I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, this title was not for me and I am not able to finish it at this time.

I came to this book as a fan of comics shared on Autostraddle and this collection didn't disappoint. It's got that dreamy slightly bittersweet feel to it that I've come to enjoy from the Baopu comics. There are so many lovely little self-care insights and relateable musings on mental health, and feeling like an outsider. Even though I have never experienced being a long-term immigrant, it's not hard to understand the kind of longing for home and in-between and out of place feeling that might engender. Also, it has one of my favorites in there about not apologizing for taking up space, but saying thank you to your friends/family for being there instead. It's a very nice collection with a simple, but dreamy art style that feels like a warm blanket.

The main character is a queer immigrant from Asia. Via a series of comics, we see them go through ups and downs, strained relationships with their conservative family and more.

The illustrations are really beautiful. There isn't much of a story. I would have liked to known more about the main character apart from their internal thoughts.

LOVE this! Beautiful little poems about life, love, family, being an immigrant, feeling isolated, mental health and finding your sexual identity illustrated with adorably little cartoons that reflect the pain, confusion and beauty of the author's own life.

I enjoyed this page turning book. It was well written. Glad that I read it. Will be checking other books by this author.

I've read all the Baopu comics on Autostraddle and enjoyed reading this collection of new comics. The artwork and meandering storyline are almost dreamlike, as the author explores life as a queer person and an immigrant to the US.

I think I wanted to find something that wasn't there in this book, which is, admittedly, not the book's fault. It's not so much that I need the perfect representation of my particular identity in everything I read - which is for the best, because, if that were the case, I might as well just stop reading altogether. That said, when I do find a book that I hope will speak to at least a part of my experience, I tend to expect more than it can ever deliver.

There were parts when this book did deliver. And, boy, did it pack a punch then.

But then there were parts when it didn't deliver, and I was left trying to piece together what it was trying to say without the personal experience to fill in all the gaps. And, ultimately, that's the thing - I want a book that won't require me to leap so much to fill in the gaps. Not that I don't want to think, not that I can't handle some parts being jumbled, not that I don't understand that people are complicated and messy, but this ultimately wanted more of me than I was ready to give. I needed more of a thread joining the pieces together, more cohesion, more clarity than were ultimately there.

Still, there were gems to be found here, from lovely pastel artwork that just made me gaze at how beautiful it was, to All. The. Depictions. of New York, which I couldn't help but adore. Ultimately, the book was worth reading for those alone.

2,5 stars, rounded down.

This book is beautiful. It documents the author's journey as they processed through their different identities and the places where they want to belong or don't feel that they belong. Although the book doesn't always have clear transitions, it feels as though you are following the author's thought process. I would highly recommend reading it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It is about sadness enveloping someone who is alien to everything surrounding. To his own blood as well as to foreign land.
It is about misfit who cannot escape traditional restraints and also cannot survive in the cage. So he is caught between two worlds, both of which are out of his control.
It depicts with extreme sadness how everything falls apart for main character.
Artwork is very good, eye-catching and innovative in most part. .
It is the artwork that kept me going inspite of it being a very sad book.
Overall a nice read for particular group of readers.
Cannot recommend it to everyone except may be to look at innovative use of artwork and changing backgrounds.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

Beautiful. This was dark and sad and wild and strong and happy and vulnerable... I enjoyed it so much. I felt the emotions so strongly throughout. Really well done. It’s the real people behind these type of books that bleed through and show who they are and what has made them.

I didn't know what to expect going into this one, but the description made me want to pick it up. When I first dug into it I worried that the art style was too simple compared to the messages within, but I was happily surprised. The art and messages mix and blend perfectly and communicate what the author is expressing perfectly. There's a number of subjects discussed, in many ways centering around self acceptance but also touching on immigration issues, cultural acceptance, racism and more.

Though the comics are brief they are very poignant and thoughtful. They provide a window to a perspective of someone going through the issues presented. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

I could relate to some of the themes in this poetic comic, so i can appreciate that side of it, however this did not flow well as a reader. It seemed to jump from subject to subject, and some of the art seemed like it was either done at different times or by different people, which again upset the flow.

This just didn't work for me. It's a self-reflective look at the author trying to belong. It's almost like a book of private journal entries the author decided to share. The artwork and lettering were really difficult to follow making this a no-go for me. I started skimming halfway through.

From the cover and title, I honestly didn't expect this to be such a 'blue' book. It has a very strong focus on mental health and low self esteem. I was hoping for a much lighter, empowering and positive read, but unfortunately I felt there was very little of that. Some of the illustrations are lovely and a lot of them are extremely clever which I enjoyed, but ultimately this book left me feeling quite low so this wasn't a good fit for me.

This book is considered a memoir, but I didn’t find a plot-driven through-line. The book seemed to be a lot of rumination/questioning the world and our identities and how we come to accept ourselves as we are. The illustrations are often beautiful and the sayings and observations are interesting, but they may be suited more as a card line or framed photos. There wasn’t enough of a story to keep me invested. I understood the backstory - a daughter moves away to the US, misses her parents in homeland China, but feels especially isolated and lonely when she tries to come out as bisexual, She feels rejected by family and friends, and has to come to terms with who she is, regardless of anyone else’s opinions. The book is mostly just the narrator’s reactions and thoughts along her journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Important to the person experiencing it for sure, but not that interesting to me as the reader.

This graphic novel feels like a poetry collection. It is a collection with each page almost self-contained, but it all fits together into a memoir-ish story. There are so many topics of identity dealt with. Each page could stand alone framed on a wall.



I felt like this would make a great coffee table book to leave out and flip through leisurely. It would be jarring to try and read through all of the book in one sitting. I give this book a 4/5.

I was expecting a cohesive story, but this is more like journal-style or a coffee table comic book. With the author’s insights on topics like being gay, depression and existentialism.

I really enjoyed the art style in this graphic novel and the story as well. I could relate to the main character on how people want to put them in a box and label them when they just want to be free and themselves. But not have to worry about putting themselves in a box and labeling themselves.

This story goes through the emotions of figuring out who you are and how to accept yourself when others do not. It promotes healthy attitudes and seeking professional help, it encourages leaving toxic relationships behind, and supports having those difficult conversations and seeking out answers for struggles from your past. Because it is told in a poetic format the story is broken into 2-3 page segments. While they all focus around similar things, it felt disjointed and didn't flow smoothly. Also, the art changed styles a bit, which is fine, but when you are used to one style and it changes it can cause the story to stop while you get used to it. This might have been the author's choice hoping it would slow the reader down, but I didn't enjoy it. Still liked the overall message of the novel.

Copy provided by NetGalley.

Quite pretentious non-fiction comic, with overly complex design and wordage. Really not my thing...................................