A well done graphic novel. Very well illustrated, along with a solid story. This is a wonderful middle grade read that deals with a lot of subject matter in a positive way.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

Miigweetch to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this to review.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love graphic novels that aren't about superheroes. I was happy to receive a copy of this stand-alone graphic novel since it features art and art education. The story revolves around Jade, and her reaction to the suicide attempt of her best friend Phoebe right before Jade goes away to the art farm summer camp experience of her dreams.

The way that Jade deals with her emotions surround this difficult event felt real for me and I appreciate the way the author dealt with the topic of teen suicide. As a ceramist myself, I especially enjoyed seeing various aspects of that craft explored, such as the tools and techniques used, as well as why following best practices when creating is important - accidents can happen as Jade discovers when her piece explodes in the kiln, destroying the work of other campers in the process.

Reading this book was technically awkward at times because sometimes the text would disappear when I tried to move between panels. This may have just been the result of using the NetGalley app, and hopefully this glitch will be fixed before the final publication. I enjoyed the art style and the sapphic love interest, even if the romance did feel a bit rushed.

I would recommend this book to older middle schoolers and young teens. Inconsistent elements of magical realism means I won't necessarily be recommending it for older teens.

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing me a copy for review. This did not affect my view of the graphic novel.

Jade is very excited to attend art camp until her best friend attempts to commit suicide. She’s stuck between trying to focus on working on her skills, and understanding what could have caused her best friend, Phoebe, to hurt herself. There’s also this feeling of guilt: does every good feeling — making friends, doing well on her craft, possibly falling in love — means she’s abandoning her best friend?

I don’t know anything about pottery, but I did look up “score and slip”. From what I gathered, score and slip are essential especially when applying small pieces of clay or ceramic pieces.

I found it interesting for this graphic novel to be titled “Slip”. Firstly, it’s a nod to her art. It’s part of the feedback she was given by one of the instructors in the story when her work exploded affecting another person’s work. Secondly, score and slip is supposed to help attach small clay pieces or ceramic pieces together, and she’s barely keeping it together.

Slip manages to cover a lot in a relatively short graphic novel - suicide and self-harm, coming-of-age, queer romance, complex friend dynamics, and artistic struggles and triumphs. I think many people, especially many young people, will see themselves within the magic of this book.

A touching story about the power of creative expression, with lovely illustrations by Aatmaja Pandya. There were times that I had to set McCoola's book aside, as the discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation hit a bit too close to home. However, this is a secondary plot point involving the MC's best friend. The story instead focuses on how the MC deals with the uncertainties brought about by this turn of events. I wasn't completely sold on the art project part of the story, although I suppose that it does tie in neatly with the idea of making art as a cathartic experience.

I really enjoyed my time with Slip. The main character had a unique journey that I really wanted to see have a happy and healing ending.

First and foremost, Slip is a love letter to art. The story revolves around Jade who is taking part in a summer art camp that is quite intense and demanding but provides wonderful opportunities at the same time as well. However, just before she leaves, Jade finds out her best friend tried to commit suicide.

I think this book tries to tackle many themes of mental health, suicide being the most obvious one. we see Jade going through phases of anger, despair, worry and impostor syndrome as well. I wish we saw more of her relationship with Phoebe though and who Phoebe is as a person.

I think the art style is beautiful and the colouring comes in every now and then in a very significant manner. I found the idea of Jade's art being a manifestation of her emotions and memories a very fun idea and this fantasy side of the graphic novel was quite enjoyable, although I think the author could have done more with it.

All over this is a fun book with some important themes to be explored. I did find the writing and storytelling slightly lacking to sort of tie everything up and deliver the message and emotions of the book in a manner that blew me away. But if you're an artist or art student I think you'll quite enjoy reading this book.

This was an adorable YA graphic novel about self discovery, love, and friendship. I thought the art was beautifully done and definitely recommend this to other graphic novel lovers.

Slip is a novel that discusses different important topics, but mainly depression, suicide attempts, friendship and art. It was interesting to see Jade’s perspective, as the best friend of someone who just had an attempt. Her emotions were so convoluted and confused, which I think was a great portrayal and exploration. I enjoyed the discussion about finding your creative voice and doing something from your heart. In addition, the art was incredibly cute.

With that said, this book did not work for me. The characters felt oddly one-dimensional, even with all their problems and mindsets, and very generic. The pacing was rushed and I felt like the action was all over the place. The reader wasn’t given much of a conclusion, the ending came too quickly and a lot of plot points and discussions were left in the air. (Also, who let’s teenagers alone in the woods so much?!)

I generally feel like this novel just scratched the surface of what this story could’ve been.

A deeply emotional look at how a young artist tries to deal with her best friend's mental illness and how art and processing emotion can help you start to heal. Streaked through with artistic joy and queer love, Slip is a recommended read for teen graphic collections.

TW: attempted suicide, mention of self-harm, description of scars

Jade is getting ready to go to the Art Farm, a summer art camp, when she learns that her best friend Phoebe attempted suicide. Shocked and confused, she is swept away to the Art Farm where she has to develop an artwork or series of artworks under a centralized theme. Though she has this amazing opportunity, and has some solid starts to her project, she struggles to figure out what is really driving her artwork, the concept that her art is exploring.

With a blossoming crush on a fellow artist, and her inability to comprehend her best friend’s actions, Jade is shocked once again by her artwork and sculpture coming to life around her. This dash of magical realism prompts her with memories of Phoebe as she grapples with the realization that she had been ignorant to her best friend’s pain, guilty she didn’t see it sooner, and unable to accept it and de-center herself. Ultimately, Jade finds herself afraid of enjoying art camp and helpless about Phoebe, but realizing that she must confront these feelings to complete her art and be the friend that Phoebe needs.

After attending design school for my undergrad, I couldn’t help but deeply relate to Jade’s struggles as an artist. The strongest works of art are often created with intention and purpose, even if the end goal is unclear. Jade clearly has a LOT of self-growth left to do, even at the end of the novel, and she soon realizes that she needs to fully embrace self-reflection to bolster her art, which in turn helps her sort through her emotions as well! I wish this novel was longer and went more in depth with all of it’s characters, but I appreciated the subtle commentary on mental health and the messiness of these young characters

I just love graphic novels to tell a story! When I knew the author of Baba Yaga’s Assistant had a new graphic novel coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Slip tells the story of Jade who has to deal with her best friend’s suicide attempt that happened just before she had to leave for an intensive Art Camp. This brings a lot of emotions: guilt, stress, sadness, confusion, that she has to deal with whilst discovering some great artistic opportunities in this camp. The reality of the world moving around you even if you’re dealing with difficult things in your personal life hit home for me. The line between pretending and dealing with those emotions is so fine, and I think the depiction of using art as a way to express yourself beautiful. The contrast of her finding love is also an added layer of how complex life can be when you’re having everything happen at once. I definitely saw growth in Jade by the end of the story, and I could root for her in her journey to continue to face these hard challenges through art and by being more open with her loved ones and herself.

Everyone here should know my love for magical realism, and the hint we find in this story was really fun. I definitely wish the graphic novel had been in colour since the art camp and forest setting would’ve thrived with it.

So yeah, definitely pick it up !

While the linework of this graphic novel was really beautiful, something about the overall book and story fell flat for me. “Slip” is a graphic novel about art, growth, and recognizing and trying to understand painful emotions. The book is about 95% in black and white, and I think the story would have had a much greater impact had the artwork been done in more color. In the story, the main character Jade has gone to an art program for the summer after learning that her best friend, Phoebe, tried to commit suicide. She struggles a lot to understand how her friend must have been feeling, how she didn’t notice, and how she herself feels about Phoebe’s attempt and how it emotionally affects her. Her emotional struggles are reflected through her art and all the slip-ups and obstacles she faces while trying to create a portfolio with meaning. Jade’s interactions with the other characters at the art camp feel very flat and don’t really assist in her personal growth. She also has a relationship with another camper, and this came as a weird surprise for me. The way their relationship was built into the narrative felt forced and lacking. I appreciate that it was a wlw relationship, and with the flashbacks Jade has from a conversation with Phoebe, it feels like that could have been an important piece of self discovery… but the way their romance was executed in the story didn’t do that as well as it could have.
I did love the scenes where we got some of Jade’s conversations with Phoebe through images in the flames, and also the scenes where her creations came to life as a physical manifestation of her emotional state. I think these scenes in particular are what the story was really about.

CW: Suicide
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Jade and Phoebe have always been a package deal, but when Phoebe attempts suicide, Jade is left on her own with no way to get in touch with Phoebe. Jade is supposed to start a month long arts program. It's a big deal. But she's having a hard time getting focused because what kind of friend would she be if she wasn't there if Phoebe needed her? How can she balance her needs, her art, and her guilt about not seeing that Phoebe needed help? Blending flashback with high emotion Slip does a great job of talking about mental health and how we can support ourselves and those we love most.


Thank you to the publisher and SLJ Day of Dialog for getting me an advanced copy

DNF 80% through.

I could not bring myself to finish this one at all.
Once a book feels like a chore to read I know it’s time to put it down.

I did not like Jade whatsoever, her best friend tries to commit suicide and all she can think of is herself. How could her best friend do this to her? Really how selfish can you be.

The relationship between Jade and Mary was also very odd, there was absolutely no build up or inkling that they had feelings for each other. They just simple kissed one day and that was that, there was no chemistry between them.

I did receive this as an ARC through NetGalley, I do appreciate them and the publishers for allowing me to read this for my honest review. Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me.

This was a quick read. I found it very relatable, and really enjoyed it. I have been Jade in a couple of relationships where people I love have done extreme harm to themselves, and have left me floundering wondering why they couldn’t just tell me. I understand that feeling of guilt in moments of happiness when you know someone you love is struggling. That rage and anger that comes from them not telling you.
“I should just give up on you”…”Move onto the next piece…” Jade was talking to her art but clearly thinking of Phoebe. I’ve also hurt people who care for me by not sharing what I’m feeling and shutting them out.

The art style has an unfinished quality to it, that I think added to the story. Like an “we’re all unfinished works of art” kind of thing, I loved the way all the different ceramic techniques and tools were labeled throughout. The art student in me loved the art camp setting. I do believe that people who create and do art feel emotions the most intensely.

Great read, thank you NetGalley and. Algonquin Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, SLIP is a fantastic YA Graphic Novel that deals with growing up, mental health, and learning how to be yourself and move on when things are scary. It’s a quick read, but you’ll want to take your time looking back at the graphics and just thinking back to that time in your life when things were changing at a pace you couldn’t really grasp.

I got an ARC of this book and got invited to participate in a blog tour!

I have been so excited about this book. I have been reading a few pages at a time. The emotions are so raw and intense, that I didn’t want to rush it. I ended up reading a large chunk of the book while getting a tattoo, which seemed fitting to experience art while reading about art.

The plot and the art worked wonderfully together, but at first they were both difficult for me. I don’t know if it was me or the story itself that was having the issues though. It felt like there was a lot thrown on at once to start the story, but they everything mellowed out immediately so it felt disjointed. For a while I couldn’t really tell what was happening or who was who. T

hen the art starting coming to life, but I can honestly only remember one piece really doing anything. The way this was used to make the MC address her feelings didn’t really come through for me. Instead it felt more like the art itself was the problem, like the kiln was magical. Steven Universe handled this method a bit better in the spin off series/epilogue series. I was expecting something more like that. This just didn’t quite go far enough for me.

I did appreciate that the MC struggled with being happy and finding romance while her best friend was struggling. I loved that the MC struggled with how to support her friend without making the friend the villain. It was nice to see this side of thing, having been on it many times. It allowed for complicated emotions and for some not great reactions to it.

Overall, I liked the book but it wasn’t the best book I have read about art or about suicide or depression. It is worth a read. You very well may like it more than me. I just needed a bit more to really be in love.

Content Warning: Slip is centered around coping with suicidality in a loved one, and contains scenes and content relating to suicide.
I have got a soft spot in my heart (and on my to-read list) for queer graphic novels, so when I heard Slip was about a Queer artist coming into her own, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy right away! The story contained a frank discussion of suicidality that I think is incredibly important, especially as this is a topic less frequently explored in a graphic novel format. As Jade struggles to cope with her best friend attempting suicide, she also is fighting to figure out who she wants to be as an artist and as a person. These compounding difficulties make Jade’s story a compelling and extremely readable one, drawing readers into her world through her relatability.

I loved the subtle use of color and the limited palette included in Slip, as most of the scenes were illustrated in blues with splashes of red for emphasis on important scenes. I also enjoyed the emotiveness of the characters brought in by Aatmaja Pandya’s illustration techniques. I sincerely hope this graphic novel power-duo will publish another book together!

My Recommendation-
If you have been looking for a graphic novel with real depth of character, you need to grab a copy of Slip right away! I would especially recommend this book to artists who have struggled with finding their own creative voice and meaning in the world.

It’s not very often that I sit down to write a book review immediately after finishing a book — unless I’m on some sort of deadline, and by “on” I probably mean “procrastinated on.” I’ve had Slip on my NetGalley shelf for months, so I guess you could say I procrastinated. The book came out this week, and now that I’m back from traveling and assorted major life events, I thought I would spend some time on my day off catching up on my to-reads.

I did not expect to start and finish Slip in a matter of hours, and certainly did not expect to be reaching for my laptop with a literal hunger to write about it after the fact. But here we are.

I’ve developed a format and style for these reviews in an effort to make this review half of the blog stick, but I guess that’s all out the window for this one, because I have emotions, and I have to put them into words or I won’t get a single other thing done today.

Anyway. Book. Graphic novel. Slip. Where do I begin?

Maybe I’ll start with the fact that in high school I had a friend who wasn’t taking care of herself, and it was scary. It was scary because we’d been best friends since we were eight, and suddenly it was like she’d become a different person. She didn’t tell me things anymore. Everything changed. And I was 14, and I didn’t know how to tell her I was there for her when she was ready. And it hurt. A lot.

That’s the premise of Slip. Jade heads off to a summer art program knowing she’s leaving her best friend behind. Phoebe is hurting, and Jade doesn’t know how to fix it. So she tries to make art. Tries and tries and tries. The results aren’t great at first. She doesn’t know she’s grieving. Doesn’t know she can grieve through her art, and that this complex thing might untangle itself a little when she does.

I felt this so deeply and personally. The story is beautiful, even when it hurts. The visuals are stunning. It all fits together so perfectly. It comes from a place of pain but comes out on the page … like art. Which is exactly what it is. Go figure.

Slip is the kind of story that will have you rushing to tell the people in your life how much you love and need them. It’s also a book that will inspire you not just to feel things, but to take your pain and mold it into something beautiful.

And because it’s Pride month, not that I’d neglect to mention it any other time, there’s a queer romance AND IT ENDS HAPPILY SORRY TO SPOIL IT, BUT I’M ALSO NOT.

This is the book I didn’t know I needed. I needed to get lost in a book and emerge at the end of it feeling something again.

It’s just my opinion, but I think you’ll like it too.