Feelings: A Story in Seasons
Manjit Thapp
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 16

This graphic novel captures a young woman’s feelings over the span of a year. The main character struggles with some form of mental illness and how the seasons impact her life and feelings.

The artwork in this graphic novel is stunningly beautiful and colorful. I appreciate the concept of this comic of focusing on the waxing and waning of mental health over the course of the year, but do not think it was fully realized and lacks a lot of nuance. It felt like it relied on commonly assumed beliefs instead of really delving into the reality of mental illness and even seasonal affective disorder. For example, winter is often very hard for people with depression, but there can still be good days or good weeks.

I’d definitely recommend this comic just to enjoy the beautiful artwork but not if you are looking for a fully developed exploration of how feelings change over the seasons.

ARC provided to me by Random House Publishing, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

#feelings #netgalley

Feelings is incredibly poignant and beautifully illustrated. However, it's a bit too metaphorical for my taste.

This was beautifully written and the illustrations MADE this what it is. Captures seasonal depression elegantly and truthfully.

I loved this beautifully illustrated little book. It is a meditation on anxiety and mental health through the seasons, and how the seasons affect how you feel. I found it hit close to home in a lot of respects. I look forward to seeing more of the author/illustrator's work.

I really loved this. The art was whimsical and I related to a lot of the sentiments throughout. I definitely see my self purchasing this so I can see the art up close because that was my favorite part about it.

A masterpiece!
Thapp has really captured the way that emotions can come in waves and the never ending struggle to overcome them.

This book was pure perfection! The illustrations were gorgeous. I loved reading Thapp’s journey and moods during the seasons. There are six chapters and each one focuses on a season. I could relate to the words and images. This was a quick read, but a good one. I may have to purchase a print copy.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

This was sooo good! Not only was the art stunning, the story made me feel so heard. Dealing with anxiety is so hard, but knowing someone else feels the same, and seeing it drawn out in a story so beautifully is so special. I hope to see a physical copy of this one day!!

Even as an ebook, the art is gorgeous - the richest colors and palette, gorgeous typeface and writing. The impeccable care and attention to detail is so impressive, I found myself lingering longer on the pages than my usual time with graphic novels/memoirs. No matter your age, it's a universal feeling; emotions that ebb and flow with the seasons, sun, and weather. The feeling of hopelessness when it seems like there are only a few fleeting hours of daylight every day. I cannot wait to purchase my own copy, and follow this artist and author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free ARC in advance of the publish date, in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Autobiographical, this story is a short sojourn into Thapp's emotional experience during the seasons, and how the seasonal cycle effects her.

I liked that this story covered how moods and feelings can be influenced by the environment we are in. I liked that it broached this topic, especially as SAD [seasonal affective disorder] is not always widely spoken about.

However, I would have liked if this story was longer and delved more into her mood changes during the year.

This lyrical, visual journey through an individuals mental and emotional life experience/memoir is represented in a very impactful way through the seasonal and mood changes conveyed throughout this beautifully illustrated and written text.

Quick and absolutely beautiful book. No question that the art is really beautiful. The pages that I enjoyed the most were the ones without too many words. Almost self-explaining pages that felt like I was absorbing the art and feel the intention that read to evaluate the emotion. I would recommend reducing the words in many pages

A really lovely depiction of the seasons and how they depict and change our moods! I especially related to the way the protagonist became more stressed and less focused and happy as the days got longer and colder.

The colors and imagery of the pages was stunning and I felt everything so deeply. I really loved the color choices for the different seasons and how she portrayed feelings and emotions. A stunning book full of gorgeous art!

It’s was a Very very good book! I really loved the art style, phenomenal. I want a physical copy after reading the e-arc!! Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc

A one-sitting read that, for what it's worth, will cater to millennials caught in the throes of quarter-life crises. The association of changing seasons with one's emotions becomes a tad trite as the pages turn, though, as the speaker makes every imaginable metaphor that informs summer as a time for growth and prosperity and winter as sullen and uninspiring and the seasons in between the limbo through which her hope navigates in undulant patterns. The storytelling, albeit rendered magnificently by Thapp's skillful, artistic hand, gives little to the root of her anxiety. She appears to have an ideal friend group to confide in but often retreats from into reasonable moments of isolation and sadness; a job that appears to get her by as well as the hopeful prospect of a solo art exhibit; and a promising dating life that is more or less interrupted by the currents of time — still, the motive underneath it all is never entirely unveiled in a way that could forge a connection with the reader.

Nevertheless, I think, on a vulnerable level, I understood what Thapp attempts to convey in her book and the illustrations that lay bare her feelings. I am, admittedly, of the rare ilk that links seasons with moods — albeit oppositely (summertime sadness is a real thing, y'all) — yet I believe Feelings will find its people now, especially in the age of quarantine, more than ever.

This short, bittersweet graphic novel utilizes soothing colors and images to take us through the seasons and their accompanying emotions. It reads like poetry, and the art will no doubt appeal to millennial and Gen Z sensibilities. I found myself very drawn to her work, and it only occurred to me after Googling Thapp that she is the artist that did the cover of Vivek Shraya's The Subtweet, a novel I recently finished and loved. It all makes sense now, and wow, what a perfect joining of artistry!

I think this is a good book about seasonal depression, but there are a few things that this book could do better.

The visual part of this book was gorgeous, but the font of the words made it hard to read. As someone who is slightly visually impaired it was quite annoying to have to put my device so close to my face just to read it.

I thought this was an okay book, but I would not purchase it for the fact that I have a lot of trouble reading the words.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for a digital arc copy of this graphic novel. I really enjoyed it.

What gorgeous art! I love the rich colors and emotive palettes.

This was a very honest look at not only the way that a person’s mental health can change with the seasons but also how - at times - we let our mental health control us. It exhibits the way we relinquish control, out of fatigue, but also the ways we lose control involuntarily. I really appreciated the hopeful shift, though too. There are ways to be aware of our struggles and push back, but even if we cannot... there is light at the end of the tunnel.

It was reflective and personal but also quite relatable.

Feelings is fewer than 150 pages, but I had to stop several times, because I was moved to tears. Of course a book called Feelings is going pull up some emotions. I just didn’t expect it to feel so personal.

Organized into the six seasons of South Asia, it tells the story of.a young artist. We follow her through the career high of landing her first solo show, to the pits of winter depression.

Thapp uses color to convey the mood of each season in unexpected ways. In fall, the artist is feeling pressured. Thapp somehow used the bright colors of autumnal leaves to convey a claustrophobic terror. She casts a shadow of loneliness over the summer months.

The story hit me especially hard. Being an artist myself, I’ve never felt better represented. Oscillating between creation and distraction is my constant state of flux, and Thapp showed that so well in Feelings.

Wow, wow, wow! Feelings by Manjit Thapp is the perfect graphic novel discussing the topics of seasonal depression, overthinking, and working in the arts field. This book was not only relatable at an emotional level, but it also provided the representation of a brown girl that I needed! Along with this representation was the BEAUTIFUL art within the book. Every panel was filled with color and details that made the reading experience so much better. This graphic novel holds very few words (as it should) but uses every single one to illustrate a women’s emotional changes through the seasons. I will most definitely be recommending this graphic novel to fellow brown girls and anyone else that comes my way!