This actually started off pretty well, a futuristic science fiction/horror hybrid about a woman in love with an AI partner who eventually decides she's had enough (the AI, that is). But then the woman descends into depression/loneliness/madness, I guess, and the book becomes almost impenetrable. There's a very Cronenbergian aspect to all of this (David OR Brandon, take your pick) and for awhile, it's all very intriguing. But it reaches a point where it's just hard to know what's going on anymore, why it's all happening, and to care one way or the other.

The art style and colour palette of this graphic novel are insane. I could not stop looking at the pictures, however, this became the case long after giving up on the story. I read the whole thing but I can't for the life of me remember the plot. I found it confusing and a little maddening in places because the content was not totally linear, which I'm usually fine with, but it didn't work for me in this format. I think there are a lot of people that would enjoy this but it wasn't for me.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own .
I stumbled across this book in the Y a section on net galley whilst looking for graphic novels. This may sound gory but the cover jumped out to me and I was really intrigued to find out what the story was about. Before I continue anymore, I feel like this book should contain a trigger warning for both self harm and sexual gratification. I think that the demographic for this book has been done wrong, I definitely think it should be in the adult section. I found the illustrations very well drawn and they were very descriptive. However, I did find the story quite confusing I was not able to follow it correctly and I just really did not gel with this book.

Wow. What a weird, wild, and fun ride. Drama, horror, sex, science fiction, self discovery, this story has it all. The fact that there’s a burger chain homage to David Cronenberg was a nice touch as well.

I generally love the graphic novel medium, but I must admit that this narrative left me very confused. Although the visuals were absolutely stunning, the story was not as well conveyed as it may have been. Perhaps other readers will be able to “get it,” but sadly I was not.

The art in this graphic novel is great. But I couldn’t even finish it. Like others have said, it’s disturbing. I’m not sure why it’s labeled as a teen graphic novel either because it’s WAY too dark to be for teens.

Yikes. I don't really know where to begin with this. I DNFed it at about 47%. Although this book can be found under the "Teen & YA" category of NetGalley, it is NOT for teens. There are graphic scenes where characters are sexually active, violent, and using inappropriate language. It's all just a little too unsettling.

I had high hopes, but the storyline is hard to follow - perhaps intended as a way to display the miscommunication between humans and technology - but I couldn't convince myself to finish it.

The one star is for the art because it was well done.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A sad tale about loneliness and obsession and what some people would do for a desperate connection.

It reminded me of the movie Her.

This book was certainly artistic and deep, but I'm not in a place to be able to understand it right now. So, really, I have no idea what I read and I have no idea what actually went on. What is metaphor? What is real horror? If I spent enough time to think deeply about it all I'm sure I could figure it out.

"Lonely Receiver" is an adult graphic novel that delves deep into the psyche to understand where a person stands as an individual and as a partner. This book deals with loss, drug abuse, dystopian sci-fi technology that is promoted as healthy but is really not, and toxic relationships. It is not a feel good story, but definitely compels you to find out what happens next.

Art and lettering is great, they meshed together extremely well especially for the themes that are explored in the series. It showed off Jen Hickman's range of drawing from normalcy to abnormal. However the writing leaves much to be desired. It needed a better editor, the story started off strong but ended incohesive, it was difficult to follow the plot.

TW: Loneliness, Depression, Mental Health Problems, Homicide, Harm

I don`t even know where to start.
At first, I didn't even know what to expect. The concept is quite interesting and a little scary, to be honest. The action takes place in the future, where, thanks to artificial intelligence, it has become possible to create an ideal partner for life.
And after Rhion, Catrin's partner suddenly disconnects, she just goes mad. And we observe what becomes of our main character, who simply cannot cope with loneliness, and plunges into the abyss of despair.

This comic is probably one of the creepiest things I've ever read. Everything from the main character to the smallest details I surround her, her mental state is just creepy to imagine.
Some things I like (volumes 1 and 2 are very good), some things I could not accept (for example, the abundance of orgies and the amount of naked body Catrin). This comic is clearly not a teenage comic. A strictly adult audience, or a morally prepared audience, should become familiar with this work.
I liked the way the artists chose the images for the characters, and what color scheme they used to convey everything that was happening

Thank to NetGalley and to publisher for providing me with ARC of this comicbook

I was instantly drawn to the premise of this graphic novel. the concept itself (queer women, AIs, and a nasty breakup) was so interesting and the story didn't let down in that aspect. The illustrations are gorgeous and the color palette is so well done. It gave off an aura of a futuristic sci-fi world while still retaining some familiar pieces of modern life. However, around halfway through the book, I found the story slightly muddled and pretty confusing. By the end, I understood generally where the plot was going and I enjoyed the twists that happened, but the language tended to confuse me as the actual events were happening. Still a fun experience!

Lonely Receiver was beautifully illustrated. The storyline was a bit difficult to follow and definitely disturbing at times, but there were definitely parts that captured heartbreak and moving on from a toxic relationship beautifully.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The only good thing this graphic novel has to offer is the art, which is beautiful. Everything else, though, was horrifying, disturbing and terrible.
I wish I had something nice to say about the story or the characters, but after finishing this I just feel gross. The entire premise of the novel was horrible. The relationship was toxic and abusive and I didn’t care what happened to the characters because they both sucked.
I also think it’s very weird for this to be listed under “Teens & YA” when a lot of the art is incredibly graphic and definitely not safe for minors.

I loved how this comic started. The artwork is absolutely stunning. I did get a little lost and confused toward the end, but it was still very enjoyable and very relatable.

Confused about what was going on and not at all sure I liked it. The art was lovely (if more graphic than I expected), but the story was convoluted and confusing and ultimately didn't seem to lead to any clear meaning / ending.

I have really liked the description and the promises of this book, I like to read a lot of horror, but this was really chaotic, I dont even know what have I read. The graphics was cool, it fit the story, but the story and the characters were really off for me. Maybe I was not in the right mood.

lonely receiver is a strange horror-scifi graphic novel. i snagged it because i like the strange, because i love gay stuff, and because i'm a sucker for breakup stories.

at first i wondered if it was going to be a sapphic knockoff of the film HER. being abandoned by AI which was meant to be your perfect other, but which has complex robot needs that are beyond human comprehension? hmm.

this book is comprised of five volumes, and i enjoyed the first few. it explores the agony of losing someone who feels like a part of yourself. and for our protagonist, catrin, that's literally the case. years worth of her diaries, photos, and memories are stored inside her AI ex. intense, right? as catrin sinks into a post-breakup depression, the reader is introduced to the semi-dystopian reaches of technology in her world.

all this is interesting enough, but things go off the rails in the last two volumes. there's uncertainty as to whether the loss of catrin's relationship is "driving her mad," or whether her mental health is spiraling because of how she's been biologically altered to accommodate technology. the ending feels like a metaphor for finally finding oneself again after a breakup; particularly after reaching new heights of self-destructive behavior.

these are interesting and relatable themes, and i wish i could have enjoyed seeing them explored here. but i had a hard time engaging with the story emotionally. a story about heartbreak is supposed to feel heartbreaking, whereas this just doesn't go anywhere, and feels unnecessarily convoluted.

something that really bothers me is that there are pages and pages of odd, graphically-illustrated sex orgies that take place in the liminal dreamspace of catrin's altered mind. why the hyperfixation on sex? why do we see pages and pages and pages of catrin's naked body? this made me uncomfortable, especially considering that this is a sapphic story written by a man.

jen hickman's art beautifully done, and the color palette is vibrant. author zac thompson's earnest introduction indicates that he put a lot of heart into this story, and i'm sure some people will enjoy it. but for me, it pushed too far into the realm of weird, bewildering, and icky.

Thank you to NetGalley and AfterShock Comics for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I liked the art style of this graphic novel most of all. Much of the content is relatable to anyone who has had or is struggling with a relationship that is toxic in many ways. While I could relate to many of the experiences in the story, I wasn't particularly pulled into the world that was created as I am not a fan of body horror or gore. I was hoping for there to be more of a horror aspect, but it was merely a footnote in the overall story. Also, it is categorized as YA, but I would put this more into an adult category. Its content can overlap between YA and adult, but some of the subject matter is more mature.

like many people already pointed out this is definitely not YA idk if its just at netgalley or the book is really being marketed like this

i really like the premise but the story felt really rushed and/or confusing most of the time so it was hard to connect to the story.
but it was creepy (in a good way) and the art and coloring is gorgeous