What this is is a slice-of-life tale of a 10th grader in the early 2000s just trying to fit in at her school. It basically deals with things that are very central to life if you're 15-16 years old. I did like the art style and the story was very likable as well. It was a good little story in my opinion!

A beautiful and moving graphic novel, filled with friendship, love and heartwarming characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, the art was beautiful and the storytelling was wonderful.
Highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC

I loved this graphic memoir, the art style was wonderful and I loved the themes it tackled. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. An amazing addition to the graphic memoir genre.

TW: self-harm, disordered eating, suicidal ideation

3.5

I found myself enjoying this one but the sudden ending put a damper on how I saw the book overall. A lot of things hit at once and then the book just sort of ended without much resolution. I'm not someone who is much of a fan of open endings so the book just felt incomplete to me.

This is perhaps one of the most grounded stories I've read in awhile: the characters are highly flawed, have deep seated psychological hang ups, and generally work against their own welfares. In many ways, they are incredibly selfish and self centered people trying to navigate the difficult teen years. This contrasted with my first impression from the cover: a tale of someone who finds her place with new friends. Instead, we have someone who finds a shaky place with new friends dealing with their own personal issues. As such, I never connected with the characters or the story but highly respect the author's intent and storytelling with this semi-biographical tale.

Story: Winifred's childhood friends choose to go to a different high school, leaving her feeling very abandoned. But the first days of her new school, she meets two people who take her under their wing, giving her a new social circle. Oscar is an artistic type grappling with his sexuality and self identity. April is the daughter of wealthy but distant parents who seem to forget she's alive far too often. Winifred, meanwhile, is dealing with self image problems, especially her weight. Together (and separate), the three tackle their issues as they navigate high school life.

The art is whimsical for such a heavy subject and in that way, somewhat deflects what might have otherwise been a somewhat depressing and downbeat tale. That isn't to say that the book has any major drama; rather, it is a slice-of-life tale with three characters who become obsessed with their own issues - to the expense of friendships at times.

I think many people will recognize their own friends in this group; that is where the charm comes in. All are decent people but just caught up a bit too deep into their own issues. Winifred somewhat idealizes how 'carefree' Oscar and April are but soon comes to realize they are grappling with their own issues inside while she suffers from anxiety over what people see on her outside. It makes for a good storyline.

In all, I didn't really feel the new friends were necessarily beneficial for each other and was hoping more for a feel-good story about finding new friends who help you find yourself. That said, this tale of three friends who all have to deal with different issues strikes a more grounded and realistic note that I think many will resonate with after reading. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A touching, honest story about growing up and discovering yourself, set in the early 2000s. The characters came right off the page and had so much to them. The inclusion of the comic zine as part of the story was a highlight. I really appreciated the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book as it does deal with some difficult and sensitive topics.

As someone who was in high school not too far off from the characters in this book, this story was almost too real. The struggles of the teenagers in this book, to find connection and develop healthy relationships with themselves and others, while dealing with some pretty fraught issues, were really well handled. I loved the characters, relationshps, art, and story. It was a relief that the adults and institutions in this book were, overall, very caring and proactive—a very welcome deviation from my own high school experience.

This was so lovely and heartfelt - the characters were complicated and realistic, and I really liked the way the zine helped advance the real-life plot. I wish we'd gotten more closure with some of the friendships, though!

This book started with a trigger warning, which is great, it had me prepared for the worst but the content wasn't as bad as I was expecting. That being said, I'm sure anyone with those subjects as a trigger still appreciate the warning. Winifred is starting a new school year without her best friends because they transferred to a different school. Winifred is nervous but is excited that she gets an independent study class with a favorite teacher. Along the way she makes new friends and discovers things about herself and the world.. This story did an incredible job realistically incapsulating the high school experience of being in between friend groups, not knowing where you belong, and self doubt. It was very inclusive and had lgbtq elements and allowed the teens to be individuals with their fashion choices. Sometimes illustrations in graphic novels are very cookie cutter and it was great to see that the characters were unique and were probably based on real people. I wondered at several points if this was a memoir and in the afterword the author says it's semi-autobiographical but Winifred is her own character. This was a beautifully written story that will start many conversations.

This is a great, realistic story with really nice art. Win is starting a new school year without her two best friends and she's at a loss. Sleep doesn't come easy, she's self-conscious about her weight, and she's feeling very lonely. Win pretty easily makes some new friends and even reconnects with an old friend. We follow not only Win but her friends through trials and tribulations dealing with body image, sexual and gender identity, and friends. A very realistic portrayal of adolescents.

This is such a sweet graphic novel that would be perfect in middle school and lower high school classroom libraries! It's relatable and engaging and would be a great way for young people to connect with themselves.

This book was both relatable and heart touching. An extremely powerful coming of age story, I read it all in one sitting! Its a perfect graphic novel for teens, and I feel as though they will really see themselves a lot in the book!

You wouldn't have thought the characters would be as layered as they were, especially in a graphic novel but it was amazing how it handled such deep topics with an uplifting message at the end. to see Can't wait for more from the author.

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this graphic novel. I haven’t read one in a while and this definitely didn’t disappoint. I read it all in one sitting. I really resonated with Winifred and loved how raw some moments were. My heart broke for all the struggles the characters were going through. I think this novel did a really good job with tackling and portraying important teenage issues.

It's the start of a new school year and Winnifred's two best friends have transferred to a private school. Winnifred feels alone and lost at school, but soon meets April and Oscar in a photography class. The three soon become close friends. The trio all have their own issues that affect their relationship - Win is very self conscious about being overweight, has depression, and anxiety. April is figuring out her gender and has an eating disorder. Oscar is struggling with school and a sense of belonging. In the meantime, Win has also started to reconnect with an old friend who she may have reciprocal feelings for. There is also the addition of the zine that Win, Oscar, and April make together spread throughout the book - which is a nice touch.

I enjoyed this book, I thought it really tackled issues that teens struggle with and handled it well. The ending leaves room for imagination which is good and bad (I like neatly tied up stories), but it was a sweet ending. I look forward to adding this book to my library's graphic novel collection.

This was a relatable and heart touching book.
It follows Winifred in school, it's her sophomore year and everything seems lost.
Her friends changed their schools and she is upset that she won't make friends anytime soon, but she makes them.
The rest of the book is how Winifred sorts out her sexuality and battles with depression. Every teenager needs to read this!
A 5 out of 5

TW eating disorder, anxiety, depression, outing, slutshaming, fatphobia, automutilation, mention of suicide, hidden transidentity, toxic parents

I love this graphic novel. They are lots of angst but with hope. Each character is discovering themself and their sexuality. They'll do what is in their power to be happy even cut someone from their life.
It's not the typical baby queers that stick together no matter what.
Winfried, April and Oscar are on a love journey. They'll learn to fall in love with their body in spite of the world. They must fight their fear and be.

WOW! This was such a powerful story of friendship, heartache, and coming-of-age. My heart goes out to Win as she comes to terms with how fleeting high school can be, and how important it is to push yourself to put yourself out there, because hey, what have you really got to lose? This touched on self-harm, body image, eating disorders, and depression, but was not too dark. The meta-zines throughout the text were an excellent addition. Excellent queer representation as well. Set in the early 2000s, it is a perfect throwback read for Millennials, though the themes will strike a cord with teens today. My only complaint is that I want more!

I’m enchanted and touched by this story! This graphic novel introduces us to Winifred, a young girl in high school who is struggling with her own mind and body. The lines and colors are soft and the plot is super fast, but this story addresses difficult topics such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-deprecating thoughts, self-mutilation… but all was done with such responsibility and sensibility. Winifred feels lonely, but she ends up finding companionship in her new friends Oscar and April that makes her feel understood, even if they aren't completely perfect. I really liked how human these characters are, in all their doubts, questions and flaws. Even with such complicated moments, “The Greatest Things” offers a sense of hope, especially for those who have already found themselves in situations similar to this story. I highly recommend this reading!

This is SUCH a wonderful graphic novel, with an amazing friend group and wonderful mental health (depression, anxiety), ED, and LGBTQIA+ representation. It handles deep and intense topics, but it has such a hopeful and uplifting message at the end, all while not pulling punches and still having a realistic backdrop that includes the occasional terrible parent. For the most part, though, the teens AND adults in this are trying their best and are an accepting, nurturing bunch--which was so delightful and wish-fulfilling to see! I cannot wait to own a copy of this. (The art is very sweet and pretty too.)

Winifred has been left by her two best friends who went to private school while she stayed. She assumed she's gonna be alone all year but she makes two new best friends pretty quickly. Things are not so simple though, especially since feelings are involved and Winifred has pretty bad anxiety.

This had everything. I really felt everything. I cried a little bit even. I don't know why but this really shook me. I related to Winifred a lot and I felt her pain, fears and everything in between.
I liked all the characters, I felt like they were pretty layered, especially for a graphic novel. I especially loved Winifred's mother, don't ask me why.
I loved being able to read the zines and I felt for Winifred new friends and their own struggles too even though I was more on Winifred's side of things.
Anyway, that was an intense book, I loved it and I'll be buying it when it comes out me think.