5 Stars
This graphic novel tells the story of Louise, a young girl who's on the cusp of adolescence and doesn't really know what to think about it all. It is set during summer, a period that the girl usually spend at the seaside at her grandma's house in the company of her older cousins and sister. Her grandmother is getting old and she's suffering from early dementia, which is something the girls start to notice.
There's also a supernatural element in this graphic novel: it's the ghost of the grandmother's dead sister, Lisa, who died when she was a young girl and who will never grow up and get old. During the summer and with their friendship growing more every day Louise will have to chance to realize what it means to grow up.
Even though it was a good story, I wasn't much involved and I felt like something was lacking.
The drawing style was very nice and I also enjoyed the color scheme that was used.
April 14, 2020
Summer Spirits by Elizabeth Holleville, what can I say about this book? Well, let's start by saying how excited I was when I got approved for this arc. This seemed like the perfect fun quick read but man was I in for a disappointment. I hate when I dislike arcs but I thought this one was just okay. I didn't hate it but it wasn't good. I felt like the story was lacking, the plot was boring, the main characters were not interesting, and I just found myself bored. I was much more interested in what was going on with her grandma, her grandma's dogs, and her cousin that what was going on with her and her ghost friend. I liked the art I have to give it points for that but that's about it. I don't want to put people off from reading it but I also don't know if I recommend it.
Rating: ⭐⭐
Rating: ⭐⭐
April 30, 2021
This is a graphic novel that came out last year and is translated from French. I’ll be honest, the art on the cover appealed to me so I was intrigued to pick it up.
Unfortunately, though I loved the illustration style throughout, the plot was non-existent. The author introduced so many story threads but never seemed to concentrate on any of them resulting in what felt like a lot of missed opportunities. I was interested in the memory loss of the grandmother and what was happening with the neighbour but that was overshadowed by a slight romance plot line and the supernatural element.
The supernatural element, again, felt under-developed and I felt that there wasn’t a clear explanation for any of it.
As the characters are teenagers or younger, I was uncomfortable with the few naked panels that were included. I understand that they were there to express the characters’ changing appearance and the protagonist’s discomfort about becoming a teenager but they seemed unnecessary to me.
That last point goes into my overall feeling on this graphic novel; there was a lot of telling in obvious ways instead of nuance or metaphor. Overall this graphic novel was disappointing. I enjoyed some of the artwork but the story was lacking unfortunately.
2 out of 5 stars!
Unfortunately, though I loved the illustration style throughout, the plot was non-existent. The author introduced so many story threads but never seemed to concentrate on any of them resulting in what felt like a lot of missed opportunities. I was interested in the memory loss of the grandmother and what was happening with the neighbour but that was overshadowed by a slight romance plot line and the supernatural element.
The supernatural element, again, felt under-developed and I felt that there wasn’t a clear explanation for any of it.
As the characters are teenagers or younger, I was uncomfortable with the few naked panels that were included. I understand that they were there to express the characters’ changing appearance and the protagonist’s discomfort about becoming a teenager but they seemed unnecessary to me.
That last point goes into my overall feeling on this graphic novel; there was a lot of telling in obvious ways instead of nuance or metaphor. Overall this graphic novel was disappointing. I enjoyed some of the artwork but the story was lacking unfortunately.
2 out of 5 stars!
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August 23, 2021The color palette in this comic is gorgeous, blending primarily purples and greens to create a dreamy, spooky atmosphere.
Louise spends the summer at her grandmother's with her cousins, and this summer, not feeling as mature or ready to be a teenager as her cousins, she's been left out of spending time at the beach seeking out romance. This leads her to spending time alone until she meets Lisa, a ghost who haunts the property. Lisa's bound to the borders of the house and garden but she and Louise develop a friendship inside the garden tree house, where Louise lives. Over the course of their friendship, Lisa begins to understand that Louise's story is intimately tied to the garden, the tree house, and her grandmother -- we know from early on that the ghost is her grandmother's long lost sister.
At times the storyline isn't entirely cohesive, and I suspect part of that is this is in translation from French. The art translates in ways the words don't always, but I really enjoyed this creepy and unsettling ghost story. This one includes death, including pet death, but it is not gory. It's a book that leans more on being unsettling than anything. Think This One Summer with a bit of Shirley Jackson; it's not as good as either, but that's where it could easily be shelved.
Louise spends the summer at her grandmother's with her cousins, and this summer, not feeling as mature or ready to be a teenager as her cousins, she's been left out of spending time at the beach seeking out romance. This leads her to spending time alone until she meets Lisa, a ghost who haunts the property. Lisa's bound to the borders of the house and garden but she and Louise develop a friendship inside the garden tree house, where Louise lives. Over the course of their friendship, Lisa begins to understand that Louise's story is intimately tied to the garden, the tree house, and her grandmother -- we know from early on that the ghost is her grandmother's long lost sister.
At times the storyline isn't entirely cohesive, and I suspect part of that is this is in translation from French. The art translates in ways the words don't always, but I really enjoyed this creepy and unsettling ghost story. This one includes death, including pet death, but it is not gory. It's a book that leans more on being unsettling than anything. Think This One Summer with a bit of Shirley Jackson; it's not as good as either, but that's where it could easily be shelved.
October 27, 2021
Thank you so much to Nobrow books for this lovely graphic novel. The cover was completely stunning and drew me in right away. Being a teenager is hard enough without finding out your new best friend is a 60 year old ghost. Louise spends every summer at her grandmother’s house with her older sister and their cousins. But this summer, Louise realizes her relatives are fast growing up, without her. While they’re concerned with boy drama, Louise is suddenly left alone. But then one day she meets Lisa, who will never, ever become a teenager…
Thoughts: This is a fun, coming of age story with a spooky twist. The story was very interesting and the graphics were wonderful as well. Though I am probably not the perfect audience for this book, I did enjoy it for what it was, and think people who like graphic novels will love it. The art is stunning and so much fun to look at. I love the story about the aging grandmother and the interesting twist with the ghost friend. It was more of an open ended story, but it was fun to look at. 3-stars.
Thoughts: This is a fun, coming of age story with a spooky twist. The story was very interesting and the graphics were wonderful as well. Though I am probably not the perfect audience for this book, I did enjoy it for what it was, and think people who like graphic novels will love it. The art is stunning and so much fun to look at. I love the story about the aging grandmother and the interesting twist with the ghost friend. It was more of an open ended story, but it was fun to look at. 3-stars.
October 8, 2021
La única razón por la que compre este libro, fue porque estaba solito, abandonado en una caja de cartón con una etiqueta que decía "dañado", en mi librería favorita, obviamente me sentí identificada y en un arrebato lo tome.
No me gusta la paleta de colores de los gráficos y la historia es rara y aun no sé exactamente como me siento al respecto.
Ya les contare después.
reseña pendiente...
No me gusta la paleta de colores de los gráficos y la historia es rara y aun no sé exactamente como me siento al respecto.
Ya les contare después.
reseña pendiente...
May 13, 2024
I love coming-of-age stories about young women and I think graphic narrative is such a good form for this! (like This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki) Add a spooky element and I'm sold!
The things I liked the most in this book were colors and the narrative structure: tight enough so that all of the elements come together, but fluid enough to seem natural and convey the sense of a lazy summer. Had a great fun reading this and almost cried at one point:)
The things I liked the most in this book were colors and the narrative structure: tight enough so that all of the elements come together, but fluid enough to seem natural and convey the sense of a lazy summer. Had a great fun reading this and almost cried at one point:)
July 25, 2023
This was interesting and odd.
July 5, 2021
Received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own.
I really enjoyed the art work in this book, while it was kind of hard to distinguish between characters at some points, I did like the style and colours as they matched the spooky theme of the plot. There were parts that I felt were a little explicit (ie. showing the body of a preteen girl). While, I can kind of see they were included to show she wasn't happy with her changing body but I wasn't a huge fan of it being fully there, could have alluded to it in a different way.
I did enjoy the idea of the plot - a girl befriending a ghost for the summer. I do feel like it wasn't fleshed out as much as I would have hoped. There were a lot of topics slightly brought up and then forgot about again. There was a slight LGBTQ+ section but it was there and then never talked about again. Same with the tension between the cousins and the grandmas forgetfulness.
Overall, liked the art but the plot could have been expanded on
I really enjoyed the art work in this book, while it was kind of hard to distinguish between characters at some points, I did like the style and colours as they matched the spooky theme of the plot. There were parts that I felt were a little explicit (ie. showing the body of a preteen girl). While, I can kind of see they were included to show she wasn't happy with her changing body but I wasn't a huge fan of it being fully there, could have alluded to it in a different way.
I did enjoy the idea of the plot - a girl befriending a ghost for the summer. I do feel like it wasn't fleshed out as much as I would have hoped. There were a lot of topics slightly brought up and then forgot about again. There was a slight LGBTQ+ section but it was there and then never talked about again. Same with the tension between the cousins and the grandmas forgetfulness.
Overall, liked the art but the plot could have been expanded on
July 13, 2020
Olisin kaivannut vähän pelottavampaa sarjakuvaa. En myöskään täysin lämmennyt piirrostyylille. Mutta helposti ahmittava. Ja koiran kohtalo ahistaa🙈Jos eläimille tehdään jotain pahaa niin niistä sais olla varoitukset kirjoissa🥺 vaikka kuinka spoilaisikin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 23, 2023Очень летняя книга, нежная.
May 14, 2021
Coming off Scattered Stars made reading this graphic novel much harder, but here's what I can say about this: it's a nice little vacation, similar to the one that's taken in the book. The colors are lovely; like a retro Florida dream and the story has beats of pure honesty (especially the ones about the younger sister watching her sisters grow older and more distant), but it wasn't life changing. The art was lovely and unique; it really is the perfect thing to page through at a beach, where life is light and color.
June 14, 2021
I have mixed feelings about this book. I think I liked it. The ghost friendship was somewhat complex and interesting, and I appreciated the author's attention to the aging grandmother. A few minor things bugged me though... for instance, I liked the illustration style but also felt like it was difficult to differentiate between the teen girls and tell who's who. As great as it was that the aging grandmother's memory was brought to light, there was no direct conversation about the concern of the parents or teens which I thought was odd. There is also one BIG thing that bothered me: *SPOILER!!!*
.
.
When one of the girls kissed her cousin, there was NO discussion about it. The illustrations obviously showed that the girl who was kissed was upset, and the girl who did the kissing was embarrassed, but that was it. Given the fact that the girls are supposed to be cousins, I feel like there was WAY more that needed to be discussed or unpacked there and the author let it slide.
.
.
When one of the girls kissed her cousin, there was NO discussion about it. The illustrations obviously showed that the girl who was kissed was upset, and the girl who did the kissing was embarrassed, but that was it. Given the fact that the girls are supposed to be cousins, I feel like there was WAY more that needed to be discussed or unpacked there and the author let it slide.
May 25, 2021
Two stars for the non ending.
September 16, 2020
3.5 stars.
A bit weird, but enjoyable.
A bit weird, but enjoyable.
January 26, 2021
plot who?
October 30, 2024
It is so bad, I wanna give you a zero. But that's not possible. So I give you, a one….
Was habe ich hier gelesen???💀 Eigentlich habe ich mir gedacht, dass ich nach einem entspannten Sommerbuch mit spirituellen Kräften gegriffen habe, doch WHAT THE F*CK. Summer Spirit wurde immer komischer und abgedrehter und nun frage ich mich ob unsere gute Hauptprotagonistin, deren Namen ich schon wieder vergessen habe, möglicherweise unter Schizophrenie leidet. Das ganze Drama war für mich zu viel: der Streit zwischen den Cousinen, der so unnötig war, der KUSS zwischen zwei Cousinen, wtf….. und dann noch die ganze Thematik um Lisa und dass sie wollte, dass die Protagonistin sich umbringt😵💫 So Komisch!!! Das Ende war nur noch seltsam und hat noch mehr Fragen aufgeworfen, denn absolut NICHTS wurde erklärt oder aufgelöst. Und dann noch die arme Story um den Hund und das auch wieder NICHTS gemacht wurde. Ich war soooo wütend. Zusammenfassend ein sehr mysteriöses Buch, das nicht empfehlenswert ist. Erspart Euch die Zeit und lest bessere Buch. Und nicht Summer Spirit☀️🐚🌊
Was habe ich hier gelesen???💀 Eigentlich habe ich mir gedacht, dass ich nach einem entspannten Sommerbuch mit spirituellen Kräften gegriffen habe, doch WHAT THE F*CK. Summer Spirit wurde immer komischer und abgedrehter und nun frage ich mich ob unsere gute Hauptprotagonistin, deren Namen ich schon wieder vergessen habe, möglicherweise unter Schizophrenie leidet. Das ganze Drama war für mich zu viel: der Streit zwischen den Cousinen, der so unnötig war, der KUSS zwischen zwei Cousinen, wtf….. und dann noch die ganze Thematik um Lisa und dass sie wollte, dass die Protagonistin sich umbringt😵💫 So Komisch!!! Das Ende war nur noch seltsam und hat noch mehr Fragen aufgeworfen, denn absolut NICHTS wurde erklärt oder aufgelöst. Und dann noch die arme Story um den Hund und das auch wieder NICHTS gemacht wurde. Ich war soooo wütend. Zusammenfassend ein sehr mysteriöses Buch, das nicht empfehlenswert ist. Erspart Euch die Zeit und lest bessere Buch. Und nicht Summer Spirit☀️🐚🌊
October 29, 2022
Двенадцатилетняя Луизон, как обычно, едет летом к бабушке на море, но в этот раз обнаруживается, что её кузины перешли какой-то инопланетный рубикон, и вместо летних игр и походов на пляж они начинают интересоваться мальчиками, бритьём ног, коктейлями и втихаря курить травку. Бедная бабушка понемногу впадает в маразм, а старый дом хранит свои призрачные тайны.
На выходе получается помесь "Того самого лета" сестёр Тамаки и "Призрака для Ани" Веры Бросгол, без особого сюжета большей частью, со смутными (и в то же время идиотскими) подростковыми переживаниями и поверхностно затронутой темой общения с потусторонними силами.
В отличие от вышеупомянутых произведений, это ко всему прочему ещё и нарисовано в духе детского примитивизма с примитивными же визуальными приёмами и чрезвычайно смелым подходом к изображению человеческой анатомии. На мой взгляд, книгу можно было бы смело выпустить в более скромном формате, сэкономив на бумаге, и ничего при этом не потерять.
Тем не менее, как представитель своего жанра (который мне лично явно не заходит) он вполне имеет право на существование — по крайней мере, у каждой из героинь здесь есть своё собственное лицо и зачатки драмы. Прикладываю ознакомительную фотогалерею русского издания.
На выходе получается помесь "Того самого лета" сестёр Тамаки и "Призрака для Ани" Веры Бросгол, без особого сюжета большей частью, со смутными (и в то же время идиотскими) подростковыми переживаниями и поверхностно затронутой темой общения с потусторонними силами.
В отличие от вышеупомянутых произведений, это ко всему прочему ещё и нарисовано в духе детского примитивизма с примитивными же визуальными приёмами и чрезвычайно смелым подходом к изображению человеческой анатомии. На мой взгляд, книгу можно было бы смело выпустить в более скромном формате, сэкономив на бумаге, и ничего при этом не потерять.
Тем не менее, как представитель своего жанра (который мне лично явно не заходит) он вполне имеет право на существование — по крайней мере, у каждой из героинь здесь есть своё собственное лицо и зачатки драмы. Прикладываю ознакомительную фотогалерею русского издания.
February 18, 2022
C'était un bon moment et la dimension spirit n'est pas ce qui m'a le plus plu 👻 j'adore les récits qui se déroulent dans cet hors-temps qu'est l'été, où tout peut advenir - un temps où l'on grandit sans même s'en rendre compte, loin de l'école. Peu de paroles dans cette BD mais on y sent bien la frustration d'être la petite parmi des grandes. Voir des personnes de sa famille vieillir, sentiment véritablement doux-amer.
J'ai aimé les couleurs, si vives 🌈
J'ai aimé les couleurs, si vives 🌈
March 12, 2024
This had such a nostalgic style! Louise is the youngest of the cousins who all spend the summer with their grandmother who lives near the beach. Being the youngest, she gets left out as the older girls crush on cute guys at the beach & smoke cigarettes. She ends up befriending a mischievous ghost, who has a family connection. A beautiful coming of age story, filled with very realistic sibling behaviour & the sad realities of the passage of time.
July 14, 2024
I absolutely loved the colours and illustrations of this graphic novel but I was definitely left with more questions than answers after reading it.
The plot had too many stories to tell and nothing was properly explained or expanded upon. I felt like Holleville could have added more dialogue and more explanation of the characters, as I truly felt lost as to who all the cousins were and there was no depth to it.
Gorgeous illustrations and a great concept, but the plot needed improving for me.
The plot had too many stories to tell and nothing was properly explained or expanded upon. I felt like Holleville could have added more dialogue and more explanation of the characters, as I truly felt lost as to who all the cousins were and there was no depth to it.
Gorgeous illustrations and a great concept, but the plot needed improving for me.
March 19, 2024
3 stars
hmm. i liked the art style and some of the characters, but at other times the story was boring, and some of the illustrations/scenes made me pretty uncomfortable. i think because this read as a middle grade book to me, i was caught off guard by the references to drugs and alcohol, and the explicit nudity.
hmm. i liked the art style and some of the characters, but at other times the story was boring, and some of the illustrations/scenes made me pretty uncomfortable. i think because this read as a middle grade book to me, i was caught off guard by the references to drugs and alcohol, and the explicit nudity.
August 21, 2021
This was an enjoyable, quick read with lovely artwork. I would have liked more of a story, as the book itself goes into very little depth, but I do understand the medium of the graphic novel can make this more difficult. Overall it was a fun read!
October 24, 2025
2.5 stars
I don't see myself remembering this story much outside of the gorgeous line work, shading, and color palette used. Many of the plot lines (teen drama, memory loss, family dynamics, etc.) just didn't go anywhere and I was unsure what the point of them were at all.
I don't see myself remembering this story much outside of the gorgeous line work, shading, and color palette used. Many of the plot lines (teen drama, memory loss, family dynamics, etc.) just didn't go anywhere and I was unsure what the point of them were at all.
February 14, 2021
The artwork is interesting, the story less so; clunky at times.
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