Beautiful graphic novel of a story I already loved!! The artwork is absolutely stunning and the story is so well condensed into a graphic form that you don't loose the feel of the full length novel! Wonderfully done!! I enjoyed myself through every page!!

The original young adult novel is about a young Latina girl from the Bronx traveling to Portland for an internship, and learning about herself and her space in the world as a queer, brown young woman. The book deals with some intense topics, such as identity, sexuality, race, white feminism, and intersectionality.

Obviously, some of the story is lost in the translation from novel to graphic novel, but I felt each of the story’s high points were hit and given the weight they deserved. Watching the actual visuals as Juliet comes to understanding herself was beautiful.

The artwork for this graphic novel adaptation blew me away! The colors were absolutely gorgeous, and I loved how each chunk of the story had its own color palette. The lines were smooth and full of life. Every character looked distinct. I will absolutely be looking for more from the artist.

Juliet Takes a Breath is an excellent graphic novel that addresses LGBT+ and BIPOC topics in a way that invites the reader to enjoy Juliet's story, and to evaluate their own personal beliefs. I have not read the novel, and I am now curious about reading it to see if there is more to the story as I assume the graphic novel adapts the work. Having modern YA novels as graphic novels is a great gateway to encourage readers to check out the original books, in my opinion.

Phenomenal. Amazing art. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera is a fantastic work about a queer Latinx college student trying to reconcile her queerness and brownness in a feminist/LGBTQ world dominated by white voices. It is about a path of self discovery - riddled with self-doubt and betrayal by supposed allies - leading to BIPOC LGBTQ family and community and one's place in the world.

As a graphic novel retelling of the original novel, this book does a tremendous job of distilling down the book into visual format.

I love this so much. The art is stunning and super gorgeous. The story I still love and even more so in graphic novel style.

An important story about becoming confident in yourself, immersing oneself into the LGBTQIA+ community, intersectionality and found families. Rivera has created a powerful story and further adapted it into something succinct, engaging and powerful.

I can not think of another story that gives such a raw and genuine insight into the LGBTQIA+ community, but also the damage of ignoring intersectionality that exists and impacts on the group.

Not only does Rivera weave an impactful story, Moscote illustrates the narrative in a way that brings the characters and their relationships to the forefront. The stark, colourful imagery provides an engaging contrast with the emotional tension this story instils.

Overall, this is a wonderful, accessible title for many young readers

Note: I have not read the full-length novel Juliet Takes a Breath..

I was excited to read this adaptation of Gabby Rivera's much lauded novel from a few years ago. I really love to see these comic adaptations of popular teen books as it's a great way to get more teens (and adults) interested in reading or to help readers with learning obstacles be a part of our reading community. So kudos to all involved in this decision!
The book itself is a fun exploration of queer culture, as young Juliet comes out and immediately gets on a plan to Portland to become an assistant for her favorite feminist author. This is a modern queer bildungsroman and a much needed addition to your library shelves.

A great graphic adaptation, was great to see the characters realized. Juliet is a super relatable main character and college bound teens could really find themselves in her journey. Love the representation and inclusion in this title. Would be great for my YA section!

This was a fun novel about discovering yourself and finding your own path. So many young people idolize others and try to follow in their footsteps, but those young people need to find their own footing and go their own way. This graphic novel can give some young people hope for their own future.

Having read the novel, I was very nervous about the graphic novel version. But this book did the novel justice and stayed true to the story. The colors, the art, the text - all were well done and I tore through this book in one sitting. I think for the full picture, I'd recommend reading both, to get the most out of both versions of the book. I think they complement each other nicely.

I had heard amazing things about Juliet Takes a Breath, and to see it had been made into a graphic novel? I was helpless to resist.

Juliet is a Bronx born Latina who has big fat queer feminist dreams. Sadly, her only role model is an incredibly white airy fairy feminist author who is far too much for me to handle, and nearly drove me away from the book before I understood what the author was doing.

Juliet goes to Portland to become an intern to Airy Fairy White Lady, aka the Vagina Lady, and truly finds herself, and her people, and what it means to be a queer POC in a world that uses them as trophies to be collected.

Not only is the story fantastic, the ART. Dear god, the art in this book is glorious. Rich and bright, emotions and feelings are conveyed so much easier in graphic novel form, and this book not only sings, it screams.

So good. So, so good.

Received via NetGalley and BOOM Studios for Review.
Juliet Takes a Breath is a wonderful, gorgeously illustrated graphic novel based on the YA novel of the same name. It follows Puerto Rican Juliet Milagro Palante, a 19 year old who has just come out to her family as a lesbian before she moves across the country from the Bronx to Portland in order to intern with writer Harlowe Brisbane.

It's a big change. Juliet is juggling exploring her identity as a young lesbian of color, defining her own feminism, and developing her own boundaries and expectations while interacting with white friends/mentors who don't always understand her identity struggles as a latina. There's relationship drama, first "boss" and internship conflicts, and topics like homophobia, racism, and privilege are all touched upon. The color palette is gorgeous and the linework is lively and punchy. It's a great coming of age comic.

Juliet Palante is a young, Puerto Rican college student in the Bronx and discovering herself as a Latinx feminist, acknowledging for her own self that she is a lesbian and fearing that her family will not accept her. She has a lot of family around her the love and support her--but her mama's really devout. I loved her little brother, and how sweet and loving he was. Juliet is excited to gain a summer internship working directly with famed feminist Harlowe Brisbane, who lives in Seattle. Juliet ends up crashing in Harlowe's house, nursing the wounds from her mama's reaction to her leaving, and her sexuality.

Juliet is reeling a bit, surrounded by queer culture in Seattle. It's an awakening, but she's also politically woke by the people of color who are befriending her. As Harlowe reveals some internal prejudice, it sends Juliet further on her journey to reconnect with her cousin and aunt in Miami. It's another big experience as Juliet finds unexpected kinship with fellow queers.

I did not read the original work, but I feel the graphic novel was beautifully rendered, and truly evocative of Juliet's joy and struggle on every page. She's a glorious Latina and her encounters with strong female, trans and other LGBTQ characters really shapes Juliet's outlook, path and summer experience. I think readers who enjoy contemporary stories of queer culture, and coming out stories and stories of people of color from own voices, will probably love this graphic novel version of the best-selling novel.

I really enjoyed this book.
I started reading it and just flew to the end. In this graphic novel, we meet wonderful characters as well as not so wonderful ones. The growth seen in Juliet is really inspiring and living her experience in Portland makes me want to pick the novel right after writing this review.
There were very important lessons in this graphic novel which makes me want to praise it even more.
The reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that, despite having loved most of the characters in this graphic novel, I felt that I didn't get to know them completely.
But still, I would completely recommend Juliet takes a breath.

“Reading would make me brilliant, but writing would make me infinite.”

Juliet Takes a Breath was my last reading of 2020 and one of my favourites. This graphic novel was everything I needed. A queer story with a queer main character talking about body positivity, how hard it is to find yourself when you don’t even know who you are yet, and how important it is to be surrounded by people who love you and accept you no matter what. This GN through different happy and sad stories really makes you get to know and love the characters. If you need a coming of age story to lose yourself into and forget about everything, this is the one.

Juliet Milagros Palante is an unapologetically big, queer and Latina woman, who just came out to her family and is desperate to know more about the world and queer culture. Juliet has been secretly dating her best friend for a year. Juliet has found the internship of her dreams. But Juliet still feels like she’s missing something. And she doesn’t know what it is.



This graphic novel, which was a book before, doesn’t transport you to a new, different world. This graphic novel talks about daily struggles and that’s why it felt so close to reality and why I loved it so much.

I didn’t read this graphic novel in one go as I usually do. Not because I didn’t want to but because the author tells you so many meaningful things, you have to read them carefully to comprehend the importance of this story. It’s essential to fill the (mainly white and male-dominated) comic industry with new and powerful voices like Gabby Rivera’s. Gabby is ready to tell different stories and truths everyone needs to hear sometimes.

One of my favourite parts of this graphic novel is the relationship between Juliet and her family. Not because it was perfect, but quite the opposite. While Juliet’s mom struggles to understand why Juliet loves women, trying to find a reason or even a solution, Juliet struggles with the idea of not being accepted by her own family. You can see both of them hurting each other and at the same time reaching out for each other, trying to be heard and loved. This journey is not only Juliet’s but also her mother’s; finding love, reason and understanding within herself. For me it’s really important seeing families fighting for their children, trying to understand them and sometimes coming to the realization that being queer is just the way we are, without an explanation.

I loved Gabby’s previous works. I always find her way to tell stories so fresh in the comic industry but Juliet’s story resonates with me in a different way. I learnt a lot about feminism and how white women (like me) can help our fellow sisters.

Another thing I want to mention is the way Gabby talks about love in this story. Juliet not only experiments her first heartbreak but explores her sexuality in a beautiful and caring way. Juliet learns how to love herself and how to let herself be loved at the same time. Not only by the girls who want to be with her, but by the people who care and believe in her and her talent.

But this journey is not about finding romantic love. It’s about finding your own love. It’s about Juliet finding herself. Her voice. Her strength and her roots. Juliet finds her own voice listening to the voices of those who came before her. Who fought before her. Who made her life and the rest of our lives easier in some ways. This graphic novel is the perfect chance to learn about some of those Latina women who fought for our rights and we have seemed to forget about.

Juliet is a wholesome character, full of confidence and fears at the same time. Wanting to learn more about herself, about feminism and social justice in a white supremacist culture. She is honest and realistic. She is fun, big, Latina, queer, nerdy, caring and humble. She’s so many things she doesn’t know yet, but that’s okay. Because it’s okay not to know who you are or who you will be in the future. You just have to take a breath and enjoy the journey.

Juliet Milagros Palante might be a fictional character but I would say she is the voice of a whole generation.

5*/5* Rep (L)GBTQ – Main character

I am SO GLAD for this graphic novel, cause I tried to get into the paperback novel and it just didn't work for me even though the content of it is right up my alley.

The graphic novel really did manage to do what the paperback didn't: Get right to the meat of the story the author wanted to tell. And that story is not one that is written for white people. As a white person reading it, I felt like I really wanted the single white character in the story (ie: the person I probably most identified with, even though she is all kinds of strange) to be redeemed by the end, but I realise that wasn't the focus and, honestly? It made for a better narrative.

Juliet Milagros Palante is our main character and she is moving from the Bronx to Portland, Oregon to finish her unit with the internship with feminist writer Harlowe Brisbane - aforementioned white character.

Immediately before she goes away, she tells her family that she is gay and, well, everyone accepts it in various ways, except for her mother who then doesn't even properly see her off before she gets in the car to the airport.

That's hard, but the culture clash when she comes to meet Harlowe at the airport and then sees her house is... a bit much. However, Juliet is determined to put her best face on for it - despite the fact that this woman is intent that woman are descended from faeries.

Things begin to pick up when she meets Maxine and Zaria - fellow black queer women. Maxine is one of Harlowe's exes, and slowly we begin to get further hints of why this is.

One of my favourite parts about this book comes in halfway through in incredibly small type, where Maxine warns Juliet that Harlowe might be a bit much at her book reading--which turns out to be true--but also accepts that some things people have to find out for themselves.

It's a very gentle and (I assume) honest telling of PoC experience, from PoC point of view. As, again, a white person reading this, I found so much of it made a lot of sense in ways that I hadn't thought of before. One thing I'll mention though is, as I said at the start, this is not written to the white audience. So it doesn't necessarily spell out why certain moments are offensive. The reasons are there, though, if you look into it and extrapolate for yourself.

Although the focus is on the experiences of PoC, it also looks a great deal into both sexism and homophobia, and is in general just something that all people should read. It's fantastic that it's also available now in a graphic novel format so that it can be read even wider by audiences, regardless of format.

God, this is such a great graphic novel. So eloquent, so beautiful...God, it is so gay. I felt like I was taking a breath after holding one in for so long.

So I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately the story doesnt work great as a graphic novel for me at lease. You really had to have read the book prior to the graphic novel for it to make all the sense and you lose some of the nuances the book gives you. The art is amazing and Juliet is absolutely perfect. Having fat graphic novel characters is so important. That being said, too many scenes were cut short and a lot of topics were barely introduced and seldom thought through. This had the potential but fell short, sadly.

Thanks for giving me a chance to read this book! Juliet Takes A Breath is one of those queer graphic novels out there that will warm your heart, make you excited and just feel all kinds of amazing things. If you're looking for a quick but meaningful read, this one's for you!

⭐️3 Stars ⭐️

Impeccably rendered and thoughtfully written, this graphic novel provokes a deep discussion about how the LGBT+ experience differs from person to person and how your perception of your own queerness can be influenced by other people.

Gabby Rivera explores important themes within Juliet's narrative by illustrating her internal struggle with self-acceptance and self-love as a lesbian in a hetero normative society.

While she escapes this on her internship, the experience is not as freeing as she thought it would be- I think this is an important, realistic aspect of the coming out process that is rarely written about in as much depth and with as much care as Rivera takes. Although I haven't read the original novel, but from the other reviews I have read, this is a pretty faithful adaptation of the story.

However, the pacing of this graphic novel felt off in places, and I felt that some story threads were not developed as well as they could have been, and this meant some scenes felt cliche. This left me wanting more from the novel, and although I found the ending satisfying, I felt that things ended too neatly for our protagonist when the narrative as a whole centered around the queer struggle.
Although I am happy that queer narratives are finally getting happy endings, I felt that the story lacked the development needed for me to connect to the ending. (Perhaps this is my own internalized homophobia).

Still, the plot threads that the novel followed were very well done. I was impressed by the characterization of Harlowe Brisbane and how her arc showed how white feminists can often speak over POC about queer issues.

You Should Read This Book if you Like:
+ Queer Stories 🌈
+ Excellent character arcs 🙌
+ Beautiful Art ✍

Overall, I thought this graphic novel was an excellent exploration of a young woman's journey to accepting her sexuality and accepting the love that she deserves.

Content warnings: racism, homophobia, biphobia, sexual harassment, cheating.