I’m so grateful to see books like this, Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith, and Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo this year. As an AfroLatina, I feel seen by these books. In a way, it feels like they are helping me heal from the anti-blackness I’ve faced my whole life, especially when it comes to my hair.

Ortega did a wonderful job of bringing this to life through Marlene’s story. Marlene just wants to be herself. She’s hurt and confused by the messages her peers and family send her with their jokes and comments about her looks and her hair. After so many saying, “it’s just a joke,” and “respect your elders,” it’s no surprise that Marlene begins to crumble under the pressure.

This book is perfect for everyone, especially Black and Latinx families coming to terms with Eurocentric beauty standards. I will be buying copies for my family members when it is released in October.

I know I was mostly going to read queer books during Pride, but once I got approved for the e-arc on Netgalley, I was so excited that I just couldn’t wait for another month. And I’m glad I started it immediately because, WOW, this graphic novel was absolutely fantastic!

This short but powerful middle-grade story follows Marlene , a young Dominican American girl struggling with her hair. It’s always frizzy and poofy. Because of this, every single Sunday, she’s forced by her mother to go to the hair salon to get her hair straight to fit in and look “presentable” at school and family events. But the boring routine and painful treatments make Marlene deeply unhappy. She imagines a world where she can have beautiful curly hair and finally be herself.

Throughout the story, Marlene learns to accept her hair texture and gets taught how to style her curls properly.

The graphic novel is light, yet emotional and educational. I can’t imagine how important this story must be for young POC readers. I’d love to see this be read in schools so POC kids feel represented and white kids understand the racist commentary they’re making when they make fun of POC hairstyles.

The art style was stunning and I loved the superhero elements added to represent Marlene’s imagination.

5/5, A perfect read!

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second for the e-arc!

TW // racism, loss of parent, bullying

I am so fascinated. This book is beautiful. The illustrations were so colourful, I had to go back and look at them again. As someone who doesn't really like her hair, I am happy at the message this book is trying to pass across. I love it! I love it!
Thank you Netgalley!

Frizzy is a graphic novel that follows Marlene, an Afro-Latina girl in high school who---. She struggles with her mother who is obsessed with always keeping their hair straight and never letting Marlene wear it natural, despite Marlene hating the salon. This graphic novel shows generational and family trauma really well. Marlene's mother also has big curly hair and growing up wasn't allowed to wear her her natural either, and now believes that only straight hair is beautiful and professional. Ultimately, this is a coming of age book about body acceptance and healing from generational racism about hair and the pressures an overbearing family can have on you.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is something I wish I had when I was 11. I spent years straightening my hair because I didn't look like everyone else. My hair was curly and frizzy and I wanted to blend in. If I had this book at that time, it might have helped me to find self confidence to love my hair.

I loved the illustrations. It really fit the story and the colours were beautiful. Really enjoyed it

This was a wonderful middle grade graphic novel. I think especially younger kids and own voices can benefit from this a lot. I LOVED the art style, it was so bright and vibrant and that is really something I love a lot in graphic novels. The message this gives is so important and I just think kids can really learn and benefit from this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc.

I loved this book so much! The illustrations were beautiful and Marlene is so easy to love. I learned more about black culture and hair, which will help me be more respectful and educated.

Sometimes, a piece of writing comes along at just the right time. Whether it lines up with a personal reckoning you’re having or speaks to a more significant societal issue, very few things beat that almost serendipitous alignment between whatever is going on and a good read. The upcoming release of Frizzy is one of those moments because the reckoning it is being released in has been a long time coming.
Frizzy tells the story of a young Afro-Latina named Marlene who absolutely despises going to the salon. She wants to embrace her big curls, but her mother, Paola, has been conditioned to believe that her curls are bad, and that consistently straightening them will make her appear more professional. Paola drags her daughter to the salon every Sunday, until one day, Marlene is fed up and decides she isn’t going anymore. This decision to rebel isn’t one she reaches haphazardly either, as Claribel Ortega writes the angst that we can all relate to as it comes to a pivotal moment in our development. Marlene begins by just doing what she’s told, but she’s always questioning why people have an issue with her curly hair. This line of questioning comes to a crescendo when she begins to be bullied at school.
The bullying is the usual kids-being-mean-to-other-kids stuff, but there is a tinge of racism mixed in that is deftly touched on by Ortega. It is as subtle as it is nefarious, and it very clearly starts to upset Marlene enough for her to wonder if her mother is right about her curls. It isn’t until she speaks to her Tia that she both realizes the pressure her mother has been under to be perfect and why she needs to break free from that. It is in Marlene’s support system, made up of her aforementioned Tia and her best friend Camellia, that she finds the strength to both stand up to her bullies and embrace who she is meant to be.
Ortega has written an amazing story that, as we enter a racial awakening for a lot of Afro-Latinx folks who are on their own racial journeys, will resonate with middle schoolers who see themselves in both Marlene and Camellia. Ortega captures both the rebellious streak we all possess when we are growing up, the desire to not disappoint our parents, and the need for acceptance and love at such a young age. She also does an incredible job of writing these characters with depth, and she especially deserves credit for writing Marlene’s mother Paola’s journey with the appreciation for her struggles. Paola’s growth in this story is one of my favorite things to see, as it mirrors what so many of my own friends have gone through with their natural hair and their parents.
Lastly, we can’t end this review without talking about the artwork. The decision to utilize vibrant colors mirrored that of the movie Encanto, which also dealt with similar themes about generational trauma. The graphics are vivid, and Rose Bousamra's color choices really made the story pop in a culturally-relevant fashion.
Frizzy is an excellent read about self-acceptance and growing pains. Give it a chance when it releases, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

All about embracing your curls however disliked they might be by others.
I can relate to this too much and I loved the way the aunt helped her explore all that.

I bawled my eyes out while reading this book. Fat, brown and short, I am no stranger to prejudices and mean comments. Reading Frizzy was like rewinding all those experiences, the fear and helplessness as I watched Marlene being bullied in school, compared to the perfect cousin in the family, being forced to do things to avoid criticisms from judgmental family members for her natural curly hair. The first half suffocated me but as after the rain comes the sun, The second half was full of meaningful lessons, healing from past traumas and realizing what true beauty means. Highly recommended!

Frizzy is a middle grade book about Marlene and her adventures to tame her curly hair.


As a possessor of hair whose curls have been ridiculously untameable, I completely loved this book. It's absolutely hilarious how many of these exact same conversations I've had with my family and friends. Marlene's bff is a charming and wholesome best friend - don't we all want someone like that at our side? I'm glad she had her Tia too. I was actually worried she won't have any screen time in the beginning.

The truth is so many of our own parents don't know what to do with hair like ours and then we all pass it down from one generation to the other. I loved how this was emphasized in the book too. Now I'm going to try the tips in the book for my hair to see what might work!

Adorable book - I wish I had it when I was growing up ❤️

Technically 3.5 stars

It was a fun quick read that delivered an important message about loving yourself, in this case, your hair, the way you are. About questioning what has been seen as the gold standard for years and offering an alternative that feels more authentic to who you are. It does state that she's being bullied because of her hair due to Anti-blackness. How most people who come from islands have been oppressed for years and so have learnt to hate the black part of their heritage. It's a very important story both for children and adults, it was very affirming to hear hair that isn't straight is just as beautiful and we should feel proud of all parts of ourselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for giving me an eARC of Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega in exchange for an honest review.

Inspired by her Dominican heritage, Frizzy is Ortega's first graphic novel, that centers around Marlene, a young girl struggling with self acceptance, identity, and the challenges of middle school. Marlene's mother has scheduled her a weekly salon treatment to keep her hair presentable for years; however, Marlene dreads this Sunday ritual. Tired of straightening her hair to be able to conform to what society accepts as normal, Marlene is riddled with insecurities about her appearance, and ties her self worth to her outwardly appearance.

With the help of her best friend Camila, and Tia Ruby Marlene slowly starts a journey to learn how to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair. Learning alone the way that her worth is more than her appearance, and that others shouldn't dictate how you look or act.

Frizzy is a must read graphic novel for any young child, especially those with curly hair. The character of Marlene shows up that society's beauty standards are outdated, and that their isn't only one type of "good" or "desired" hair. As Marlene's aunt Tia Ruby said, "All Hair is Beautiful!" Touching on subjects such as family heritage, anti-blackness, and self-acceptance, this story is a five-star read!

Review will be post the week of publication over on my Instagram @thebibliophilesbookclub

Frizzy is a stunning middle-grade graphic novel that tackles loving who you are, intergenerational trauma, and bullying, among so many other things. You can feel the emotion in the dialogue and the artwork, and the effect is incredibly moving. It's so powerful that it made me cry on multiple occasions through reading it - quite a feat for a graphic novel! Marlene is an instantly likeable character that you can't help but root for, and her story is not unique - this is something lots of girls can undoubtedly relate to, and I'm glad that her story is being told. I do hope Ortega and Bousamra collaborate again, because if Frizzy is any indication, they are a team to be reckoned with!

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

I love the concept of this book. The hair journey for colored girls is important and valid. I understand and can relate the Merlene's struggles with her natural hair and the opinions that everyone has on your appearance.

This book does a great job of explaining the start of this toxicity and the reason why it goes from generation to generation.

A beautiful story with a beautiful ending. The illustrations were cute and accurate to the story.

This is a great graphic novel for kids with curly hair struggling with the process

such a lovely graphic novel. it is definitely a book that would get you out of your reading slump and can be read in one sitting.

This story made me cry. My poor heat-damaged 12-year-old self needed this book. 22-year-old me who still struggles to love her hair needed the book. A graphic novel was the best way to tell this story. The visuals went with the story so well. Marlene struggles with loving herself as she is, and how this is something she inherited from her family. Marlene puts a stop to the cycle. The internalized anti-blackness ends with her. I wish I could reach through the page and give this little baby a hug.
I want to stop and praise the art again. Everything about the way the art is drawn adds to the story. What other way to tell a story about “good” hair than to visualize it for the readers. Also, the color palette is just so sweet and I have no other way to describe it but as gentle. I felt like I was being held by my hand and taken on this ride.
Besides Marlene, my other favorite characters were Ruby, Camilla, and Paola.
This is a middle-grade book but I know so many other adults that need this book. Mothers, please read this with your daughter, and daughters read this with your mother. Let me go out and rock my own frizzy hair, this silk press is past its time anyway.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

“All hair is good hair”. There’s one of the lessons we can take from this comic. However, Frizzy offers an insight into the ideas and look of the Latin community and the way the culture relates to hair.
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Me, being from a Latin country, and having had gone through the sorrows of not knowing how to deal with my own hair as a child/teenager, the story hits on certain places not everyone would be able to identify with.
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That being said, the way the writer, Claribel Ortega, talks about hair can be easily understood by anyone who’s to be reading. It is a clear message of courage, mixed with the teachings of the sweetest aunt we all wanted to have, for children and teenagers going through the same questioning. At the same time, it is a reminder to us, older readers, that we can be the breaker of toxic cycles.
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The way the comic addresses the anti-blackness issue on the community is clear, and perfectly on point. There is no need to mask that, and it is important that such issue is addressed as it was, keeping the language simple enough to be understood by different age groups.
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Huge compliments also to illustrator Rose Bousamra for the lovely drawing styles, detailed visual haircare depiction and beautifully drawn curls.
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Frizzy is a must read and must share.

The artwork in this book is so pretty and I love the story. I love seeing her learn to love her own hair and seeing her aunt teach her how to style it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I fell in LOVE with these characters, the artwork, the story, everything about this graphic novel.
Beautifully crafted way to talk about unlearning to make it simple yet poignant. All about self-love and pride in who you are. I can't wait to own this!!