I was waiting for this to be some kind of metaphor about dating, but it was literally just about a girl who dates a bear??? I hesitate calling this cute and funny because it literally references them having sex and stuff too so i'm just like uhhhhh...... ok......... I read it in one sitting and the art and dialogue was funny, but I just really don't understand. If they would have kept it platonic, it would have sat so much better with me, but it's just freaky how this girl was sexually attracted to an animal. So. Yeah.

MRRRHHNH. (That’s Bear for “Coming in for a hug.”)

I honestly didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did.

I mean, I don’t know what I expected, other than it seemed like a cute idea that could very well fail spectacularly. At the end of the day, I picked it up because I really, really wanted to use this video in a review.

https://youtu.be/ASScXyEMSmc

Nora stumbles into a 500-pound American black bear while camping with one of her many d-bag boyfriends. When Bear is later driven from his forest home by wildfires, he finds Nora thanks to a discarded issue of BUST. (Nice touch! Eff off, Ben!) Against all odds, these crazy kids fall in love and make a go of it. But will Bear’s looming hibernation rip them apart, if society doesn’t break their spirits first?

MY BOYFRIEND IS A BEAR is weird and adorable and just straight-up delightful. I know I’m supposed to read it as an allegory about overcoming differences both large and small in relationships, but you know what? It’s also a cuddly AF romance story about a lady and a bear. Says the girl who claims as her soulmate a snaggle-toothed, marshmallow-bellied rat terrier (now nearly five years dead, and whom she thinks of on the daily) and once referred to her first-adopted dog as “her other boyfriend ™.” Dogs > people. Probably bears > people, too. All nonhuman animals > people, who are we kidding.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/my-boyfriend-is-a-bear-02.jpg

As much as MY BOYFRIEND IS A BEAR had me laughing – and it was like whoah – it also has its fair share of sad moments, especially as Bear’s hibernation approaches. That last act was filled with snot-flinging ugly crying. But the end? Pure magic.

This is one that’s earned a permanent place on my nightstand, right on top of HYPERBOLE AND A HALF and the SARAH’S SCRIBBLES collections. Along with Nicole Georges’s FETCH, it’s a book I’ll turn to every now and then, when I need a good, hysterical cry.

Basically MY BOYFRIEND IS A BEAR is the best thing ever. Or at least since the proud tradition of bears wearing tees without pants.

Review to be posted on all places closer to the release date.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

OMG, I just HAD to have this one when I spotted it during my vacation (yes, even during my vacation I had to check NG to see if there were any new fun books). A girl who, after countless of bad romances, falls in love with a bear. Yes, a bear!

Now, I have to say I wasn't as weirded out as many probably will be. I thank manga for that. :P I have seen people date aliens, cats/dogs/cat people, so a bear? Nothing special. Though I have to say that there were parts that had me go ehhhhhhhhhh. Knowing that these two have sex. The other parts? Eh, I didn't mind those, in fact Bear and Nora are just the cutest couple!

Plus, I can totally understand that Nora may just not go for a normal guy. She has truly terribly luck with men, and I know the feeling. I am happily in a relationship now, but before this lovely guy I also had my share of not so good relationships (either they weren't good to start with or they ended not that well), and I even had a time when I thought I wouldn't ever be happy with someone.

And the Bear was just the best. Even though he couldn't speak, he was highly intelligent, he seemed to understand English (though couldn't speak it), he eventually even got a job (which is totally amazing if you think about it). I can totally understand that Nora fully falls for the guy. He is there when she needs it, he comforts her when she has a shitty day, he is a great cuddler. He can fix things around the house. He and the cat are compatible too and they help out each other.
The only thing Bear can do better is not breaking everything left and right. But I am sure that he is trying his best to throw his hugeness not around like crazy.

I loved how Nora kept protecting and trying to argue against anyone who was trying to get her and Bear to break up. And there were a lot of people who were against her dating Bear. Not only one of her friends (the other was totally OK with Bear, even to the point I was worried that she would take Bear from Nora), but also the parents (though then again I am sure they acted this way with all her boyfriends), people at work, people on the street. But Nora wasn't deterred and she kept loving Bear more and more with each day.

The hibernation parts just broke my heart. It didn't help I had some sad Nightcore-ish music up, so I was on the border of crying. Poor Nora, but also poor Bear. He can't help his instincts, but I am sure he wishes he could just stay with Nora for all the time and not just half of the year.
I also wanted Bear to be awake and just swing Ben around a few times. Really, dude, she broke up with you. Don't TOUCH her, don't tell her you are not giving her up, don't come uninvited to her home. Just no. Ewww.
The ending to the hibernation, and the ending to the book, I was just crying. It was perfection. I am so happy for both Bear and Nora. I hope they will be together for a long time to come, and hopefully they can work with the hibernation.

The art was absolutely fabulous. The style was just perfect for this story. A perfect blend of seriousness/love/comedy.

All in all, a book I would highly recommend. It is a cute romance between a girl and her sweet Bear. You will be rooting for the two of them.

Not quite what I was expecting, but it was very funny at times.

This is just too adorable for words! Silly, super cute and full of hope, I now want my own bear boyfriend to cuddle and wrestle with.

The delightful story of Nora who, after a succession of terrible boyfriends, finds a much happier relationship with a 500 pound American black bear. My wife says it's very reminiscent of our home life, which is ridiculous; I'm not American. Be warned that, while mostly heartwarming and adorable, it does get pretty tear-jerking once hibernation looms.

(Netgalley ARC)

I found it extremely weird, but in a good way, and it made me laugh the entire time I was reading it. It's perfect for anyone who's in the mood to read something cute, funny and enjoyable.

Nora, the charming protagonist of "My Boyfriend is a Bear", relates the story of her relationship with an American black bear. The two meet in passing while Nora is camping with her then-boyfriend; it's an illuminating trip, after which she breaks up with terrible Ben and re-embraces her own life. The bear finds her again some time later, and their relationship blossoms immediately.

It's an odd little comic. The artwork is cheerful and coherent, and Nora's narration is matter-of-fact. She seems like a really nice person, and the bear is an exceptionally good boyfriend; he builds a shelf highway for her cat, gives great hugs, and is a very good listener. During a tense first meeting with Nora's best friends, he diffuses the situation by juggling coffee creamers. Nora makes the bear his own clothes, learns all she can about his species and defends him when her friends and family disparage him. They find alternate activities when it becomes clear that, say, hiking or the zoo aren't ideal outings. While Nora and the bear are increasingly affectionate and refer to the physical nature of their relationship, the comic avoids actual bestiality. The focus is on a domestic, respectful, and loving relationship. It's nice.

The biggest obstacle the two lovers face is the age-old struggle of man versus nature--or, in this case, woman versus hibernation. When the bear heads back to the foothills of Los Angeles, Nora is left alone with her own doubts and worries. Will her bear return? How will she reconcile a season of her own growth with his season of sleep? Happily, "My Boyfriend is a Bear" resolves these questions in a way that's especially satisfying for anyone who has ever been separated from a loved one.

This is just positively weird. But ... weirdly appealing. After a spate of bad boyfriends, the heroine asks her girlfriends' advice about what to look for in a boyfriend. Tall, dark, handsome, strong and cuddly, a black bear fits the bill better than any man. There is a fun bit about her life going on when he returns to the woods to hibernate. Quirky and original. Recommended.