This was an absolutely adorable little mystery.

The art style was so distinct and varied. There was such a diversity of skin tones, body types, styles. And each character looked so unique.

And the mystery was just campy enough, it reminded me of the more out there Nancy Drew stories. It was charming and engaging, and set up a great world with interesting characters for many mysteries to come.

In the spirit of Nancy Drew or Harriet The Spy, Goldie Vance is a part time parking valet for a hotel and a part time amateur private detective. Set in the 1950s, Goldie is not only solving mysteries but also becoming the first female mixed race private eye.

I was graciously given a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review!

By day, Goldie Vance is a valet at one of the best hotels in the area, but she is a detective aiming to make her mark on the world by night. When a German man asks for her help to find a missing necklace, Goldie sees this as the mystery of a lifetime. Will she find the necklace? or will it put her in more danger than getting Goldie and her father, who works as a manager for the hotel, fired from their job. Watch out, Nancy Drew, because there is a new detective in town and her name is Goldie Vance!

I loved this first volume of a new young adult graphic novel series. Growing up reading the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books, I loved when a mystery starts as something small, ending up being apart of a bigger mystery. The illustrations make it look like the early 60s or 7os and sets up the whole series. There is a great variety of diversity from both skin color and sexual orientation (spoiler alert). Goldie has a crush on the girl working at the record shop. This is a series I can see myself rereading over and over again!

I wanted to address the use of 'good' nazis in this. While it is never outright stated that the kidnapped scientist is a nazi scientist, it is very heavily implied. So, while I very much enjoyed this and loved the main characters introduced, the parts of the story that dealt with that definitely lowered my overall rating and enjoyment.

2.5 to 3🌟

I absolutely adored this one so much!! The story is adorably cute and the illustrations are wonderful!! A quick but enjoyable read!

A gorgeously drawn graphic novel with an interesting narrative, plot, and concepts. Definitely recommended for fans of this genre.

Goldie Vance is a perfect mix of Scooby Doo with its mystery story with an art style reminiscent of Archie and Dennis the Menace!

This is such a fast and gripping read that kids would love as they are introduced to Detective Mysteries and a colourful 1960's Florida.

From the first page, Goldie is thrown into the action, letting the reader delve into the story with little background to the world, and watch it be built up as they progress.

The characters are well defined, and by the end of the novel we get a sense of who is who, what they want to be and more.

We have Goldie, our main character- bright and daring, and very much a chaotic good character who loves solving mysteries and wants to be a detective.

There is also receptionist who wants to be an astronaut. A valet with a crush and a detective who has trouble with the ladies. We gain small fragments of these characters throughout volume one and I really hope that their characters are built upon in future volumes!

As someone who isn't a fan of detective stories, I'm glad I decided to give this one a go as I really enjoyed it!

Wow, I cannot say how much I loved this book. Where has this lovely book been all my life? The art style is bright and fun and wonderfully done. The storyline was the right side of ridiculous and fun. Goldie Vance is a 16-year-old girl who kicks butt, solves mysteries, and likes to a car race. I love how she coyly falls for an actress named Diane. I love the energy and the spirit of Goldie and her friends. I can't wait to read volume 2.

I will read anything by Boom Comics, and Goldie Vance doesn't disappoint. A fun and diverse cast of characters, a zippy read, and snark - yes please!

This was such a fun, feel-good start to the series. The art style is sweet, expressive and slightly reminiscent of some of the cartoons I used to love growing up, which made me enjoy it even more. 16-year-old Goldie Vance works as a valet at a resort hotel, but her main passion is solving mysteries. I really liked Goldie as a character; she's smart and intuituve, and her energy and enthusiasm practically leaped off the page. I also loved that this story had queer representation, with Goldie devleoping a crush on Diane. The solving mysteries/racing cars subplots were great fun and I'll definitely be continuing with this series.

I keep trying different graphic novels, but I don't think it's the media format for me. This volume contains the first 4 issues of the series where Goldie Vance is trying to solve a mystery that occurs at the hotel where she works. The art is fun, and the characters are diverse, but the story just seemed too short for me to really feel invested in the characters or the plot.

Looking for a fun Graphic Novel for yourself or the tween set? You’re going to love Goldie Vance by Hope Larson with illustrations by Brittney Williams. Here’s why:

Great Characters~ Goldie Vance is the new Nancy Drew with a retro/ Scooby-Doo feel. Goldie is not your typical curious, biracial, queer, 16-year-old valet - working at the hotel her father manages. There’s so much more about her personality that comes across so smoothly and effortlessly in each page spread. I’m thinking I barely got to know her and can’t wait to learn more. We quickly like her engaging friends, co-workers, and family.

Fun, Entertaining Plot~ The excitement and intrigue doesn’t stop from the first page to the end… which leaves us wanting to hop to the next adventure – aka the next book in the series.

Creative Graphic Styling~ Fun illustration style, with lots of details that pull the reader into the story.

This is such a fun comic. Spunky teen detective Goldie, the Florida hotel setting, the adventure, the side characters--it's all great. I've already read the next two volumes, and I hope another one will be written.

Happy Tuesday!


I feel like time has been flying lately, I am off work for a little while (it's summer break but I still have some meetings and projects here and there) but I am excited to spend a little time focusing on some projects for the blog and around the house. Recently, I was just clicking around on Twitter (avoiding doing some sort of household chore) when I saw a screenshot of someone's middle-grade bookshelf. On that shelf was a picture of the book Goldie Vance (at the time it was coming soon), so of course I looked up the book and ended up ordering a copy. Flash forward a little bit and I am browsing around on Twitter again (anyone noticing a pattern?) and I come across someone talking about how there is a Goldie Vance graphic novel on Netgalley! I was so excited, I hopped right over to Netgalley and requested! At this point I was still waiting for my copy of the middle-grade novel to come so this was the perfect thing to hold me over!


SPOILERS AHEAD


Goldie and her father both work at the local resort in Florida. Currently, Goldie works parking cars but her real dream is to be the hotel detective! She has been taking on cases at the hotel as they come up and someday she hopes to make it her job. Goldie loves all mysteries big or small and loves the challenges that come with them. In her next case at the resort Goldie is trying to help a guest who is missing a precious item. However, this case turns out to be much more than missing property and takes Goldie on a wild adventure!


I adored this graphic novel and I can not wait to read the middle-grade novel. The graphic novel was so fun and I am hoping there will be many more volumes. I have been a life long fan of Nancy Drew and I feel like Goldie's stories are in the same vein as Nancy Drew's adventures. Additionally, I loved the art style, I felt that it was perfect for this story, and the colors really popped. I also, really adored the characters in this graphic novel, even the villains were interesting and dynamic characters that I loved spending time with.  I can not wait to see what Goldie's next adventure is!


Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars





**Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC on Netgalley

This has been on my tbr for quite a while. Its kind of like Nancy Drew but more diverse which I loved!
I also really love the art style and the colors

This was the cutest graphic novel! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can't wait to see what happens in Vol 2 when I can grab a copy from my local library when they open up again.

I loved how this was like Nancy Drew and Grease mixed together! It was a fun mystery. My only complaint was that race wasn't mentioned at all. If it took place in the past, it would have not been invisible, like it was in this story. In spite of that, I definitely am going to keep reading and not worry about it in any subsequent volumes.

I have had an absolute blast reading 'Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit' that mixes the wit of Nancy Drew with the charm of Lumberjanes.. Marigold "Goldie" Vance lives and works at the Crossed Palms Resort Hotel in Florida with a whole slew of characters. Goldie Vance has everything I always wanted on comics; colorful art (The art style reminds me of Lumberjanes, unsurprising considering they're both published by Boom! Box), an interesting plot, lovely friendship, sapphic cuteness and a funny, resourceful and confident protagonist. And it also helped me get out of my reading slump!
If you like mystery stories with smart girl detectives, subverted tropes, and beautiful candy colored artwork, then you are in for a real treat. I'm definitely going to continue the series.

I wanted to read this book for soooo long... And it didn't disapoint me! It was such a fun, fast paced ride. I really enjoyed the characters and the fierceness of these girls!
The illustrations are right up my alley and I can't wait to read more of this author.

5 out of 5 🌟Escapist Wonderland

Goldie Vance is living and working along with her father at Crossed Palms Resort in St. Pascal, Florida. On paper, she's responsible for valet parking but in the meantime, she works as a detective along with her coworkers solving the cases that arise in the hotel. In volume one they're facing the mystery case of Mr. Ludwig and his missing jewelry.

While this novel is designed for the younger audience, I found it a captivating easy-read that brightened up my mood almost instantly. The storyline is fast-paced and funny with multiple plot twists. And oh, the illustrations! The very first thing that came to my mind after opening 'Goldie Vance' for the first time was 'OMG! This is so cute!' (sic!). The cheerful illustrations created by Brittney Williams and colored by Sarah Stern have a bright and colorful style that reminds me of girlish cartoons.

Recently, a few people have asked me about a 'feel-good book' that would cheer them up during the quarantine time that we live in and 'Goldie Vance' is a perfect title for that! Immersing into that lovely graphic world made me forget all my cares, highly recommended!

<i>Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.</i>