The last year has been very long, and very hard, for a lot of people. I say a lot of people, I think everyone really. Living with the added danger of a virus that could kill, or leave you with lifelong disabilities and health conditions, in and out of nationwide lock-downs, and dealing with selfish people who feel their unwillingness to acknowledge the virus makes them safe has all led to what I think we could all class as a year of hell. Despite how bad things have been some people have turned the darkness of the last year into something beautiful, using it to create wonderful artwork.

One such person is Rachael Smith, who over the course of 2020 produced small comic strips and shared them with the world through social media. Now, they have been collected together and produced in a printed book for the first time, allowing a whole new audience to experience her life, her thoughts, and her joys during lock-down.

Creating art during a dark period, where it's easy to allow yourself to become overwhelmed by depression isn't easy; or at least it isn't easy to still produce something that can contain a lot of joy and happiness. It would be easy to create a series of comics that simply showed the bad moments of Rachael's experiences, where she focused on her isolation from her partner, where the dark thoughts that creep into her head are the ones that get shown.

Whilst these things do feature in this book they're by no means given centre stage, and Rachael gives a pretty balanced view of her experiences. Yes, there are comics where she pines to be with her boyfriend, or she becomes overwhelmed by the dark voices in her head, but there's also the comics where she gets excited to be in her garden, where she cracks jokes about toilet paper shortages to her housemate, and where she simply finds love and comfort in her cat.

Rachael doesn't sugar coat the harder moments, but she doesn't keep the good ones to herself either. She presents a pretty balanced view of what life is like living in lock-down, where you have to balance the dark with the light. She does with with a sense of humour and whimsy that feels very real, the kind of jokes you'd make having been stuck inside with the same people for weeks at a time, jokes that are pretty ridiculous, but you can't help but laugh because they're what's getting you through.

The corona virus pandemic isn't going to be a time that people look back on fondly, and I'm expecting that it will be featured in art very sparingly for a long while, until the pain of what we've all been through has lessened quite a bit, but this book manages to show that it wasn't all bad during this time. It shows readers that despite the looming darkness there are moments of joy and wonder that we should hold on to, that make every day worth living for. I think this is a lesson this book hows well, and one that will not only help people through this pandemic, but through their entire lives.

This comic encapsulated everything I felt during this pandemic and more. Rachael was able to perfectly capture what life was like on a day-to-day basis. The anxiety, depression, perseverance. I aw myself in so many of these little comics and it was wonderful.

I have found this pandemic hard (as I am sure everyone has), but this book allowed for my anxieties and strict rule following to not feel alien or stupid. I, too, have had almost nothing but anxious dreams. I, too, was terrified to go back to work. I, too, missed people so dearly. I, too, fought daily with my mental health, and found it hard just to exist most days.

But not only did I feel seen in this, she also made me smile and laugh. I couldn't read through any of it without feeling some kind of resonance.

Also, the artwork is really cute!

Amazing book, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs some kind of reassurance during this time.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I ADORED this book! Quarantine Comix is a series of comics of life in lockdown in the U.K. While everyone will have had different experiences of lockdown and different challenges this is a great summary from the last year. I absolutely loved it for so many reasons. The main reasons though were:
1. The drawings themselves. Rachael is incredibly talented and her artwork is phenomenal. There are some full page drawings which are particularly beautiful.
2. It captured lockdown life so well- the highs, the lows, zoom...
3. It made me laugh a lot. While there is quite a lot of sadness in this there is so much witty humour too.
4. You can’t read it without going “oh, me too” and “I thought that was just me”. It will make you feel less alone.

Thank you so much to Rachael for creating this and NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"There's something almost rebellious about planting and nurturing in these times. Even now, things can still grow and thrive"

Created over the course of a pandemic, Rachael Smith created a series of cartoons charting her life in lockdown, in part to stave off her own apprehension, but also to bring comfort to anyone reading. I reckoned that I was done with any new takes on the experience of quarantine, but this well and truly won be over. Smith approaches her work with a warm and honest take on her own suffering and struggle, offering real-time reflections which are witty and remind us we aren't alone. These short lessons in hope and hurting ought to make a fitting chronicle for future generations.

I have read Rachael's work before, back to Wired Up Wrong. This has always struck me as warm, honest and accessible, despite the personal portrayal of sometimes challenging areas. Good story-telling, writing, animation, and humour shines through.

This book is the same broad appeal - by turns a warm, funny and emotive portrayal of life in lockdown. Relatable to those, like me, who suffer some of the same issues; though perhaps not to the same extent and life-story and situation, elements certainly struck a chord.

Four stars - one minor pitfall with this being a book from on-going work, and the obvious non-changing situation that is life in lock-down, does lead to occasional repetition of themes if read in one go. This is unavoidable and does highlight some of the unchanging issues of lockdown, a book to be enjoyed in shorter spells.

An interesting and helpful comic during the first lockdown, however I’m not sure it feels quite the same now in the third lockdown, it’s quite different, but I think good for the future to look back on. That these are the things that kept us going , made a difference during the time.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the Authour for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Quarantine Comix is such a heartfelt comic. I felt the authors struggles with not seeing her partner and struggling to feel like you’re contributing something worthwhile, were so beautifully captured and achingly relatable. Really all of these comics expressed the struggles I and I’m sure millions of others faced during Lockdowns.

Quarantine Comix captures such an accurate glimpse into this time of Pandemic that I’m sure there will be something everyone can relate to in here.

Oh and I can’t forget to mention, yes ducks are horrible.

This was more interesting as a historical artefact than humorous today. It's surprising how long ago much of the issues discussed feel. We're in the same lockdown restrictions now, however I don't sense that people are frightened in the same way, and the thought of not seeing a serious boyfriend for months seems a world away. It was nice to be reminded of the novelty of lockdown 1, the freedom of that first walk in the park with a friend, as well as the surprise at things that have now become normal, such as working from home, zoom or spending too much time with the cat! I would appreciate a sequel looking over the following 6-12 months, and wish this had included the dates of each comic.

This comic made me feel so much better in these darker times. Everything the author (and illustrator) had wrote about and got the main character saying is exactly how Ive felt. For me the hardest part of quarentine has been not seeing or hugging my family as they are my coping mechanism, in this story that would be Rob. I believe the author had put many things into context here delicately but with humor involved too. I hope we can all see a light at the end of the tunnel and this comic deffinatly put a smile on my face and made me see it. I also wanted to mention the coloured in pages were scenes of clarity and I would love to have a few of them on my wall as art.

I loved this quarantine comic and Rachel really hit the nail on the head with pretty much everything! I think everyone has had their different inner thought processes going through multiple lockdowns and facing their own daily struggles and I can guarantee everyone will find something to relate to in this funny, raw and truthful book. Whether it’s the darker voice in your head telling you you’re a waste of space and that you’re not valid in some ways or another, or the struggles with mental health and not being able to see loved ones. I could really sympathise with not being able to see a significant other and you can’t help but feel really represented and understood reading this book!

It has a perfect balance between comedy and raw honesty when it comes to mental health and I seriously adore everything the author did in this comic. You can’t help but leave with a smile and a sense of kinship that other people are going through the same thing too. I only wish I had the authors adorable cat!!

Seriously fab book and everyone should read this. It doesn’t take too long to flick through and the illustrations are just absolutely amazing!