Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

In this, we follow the author as she describes her life with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and tries to overcome it by doing stand-up comedy. She goes through all of the different improv games and exercises to try to come out of her shell and it works! She starts to make new friends and explore parts of herself that she's been hiding. Overall, I think that this is a cute book with an interesting story.

I just did not connect to this graphic novel, despite being a huge fan of graphic novels and improvisation. Maybe I didn't connect to Alex as a person, which is why I couldn't connect to the entire book.

Maybe this project should have been a non-fiction how-to improv book instead of a memoir. Since we only see the main character doing improv, I don't feel like I know them as a person outside of improv and so I don't care how improv has affected other parts of their life.

I love GN memoirs, and I thought this one was really good! Overall, I would recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

As a very anxious person with a long history of performance, this book resonated with me on many levels. I enjoyed reading it a ton, and laughed a lot during the experience. I was hoping though that it would have a bit more actionable advice and fewer descriptions of specific improv exercises. That said, I still thought it was very worthwhile, and am so glad I read it.

7/10
Improve by Alex Graudins is a really nice graphic novel with beautiful illustrations and a good story.

A graphic novel memoir of the author/illustrator’s experience living with anxiety and how she upon a recommendation from her therapist turned to improv classes after college to help her socialize and face some of her fears. She shares many of the things she learned in improv, the experiences she had, how it didn’t “fix” her anxiety, but how it did help in some ways.

I learned a whole lot about improv and different improv techniques/practices from this. In fact, a huge chunk of the book really reads like a crash course in improv with specific memories thrown in. I appreciate the author’s willingness to share her experiences with mental health issues and improv. It was brave of her to do so, and I think will also help those who also struggle with mental health, especially anxiety issues, to see that they aren’t the only ones.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: 2-3 minor swears. No sex scenes. There’s a scene with the author on a toilet (tactfully drawn) and another in sports-style underwear. The author talks candidly about struggles with depression and anxiety and negative self talk that goes through her head. Some scenes with casual drinking. An improv sketch included a character that does drugs.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved the message of the book as a whole. What was equally enjoyable, were the drama games/ideas throughout.

I really loved the concept of this graphic novel. Fantastic illustrations and I think a lot of teens would relate. Unfortunately, I lost interest about 1/3 of the way in as we started to get really bogged down in all of the improv exercises and the excessive detail. I had to really make myself finish this one. I would have a hard time recommending this to my teen readers.

Parts of this book were great, but the descriptions of the improve games quickly became cumbersome. I worry that students would lose interest and abandon the book.

An eye-opening and encouraging graphic novel memoir about living life with generalized anxiety disorder.

The author opens up about her fears and wrestles while proceeding with everyday life. She talks about earlier years, university time, and grown-up life after graduating. Each period of life brings different struggles, but the narrative is the same - self-doubt, fear, and overthinking rule her life.

In this graphic novel, the author tells how she benefited from discovering improv. Practicing improv helped her to overcome fears and move along in her life with anxiety. She starts to feel that there is a place where she can fit in and find a friendship that lasts through all challenges.

I think this graphic novel is a superb representation of anxiety. In addition, it shows in a lot of detail what improv is. If you are interested in any of these topics, pick this up!

Thanks to @netgalley, the author and publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my review!

I'm really loving graphic novels lately and this one was a hit. I loved the plot, the theme, and the characters. I can definitely see this being a popular book once it is published. I would put this in my library!

Graphic novelist Alex Graudins - you may recognize the name from Science Comics and History Comics - uses her pencils to tell her story in this autobiographical graphic novel. Graudins illustrates her history of social anxiety, often at odds with her desire to be part of the "theatre kids" groups. Intrigued by improv, she signs up for improv classes as a way to work through her anxiety and negative self-talk. As she works with others in the group, she learns to work with the ebb and flow of her anxiety spikes. Part autobiographical study and part improv guide, Graudins explains different routines, made more helpful through illustration, letting readers see skits that explain different improv games, including "One Word at a Time", where partners create a story through alternating words and "Advance & Expand", where partners direct each other to move the story along (advance) or provide more detail (expand). Graudins is frank about her struggles with depression as well as the camaraderie and support that her improv groups provide. Graudins's realistic artwork has a cartoon softness - think Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamieson - that puts readers at ease. Back matter includes an author's note, further reading, and additional improv games make up the back matter.

An excellent addition to YA biography collections. Teens will connect with the graphic delivery and appreciate the honest and creative discussions on anxiety. Visit Alex Graudins's webpage for more of her artwork and webcomics.

This story made me tear up; living with generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety is no joke. Alex talks about how she became a leader of different organizations, got a project that allowed her to work from home, and still needed a healthy outlet for her worries.
Contrary to my expectations, improv was no magical solution. Alex describes how she had to trust the process, and herself, to not let impostor syndrome control her. A person can definitely relate to this feeling. Paired with some funny moments -- I laughed at the BoJack Horseman reference -- and you have one great reference.
I'm totally going to read again and enjoy myself. Empathy is at the heart of story, and there is a lot of empathy for those going out of their comfort zone.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading Alex's improve, to put it simply! I have anxiety and was interested in hearing this perspective of it as I'm sure every other introvert or anxious person physically shudders when someone says improve.

It was interesting to hear Alex's experience with this and how improve was part of their anxiety journey. I found it very brave and quite inspiring.

Alex's artwork, scenes and colours were all stunning and made the book a wonderful read.

Miigweetch NetGalley and First Second Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a graphic novel personal memoir about a girl named Alex who struggles with social anxiety in young adulthood. After moving back in with her parents after college, Alex joins a local improv class in hopes of combating her anxiety, which has become fairly debilitating by this point in her life.

I admit to being a person who cringes at the mention of improv and I have absolutely ghosted every person who has ever invited me to watch their improv show (sorry pals if you’re reading this), which is why reading about how the art form helped someone in a positive way intrigued me. My main caveat with the story, and my reason for rating it three stars, is that this is advertised as being a book for teens, which I disagree with. Most of the action takes place with the main character as a young adult, and there is only a quick mention about Alex’s time in high school. I don’t think this story will resonate with teens simply because so many of Alex’s life experiences, and her struggles, are ahead of them developmentally.

The art is cute, cartoonish and simple. I liked how it was illustrated and found the panels easy to follow. I would have liked to see more of Alex’s peer relationships within the class developed; the middle of the book felt like a list of improv games, which while informative, wasn’t exactly the narrative I was looking for based on the back cover blurb.

Improve is such a powerful tool. It is not one that many openly are willing to try, or even think will be useful to them, but for Alex improve opened up doors that they never expected to be opened. This is a lovely book showing how someone who is riddled with anxiety and never feeling like they could fit in is able to find a place where they were slowly able to open up and slowly learn that their anxiety was not always founded. This book does such a great job of highlighting different improve exercises, the struggles that one might think they are the only one dealing with, and also showing that it is okay to step outside your comfort zone. Improve doesn’t always mean you have to be perfect. In fact, many times you will think that you are failing, yet those watching it are receiving it in a totally different light. Such great book highlighting something so many people would never dream of doing. Improve is a powerful tool. Thank you so much to First Second Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I really enjoyed Improv. Not only did I learn a great deal about Improv but the author's story regarding her anxiety helped me reflect on the power of community in our individual lives.

Improve is a mix of memoir and informative nonfiction about improvisational theater. Alex delves into her life with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and at the same time, describes various improv methods and games she played during her improv classes. This book was well-written, and I enjoyed the game descriptions, though I wish the author would have focused more on Alex and her relationships with the others in her class. The games were fun to learn about, but the characters surrounding Alex felt one-dimensional. Their dialogue all sounded the same, and none of them felt like they could have lives outside of improv class.

Many graphic memoirs focus on anxiety and have a similar cartoon look to their illustrations. Unlike Guts by Raina Telgemeier and Real Friends by Shannon Hale, this book is not meant for children. The title is tagged as YA, but the target demographic can be confusing. Because the illustrations are similar to the above mentioned authors, many people would assume this to be a children's book. On the other hand, the character lends very few pages to her childhood or even teen years. Most of the books takes place after Alex has graduated college and is living with her parents again. Most teens would not relate to this experience, even if they are able to relate to the anxiety portion.

Improve is an enjoyable book with a solid main character. Alex sums up GAD with simple illustrations allowing the reader to visualize her feelings. I would recommend this book for new adults who don't know where they belong, anyone interested in theater (especially improvisational), or someone looking to get outside their comfort zone.