I loved this testimony. Sophie Lambda described what she lived, an abusive relationship. And how she managed to come out of it !
Essential reading !!

"So Much for Love" is a heart wrenching account of one womans experience and trauma from being in a romantic relationship with a abusive narcissist. This book is a major trigger for people who have been in or around these kinds of abusive situations.

This graphic novel, while mostly a memoir, does provide useful guides, definitions and information surrounding emotional and psychologically abusive relationships.

The art style is lovely and the author is candid about her experiences-- I read through the early portions of this graphic novel in a tense state, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the abusers true nature would show.

**I received an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

***this graphic novel can possibly cause a trigger warning for some people***

Wow! Sophie Lambda was able to capture what a toxic relationship is like. It sounds wrong says this graphic novel is really good considering what it's about, but it is very good. I especially love how she gives tips for identifying a manipulator and the 3 stages they use to trap you. She captures the hurt, void, and heartache from her experience and makes it relatable to anyone who has gone through the same thing. It's a must read.

This graphic memoir chronicles Sophie’s toxic relationship with Marcus, and how she ultimately was able to leave and heal. While tough to read at times, Sophie uses humor to the story, including having her teddy bear be her conscience. Not only does it show the stages of Sophie’s relationship, it also serves as a resource for those in abusive relationships. The story overall was relatable. I also loved the cartoony illustrations. I will definitely be recommending this book in the future.

Essential reading for anyone who has dated a narcissist (or been in an abusive relationship in general). Though the second half doesn't match the tone of the first half, it's for a good reason--Lambda is walking the reader through the steps that she went through when navigating the aftermath of her breakup and the psychological trauma she endured. There's plenty of citations and resources for those looking to do their own research and healing, but there's also some humor thrown in (mostly through the use of an alcoholic teddy bear), and the art is accessible and fun.

I do not have any experience with this sort of thing so I will say please go check out reviews by those who have been through something similar first.
Now I felt as if this was a good graphic novel. Lambda was so brave to take the time to share her experience with such a hard part of her life. She clearly wanted to show others that they aren't alone but also tell her own story. It felt very authentic as well.

So Much for Love is a must purchase for anyone who is in, has survived, or knows someone in a toxic relationship. So many things Sophie experienced remind me of issues I have had to help friends with. Toxic people are scary because as human beings we expect openness and honesty in relationships and people like "Marcus" take advantage of this to manipulate and emotionally abuse others. Her own experience leads into the second part of the book which goes over warning signs and techniques for dealing with an abusive narcissist. The toxic relationship doesn't end when you leave that person, it persists in the damage they've caused and the ways they try to stay in your life and hurt you by proxy. The art is done in a cartoon style and serves the story well.

I personally thought that this graphic novel was not that great. I get this was her life and she is just trying to help others with the same situation, but it came off moronic. She is literally making a joke out of a situation that MANY people have experienced and are experiencing. It may be easier for her to talk about in this manor, but you keep that to yourself, you don't make a joke and trigger other people at your own expense. I gave it 2 stars out of pity, but I would have preferred to give it 1 star (which I find to be pretty rude).

This graphic novel really struck me. Years ago, I was in a similar relationship, and I still struggle with why things happened as they did. Reading this was a freeing experience. It always helps to hear from other people to know that you aren’t alone, so I think that this novel will be very helpful for people that are struggling with former or current manipulative partners. I’m going to be recommending this to my friends and to my therapist so that she can read it as well! I hope that it can help people feel less alone while dealing with such pain.

This book is brilliant, especially in today’s dating world! The graphic novel plus the author’s witty sense of humor makes for a great read. It allows reader’s to think of their own experiences with dating, whether that be following Sophie’s journey throughout the story or creating a new one. I appreciated that they included factual information in there as well.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Having gone through something similar, I really appreciated the way Sophie Lambda handled this serious topic with enough humor but also with enough gravitas to make me feel seen!

- Congratulations to the author for being brave enough to save herself and share it.
- Books like this one should be share at schools libraries where all the kids can have access to it, mostly teenagers and young adults.
- This is my first comic book ever and I am glad I picked it well.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of So Much For Love by Sophie Lambda through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this opportunity.

So Much For Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship by Sophie Lambda is a graphic novel that is part memoir and part self-help book.  It details just what the title says: how Sophie Lambda got through a toxic relationship from beginning to end and also detailing some of the recovery progress.  I rated it four stars on Goodreads.  It is set to be published on April 12th, 2022.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Part memoir, part self-help book, So Much Bad For Love guides readers with honesty and humor through how to spot, cope with, and ultimately survive a romantic relationship with a malignant narcissist.
Sophie had always been cynical about love—until she meets Marcus. His affection and doting praise melt away her defenses. The beginning of their relationship was a whirlwind romance, but over time she finds herself on uneven footing. Marcus lies. He's violently angry and bewilderingly inconsistent. Yet somehow he always manages to explain away his behavior and to convince Sophie that it's all in her head. Sophie comes to realize that she's become trapped in a cycle of abuse with someone with narcissistic personality disorder.
Once she gets out of the relationship, Sophie turns her pen to documenting the experience in this bracing, hilarious, and empathetic graphic novel, full of advice to any readers who may be in similar straits.

This was a really well done graphic novel.  I loved the art style, and how Sophie Lambda illustrated her emotions throughout the story.  You really felt the emotions along with her.  The illustrations were very clear and the text went well with how the story was shown.

It was interesting to read about Sophie's story of her relationship and to also read about the aftermath.  She used some humour, but it is ultimately quite a visceral story.  I also appreciated that she used some scholarly sources to help get across some of the concepts she was trying to express.  

She offered some good advice and some good information.  

Overall, it was a really well done graphic novel and I highly recommend that you check it out.

I truly enjoyed this book. If have ever been in a toxic relationship with a narcissist, this is very relatable. I also enjoy how the narrator tells the story in the past tense, meaning you know she got out of this relationship from the very beginning.

I feel like this graphic novel and the information in it can be incredibly helpful to those in the same situation the author experienced, but also to family members and friends who want to support someone with these experiences. While the latter half of the graphic novel was a bit too dense compared to the first half, the way Sophie Lambda tells her story and the psychology behind it all was very good.

Let me start by saying this book could be very triggering for anyone who has been victim to manipulative relationships. It was tough to read at times. Half memoir half tutorial, this book goes into what Lambda’s specific experience with a manipulative partner looked like, and then red flags and indicators in general, as well as things to do and look for if you find yourself in such a relationship.

This book was part catharsis part trauma for me to read through. As someone who has been in a relationship with a Perverse Narcissist, it was really really challenging to see the mirror held up, even if it was done by a cute teddy bear named Chocolat. But man am I glad I read it. Unbelievably done. Eloquent, moving, well written and entirely relatable. I loved this graphic novel even when I hated it. Brava.

I love the art style in this, though the humor didn't always work for me. (I did wish her bear didn't try to speak 'cool,' even if as a self-aware gag of some sort, by using AAVE, though that might have been a translation choice). I did feel like this was a bit long for what it needed to be, though I appreciated the breakdown of issues in the relationship and definition/illustration of psychological terms in the back half. This might be incredibly useful in helping someone get out of a toxic relationship.

I believe books like this should be required reading for young people heading into relatio ships. I myself was a victim of a narcissistic personality disorder relationship and its so hard to identify from the inside. Seeing others describe it helps to ground the narcissists partner (victim?) and shows them how to manage their feelings and pain.

Loved the message, the drawings and artistry, as well as the color palette used. I like the theme of love and all that one goes through to get it and keep it.

This graphic novel is written essentially in two parts - the first is autobiographical and is the story of a relationship gone bad, and the second is explaining how manipulative people work and strategies for dealing with them. Both are essential but I think it's the second that's really valuable and important. There are certainly some people in my life that I'd like to give a pointed copy of this book to.