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Just Pretend
A graphic memoir, in which a young girl uses her active imagination to navigate middle school as well as the fallout from her parents' divorce.
Tori has never lived in just one world.
Since her parents' divorce, she's lived in both her mom's house and her dad's new apartment. And in both places, no matter how hard she tries, her family still treats her like a little kid. Then there's school, where friendships old and new are starting to feel more and more out of her hands.
Thankfully, she has books-and writing. And now the stories she makes up in her head just might save her when everything else around her—friendships, school, family—is falling apart.
Tori has never lived in just one world.
Since her parents' divorce, she's lived in both her mom's house and her dad's new apartment. And in both places, no matter how hard she tries, her family still treats her like a little kid. Then there's school, where friendships old and new are starting to feel more and more out of her hands.
Thankfully, she has books-and writing. And now the stories she makes up in her head just might save her when everything else around her—friendships, school, family—is falling apart.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
May 15, 2021
Tori's parents have recently divorced and she is navigating living in two households, her parents trying to co-parent, her siblings who take out their negative feelings on her, and middle school. The make-believe world Tori has created in the graphic novel she is working on helps her work through her feeling and the changes currently happening in her life.
Realistic fiction graphic novels are in high demand in my elementary library, so I had high hopes that I could add this title our collection. For me, this storyline jumped around too much. The segues from the real world to Tori's graphic novel excerpts were abrupt and I found myself having to re-read several times to focus on how events in the real world and make-believe world were connected. There was also a lot packed into this one book: the divorce and her parents living in two separate places, dad's new girlfriend, sibling issues, and friendship issues, and moving to a new community and preparing to attend a new school without friends. All these events, in my opinion, had opportunities to be the focus of separate stories in a series instead of all together in one book. There was simply too much going on and it was at times, confusing. Instead of writing broader, I would have liked to have seen the events written deeper....if that makes sense.
Realistic fiction graphic novels are in high demand in my elementary library, so I had high hopes that I could add this title our collection. For me, this storyline jumped around too much. The segues from the real world to Tori's graphic novel excerpts were abrupt and I found myself having to re-read several times to focus on how events in the real world and make-believe world were connected. There was also a lot packed into this one book: the divorce and her parents living in two separate places, dad's new girlfriend, sibling issues, and friendship issues, and moving to a new community and preparing to attend a new school without friends. All these events, in my opinion, had opportunities to be the focus of separate stories in a series instead of all together in one book. There was simply too much going on and it was at times, confusing. Instead of writing broader, I would have liked to have seen the events written deeper....if that makes sense.
July 28, 2021
I always feel bad when I don't like memoirs, like I'm hating on the author's life. Though truthfully, I had no idea this was a memoir until the author's notes on character design, although I don't think that knowing it was based on real life would have changed my thoughts on this, because I considered abandoning it pretty early in the book. But it's a middle-grade graphic novel, and I could spare the half hour to read it, even if I wasn't digging it.
What didn't I like about it? The pacing was weird, scenes would change without any warning. One page they'd be at the mall, the next page they'd be at school without any transition. This happened after pretty much every scene. And using "scene" to describe what was happening is pretty accurate. There wasn't much to the overarching story, but knowing that this is a memoir makes it a little better. The family dynamic was odd, like why was everyone so angry all the time? And who was Beth, the lady that always told Tori that her mom was working? And lastly, I wasn't a fan of Tori's story, though I never like books-within-books. I straight-up skipped those parts.
On a more positive note, the art was nice, I liked Tori and how creative she was (with the mailboxes, and the secret buddies, and all her stories.) And I loved the slightly-changed references to real-life things, like Harvest Sun and Smush Bros.. I thought that was pretty funny.
All in all, I know I'm not the target demographic, and I'm sure kids will like this. It might even inspire budding authors to write!
What didn't I like about it? The pacing was weird, scenes would change without any warning. One page they'd be at the mall, the next page they'd be at school without any transition. This happened after pretty much every scene. And using "scene" to describe what was happening is pretty accurate. There wasn't much to the overarching story, but knowing that this is a memoir makes it a little better. The family dynamic was odd, like why was everyone so angry all the time? And who was Beth, the lady that always told Tori that her mom was working? And lastly, I wasn't a fan of Tori's story, though I never like books-within-books. I straight-up skipped those parts.
On a more positive note, the art was nice, I liked Tori and how creative she was (with the mailboxes, and the secret buddies, and all her stories.) And I loved the slightly-changed references to real-life things, like Harvest Sun and Smush Bros.. I thought that was pretty funny.
All in all, I know I'm not the target demographic, and I'm sure kids will like this. It might even inspire budding authors to write!
June 13, 2021
4.25 twinkling stars!
This was a very heart felt and relatable autobiography that I absolutely adored! The characters laid bare on the page. You could feel each of their emotions, and I liked that.
From navigating friendship to divorce, 'Just Pretend' has a premise that I'm sure many kids will resonate with. Much like Tori, as a child my best friends kept on moving away. This deja-vu really made me tear up.
Moreover, I loved how Tori is such a creative!! Her determination is bound to inspire young kids everywhere!
Overall, this was a sweet and inspiring coming of age that's perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier!
(Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.)
This was a very heart felt and relatable autobiography that I absolutely adored! The characters laid bare on the page. You could feel each of their emotions, and I liked that.
From navigating friendship to divorce, 'Just Pretend' has a premise that I'm sure many kids will resonate with. Much like Tori, as a child my best friends kept on moving away. This deja-vu really made me tear up.
Moreover, I loved how Tori is such a creative!! Her determination is bound to inspire young kids everywhere!
Overall, this was a sweet and inspiring coming of age that's perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier!
(Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.)
April 20, 2022
3.5 stars, entertaining graphic novel about middle schooler Tori who is growing up in the late 1990s. To escape from her problems, Tori is writing a book.
Give this one to fans of Jennifer L. Holm's Sunny series, Bad Sister, or other graphic novels about school and family life.
Give this one to fans of Jennifer L. Holm's Sunny series, Bad Sister, or other graphic novels about school and family life.
June 21, 2024
This book was fun while it lasted, but now I can't seem to remember most of it- I really related to Tori, though, with her love of writing and imagination :D
4 / 5 stars! Read in one sitting & on my birthday!
4 / 5 stars! Read in one sitting & on my birthday!
June 25, 2021
Just Pretend is a promising new graphic memoir highlighting the challenges kids can face when there is parental bickering, especially between divorced co-parents. It also shows the healing power of friendship and storytelling. Although, this memoir is more slice-of-life and lacking a satisfying resolution, kids who enjoy writing will be drawn to this story and all readers will enjoy the illustration style.
Read my full review on my blog.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review on my blog.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
dnf
November 2, 2022Dnf around 80-90 pages in. Jumps around too much.
July 17, 2021
While I did enjoy this graphic novel it was all over the place. There wasn’t any separation like chapters and it would just abruptly go from being at the mall to at school the next day. I didn’t really care for that aspect at all. It really would take me out of the story. The artwork was nicely done and like I said earlier the story was enjoyable. Overall, I think if you’re looking for a graphic novel about growing up there are better ones out there.
June 17, 2021
I was very eager to read this book as the description was very appealing to me. Once I read it, I adored it even more. The main character's point of view is fresh and exciting. The drawings were incredible and truly brought the story to life. Readers will enjoy following the book-ish Tori around her imagination and true-life struggles. I love graphic novels, and writing fantasy myself so this was just a gem to read! I'm definitely saving up to purchase this (:
November 12, 2021
This was really sweet. It's a coming-of-age graphic novel, though it comes closer to slice of life. Tori is a middle grader with a wonderfully active imagination, divorced parents, a dickhead older brother and a really cool almost stepmother. She has to navigate the world of school, friendships, and family, all while keeping her head above water.
There is something lacking with this story, we never truly go too deep into any specific part. There are family dramas and friendships squabbles, but we view them more as 30 minute sitcom episodes than an overarching theme. There's not really closure, and that can be frustrating.
There is absolutely something to enjoy here, and many middle graders will see themselves in the characters, especially anyone who loves making up their own stories in their heads.
There is something lacking with this story, we never truly go too deep into any specific part. There are family dramas and friendships squabbles, but we view them more as 30 minute sitcom episodes than an overarching theme. There's not really closure, and that can be frustrating.
There is absolutely something to enjoy here, and many middle graders will see themselves in the characters, especially anyone who loves making up their own stories in their heads.
December 3, 2023
I read this graphic novel in one day. I liked it. 😄
September 22, 2022
This YA graphic novel was just not good. I couldn’t finish it because of its filler writing and poor scenes. It was just confusing and would jump all over the place with the story. Had no scene transitions, it would jump from the mall to school and had characters that were not explained who they were. It has similar illustrations as Telgemeier books that attract readers. I like the fantasy premise in a graphic novel but it was extremely poorly executed. It was confusing for an adult, it would be even worse for a middle schooler.
December 12, 2021
I wanted to like it more but the pace was all over the place. Half the book Tori is in 7th grade then the rest of the book flys through 8th and 9th. And the story she was writing was added in all over the place. It was just really hard to connect to the characters.
March 24, 2021
This was probably more 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up because I appreciated the author’s addition of her creative processes at the end, and I think young aspiring artists will, too.
This is a bittersweet middle grade graphic novel that explores the author’s 7th & 8th grade friendships, her relationships to her family members (older siblings, divorced parents, dad’s gf), and her creativity. This reads pretty young - the author is playing pretend well into middle school and high school - no judgment AT ALL, but just know that this will appeal to some kids and read “too young” to others. A book for every reader, etc! :D
I thought the time jumps were a bit disconcerting (oh wow, a whole year went by??) and found the ending abrupt and a tad unsatisfying, but overall this is a sweet story and the art is great. It would be a good addition to a upper elementary or middle school collection.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. This didn’t influence my rating or review in any way..
This is a bittersweet middle grade graphic novel that explores the author’s 7th & 8th grade friendships, her relationships to her family members (older siblings, divorced parents, dad’s gf), and her creativity. This reads pretty young - the author is playing pretend well into middle school and high school - no judgment AT ALL, but just know that this will appeal to some kids and read “too young” to others. A book for every reader, etc! :D
I thought the time jumps were a bit disconcerting (oh wow, a whole year went by??) and found the ending abrupt and a tad unsatisfying, but overall this is a sweet story and the art is great. It would be a good addition to a upper elementary or middle school collection.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. This didn’t influence my rating or review in any way..
December 12, 2022
Just pretend book report.
I read this book because it looked fun and awesome 🤩 😎. At the beginning of this book Tori, is writing a book. Her best friend Taylor is helping they love having sleepovers, hanging out, and stuff together! But the thing is Tori’s parents are divorced and her dad is getting married and in a house! Jane, her dad’s girlfriend is very kind and loves shopping I mean who doesn’t. In the middle of the book, Taylor wants to run away! Tori is sad. She saw Taylor at school Whew! Also her friends are doing secret buddies! But everyone forgot Taylor’s birthday! She keep ignoring her. Don’t worry it’s all okay now! At the end of the book, Tori’s brother is moving in with his dad! And Tori is mad cause she can’t stay home alone when her sister goes to dance! But in the end she finally finished her book and it’s all okay 👍🏻 THE END!
I read this book because it looked fun and awesome 🤩 😎. At the beginning of this book Tori, is writing a book. Her best friend Taylor is helping they love having sleepovers, hanging out, and stuff together! But the thing is Tori’s parents are divorced and her dad is getting married and in a house! Jane, her dad’s girlfriend is very kind and loves shopping I mean who doesn’t. In the middle of the book, Taylor wants to run away! Tori is sad. She saw Taylor at school Whew! Also her friends are doing secret buddies! But everyone forgot Taylor’s birthday! She keep ignoring her. Don’t worry it’s all okay now! At the end of the book, Tori’s brother is moving in with his dad! And Tori is mad cause she can’t stay home alone when her sister goes to dance! But in the end she finally finished her book and it’s all okay 👍🏻 THE END!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2021
This graphic memoir is about Tori, a young girl adjusting to life after her parents get divorced. It takes place in the late 1990's. Tori has created a make believe world in the graphic novel she is working on to help her cope with her feelings about all the changes in her life. I loved Tori's imagination and I think kids will relate to her struggles.
August 7, 2021
A fresh friendship story that's also familiar. Tenderly written, realistic and relatable. While there is a moral, the main point is just come along for Tori's journey.
October 24, 2021
Is it possible for something to be TOO realistic? This one was so real life that I thought it was a little boring (and that’s even with a fantasy story squished in!).
January 30, 2022
Pretty decent graphic novel. Wasnt a huge fan of the fantasy bits since I'm not into fantasy but still worth a read. If this author made a second book I would read it
May 19, 2021
Very enjoyable. I'd categorize it as middle grade.
February 23, 2022
Me: reads junior novel for a ‘break’
Also me: reads junior novel laden with lots of heavy things
Also me: reads junior novel laden with lots of heavy things
Read
March 31, 2022I didn't realize until the end that this was a gn memoir. The palette and art were pleasing. There were many relatable moments of middle school drama, friendship drama and family drama, but they didn't transition well. I often turned the page back to check to see if I missed something. Interested to see what my students think.
August 2, 2025
El libro incluye muchos acontecimientos y no es claro cuando termina uno y empieza otro, ademas de que algunos pareciera que se quedan a medias.
Me habría gustado un estilo diferente para las partes de fantasías que también es algo complicado de entender cuando se hace ese brinco entre tramas.
Me habría gustado un estilo diferente para las partes de fantasías que también es algo complicado de entender cuando se hace ese brinco entre tramas.
August 3, 2021
The story Tori was writing within the story made this hard to follow. Also, I wanted more context to the family dynamics. Not bad, just ok.
August 24, 2022
75%
Really emphasizes that being a kid can be really difficult and that adults are often unreasonable, which I think is an important message for both kids AND adults - kids can feel understood and validated in their feelings, and adults are reminded of what it was like to be a kid. It's easy as an adult to assume children's lives are easy and care-free since they don't face the same big issues as us, but it's important to remember that we have years of experience, knowledge, and maturity on our side, whereas kids are just doing the best they can with what they've got.
Also, the fairy story that's interwoven throughout the story seems pretty baller, and I think it would be a cool graphic novel on its own, if it were a little more fleshed out.
Really emphasizes that being a kid can be really difficult and that adults are often unreasonable, which I think is an important message for both kids AND adults - kids can feel understood and validated in their feelings, and adults are reminded of what it was like to be a kid. It's easy as an adult to assume children's lives are easy and care-free since they don't face the same big issues as us, but it's important to remember that we have years of experience, knowledge, and maturity on our side, whereas kids are just doing the best they can with what they've got.
Also, the fairy story that's interwoven throughout the story seems pretty baller, and I think it would be a cool graphic novel on its own, if it were a little more fleshed out.
April 2, 2021
There is much to like in this mostly autobiographical book by Tori Sharp: it’s graphic novel format, the focus on a tween coping with divorced parents, frustrations with family, and the angst of growing up. The authenticity rings true and will resonate with my students as they read. However, the abrupt shifts in time and place were difficult to navigate and more than once, I turned back a page to see if I had skipped a few such as when I went from a panel with young Tori eating a midnight snack with her bff and in the next one, to a new day and a conversation with who I assume is a nanny/babysitter/housekeeper type character. (Banners with transition phrases or even “chapter” headings would make the frequent jumps less confusing.) Tori, in the book and in real life, has a vivid imagination and is always creating art and story in notebooks. Her imagination is, in large part, the tool that helps her process all the difficult changes in her life. However, few of my 5th graders are still dressing up and play-acting fairies and goddesses with their friends unless it is online or in their reading and the regular occurrence of this type of pretending will possibly feel awkward to other tweens rather than the encouraging message to let imagination take you to wonderful places that I believe Sharp intends. My ARC copy only had a handful of full color pages, but the illustrations are realistic and appealing. Final verdict? If you need more graphic novels in the vein of Telgemeier, Hale, Chmakova and similar, this one has a place in your collection. Thanks for the print ARC, Little and Brown and the dARC, NetGalley!
February 18, 2022
This graphic novel memoir is all over the place, involving far too many complex real-life issues to ever fully address most of them. It also has very poor pacing and consistently confusing scene transitions. You'll be at the mall with the character, and the next thing you know, you're in the middle of a conversation she's having at school with a friend. I frequently flipped back to see if I had missed a page, but had not.
The book also incorporates scenes from the main character's fantasy story. I don't think that it fits well within the graphic novel, since it doesn't thematically tie into the story enough, but it shows what the main character was imagining and gives a sense of her early development as a writer. Kids who are passionate about fantasy as a genre or enjoy writing fantasy stories will connect with this, but it will just be filler for kids who don't find it appealing.
I liked the historical setting in the 1990s and the character's thoughts about her writing, but that wasn't enough to save this book for me as an adult reader. Nonetheless, this will appeal to kids who are eager for new realistic graphic novels. It may inspire some of them to write, and can encourage aspiring writers to keep working towards their goals.
Another recent graphic novel that incorporates fantasy imagination elements is Just Roll with It. These books could be read-alike recommendations for each other, even though Just Pretend is much lower-quality and doesn't resolve the real-world issues in the story nearly as well.
The book also incorporates scenes from the main character's fantasy story. I don't think that it fits well within the graphic novel, since it doesn't thematically tie into the story enough, but it shows what the main character was imagining and gives a sense of her early development as a writer. Kids who are passionate about fantasy as a genre or enjoy writing fantasy stories will connect with this, but it will just be filler for kids who don't find it appealing.
I liked the historical setting in the 1990s and the character's thoughts about her writing, but that wasn't enough to save this book for me as an adult reader. Nonetheless, this will appeal to kids who are eager for new realistic graphic novels. It may inspire some of them to write, and can encourage aspiring writers to keep working towards their goals.
Another recent graphic novel that incorporates fantasy imagination elements is Just Roll with It. These books could be read-alike recommendations for each other, even though Just Pretend is much lower-quality and doesn't resolve the real-world issues in the story nearly as well.
June 3, 2021
Reading someone's memoir makes it hard to rate, because how can you rate someone else's experiences? I will rate how I enjoyed the book and the reading experience. I have to start off by saying that I love the illustrations. Everything is colorful and really stands out. I really enjoyed the art used in Just Pretend.
Tori is 12 years old and dealing with a lot children this age will understand: middle school, friendships growing and changing, siblings and in Tori's case her parents getting divorced. I have to say I really felt the emotions jump off the pages and have to say it did feel realistic. My only "issue" with this one were the time jumps. It happened a couple of times and sometimes it took a little bit before I could place where we were in the story.
Besides Tori's experiences we also get to see her love for creating stories. I loved the enthusiasm and that the author mixed some of this fantasy story through the memoir side of this story. It fit together well and it was fun to see how passionate she was even at a younger age. I feel it also showed us that this was her outlet to deal with everything else going on in her life.
There was also a nice finishing touch at the end where Tori talks about how the story came to be and is based on her life at that age. I also thought it was nice how she showed everyone how drawings came to be and how she put everything together. All in all a very interesting story.
Tori is 12 years old and dealing with a lot children this age will understand: middle school, friendships growing and changing, siblings and in Tori's case her parents getting divorced. I have to say I really felt the emotions jump off the pages and have to say it did feel realistic. My only "issue" with this one were the time jumps. It happened a couple of times and sometimes it took a little bit before I could place where we were in the story.
Besides Tori's experiences we also get to see her love for creating stories. I loved the enthusiasm and that the author mixed some of this fantasy story through the memoir side of this story. It fit together well and it was fun to see how passionate she was even at a younger age. I feel it also showed us that this was her outlet to deal with everything else going on in her life.
There was also a nice finishing touch at the end where Tori talks about how the story came to be and is based on her life at that age. I also thought it was nice how she showed everyone how drawings came to be and how she put everything together. All in all a very interesting story.
January 8, 2022
I’m enjoying diving into some new graphic novels and Just Pretend is delightful, with bright panels and a heartwarming story of growing up. It is actually part memoir, as the author shares her own teenage story within the pages.
Tori lives with her mother, and twin older brother and sisters. She also travels to stay with her dad after the divorce. It can get confusing, juggling different houses and bedrooms. Tori is a writer. She loves to create wonderful worlds into which she can escape when her parents are fighting or her mother and brother are fighting or her older siblings are giving her a hard time. Tori and her best friend write and play together, but when they start school and are put into different classes, Tori will have to get creative to keep them together.
My students clamour to get their hands on bright, colourful and realistic graphic novels like Just Pretend, so I know this one is going to be super popular. Dealing with familiar themes such as transitioning to middle school, adding and losing friendships, parental divorce and sibling rivalry, this is a very relatable story and there is a wonderful addition of Tori’s writing in the book, including panels from a fantasy story.
While it is a true story, I’m going to be shelving this one with our realistic graphic novels. It’s sure to be a hit.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
Tori lives with her mother, and twin older brother and sisters. She also travels to stay with her dad after the divorce. It can get confusing, juggling different houses and bedrooms. Tori is a writer. She loves to create wonderful worlds into which she can escape when her parents are fighting or her mother and brother are fighting or her older siblings are giving her a hard time. Tori and her best friend write and play together, but when they start school and are put into different classes, Tori will have to get creative to keep them together.
My students clamour to get their hands on bright, colourful and realistic graphic novels like Just Pretend, so I know this one is going to be super popular. Dealing with familiar themes such as transitioning to middle school, adding and losing friendships, parental divorce and sibling rivalry, this is a very relatable story and there is a wonderful addition of Tori’s writing in the book, including panels from a fantasy story.
While it is a true story, I’m going to be shelving this one with our realistic graphic novels. It’s sure to be a hit.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
April 12, 2021
Netgalley provided me a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm always looking for new graphic novels for my middle grade library--it's hard to keep them on the shelves. The description and artwork in this one sounded like exactly what I needed.
Based on the author's own childhood, the story follows 7th grader Tori. She prefers to lose herself in the fantasy book she's writing rather than deal with what's happeining in real life: divorced parents, difficult sibling relationships, and changing friendships. Her book is full of powerful girls and magic, and the artwork for these sections is particularly beautiful.
However, I enjoyed the realistic parts of Tori's story more than than that fantasy book...even though they are pretty tough to read at times. Both her mother and father are absent in their own ways, and Tori struggles to get them to see her and acknowledge what they are doing. Her twin bother and sister are constantly putting her down--in fact her brother's behavior is downright cruel. Having the beautiful fantasy sections interupt the darker realism was powerful, but I found myself skimming some of Tori's book excerpts just to get back to her real life.
Though I have mixed feelings, I'm sure this is going to be a hit with my students.
I'm always looking for new graphic novels for my middle grade library--it's hard to keep them on the shelves. The description and artwork in this one sounded like exactly what I needed.
Based on the author's own childhood, the story follows 7th grader Tori. She prefers to lose herself in the fantasy book she's writing rather than deal with what's happeining in real life: divorced parents, difficult sibling relationships, and changing friendships. Her book is full of powerful girls and magic, and the artwork for these sections is particularly beautiful.
However, I enjoyed the realistic parts of Tori's story more than than that fantasy book...even though they are pretty tough to read at times. Both her mother and father are absent in their own ways, and Tori struggles to get them to see her and acknowledge what they are doing. Her twin bother and sister are constantly putting her down--in fact her brother's behavior is downright cruel. Having the beautiful fantasy sections interupt the darker realism was powerful, but I found myself skimming some of Tori's book excerpts just to get back to her real life.
Though I have mixed feelings, I'm sure this is going to be a hit with my students.
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