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Nowhere Girl
Magali a 11 ans. Elle aime les Beatles, dans la catégorie « passionnément » ou « à la folie ». Ce qu'elle aime moins, c'est l'école, surtout depuis qu'elle est au collège. Elle qui pensait être une élève comme les autres éprouve soudainement une peur panique à l'idée d'aller au collège. Telle une "Alice au pays des merveilles", elle se réfugie alors dans l'univers parallèle des Beatles nourri de leur musique et de couleurs éclatantes.
Une bande dessinée autobiographique, sensible et drôle, en dépit de la gravité du sujet, la phobie scolaire.
Une bande dessinée autobiographique, sensible et drôle, en dépit de la gravité du sujet, la phobie scolaire.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2021
7 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
Magali Le Huche
174 books20 followersMagali Le Huche was born in Paris. She studied illustration in Strasbourg, then returned to Paris where she has illustrated more than forty books for children, some of which she also wrote. She regularly teaches art workshops for young people.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
July 12, 2021
Quite a unique graphical memoir, this. But it could have been so much better.
Magali is an eleven year old with super-achiever psychologist parents and an elder sister who is brilliant at school. Magali hence finds herself burdened under the spoken and unspoken expectations of everyone around her. Her terrible anxiety creates a phobia of school that soon generates psychosomatic effects. While she is being home-schooled during this phase, she discovers The Beatles. The rest of the story is about the impact their music made on her life and the way she battled her mental struggled to resume active schooling.
On the face of it, the concept is fabulous. Teenage struggles with expectations, bodily anxieties and social dilemmas are pretty common. But to see music from many decades before coming to the rescue is novel. However, where the book falls short is in the detailing. The story seems to jump over the hows and whys of Magali’s problem and just reveals the whats.
The graphical part is good, not great. The earlier pages in the book are primarily white, gray and pink, depicting Magali’s bleak view of life. But with the Beatles introduced, coloured swirls start making an appearance. However, the pages are quite cluttered. There are parallel narratives unfolding on many of the pages, where the illustrations follow one story track and the background script narrates another. It makes for a cramped experience. The font is the biggest disappointment. When everything written in small case cursive, I had to really strain my eyes to understand the lines.
Overall, this might be a one-time read, but nothing exceptional.
Thank you, NetGalley and Europe Comics, for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
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Magali is an eleven year old with super-achiever psychologist parents and an elder sister who is brilliant at school. Magali hence finds herself burdened under the spoken and unspoken expectations of everyone around her. Her terrible anxiety creates a phobia of school that soon generates psychosomatic effects. While she is being home-schooled during this phase, she discovers The Beatles. The rest of the story is about the impact their music made on her life and the way she battled her mental struggled to resume active schooling.
On the face of it, the concept is fabulous. Teenage struggles with expectations, bodily anxieties and social dilemmas are pretty common. But to see music from many decades before coming to the rescue is novel. However, where the book falls short is in the detailing. The story seems to jump over the hows and whys of Magali’s problem and just reveals the whats.
The graphical part is good, not great. The earlier pages in the book are primarily white, gray and pink, depicting Magali’s bleak view of life. But with the Beatles introduced, coloured swirls start making an appearance. However, the pages are quite cluttered. There are parallel narratives unfolding on many of the pages, where the illustrations follow one story track and the background script narrates another. It makes for a cramped experience. The font is the biggest disappointment. When everything written in small case cursive, I had to really strain my eyes to understand the lines.
Overall, this might be a one-time read, but nothing exceptional.
Thank you, NetGalley and Europe Comics, for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
September 10, 2021
Excellent autobiographical title, which tells a story of anxiety and how it can be overcome. Magali, a young girl, has to cope with a devastating sense of failure, and part of that coping comes from listening to the Beatles' music.
The whole book is drawn in a lovely clear line, black and white and one or two colours, except when the Beatles make an appearance, and colour practically jumps off the page.
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(Picked up a review copy through NetGalley)
April 11, 2025
3.5 a beautiful graphic memoir about growing up and figuring out who you are without the expectations you impose on yourself. Lovely but very French
August 14, 2021
this is an odd little graphic memoir. i expected a story about a kid's obsession with the beatles, but it's more about her struggle to cope with childhood anxiety and OCD. she does eventually use fandom as a distraction to help her cope, but it's not really about the beatles.
in fact, she doesn't even discover the beatles until halfway through the book! the pacing is quite slow. the book is translated from the french, and it somehow feels very french. even the cursive font gives off french vibes.
i think the high point is when our main character, magali, hears the beatles for the first time and straight up has a psychedelic experience. the dreamy art is beautiful, and contrasts with the straightforward art style in the rest of the book.
there's also a wonderful visual metaphor of magali escaping into a yellow submarine when she feels uncomfortable. such comfort we can get from fandom escapism!
magali's eventual obsession (and particularly her strong need to tell others about her love of the beatles) is cringingly relatable. i wish there had been more of this, but i couldn't really feel the depth of her love for the band.
i'm also unsure about the ending. magali goes back to public school and learns to better cope with her anxiety, but says she still finds comfort in the beatles. then there's a twist to show that she's still in therapy... but it almost feels like a self-deprecating twist? even though there's really no shame in being in therapy long term. perhaps it's due to the translation, but i was very unclear on the author's intent.
overall it's a cute book, and it reminded me of living with viola, another graphic novel about a preteen girl using various coping mechanisms to deal with her anxiety.
Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
in fact, she doesn't even discover the beatles until halfway through the book! the pacing is quite slow. the book is translated from the french, and it somehow feels very french. even the cursive font gives off french vibes.
i think the high point is when our main character, magali, hears the beatles for the first time and straight up has a psychedelic experience. the dreamy art is beautiful, and contrasts with the straightforward art style in the rest of the book.
there's also a wonderful visual metaphor of magali escaping into a yellow submarine when she feels uncomfortable. such comfort we can get from fandom escapism!
magali's eventual obsession (and particularly her strong need to tell others about her love of the beatles) is cringingly relatable. i wish there had been more of this, but i couldn't really feel the depth of her love for the band.
i'm also unsure about the ending. magali goes back to public school and learns to better cope with her anxiety, but says she still finds comfort in the beatles. then there's a twist to show that she's still in therapy... but it almost feels like a self-deprecating twist? even though there's really no shame in being in therapy long term. perhaps it's due to the translation, but i was very unclear on the author's intent.
overall it's a cute book, and it reminded me of living with viola, another graphic novel about a preteen girl using various coping mechanisms to deal with her anxiety.
Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
July 12, 2021
I got the gist of this story. But the main thing was this girl who had an older sister who she loved and looked up to.
The secound bit I took from it was she was an underachiever and her teachers weren’t very helpful or encouraging.
Another thing, she was expected to help a lot at home as her parents were career people. I’m thinking that might interfere in her studying.
The graphics showed her many time with a school bag, normal size, then grow through the day with the heavy burden she was carrying.
She also was a huge fan of the Beatles.
Her mind wasn’t clear and graphics hinted at mental well-being but didn’t explore that, although the graphics showed it I think.
What I didn’t like was the entire layout of the novel and it’s font.
The fount used is in joined up neat writing but it catches with the jumbled up erratic layout.
I feel it should have been better displayed in boxes across the page. The writing was literally everywhere I was so confused by it.
If it were laid out better with more readable font I would have given it better ratings for sure.
The secound bit I took from it was she was an underachiever and her teachers weren’t very helpful or encouraging.
Another thing, she was expected to help a lot at home as her parents were career people. I’m thinking that might interfere in her studying.
The graphics showed her many time with a school bag, normal size, then grow through the day with the heavy burden she was carrying.
She also was a huge fan of the Beatles.
Her mind wasn’t clear and graphics hinted at mental well-being but didn’t explore that, although the graphics showed it I think.
What I didn’t like was the entire layout of the novel and it’s font.
The fount used is in joined up neat writing but it catches with the jumbled up erratic layout.
I feel it should have been better displayed in boxes across the page. The writing was literally everywhere I was so confused by it.
If it were laid out better with more readable font I would have given it better ratings for sure.
April 19, 2021
L’histoire à hauteur d’enfant d’une petite fille qui fait sa rentrée en sixième dans les années 90 et qui va surmonter sa phobie scolaire grâce à sa passion pour les Beatles. Une plongée dans la tête d’une enfant de 11 ans quittant le monde de l’enfance comme elle peut. Forcément, on essaie de se souvenir - j’étais comment à son âge ? Je voulais être Ginger des Spice Girls et je compilais religieusement dans un classeur tous les articles de Star Club sur Leonardo DiCaprio, sans aucune originalité. Comme lui, mon mec est né un 11 novembre, c’est un signe non ?
C’est une BD attendrissante ; sans nul doute elle aidera les petites filles et les petits garçons d’aujourd’hui qui muent vers l’adolescence. Le trait de crayon est naïf avec de belles effusions de couleurs, les conversations solitaires de Magali sont drôles et on ne peut que ressentir de la compassion pour les bientôt adolescents - ceux que nous étions y compris. Nos contorsions pour rester encore des enfants et nos passions qui frôlent l’obsession.
C’est une BD attendrissante ; sans nul doute elle aidera les petites filles et les petits garçons d’aujourd’hui qui muent vers l’adolescence. Le trait de crayon est naïf avec de belles effusions de couleurs, les conversations solitaires de Magali sont drôles et on ne peut que ressentir de la compassion pour les bientôt adolescents - ceux que nous étions y compris. Nos contorsions pour rester encore des enfants et nos passions qui frôlent l’obsession.
July 1, 2024
Vor allem die Darstellung der Musik durch Farbe und Zeichnung finde ich sehr gelungen.
Die Geschichte an sich ist aber etwas schwächer, auch wenn es um eine persönliche Erfahrung der Jugend geht und ich es immer schwierig finde, solche biografischen Werke zu bewerten.
Ingesamt ein soldier Comic. :)
Die Geschichte an sich ist aber etwas schwächer, auch wenn es um eine persönliche Erfahrung der Jugend geht und ich es immer schwierig finde, solche biografischen Werke zu bewerten.
Ingesamt ein soldier Comic. :)
June 12, 2021
A memoir adaptation in graphic novel. This sentence sounds and looks grammatically incorrect but is there a proper way to say or write things when your head is so cramped like the way the contents in this graphic novel are presented.
Yes, you get the idea I guess.
First, it's a memoir. And I love it for its authentic contents. How far authentic no one will ever know. It's okay.
Second, the artstyle feels like a pretty pink small ant. It's pinks and whites and mellow yellows everywhere.
Third, the dialogues. I will never ever wholeheartedly love a graphic novel or a comic series with the lower case dialogue presentation. I mean why?!
The part which failed to impress me: everything is cramped. Like my head just before a bad exam.
This is the story of the author starting attending their middle school, trying to fit in and live up to everyone's expectations; discovering the Beatles and becoming their fan.
Well, I would say I liked the parts where it shows how youngsters struggle with all the unrealistic expectations they put upon themselves.
But I still have a bitter thing going on about the ending.
I mean why?!
Yes, you get the idea I guess.
First, it's a memoir. And I love it for its authentic contents. How far authentic no one will ever know. It's okay.
Second, the artstyle feels like a pretty pink small ant. It's pinks and whites and mellow yellows everywhere.
Third, the dialogues. I will never ever wholeheartedly love a graphic novel or a comic series with the lower case dialogue presentation. I mean why?!
The part which failed to impress me: everything is cramped. Like my head just before a bad exam.
This is the story of the author starting attending their middle school, trying to fit in and live up to everyone's expectations; discovering the Beatles and becoming their fan.
Well, I would say I liked the parts where it shows how youngsters struggle with all the unrealistic expectations they put upon themselves.
But I still have a bitter thing going on about the ending.
I mean why?!
January 19, 2023
I loved this coming-of-age graphic novel based on the author's own life and experience as a pre-teen and teen, trying to cope with school phobia and anxiety based on her feelings of being different and out-of-place. Magali finds that delving into the historical musical world of the Beatles (this takes place in the 1990's) helps her escape and cope. The moments when she flees the pressures of life and just floats on the music are beautifully illustrated in a style reminiscent of the artwork from the Beatles' Yellow Submarine period. I love her personal style, the color palette, and the exquisite, tiny details about the Beatles' (and her own) life and work. I'm ten years older than the author, but this made me vividly recall my own musical obsessions at her age, including the Beatles. Beautifully done, and well-translated from the French original.
Want to read
November 29, 2022This book was so weird!! (But then again so were the Beatles at times!)
This is a graphic novel that uses the Beatles as a plot devise. The idea of the Beatles was the main reason for wanting to read, and I think that will be the case for most people...
However, it took a long to actually get the the Beatles within the story, and then the story was just plain bonkers But I Love it like that!
I can't say I particularly understood everything in here, but nevertheless it was a fun book to read all the same. Just be prepared to feel a bit 'trippy' when reading.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).
This is a graphic novel that uses the Beatles as a plot devise. The idea of the Beatles was the main reason for wanting to read, and I think that will be the case for most people...
However, it took a long to actually get the the Beatles within the story, and then the story was just plain bonkers But I Love it like that!
I can't say I particularly understood everything in here, but nevertheless it was a fun book to read all the same. Just be prepared to feel a bit 'trippy' when reading.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).
May 19, 2021
Un regard attendri sur l'adolescence, des scènes à la fois drôles et touchantes, dures et réconfortantes qui font remonter des souvenirs et des sensations qu'on espérait enfouis pour toujours. Il est facile de retrouver un peu, ou beaucoup, de soi dans cette BD, et de l'adolescente que l'on était : le rapport au corps, la pression sociale du collège, la sortie de l'enfance, la vie par procuration, le "fangirling" poussé à l'extrême, la difficulté des relations aux autres. J'ai eu l'impression que la fille que j'étais à 12 ans a reçu un gros câlin de Magali Le Huche, et cela me questionne sur la sévérité encore trop grande que je lui porte parfois. Un vrai bonbon.
September 26, 2022
Superbe bande dessinée sur le passage de l'enfance à l'adolescence, sur l'anxiété scolaire et le pouvoir des idoles. J'ai beaucoup aimé les clins d'oeil à Alice au pays des merveilles! Petit hic : la police d'écriture n'est pas toujours facile à lire.
March 20, 2021
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Bd qui résonne beaucoup chez moi.
Bd qui résonne beaucoup chez moi.
June 29, 2022
AMAZING MUST READ!!!
After many fail reads from Eu Comics, FINALLY a gem!
A very strong memoir, with AMAZING psychedelic pages inbetween!
Magali, <3
After many fail reads from Eu Comics, FINALLY a gem!
A very strong memoir, with AMAZING psychedelic pages inbetween!
Magali, <3
November 4, 2025
Très bonne façon d'aborder le sujet de l'anxiété et ses conséquences, surtout avec des lecteurs et lectrices plus jeunes.
October 17, 2022
An endearing and captivating graphic memoir about a young French teen's devastating school phobia and finding comfort and escape in discovering the Beatles. Gentle line drawings of her daily life and difficulties contrast with vivid colors and bold lines whenever she escapes into the music of the Fab Four. An honest and engaging portrait of serious teen anxiety.
July 17, 2021
Scratchy, patchy graphic autobiography about a girl who finds being absorbed in her crushes on TV and Beatles music (of all things) much more amenable that conjugating verbs for school. Not horrendously, should-be-aborted-at-birth bad, but the layout and the awfully cursive script make it so much more like hard work than it needed to be. One and a half stars.
August 5, 2021
Nowhere girl is a coming of age memoir in graphic novel format. Magali adored her older sister who did great in school. So, when Magali starts at a new school for 6th grade, she is saddened to learned that school there doesn't come easy for her. Everything feels like too much of a challenge. She starts to get depressed and loses her appetite. She develops a fear of school. She finds solace from an unexpected source, The Beatles. She falls in love with their music and it adds color to her world. This is shown in the graphic novel through a cacophony of rainbow colors anytime she is listening to The Beatles' music.
This was a touching graphic novel that shows how mental health can impact even school aged children. Of course, many of us saw this first-hand in a different way with the school closing and COVID regulations of the past year or so impacting our children. I loved that Magali found a connection with brightness through music. It was expressed beautifully in the artwork as well.
What to listen to while reading...
The Beatles, of course!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This was a touching graphic novel that shows how mental health can impact even school aged children. Of course, many of us saw this first-hand in a different way with the school closing and COVID regulations of the past year or so impacting our children. I loved that Magali found a connection with brightness through music. It was expressed beautifully in the artwork as well.
What to listen to while reading...
The Beatles, of course!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
June 14, 2021
Nowhere Girl, c’est une BD qui nous plonge dans la vie de Magali, une jeune fille de 11 ans qui développe une phobie scolaire suite à son entrée au collège. Bien qu’elle soit bien entourée et qu’elle reçoit toute l’aide dont elle a besoin, elle peine à retrouver une vie normale.
Son seul réconfort, c’est la musique des Beatles. Grâce à laquelle, elle s’évade, se calme. Doucement, elle reprendra confiance en elle. Sa vie prendra un nouveau tournant. Les Beatles jamais bien loin.
J’avoue que j’ai lu Nowhere Girl parce que je suis une grande fan des Beatles. J’ai succombé au résumé et à la page couverture. Sans hésiter, je peux dire que mon coeur de fan a été comblé par cette lecture. J’ai aimé tous les détails, les petits clins d’oeil à ce groupe emblématique. Les illustrations sont magnifiques, colorées. Elles représentent si bien l’univers des Beatles. Je m’y suis perdu.
Cette BD, c’est une bel hommage à la jeunesse et à toutes les montagnes d’émotions qui accompagne la transition enfant/ado. C’est aussi un grand hommage à la musique et ses effets bénéfiques. ❤️
Son seul réconfort, c’est la musique des Beatles. Grâce à laquelle, elle s’évade, se calme. Doucement, elle reprendra confiance en elle. Sa vie prendra un nouveau tournant. Les Beatles jamais bien loin.
J’avoue que j’ai lu Nowhere Girl parce que je suis une grande fan des Beatles. J’ai succombé au résumé et à la page couverture. Sans hésiter, je peux dire que mon coeur de fan a été comblé par cette lecture. J’ai aimé tous les détails, les petits clins d’oeil à ce groupe emblématique. Les illustrations sont magnifiques, colorées. Elles représentent si bien l’univers des Beatles. Je m’y suis perdu.
Cette BD, c’est une bel hommage à la jeunesse et à toutes les montagnes d’émotions qui accompagne la transition enfant/ado. C’est aussi un grand hommage à la musique et ses effets bénéfiques. ❤️
July 22, 2021
This book was such a wonderful read, I just couldn't stop reading it, I have read it in one sitting.
My favourite part of this magical book was he beautiful illustrations. The way our main character's life was affected by the amazing music of Beatles was vividly shown in the art was so amazing. Myself is a huge fan of Beatles and it was great to see how it also affected and helped someone else during her life. Even though the graphics is exceptional, the plot was great too.
The story followed our main character how she dealt with her everyday life and struggles. It was relatable to me in a lot of poins, even though for me the biggest escapism is books not Beatles, I could understand her obsession and affection towards Beatles too.
I definitely recomend this book for everyone who is looking for a really realistic story about life with the most beautiful illustrations and also lot of Beatles content and facts. I loved it so much.
My favourite part of this magical book was he beautiful illustrations. The way our main character's life was affected by the amazing music of Beatles was vividly shown in the art was so amazing. Myself is a huge fan of Beatles and it was great to see how it also affected and helped someone else during her life. Even though the graphics is exceptional, the plot was great too.
The story followed our main character how she dealt with her everyday life and struggles. It was relatable to me in a lot of poins, even though for me the biggest escapism is books not Beatles, I could understand her obsession and affection towards Beatles too.
I definitely recomend this book for everyone who is looking for a really realistic story about life with the most beautiful illustrations and also lot of Beatles content and facts. I loved it so much.
December 12, 2022
Bonne BD, sur le thème de la phobie scolaire et de cet âge si étrange qu'est l'entrée dans l'adolescence, où l'on constate, impuissant.e, les changements de nos corps et les nouvelles angoisses auxquelles on ne peut jamais vraiment se préparer. Par moment ça me faisait penser au tome 3 de "Lou!", "Cimetière des autobus", surtout dans la solitude ressentie par l'adolescente lors de tous ces bouleversements, qui ne peut se réfugier que dans la musique et la créativité de son esprit.
La seule chose qui m'empêche de mettre 5 étoiles, c'est que je trouve que la narration manque un peu de force (contrairement aux dessins qui sont simples mais très puissants), et que les dialogues laissent vraiment à désirer (jsp commment c'était dans les années 90, mais je doute quand même que des élèves d'un collège de gros bourgeois dans le IVe arrondissement disent "Ziva tu fais oik", genre c'est ridicule dsl).
La seule chose qui m'empêche de mettre 5 étoiles, c'est que je trouve que la narration manque un peu de force (contrairement aux dessins qui sont simples mais très puissants), et que les dialogues laissent vraiment à désirer (jsp commment c'était dans les années 90, mais je doute quand même que des élèves d'un collège de gros bourgeois dans le IVe arrondissement disent "Ziva tu fais oik", genre c'est ridicule dsl).
July 11, 2021
Magali Le Huche is a total Beatles fangirl, and I couldn’t relate at all. I had a hard time caring about that part of the story (sorry, just personal preference), but I appreciated that they made her world more colorful. I can totally understand being 11 and 12 years old and being obsessed with a celebrity or a band.
Magali doesn’t do well in school, and feels like she can’t live up to her own expectations. She alluded to her mental illness, and even started seeing a therapist, but I would’ve liked for her to elaborate more how she got over her phobia. I feel like there wasn’t a clear message in her story.
The style of the graphic novel was interesting — it was all over the place and sometimes cramped. Some panels were too much for me to focus on and my brain just skipped over parts.
Magali doesn’t do well in school, and feels like she can’t live up to her own expectations. She alluded to her mental illness, and even started seeing a therapist, but I would’ve liked for her to elaborate more how she got over her phobia. I feel like there wasn’t a clear message in her story.
The style of the graphic novel was interesting — it was all over the place and sometimes cramped. Some panels were too much for me to focus on and my brain just skipped over parts.
August 13, 2022
3.5 stars
a unique graphic memoir telling a story of childhood anxiety and ocd, and using music and fandom to cope. the art in this is gorgeous and i enjoyed reading it.
i did however find the layout and the font quite hard to follow, which unfortunately pulled my rating down. i would have also liked a bit more depth to the story, though i understand that in a graphic novel for younger audiences this may be hard to do.
thank you to nobrow press for the copy! :)
a unique graphic memoir telling a story of childhood anxiety and ocd, and using music and fandom to cope. the art in this is gorgeous and i enjoyed reading it.
i did however find the layout and the font quite hard to follow, which unfortunately pulled my rating down. i would have also liked a bit more depth to the story, though i understand that in a graphic novel for younger audiences this may be hard to do.
thank you to nobrow press for the copy! :)
July 27, 2024
Surumielinen mutta loppujen lopuksi toiveikas sarjakuva lapsuuden loppumisesta ja mielenterveydestä. Lainasin tämän oikeastaan vain Beatles-maininnan takia, mutta onneksi bändillä oli iso rooli tarinassa. Melkein huvittikin, miten hyvin tunnistin itseni 11-vuotiaasta tytöstä, joka hurahtaa Beatlesiin korviaan myöten. Selvästi universaali kokemus!
Sarjakuvan fontti oli pienestä koostaan johtuen välillä raskaslukuista.
Sarjakuvan fontti oli pienestä koostaan johtuen välillä raskaslukuista.
August 6, 2021
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
So, this book sounded interesting. I have read some other memoirs in graphic novel form, so I was eager to read this one. But in the end… it just wasn’t my cup of tea and despite this being just 120 pages… it took me quite some time to get through it. This was for various reasons:
-The cramped style. At times there was just SO MUCH happening and things going left to right and back and forth that I had to reread to make sure that what I read was correct.
-The font. I get it authors/illustrators, curly fonts are shiny. Hand-written fonts are pretty. But please, just don’t. I had such a hard time reading the font, I even had to up the size from 100% to 150% to read it.. but due to how blurry the font at 100% was, you can imagine that at 150% it only worsened. Sure, I could read it slightly better, but at the same time not. Haha. The dialogues especially, I found myself sometimes just skipping it to save my eyes.
-The girl. I get that she has mental issues and they were well-written from what I could see, but at times I was just so frustrated with her. Her obsession with the Beatles just got WAY WAY to much. To the point that she was thinking of sabotaging things, ripped posters of walls, and went into mean conversations with others because heaven forbid they like something else. I even felt sorry for the mom who tried her best and got chewed out because she had a different music taste and so when she was 18 in the time the Beatleas were big she never cared about them. Her daughter was FURIOUS and I found that ridiculous.
-Also how did that toilet not flood? What kind of magical toilet is that? And how did mom not notice the lack of underwear?
There were things I liked, I loved that the girl was, eventually at least, taken serious for her school anxiety. Things were really not going well and I am happy that her parents accepted it and even helped her out. And later when some time has passed and a new year arrives they looked for something fun that fits her but still is school.
I am also glad to see therapy sessions, happy that she was able to talk to someone about her problems and I loved that the therapist wasn’t pushing too much. Sometimes that happens, I know all about that. So I love that she let Magali draw, let her do her think and just ask some questions here and there.
The artstyle was quite nice though, yes, I know this is supposed to be positive, at times I just wish it had stayed with the minimalist colours that it had throughout the book. Because sometimes we would go into Beatles mode and BOOM COLOURS. I loved the bursts of colour, but it was also jarring.
All in all, while there were good things, the not so good things really took over. With a font that was hard to read that I just wanted to stop reading. A girl who just was so obsessed to the point of NOPE…
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
So, this book sounded interesting. I have read some other memoirs in graphic novel form, so I was eager to read this one. But in the end… it just wasn’t my cup of tea and despite this being just 120 pages… it took me quite some time to get through it. This was for various reasons:
-The cramped style. At times there was just SO MUCH happening and things going left to right and back and forth that I had to reread to make sure that what I read was correct.
-The font. I get it authors/illustrators, curly fonts are shiny. Hand-written fonts are pretty. But please, just don’t. I had such a hard time reading the font, I even had to up the size from 100% to 150% to read it.. but due to how blurry the font at 100% was, you can imagine that at 150% it only worsened. Sure, I could read it slightly better, but at the same time not. Haha. The dialogues especially, I found myself sometimes just skipping it to save my eyes.
-The girl. I get that she has mental issues and they were well-written from what I could see, but at times I was just so frustrated with her. Her obsession with the Beatles just got WAY WAY to much. To the point that she was thinking of sabotaging things, ripped posters of walls, and went into mean conversations with others because heaven forbid they like something else. I even felt sorry for the mom who tried her best and got chewed out because she had a different music taste and so when she was 18 in the time the Beatleas were big she never cared about them. Her daughter was FURIOUS and I found that ridiculous.
-Also how did that toilet not flood? What kind of magical toilet is that? And how did mom not notice the lack of underwear?
There were things I liked, I loved that the girl was, eventually at least, taken serious for her school anxiety. Things were really not going well and I am happy that her parents accepted it and even helped her out. And later when some time has passed and a new year arrives they looked for something fun that fits her but still is school.
I am also glad to see therapy sessions, happy that she was able to talk to someone about her problems and I loved that the therapist wasn’t pushing too much. Sometimes that happens, I know all about that. So I love that she let Magali draw, let her do her think and just ask some questions here and there.
The artstyle was quite nice though, yes, I know this is supposed to be positive, at times I just wish it had stayed with the minimalist colours that it had throughout the book. Because sometimes we would go into Beatles mode and BOOM COLOURS. I loved the bursts of colour, but it was also jarring.
All in all, while there were good things, the not so good things really took over. With a font that was hard to read that I just wanted to stop reading. A girl who just was so obsessed to the point of NOPE…
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 23, 2022
This book was sweet :) a good coming of age story with a well-written plot. I loved the art & how the author illustrated the impact that music had on the main character; the colours were beautiful. My only main problem was that the font was difficult to read and made it a much less enjoyable experience to read unfortunately :/ But the actual art, plot and characters were all lovely :)
June 17, 2023
Such a lovely read, and I saw a lot of my younger self in Magali. Between my love for The Beatles and the anxiety/OCD I didn’t realize I had in middle school, there were a lot of familiar themes here that were actually very comforting and healing to read about. Beautiful art and very well written! 4.5!
June 5, 2022
3.5
Je ne suis pas fan des Beatles, je ne m'y suis en fait jamais réellement intéressé. Pour autant j'ai su apprécier cette œuvre, surtout pour la manière dont elle traite la phobie scolaire. C'était un bon moment au milieu de ces pages colorées
Je ne suis pas fan des Beatles, je ne m'y suis en fait jamais réellement intéressé. Pour autant j'ai su apprécier cette œuvre, surtout pour la manière dont elle traite la phobie scolaire. C'était un bon moment au milieu de ces pages colorées
November 19, 2022
The concerns about growing up and becoming a teenage was super relatable in this book. It was both sweet and poignant. The artistic illustrations were beautiful. I did find it a bit weird that the author drew her preteen self and other girls nude, but to each their own I guess.
April 15, 2022
Wow j’ai vraiment adoré l’évolution de Magali mais aussi les illustrations qui jouent un rôle si critique pour l’immersion totale dans son univers qui tourne autour de Paul, John, George et Ringo. Je me suis faite transporter et c’était tout à fait magique ✨
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