Improve by Alex Graudins is a graphic novel memoir about the author's journey with anxiety and a love for improv.
After being anxious through school and into her adult life, Alex decides to try improv comedy after being prompted by her therapist. This helped Alex practice her social interactions to work on her anxiety. This also led her to find friends with the same interests. The book goes into detail about the improv classes as well as the author's experiences and thoughts. You get to see what it is like for someone who is dealing with social anxiety.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Great message relayed in this book: it’s ok to fail forward. The memoir part of the story was good, learning about how the author overcame paralyzing social anxiety through improv. Kind of felt like an “improv for dummies” book. Definitely geared towards an older audience.

Really loved this book, but it seemed a bit too long. I took one star for that, but overall loved the focus on mental health and how improv helped the author.

I'm actually kind of baffled this is being publishes for teens. While many teens to struggle with anxiety, I found that the examples Alex was providing were unrelatable for teens: being the youngest person, not knowing how to make friends after college etc.

I'm not sure a teen could resonate with the issues and on top of that I felt like it took far too long to get to a resolution which then wrapped up too quickly.

I also wish there had been a larger discussion about using improv with therapy/medication. This was briefly mentioned, but I think it could have benefited from a deeper exploration.

Overall it was enjoyable enough.

A fascinating graphic memoir that deals with social anxiety and improv. This feels like a book that could do some real good.

For Libraries: If memoirs or nonfiction graphic novels are popular with your YA readers, you can't go wrong here.

Alex Graudins has always been anxious, particular when it comes to social interactions. While she found ways to cope in high school and college, the looming possibilities of post-college life left her feeling depressed and (even more) anxious. She had been interested in improv comedy for years, but never took the plunge until she saw a local group perform. Her therapist also suggested it as a way to build up her confidence. Finally, Alex signed up for a beginner's class and over time, her life did improve. Eventually, her improv classmates become like a second family and Alex gets a bit better at accepting failure, making small talk, and having thoughtful interactions in social situations. Alex shows the reader a plethora of improv techniques and games, framing her own reactions and struggles within them. I enjoyed learning more about improv, although there were moments when it seemed like these improv scenes were taking over the plot. As someone who has struggled a lot with anxiety and depression, I related to many of Alex's stories. There were quotes and pages that I shared with others because I found them so relatable. It was both relieving and terrifying to see myself in this story. I would recommend this to folks with an interest in improv, graphic novel fans, or those, like me, that have a history with anxiety.

Thank you to NetGalley and FirstSecond Books for allowing me early ARC access to this book.

It took me a bit to finish this book. I’m not sure if it was because it really hit home for me or that life just got in the way, or maybe a little column A and a little of column B. But I really feel like this book resonated with me in a big way. I really felt Alex’s story and experiences with social anxiety. I know I struggle with many of the same issues and have a lot of the same dialogue going through my head all. the. time. I can really appreciate how she managed to work through many of the ongoing issues.

I feel like this is a book that could benefit my students, and it will be going on my fall list to buy!

Improve is a graphic memoir that takes the reader on a journey through the author's experience with anxiety, and how improv classes helped them. While this is a book marketed to teens, as an adult dealing with anxiety, there's a lot that an older audience can gain from this read, too. The artwork is fantastic and captures emotion wonderfully, which is important considering the subject matter. Most importantly, though, Graudins outlines numerous exercises for readers to do without requiring formalized classes, which is a fantastic way to break down barriers to access: not every teen has access to a local or school theatre, and this book puts those exercises directly in their hands and tells them that they can do it, too.

Thank you to First Second and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Improve: How I Discovered Improv and Conquered Social Anxiety is so many things! It's an autobiography of author/illustrator Alex Graudins' experiences with anxiety and improv, a how-to on basic improv exercises, and an inspiration!

While graphic memoir focuses on time spent post-college taking improv classes and living with her parents, it's geared towards young adults. Teen readers (especially ones with anxiety) will relate to the struggle to put yourself out there, imposter syndrome, and fear of failure.

The conversations around social anxiety are especially important after school closures due to COVID-19. Having worked with teens pre-, during, and post-closures, it's clear many need more practice and exposure to social interactions and talking to new people. This graphic memoir provides great ideas on breaking down barriers and encouraging interaction through improv, which is especially helpful for individuals who work with youth and new adults.

A heartfelt memoir about the power of performance and how it can help with anxiety. I loved the addition of the games in the text, perfect for readers who might want to try some improv on their own.