I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but I don't think it was this. As the title suggests, this girl was in a romantic relationship with a bear. A literal bear. It was a cute story, though. And that bear actually was a really good boyfriend, I think I was expecting it to be more of a metaphorical situation. It was interesting that some people were able to accept the relationship, and others were attempting to sabotage it. I actually found myself angry at her blonde friend who invited an ex to her birthday party. Here I am thinking 'how dare she disrespect their relationship?!' and then checking myself... "but this is a literal bear... how can this end well?" I was waiting for that disastrous event that I was sure was coming... I mean, it's a bear... around people.... but it never did. Happy Ending. Cute. This was simply a cute story with very appealing art.

This was a cute book. I loved that it dealt with the positive (cuddling) and negative (breaking things) aspects of living with a bear. The Bear and cat interactions were the best.

Whimsical and weird! A solid choice for folks who enjoy off-beat humor.

Nora has dated quite a few douche bags in her day. (She said it...) It is no surprise that she wants her next boyfriend to be a CUDDLER! Good Listener! Brave! Smart! Funny! A homebody and outdoorsy fella. WHEW! Clearly she's not one to settle. But she knows it's going to be rough finding the guy. And perhaps that why she's so open to a relationship with the bear that pursues her later that evening. No, not the kind of "Fabulous Bear" RuPaul might hang out with - an actual American Black Bear.

The reason this doesn't get the fifth star is because it is a little too "real world" with her parents and friend Debra giving Nora shit about dating a bear. You could replace the "bear" with a woman, a man of color, poor, or a Republican and the narrative wouldn't likely change. I was hoping for a bit more whimsy. It is unclear if this is the start of a series or just a stand-alone story, so if there are more, I am hoping for more silly and less Debra. Honestly, with friends like her, who needs enemies.

There are parts that allude to Nora and Bear having sex. Like, dude is a 500 pound bear. Logistically I'm not sure how that works out and where the pieces fit. There is also some swearing and adult talk, so I wouldn't pick this up for the kids in your life.

Part of this review is also on my Litsy Account: Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick

This comic is far cuter and far sweeter than I honestly expected. It's a quick but quirky read that is weirdly enjoyable in the most heartwarming way possible.

This was fun, weird, but fun. It made me laugh and the illustrations are great - colourful and cute. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something light, quirky, and fun.

This comic is straight up weird – it’s about a young woman who, after a number of failed relationships with unsuitable men, hooks up with an American black bear and starts a romantic and sexual relationship.

The weird thing is that the whole story is adorable, he’s a kind and thoughtful bear who does DIY, cares about the correct storage of coffee beans and makes her happy. The illustrations are sweet and attractively coloured and the whole story is charming and funny, but the fact that the beastiality is either a very heavily veiled metaphor for ‘date the one who makes you happy, not the one people approve of’ or it’s just something you have to try to overlook to enjoy the illustrations and story for what they are.

Although very interesting, the ridiculousness of the premise was a little hard to get over.

This is such a delightful and lovely story with charming illustrations.

Nora and her Bear are too adorable for words. She has had a lackluster track record with men and two well-meaning friends. She meets a bear while camping with her now-ex, who works with her at a call center. But when the news breaks that environmental factors force wildlife into LA, Nora finds a bear going through her trash...but it ends up being the same bear from the woods. It turns out this bear seems to be exactly what she is looking for in a companion in life. Will nature call Bear back to life in his cave or will his relationship with Nora become long-term? Reads like a super cute, closed-door Paranormal Romance. But Bear isn't a shifter. He's an actual bear.

This was oddly adorable. Nora is tired of dating losers. When she goes on a hiking trip with her newest boyfriend, Ben, she meets a bear in the woods. The attraction is instant. Surprisingly, the bear is the best boyfriend she has ever had. Although the storyline is very strange, it is also strangely adorable. Who knew there wasn't much of a difference between a human boyfriend and a bear boyfriend.

My Boyfriend Is a Bear was surely different, haha. I must raise my hat to Ribon for doing this, since you hardly see bestiality in comics and no, it's not the perverse kind here. Nora has had bad luck with guys and on her hike she runs into a bear, the actual kind. Somehow these two end up together and the bear is actually very sweet, considerate and well, very much a real bear. Of course the bear isn't just any bear, but somewhat anthropomorphized version, since otherwise this comic would be quite awkward. Their relationship is cute and they try to make it work, but getting others to accept is the hard part, but gladly the bear is very awesome. The hibernation is the biggest obstacle, but there's nothing a true love cannot conquer, right? The idea is brilliant and the story is well conveyed, although I perhaps wished something more profound and deep. The story is light and funny even, which makes this easy approach, so don't panic about the relationship itself.

The art is fun and cute with bright and beautiful colors. The pace is good too and overall the comic is nice, although light in every manner. My Boyfriend Is a Bear is a brave move and proves that you can have unconventional topics and do them with style. It's also a safe comic, even though I'm sure some of the readers consider this as "too much". I do hope Ribon continues with this line of work, since we surely need more diversity and new ideas!

This is a lovely light hearted story about as the title suggests a girl who has a bear for a boyfriend. It’s very heartwarming! The art style is really bright and colourful.

I picked this book because I've never read about people dating animals other than humans, and I was interested in seeing how dating a bear would work out.

Overall, this was a cute and fun read. Nora is a young woman who is tired of dating jerks, and suddenly she meets a bear who has come to the city during the summer because of the fires attacking his home, the forest. They quickly fall in love with each other, but winter is coming, and the bear will have to leave Nora for several months to hibernate. They try to ignore what could be the end of their relationship but, sooner or later, they have to face it.

The story allowed to see what their daily life is like, with a lot of broken things, but also a lot of happy and sweet moments, but it ended up leaving me with a lot of questions. Here are a few of them: why doesn't everyone freak out over the fact that a human woman is dating an animal? Does this mean that there are other people doing this type of thing? Are there any human-animal children? It's implied that Nora and the bear have sex, but how is that possible?

I'd love to see some of these things explained because it made it difficult to be as invested in the story as I could have been, and it would make it seem a little more believable (if a story about a woman and a bear being in love can be believable). Other than that, I enjoyed reading it, and the art was cute. It's a good choice for romance lovers who are looking for something different.


Pre-order it now: http://amzn.to/2EKSXHY

*an ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Fun comedy/romance adventure where the title tells you everything you need to know. Luckily our author has developed a full story out of that wacky situation, and given us a very decent read. The art is cute too, with our heroine's love of summer dresses year-round. It's one of those books where it could be a metaphor, but isn't, yet might as well be, but surely isn't, although it must be, except when it's not. It's also one of those books I really liked.
Four and a half stars.

With a title like My Boyfriend is a Bear, who wouldn't be curious enough to pick this up? This is a graphic novel by Pamela Ribon that explores the love life of a young woman living in L.A. named Nora. You find out a lot about her past failed relationships, then you get to her current one--with a bear. Yes, a literal bear.

The relationship appears to be as normal as one could be with a bear. Yes, he tears up things. Yes, he breaks things. Avoid stepping on and crushing Nora's cat is a matter of life and death (for the cat). But there are good times too, when Bear does everything he can to make Nora happy. Her friends and her parents are not sure that this relationship should continue, especially when natural instincts call and Bear has to go hibernate.

If you look at it as a metaphor on relationships (and a lot on how other people tend to meddle and think they knows what's best), it's a cute story. If you take it too literally, you may not enjoy it quite as much, though the artwork is a fun, vibrant style that anyone could appreciate.

A super cute and fluffy story about a young woman who falls in love with (suspend your disbelief here) a bear. The art is absolutely adorable and I enjoyed the story very much!

First, let me say, you have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit in this weird story of a young woman who falls in love with a wild bear. Not a euphemism. A real bear, the kind with fir, that hibernates in the winter.

And her friends think he isn't right for her, and she admits he has his faults, but he does love her and her cat, so what more could you want in a boyfriend.

This is a play on all those love stories of people who don't seem right for each other, but are, no matter what the world thinks. Except, he really is a bear.

The pictures are nice, and as someone who grew up in L.A., it is nice to see local parts drawn well. The only minor thing, that I can't figure out, is where the bear goes to hibernate. Certainly not Griffith Park, although that is implied. Perhaps Big Bear area, but you couldn't have seen or been close enough to Los Angeles, if that is where it was supposed to be.

And here are some examples of the art.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-260" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-14-at-10.55.29-PM.png" alt="" width="870" height="1291" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-261" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-14-at-10.55.09-PM.png" alt="" width="819" height="1236" />

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The art in this graphic novel was really nice with great color, details, expressions, scenary, etc. However, I couldn't possibly recommend something that seriously is about dating a bear instead of a metaphor about dating. As in a girl that is not only in love with the bear, but also sexually attracted to it and wants a normal relationship with it. I wish I found it cute like other reviewers, but I couldn't get behind that.

As odd as this title may sound, it is adorable! I happened to read it on Valentine's day, which was just perfectly fitting. I really enjoyed the author's humor but also the way she included "tough stuff" like the criticism of their union and the separation that hibernation brought on. The way the main character handles things feels actually very truthful. I also really liked the artwork. It is cartoonish but that fits the story quite well. There is quite a bit of adult language and a tiny bit of sexual innuendo so I wouldn't recommend this to kids but probably more mid to older teens, depending on the person. Overall, it was a hilarious but honest telling of a fanciful romance.

I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.