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Crema
Esme, a barista, feels invisible, like a ghost.... Also, when Esme drinks too much coffee she actually sees ghosts.
Yara, the elegant heir to a coffee plantation, is always seen, but only has eyes for Esme.
Their world is turned upside down when the strange ghost of an old-world nobleman begs Esme to take his letter from NYC to a haunted coffee farm in Brazil, to reunite him with his lost love of a century ago. Bringing sinister tidings of unrequited love.
#1 New York Times Best-Selling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas (writer) and Prism Award Nominee Dante L. (artist) bring you a haunted tale of love, ghosts and coffee beans.
Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via comiXology and Kindle
Yara, the elegant heir to a coffee plantation, is always seen, but only has eyes for Esme.
Their world is turned upside down when the strange ghost of an old-world nobleman begs Esme to take his letter from NYC to a haunted coffee farm in Brazil, to reunite him with his lost love of a century ago. Bringing sinister tidings of unrequited love.
#1 New York Times Best-Selling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas (writer) and Prism Award Nominee Dante L. (artist) bring you a haunted tale of love, ghosts and coffee beans.
Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via comiXology and Kindle
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2020
271 people are currently reading
3902 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 488 reviews
August 28, 2021
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I won't lie, the main reason why I picked up Crema was the f/f romance (the pretty cover also helped). Sadly, although Crema had the potential of being a sweet love story with a touch of the supernatural, the execution left a lot to be desired. The plot felt hurried and the undeveloped main characters lead to a rather uninspiring romance.
The first few pages give us some speedy exposition about Esme's past (she can see ghosts) before we move to the 'present' when Esme, now a young adult, works as a barista. In the space of a few pages she meets and falls for Yara and the two go from 0 to 100 in way too fast. One moment they are checking each other out, the next they have moved in together. Neither of their personalities really came across, as each page seemed more intent on advancing the frankly predictable plot than giving some depth to its characters. The bad guys are conveniently bad 24/7, our couple has an avoidable misunderstanding before the last act, and the ghost situation gets out of hand.
While the supernatural elements felt kind uninspired, I did like the design of some of the ghosts. The art in general was very pretty, although, if I had to be 100% honest I'll admit that the way Esme is depicted is kind of...meh.
All in all this was a quick and forgettable read. Maybe those who haven't read a lot of comics or ghost-stories may find this to be more rewarding that I did.
I won't lie, the main reason why I picked up Crema was the f/f romance (the pretty cover also helped). Sadly, although Crema had the potential of being a sweet love story with a touch of the supernatural, the execution left a lot to be desired. The plot felt hurried and the undeveloped main characters lead to a rather uninspiring romance.
The first few pages give us some speedy exposition about Esme's past (she can see ghosts) before we move to the 'present' when Esme, now a young adult, works as a barista. In the space of a few pages she meets and falls for Yara and the two go from 0 to 100 in way too fast. One moment they are checking each other out, the next they have moved in together. Neither of their personalities really came across, as each page seemed more intent on advancing the frankly predictable plot than giving some depth to its characters. The bad guys are conveniently bad 24/7, our couple has an avoidable misunderstanding before the last act, and the ghost situation gets out of hand.
While the supernatural elements felt kind uninspired, I did like the design of some of the ghosts. The art in general was very pretty, although, if I had to be 100% honest I'll admit that the way Esme is depicted is kind of...meh.
All in all this was a quick and forgettable read. Maybe those who haven't read a lot of comics or ghost-stories may find this to be more rewarding that I did.
November 23, 2021
Johnnie Christmas writes us a haunted love story, in which both the supernatural and the romantic elements are severely underwritten.
Esme is a barista, who can see and talk to ghosts when she has had the appropriate amount of coffee. This 'power' is never properly introduced and expanded upon, just sort of.. plunked there by flashback. There's one lady ghost who hangs around her and who feels underutilised (it doesn't help that she looks almost identical to the love interest, at least to my eyes) - she basically pops up when necessary for the plot. Esme's coffee power gets expanded juuuuust before it's necessary for the plot again. It's messy writing.
The coffeeshop is owned by a Brazilian girl, Yara, who is also a model (*rolls eyes*). Yara and Esme instantly fall in love, eventhough they barely have personalities. There are some awkward sex scenes, including a close up of a hand gripping the bed covers (*rolls eyes again*) - to be fair, a bit of script shows Christmas relegated the sex scenes to the artist's imagination.
We quickly jump to Brazil, to Yara's family coffee plantation, there's a indie comic grandma, all feisty and full of wisdom, there's some malarky with ghosts, one of whom feeds on love (*eyes pop out off sockets*), there's pretty much zero characterisation, more awkward sex scenes, and an unsatisfying rushed ending.
Telenovelas get mentioned a lot, maybe it was a hint?
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)
Esme is a barista, who can see and talk to ghosts when she has had the appropriate amount of coffee. This 'power' is never properly introduced and expanded upon, just sort of.. plunked there by flashback. There's one lady ghost who hangs around her and who feels underutilised (it doesn't help that she looks almost identical to the love interest, at least to my eyes) - she basically pops up when necessary for the plot. Esme's coffee power gets expanded juuuuust before it's necessary for the plot again. It's messy writing.
The coffeeshop is owned by a Brazilian girl, Yara, who is also a model (*rolls eyes*). Yara and Esme instantly fall in love, eventhough they barely have personalities. There are some awkward sex scenes, including a close up of a hand gripping the bed covers (*rolls eyes again*) - to be fair, a bit of script shows Christmas relegated the sex scenes to the artist's imagination.
We quickly jump to Brazil, to Yara's family coffee plantation, there's a indie comic grandma, all feisty and full of wisdom, there's some malarky with ghosts, one of whom feeds on love (*eyes pop out off sockets*), there's pretty much zero characterisation, more awkward sex scenes, and an unsatisfying rushed ending.
Telenovelas get mentioned a lot, maybe it was a hint?
(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)
July 23, 2020
An adorable love story with LGBTIA+ protagonists, ghosts and Brazilian coffee farms.
This story written by Johnnie Christmas is simple and straightforward. It keeps the pace but, at the same time, finds space to give us some background information and explore the good vibes moments between the duo that moves the plot ahead.
Dante's illustration is clean and emotional in a way that helps to build the characters. I don't have a technical explanation, but I thought his art had an extra charm when the panels were showing us the farm's past (No spoilers!).
Btw, it would be nice to see more of Yara's family, so maybe in a Tv show in the future... :)
This story written by Johnnie Christmas is simple and straightforward. It keeps the pace but, at the same time, finds space to give us some background information and explore the good vibes moments between the duo that moves the plot ahead.
Dante's illustration is clean and emotional in a way that helps to build the characters. I don't have a technical explanation, but I thought his art had an extra charm when the panels were showing us the farm's past (No spoilers!).
Btw, it would be nice to see more of Yara's family, so maybe in a Tv show in the future... :)
April 10, 2022
Crema follows a barista with coffee-induced-ghost-seeing powers that falls in love a with a coffee bean farm owning girl and helps her solve a family mystery along the way. I definitely wish this had been longer to allow for more buildup for the romance but beyond that I definitely enjoyed this sapphic graphic novel with Brazilian characters and setting, supernatural elements and themes of love and legacy!
December 8, 2021
Supernatural lesbianism. And coffee.
May 9, 2023
A bit disjointed and underdeveloped, but a fun sapphic paranormal graphic novel nonetheless
May 7, 2021
4.5/5 Stars
This was so so so good!! Brazillian sapphics falling in love, coffee shops and coffee bean farms, tumultuous ghost love stories...this has everything!!!
This was so so so good!! Brazillian sapphics falling in love, coffee shops and coffee bean farms, tumultuous ghost love stories...this has everything!!!
December 28, 2021
Full review at the Lesbrary to come, but here are some bullet points:
- Some might call this instalove, I’d call it a whirlwind romance. But then again, if a cute girl I barely knew invited me to go to Brazil with her, there’s a good chance I’d say yes.
- Part romance, part ghost adventure/action, culminating in an over-the-top supernatural confrontation.
- This is a ghost story and an F/F romance, but not an F/F ghost romance.
- Overall, this is a cute and fun fantasy romance comic with some steamy scenes, but nothing explicit.
- Some might call this instalove, I’d call it a whirlwind romance. But then again, if a cute girl I barely knew invited me to go to Brazil with her, there’s a good chance I’d say yes.
- Part romance, part ghost adventure/action, culminating in an over-the-top supernatural confrontation.
- This is a ghost story and an F/F romance, but not an F/F ghost romance.
- Overall, this is a cute and fun fantasy romance comic with some steamy scenes, but nothing explicit.
December 23, 2021
A ghostly, lesbian romance. Esme is a barista who can talk to ghosts when fully caffeinated. She meets the owner Yara, has sex with her once and then moves with her to Brazil. There's also a subplot about a ghost that eats love. The story is severely underwritten. The romance doesn't mesh with the ghost parts of it at all. Christmas needs to practice his writing skills or just stick to drawing. Dante Luiz has an interesting style to his art, giving it something of an old-timey look.
September 4, 2020
Rep: Brazilian wlw mc, Afro Brazilian wlw li
September 4, 2020
rep: Brazillian sapphic mc, Afro-Brazillian sapphic li, Brazillian cast
the vampire ghost feeding on [redacted] sure is a concept
the vampire ghost feeding on [redacted] sure is a concept
December 29, 2021
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this graphic novel about ancient ghosts, Brazilian culture and queer women in love. I will admit the plot is a teeny convoluted and moves pretty fast, but it all makes sense toward the end.
May 29, 2021
Sáfico, fofo e passado no Brasil.
Existem certas ressalvas, não vou mentir. Mas tentei abstrair e aproveitar ao máximo a leitura.
Existem certas ressalvas, não vou mentir. Mas tentei abstrair e aproveitar ao máximo a leitura.
May 27, 2022
3.5⭐️
With illustrations I am absolutely in love with, we follow the story if a young woman who sees ghosts when she drinks coffee as she falls in love with the new owner of her coffee shop.
I think the actual romance between the women is fine but not developed or intense enough to live up to this epic, magical romance the story claims it is. If anything, the relationship is pretty basic and mundane when removed from the ghost murder mystery plotline running through it.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this story.
CW: death, murder, violence, toxic romantic relationship, arson, brief nudity + sexual content
With illustrations I am absolutely in love with, we follow the story if a young woman who sees ghosts when she drinks coffee as she falls in love with the new owner of her coffee shop.
I think the actual romance between the women is fine but not developed or intense enough to live up to this epic, magical romance the story claims it is. If anything, the relationship is pretty basic and mundane when removed from the ghost murder mystery plotline running through it.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this story.
CW: death, murder, violence, toxic romantic relationship, arson, brief nudity + sexual content
March 16, 2022
quick thoughts:
an easy ghosty romance but the art style was not my favourite, sadly.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Esme (mc) is sapphic & Brazilian; Yara (li) is sapphic & Afro-Brazilian; largely Brazilian cast.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
an easy ghosty romance but the art style was not my favourite, sadly.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Esme (mc) is sapphic & Brazilian; Yara (li) is sapphic & Afro-Brazilian; largely Brazilian cast.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
June 19, 2024
2.5
Ni siquiera sé por dónde comenzar... La idea del libro me ha gustado bastante y los personajes llamaban mi atención pero ahí se ha quedado la cosa... Una historia de apenas 105 páginas que no ha conseguido hacerme conectar ni con los personajes ni con la historia. Me ha sido totalmente indiferente. Siento que si hubiera tenido más páginas habría sido totalmente diferente.
Ni siquiera sé por dónde comenzar... La idea del libro me ha gustado bastante y los personajes llamaban mi atención pero ahí se ha quedado la cosa... Una historia de apenas 105 páginas que no ha conseguido hacerme conectar ni con los personajes ni con la historia. Me ha sido totalmente indiferente. Siento que si hubiera tenido más páginas habría sido totalmente diferente.
July 25, 2020
honestly???????????? i feelt so much
im also a brazilian, and also a barista, plus im bissexual so............. this was pure heaven!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS
im also a brazilian, and also a barista, plus im bissexual so............. this was pure heaven!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS
August 6, 2020
No time spend developing characters, or relationships, or the plot, really. The artstyle is nice enough and the idea isn't a bad one, but the execution left practically everything to be desired.
October 2, 2021
That was such a fun, lighthearted read. I'm delighted. The art is beautiful, the writing is captivating. Absolutely charming.
November 19, 2022
Rounding down because the story was a rushed and a bit convoluted.
There were just too many things going on in the book. There was a coffee loving barista, ghosts she could see, an heiress to a coffee farm/coffee business which was also in the process of being signed away, as well as ghostly (and human) romance, betrayal, and angst. It was just too rushed to cover in the 100 or so pages. It felt like a lot of plot items were forgotten or ignored just to be revealed at the "perfect" time instead of finding a way for it to happen organically. In addition, the story seemed simple with the exception of all the extra elements added in meant to lead the reader astray.
The background art was really interesting. The buildings and cityscapes were taken from Brazil architecture and were very well done.
This is not a book I could really imagine recommending to any of my friends, but if you are interested it is not a big commitment (45 minute read for myself) and the art is quite well done where you can feel the emotions on the page.
There were just too many things going on in the book. There was a coffee loving barista, ghosts she could see, an heiress to a coffee farm/coffee business which was also in the process of being signed away, as well as ghostly (and human) romance, betrayal, and angst. It was just too rushed to cover in the 100 or so pages. It felt like a lot of plot items were forgotten or ignored just to be revealed at the "perfect" time instead of finding a way for it to happen organically. In addition, the story seemed simple with the exception of all the extra elements added in meant to lead the reader astray.
The background art was really interesting. The buildings and cityscapes were taken from Brazil architecture and were very well done.
This is not a book I could really imagine recommending to any of my friends, but if you are interested it is not a big commitment (45 minute read for myself) and the art is quite well done where you can feel the emotions on the page.
January 30, 2022
Coffee trees, like hopes and dreams, have a limited number of years.
3.5 stars. This was really cute! We're following Esme, a barista who sees ghosts whenever she drinks a lot of coffee... and she drinks a lot of coffee. She falls for a Brazilian coffee heiress and accepts a ghostly request to travel back to Brazil to reunite old lovers in the afterlife. For what the plot was, this really could have used more page time and development, but I was sold on the concept from the beginning, so I didn't mind too much. I really enjoyed the art style, and the romance was super sweet. Kudos!
February 22, 2022
This was a cute, quick read! The cover is, as you can see, absolutely gorgeous, and the art inside is filled with lovely color as well. I really liked the spooky parts with the villain ghost, and the story overall was enjoyable.
One complaint I have is that this is so short, and some of the characters sorta fall flat because of that. Esme and Yara's relationship came off as a little insta-lovey to me, and I wish that the progression of time (and their relationship) was able to be shown a little better. The main problem of the story also seemed to be wrapped up really quickly.
But! Overall, this was a fun read.
One complaint I have is that this is so short, and some of the characters sorta fall flat because of that. Esme and Yara's relationship came off as a little insta-lovey to me, and I wish that the progression of time (and their relationship) was able to be shown a little better. The main problem of the story also seemed to be wrapped up really quickly.
But! Overall, this was a fun read.
August 1, 2022
3 stars. This wasn't brilliant writing by any means, but the concept was fun enough that I can forgive it a little bit. The story felt a bit underdeveloped and the characters not fully fleshed out, but you get a superpower activated by drinking coffee, a ghost best friend, telenovelas, and a sapphic romance (not a ton of chemistry, but that's the fault of rushed scenes and lack of character development). Quick enough to make that worth it.
July 17, 2022
Lesbianas, café y fantasmas, no podía no ser guay (aunque se hace cortita).
July 31, 2020
Romance fofinho, fantasmas e café = perfeito.
July 23, 2020
vontade de tomar café e comer pão de queijo
November 26, 2020
DANTE VOCÊ É TUDO
I really enjoyed CREMA!! The setting is amazing and I loved to see Minas Gerais as the background for this comic! Dante's art is a delight and I enjoyed seeing Esme and Yara's relationship develop (even though it felt a bit rushed to me). Really liked the concept behind Johnnie's ghosts and loved the end .
Also really liked seeing Johnnie's script and Dante's process at the end!! I love when comics show us a bit of the process like that.
I really enjoyed CREMA!! The setting is amazing and I loved to see Minas Gerais as the background for this comic! Dante's art is a delight and I enjoyed seeing Esme and Yara's relationship develop (even though it felt a bit rushed to me). Really liked the concept behind Johnnie's ghosts and loved the end .
Also really liked seeing Johnnie's script and Dante's process at the end!! I love when comics show us a bit of the process like that.
August 29, 2020
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The premise sounded really different and neat and I was eager for the LGBTQ+ romance story. I was eager for a different kind of ghost story that took us in new directions for what it means to haunt and to be haunted, But by the time I was a third of the way through I realized that I had ordered a double and had only gotten a decaf with Splenda. The intent was there with this one, the execution just wasn’t. The whole thing felt like somebody who was writing about lesbians, coffee, ghosts and Brazil but had never really experienced any of them. Maybe that isn’t so, but it sure felt like it,
October 6, 2021
1.5 stars
this was certainly... uh...something?
The gorgeous cover art and promise of ghosts and an f/f romance was what made me read this. Ultimately, though, I didn't like the art style very much, and the story felt loose and aimless.
Everything happened too quickly and not much was developted, which made the ending seem rushed, far-fetched and a bit cliché. The romance was... ok, I suppose, but felt really shallow even as the author tried to convince us of how deep it was (also, they had no chemistry).
Reading about brazillian culture written by a non-brazillian was also strange, but like, kudos for trying?
this was certainly... uh...something?
The gorgeous cover art and promise of ghosts and an f/f romance was what made me read this. Ultimately, though, I didn't like the art style very much, and the story felt loose and aimless.
Everything happened too quickly and not much was developted, which made the ending seem rushed, far-fetched and a bit cliché. The romance was... ok, I suppose, but felt really shallow even as the author tried to convince us of how deep it was (also, they had no chemistry).
Reading about brazillian culture written by a non-brazillian was also strange, but like, kudos for trying?
February 2, 2021
Essa graphic novel tem tudo que eu amo: sáficas, baristas, muuuuito brasil e mistérios meio bizarrinhos envolvendo fantasmas. O traço é lindíssimo e a história também! Só senti que algumas coisas foram muito corridas, algumas páginas a mais talvez teriam me feito gostar mais do quadrinho. Recomendo a leitura!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 488 reviews