Review contains spoilers -- but they're necessary for my review.

I don't understand this new trope in BL manga where one of the protagonists was forced to be a girl when they were young, and then they meet the other protagonist, and that impacts them for life? It's a really weird and uncomfortable trope, and it ruined this book for me. Up until that reveal, I was all about it. This was a sweet, somewhat awkward (but it fit because they're young), exploration of what it means to find your sexuality as a teen.

The art is generically pretty, but the back-and-forth dialogue can get confusing in certain panels.

Overall, it wasn't a bad story (up until "the big reveal"), but I just can't recommend it.

At first I thought I had just read too many BL manga and this felt too familiar, but in the end I did enjoy it a lot. Especially the second half was really nice and fluffy and all the bonus stories are very sweet too. Just a nice little pick-me-up to read on a rainy day.

Of course, like any other manga, the pacing was quick and the storyline was predictable; however, I did find it cute and utterly entertaining. It reminded me of how much I just love reading BL.

A sweet read, quite fitting for the summer, of two schoolboys finding each other. Maybe a bit generic and neat within the boundaries of the genre, but sometimes that is exactly what one needs
You can’t just go turning a person into a memory!

In The Summer of You we follow Wataru Toda and “hot guy” Chiharu Saeki, who coincidentally is also a bit aloof and very outspokenly romantic towards Wataru.
He also has an unintentional sarcastic streak, for instance:
Why… me?
Good question.

Movies bond them together and lead to some real banter, and at least not the “boom, now I am in love with you” approach many other manga in the genre seem to take.
The drama at 50%, and the coincidence involved are very much fairytale like.

The whole approach to the relationship from Wataru his side could be framed as kind of gay-baiting, but overal the story and art style work fine enough and the humor is enjoyable, if not alway intentional:
I just never managed to get into them - well now, that’s an interesting thing to say about one’s exes….

I want to read The Winter of You like NOW, so a solid three stars despite some critiques as included above.

Such a sweet and beautiful story!! I loved the characters and their story so much. And the style is beautiful!
Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I really can't wait to read Vol.2 now!

this read was an absolute treat, with a slow burn romance that really worked well with the premise. the characters of wataru and saeki are both so nuanced considering how short of a page span the author covered, and their interactions are tender and sweet. so often the bl genre can teeter on exploiting or fetishizing gay or bisexual men, but this one does a good job expressing the teenage dilemma of dealing with one’s sexuality. only docked down to four stars simply because i would have liked to know a bit more about some supporting characters. i found myself forgetting their names and they seemed more like scenery rather than contributing to the greater story. still a fantastic manga though!

“to me…you will always be part of my summer.” - Saeki × Wataru

- I am in love with the art , the characters , story , dialogues , everything. - This was such an adorable manga that is perfect for passing time. 
- If you’re in the mood for a cute, fluffy & heartwarming BL who bonded over their love for movies - look no further! I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, with thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley.

Do you read Manga/Graphic Novels?

The summer of you follows two friends, Wataru and Saeki, through a summer 'tour' of a few real life locations from their favourite movies.

What i loved about this manga is how light and fluffy it is, following the characters friendship and how that begins to become more as they begin to understand their feelings. The dialogue and story was well written with a plot twist i didn't expect.
The art style is simple yet elegant, the characters expressions clearly showing what they're feeling.

Highly recommended for a quick, light, 'feel good' summer read.

A beautiful story of self-discovery and the nuances of relationships, particularly male friendships and romantic relationships.

Rating: 4🌟
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this e-ARC of this manga to me.

Saeki and Wataru are the cutest little munchkins ever.🤍
They shared a common interest and enjoyed spending time together meanwhile their friends had been supportive throughout the manga, instead of being toxic and bringing them down.
Overall, this manga was a quick and enjoyable read, and I finished it in one sitting.

This light, fluffy, summer romance manga was the exact thing I needed today! I appreciated how much the story followed the friendship between Chiharu and Wataru and made their relationship development feel natural and un-rushed. There was no forced angst or drama.

I read this manga quickly and was smiling the whole time. I will for sure be purchasing a physical copy of this one and I can’t wait to read the next volume!

To start off I want to thank Kodansha Comics for my E-ARC and the chance to read this amazing manga. The Summer of You is a fast-paced, drama free, MLM romance manga. Wataru and Saeki are just adorable together and they made me smile so much my mouth hurt after reading this. If you are looking for a fast-paced, LGBTQ romance manga then this is for you.

Muchas gracias Netgalley por el envío de un ejemplar de la copia avanzada de esta historia.

Este manga ha sido una lectura ideal para el verano: con un romance fresco y una historia sin muchas complicaciones, conocemos los sentimientos de los protagonistas ante un amor tierno y dulce. Es el primer tomo de esta historia y resulta ser bastante introductorio, sin embargo no aburre y entretiene bastante.

¡Espero ansiosa poder continuar con la historia!

This is a warm-fuzzy manga that was so sweet! I really loved the story of love during summer, and I would love to read more about these characters! It's a good intro to romantic manga, and I'd recommend it to new and long time readers alike!

This volume started off slow, but I eventually fell in love with our characters and their friendship/relationship.

This was so cute and wholesome. I loved how well it dealt with coming out, and their feelings. This felt like a whole, complete story, but I want more. And it looks like there is a second volume going to be coming out near the end of this year, so that is very exciting!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I only made it a portion of the way through. For me, I found this graphic novel hard to follow. The flow of the scenes were sort of confusing. As someone who grew up reading comics and graphic novels, this was one of the more difficult ones. The story felt almost forced. The conversation between the two main characters didn't feel organic. In the first chapter, the author dives straight into the plot. There was hardly any setup as far as establishing characters. Granted, it's a graphic novel--I prefer characters more established. Otherwise, there is no emotional investment. I found myself not caring either way what happened with the characters or their choices.

This is a cute and sweet story with no big drama on it about a summer love between two young boys who share a common interest, It´s a short story, ideal for the summer time. I love the art (I adore manga in general), so I highly recommend it if you like manga and a simply love story with no complications.

Thank you NetGally and Kodansha Comics for letting me review this book ✨


𝐀 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝟓 ⭐️

This is definitely 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭, 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 BL mangas I ever read.

I love the story telling so much and the mangaka really did well on conveying and executing the the storyline/ plot as well as building the emotions which really go well on the pacing of the story.

I also love the characterizations and the obvious facial expressions that the mangaka did, not overly there or presented but striking enough to be felt.

The dialogues and the interaction between characters especially with Saeki and Wataru were so precious. I really love how the conflict and the resolution was done (I honestly did teared up at some point of the story)

The bonus stories were so cute as well, I wish I could have more but overall it was so good 💖.

Definitely will reread this one and 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 ✨

"Bracingly ingenious, light summer romance that will surely capture your heart and occupy your mind for days."

What I like the most about this graphic novel is that it's such a simple story and idea from the creator, but it'll make a mark on one of the best realistic manga.

This was actually absolutely adorable and I love how light this is. There's not that much ridiculous conflict that mangas usually have, and they are so open and sincere with each other. I'm actually partial to Wataru's frankness and it was my favorite thing about him, he's blunt but he's not hot-headed and irrational. He's actually so kind, considerate, thoughtful, and well-meaning in a lot of ways except being patronizing. Saeki is such an endearing person. I don't think he knew that he has certain effects to people that makes them like him, and just plainly become comfortable around him. But I think he knew that he's more than a hot geeky boy to Wataru, even though Wataru didn't remember him immediately, and that makes him like Wataru even more.

I also like the art style! It has a classic feel to it yet fresh and kind of modern at the same time.

If the volume 2 comes out soon, I will be for sure to buy a copy of it because I need more of Wataru and Saeki!

The creator and the other people behind this story and characters did really a great job at making this alive. It's such a perfect summer read and one that will make you want more.

So what was this graphic novel about?

Hints: movie geeks, a (very romantic) summer trip, an adventurous and frank boy meet a hot and laid-back geek, and a happily ever after.

Like my description so far? Well, what are you waiting for? You better check it out now!

(Note: Hello! I posted the review on Barnes & Noble too using the username ‘AVeryQueerBlog27’. It’s currently the first featured review that everyone can see. Thank you!)

Art style is a big feeling factor for me when it comes to manga and My Summer of You’s art is delicately simple and lovely. The artist is quite talented in displaying the characters’ emotions and this made Chiharu and Wataru especially endearing. This manga’s blurb compares it to I Hear the Sunspot and I can see fans of that series also enjoying this one.

Unlike that series, My Summer of You doesn’t have the great slow-burn I’ve come to love and I did feel at times it lacked a certain amount of depth. However, by the conclusion of this first volume, I did become attached to the characters and I’m hopeful volume two will expand on their relationship.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.