Graphic Novel Mash-Up Review #1

I have just been blowing through graphic novels lately. Since these stories are usually shorter and more simple than traditional novels, I thought I would start doing mash-up reviews of a few graphic novels at a time! 

I adore graphic novels and comics, but the downside is that I read them so quickly I always have to ask myself if it's worth the $15-20 to buy them. My answer is always yes though! I feel like it's so important to read comics and graphic novels physically vs digitally to really get to enjoy the artwork. Are you a comic/graphic novel fan? What are some of your favorites? 

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang: This graphic novel has been around for a while. The story follows Anda, a girl who gets a little too involved with a game on the internet. But maybe the internet can teach important life lessons, too. I had high hopes for this one. That cover though! But unfortunately I didn't really connect with it as much as I had hoped. The art style is cute, but the story itself was a little simpler than I would have liked. 
3 out of 5 Stars

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Heavy Vinyl Vol. 1 by Carly Usdin and Nina Vakueva: Girl gangs, unite! When Chris gets hired at her local record store, she has no idea she's getting involved with WAY more than just music sales. What she does know is that the girls she works with couldn't possibly be cooler. This story had great f+f rep and a strong female empowerment message. I love a good record store, so this was right up my alley. I do think it was missing something, and too much of this volume was spent setting up the story vs legitimate action, which made me knock off a star.
4 out of 5 Stars

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Giant Days Vol. 1 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar: This is about three college girls: Susan, Esther, and Daisy. I just adore Esther's gothic little heart! I read a tie-in novel to this franchise a while back and didn't really enjoy it, but I really loved this comic. I was so amused by the messes they got themselves into and am excited to dive into the rest of the volumes of this one (volume 11 is currently available for preorder!). I might even reread that novel now that I know more about the characters! 
5 out of 5 Stars

Giant Days by Non Pratt

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I've heard so much about the Giant Days graphic novel series, but I've never managed to pick it up and see for myself. This was somewhat remedied when I found out that there was a novel based around the same characters. Giant Days by Non Pratt follows the same three girls as the graphic novel: Susan, Esther, and Daisy, as they navigate their first year of college (university). I'm not quite sure where on the timeline this story takes place, but it definitely isn't the very beginning of their friendship.

The story is about these three girls trying to find themselves and their place in the world of college. Esther tries to befriend an ultra-cool goth girl and bends over backwards trying to impress her. Susan throws herself headfirst into her medical studies to escape her past. And Daisy joins every club possible hoping to find something that sticks. Chaos ultimately ensues leading the girls to need each other more than ever, and really learn the value of true friendship in the process. I do want to put a trigger warning on this for roofies and a scene that could have led to rape.

As much as I wanted to love this book, unfortunately I just didn't. The only real action happened in the last few chapters, so it was hard to push through until then. Normally I'm fine with this in character-driven novels, but the characters didn't even really change or develop enough to keep me interested until that point. The main characters were fine, and while I liked Esther and Susan, Daisy really rubbed me the wrong way. And the side characters were just awful in my opinion, and didn't really serve a purpose until the very end. I also don't understand the title. Maybe it makes more sense if you've read the graphic novels. I'm glad I took a stab at this book, and am still definitely interested in learning more about the Giant Days world as a whole, but this isn't a memorable read for me.

If you're a fan of the graphic novels and love these three girls, definitely pick up this read! But if you're new to the Giant Days world, you should probably start with the graphic novels then segue over to this novel. I think it would be a great addition to an already established world, but as a stand alone it unfortunately fell flat for me.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Amulet Books for sending me an advanced copy of this read! Giant Days by Non Pratt comes out TOMORROW, August 21st, so if this sounds up your alley or you love the graphic novel series, be sure to pick up a copy!