This comic drew me in with drama being a part of the plot. It reminded me of my middle school years when theater was my life. I enjoyed most of the characters but wished we got more time with Charlotte. She was quirky, kind, smart, and just a gem. I did find that I wasn’t as connected to the main character though. It could’ve been because the story lines jumped from one thing to another without much transitioning. Overall, I enjoyed it, but would love to see a full storyline throughout or more organization.

Publishers description: Heart Lamarr is a girl with big dreams who lives in Philadelphia with her single mom. She has her sights set on a life of theater, but she runs into plenty of drama off-stage, too. Luckily, her best friends Dean, Kat, and Charlotte form a stellar supporting cast to help Heart navigate the challenging world of school plays, cliques, rumors, and everything else middle school throws at them.

This is a middle-grade graphic novel, not my usual reading of choice, but when I saw it took place in Philadelphia- my home, I just had to grab it.

Heart has the best support group of adults and the kind of friends a geek like me could only dream of when I was that age.

Just about everything is touched in this comic strip. Heart has friends of every color and sex and seems to have at least one who is LGBTQ, something more hinted at than shouted. And like most kids at 11, Heart didn’t get the hint her bestie tossed her. But I have a feeling it will change nothing between them when this revelation finally comes out.

It was a delightful read and made me smile more than once. Heart is a cool kid, with some cool friends. A mother who is both strict and encouraging. Role models worth looking up to, and she learns from her own mistakes as she grows.

Recommended for any tween.

Thanks to @netgalley, Andrew McMeels Publishing, and Steenz for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

Reading this book make me remind of graphic novels written by Raina Telgemeier. To me, somehow Heart (main character) looks like Cat (Ghost by Raina) because of the similarity of the figure, I guess.

"Heart takes the stage" plotline plays pleasantly make it one of the most valuable graphic novels. The most admirable quality in this book is when it talks about friendship. People often change and having a person who can always remind you between the good and the bad is a blessing. The friendship that they shown touch my heart.

This is a fun and colorful read. The dialong is easy to understand and move along the story.

Fantastic middle grade graphic novel! Funny and very relatable! Heart is a fun goofball character that readers will love!

Cute middle grade graphic novel!

This graphic novel follows Heart and her friends as they navigate middle school together. They meet new friends, have sleepovers, join plays, and much more. It reminds me a lot of the Drama books by Raina Telgemeier and I would definitely recommend for any fans those books. I'm looking forward to more from Steenz!

I received a PDF copy of this graphic novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In which a girl who never in one frame of this looks like the eleven-year-old she's supposed to be gets a prime part in the middle school show, kvetches about not being allowed pierced ears, witnesses her best friend dig a mahoosive hole with his lies about being related to Keanu Reeves, and similar middle school problems. It's all inoffensively reasonable, if not exactly bursting with humour, which makes the decision to make everyone's hairdo resemble someone from American TV pre-1985 even weirder. Even some characters' gender is so loosely defined by the visuals the script has to intervene.

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This new middle- grade comic collection is the first book of Heart of the City comics by the strip’s new creator, Steenz. This comic collection focuses on Heart Lamarr. Heart is a tween girl living in Philadelphia with her single mom, she has big dreams of being part of the theater world. This comic features beautiful artwork in the classic comic style often featured in works such as Archie. The stories feature a diverse cast of characters who experience middle school life, including Hearts friends her best friends Dean, Kat, and Charlotte.

Their encouraging and positive storylines feature tales of friendship, pre-teen life problems and dilemmas, and a wide range of real-world issues. This collection has been designed with a middle school audience in mind and I did not see anything I would be uncomfortable with my children reading.

The stories are relatable, the writing is accessible, and the beautiful artwork adds to the story throughout.

*Thanks to Netgalery for the eARC of this middle grade graphic novel*

(TW: None)

This collection of comic strips by Steenz flew me back to my days as a goofy 11 year old. This would have been just the sort of comic strip I would have read and re-read over and over again. Delightful humour and a charming drawing style, I felt instant nostalgia reading this! I loved it, and hope to see a sequel soon!

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

Heart Takes the Stage is a funny tween graphic novel that will appeal to fans of The Babysitter's Club and Raina Telgemeier's books The story revolves Heart, a girl in Philadelphia who loves theater, and her crew of best friends, Dean, Kat, and Charlotte. According to the synopsis, the book has "engaging, positive storylines about friendship, pop culture, ghost stories, and a wide range of real-world issues."

Overall, Heart Takes the Stage is a light and funny graphic novel that would make the perfect gift for a middle school girl. The graphic novel just screams girl power. One highlight of this book is the artwork, which is bright and colorful. I did take off 1 star, because I found the storyline somewhat boring. I'm not the target age for this book though, and I can see many younger readers enjoying this book. If you're intrigued by the description, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!