I wanted to like this graphic memoir—a form which usually draws me in—but I never felt like Gharib got to a point. Nice little depiction of a transformative period in her life, though.

A sweet, personal story about a multi-cultural, blended family kid growing up and all the struggles that come along with it. Gharib really allows the reader to step into her shoes across the years. You feel for her, but also her family members.
While the story was touching, I found the pacing to be a bit confusing at times and the art hard to weed through. Overall enjoyable.

I thought this was a really great look at not only personal identity and how you navigate that, but also what that means in the larger scope of your family. I really enjoyed this.

It Won't Always Be Like This is a touching memoir about a young girl, Malaka Gharib, who faces difficulties growing up in a foreign country with different customs. The book explores her journey of self-discovery and the importance of family amidst cultural challenges.

I liked this graphic novel memoir! It was an interesting storyline over many years of her life and I enjoyed the art style as well.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the advanced read; these are my honest opinions.

Over the course of her adolescence and into young adulthood, Malaka documents an intimate perspective of her summers in Egypt with her father and his new family.

Being half Filipino and half Egyptian, while simultaneously growing up in America, Malaka struggles to find where her identity lies, though she does seem more inclined to her American side. As she navigates both cultures, she runs into a few different obstacles, i.e., her father wanting her to cover up more and be "nicer." Whereas she could freely date and move-in with her non-Muslim boyfriend back home, in Egypt, she can't even mention her intentions without being heavily criticized.

Surprisingly, this story isn't just about Malaka, but also about her stepmother Hala. Hala also experiences a number of different changes, as the years go by. Once being a free spirit, she gets captured by the mundane woes of marriage and motherhood. She is complacent with her situation until she decides to do something about it, with Malaka's encouragement.

Overall, this graphic novel was incredibly intriguing, but seemed to fall just a bit short. While Malaka attempted to touch on various hard topics, her perspectives felt surface level - granted, her age, at the time, could be a reason why. I would have also preferred to dive deeper into Hala's past and where she ended up but can understand her wanting a certain level of privacy.

Some of the more emotional charged scenes were well written - Malaka telling her father how she really felt about his new family. And I personally really enjoyed the artistic style of this memoir.

It was a quick read, but still packed with a number of thought-provoking scenarios. I would recommend to other readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this excellent graphic story detailing the author’s split childhood between her Filipino family in Southern California and her Egyptian family in Cairo.

Another lovely graphic memoir from Gharib. This was a beautiful story on how her relationship with her dad changed over the years as she grew. She touched on how she wanted to be involved in her dad's side of the family and learning how to navigate her relationship with her stepmother and her step-siblings.

This was an interesting read about family relations and girlhood, and I enjoyed following Malaka's story and her changing relations with the people around her across the years. It takes courage sharing one's childhood and growing up with such a wide audience.
The art style was not exactly what I had expected and I would have enjoyed some more details, this was definitely the weaker part of the graphic novel for me.

This tore at my heart strings. As someone who has dealt with the struggles of blended families, this hit a bit close to home. The graphics were gorgeous and the overall story was good so beautifully and with so much grace.

I love a good graphic novel memoir; "It Won't Always Be Like This" is no exception. It's a wonderfully in-depth look at the life over years of a girl stuck between cultures. As a mixed race, multi-cultural kid myself, I can relate.

I enjoyed reading about how Malaka's family dynamics changed over the years. Books that give a look to a life with that much of a span are always fun to read, because I think you can better see the impact time has on all things.

My main criticism is the art style; it seems to straddle the line between "this is my authentic style" vs. "I just didn't feel like drawing those hands correctly this time". As a lover of graphic novels, the art in this one is definitely on the unrefined side.

But content-wise, I wasn't left lacking. Great story, absolutely recommend.

Enlightening graphic novel following a young girl's growth between two homes, as she learns to straddle two very different worlds. Quick, interesting read.

Thank you to Ten Speed Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I was surprised by how good this book was, I was not too fond of the design of the drawing but the story made up for it.

I thought the artwork in this book was lovely. A raw and vulnerable story about what it is to growing up, belonging and loving people and places and all the complexities that comes with growing up and navigating different cultures. If you love graphic novels, and are looking for a quick, meaningful read, then this book is for you!

really enjoyed this! i loved the sketchy, colourful art style and the way the story focuses on malaka's relationship with hala and her family dynamics. something just felt like it was missing, though. i would have liked a bit more introspection maybe, and less chronicling of different events. and I think more time with hala would have packed in more of a punch with the ending. still, a thoughtful, vibrant read!

*this ARC was provided to me via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

Oh my goodness! Now this was gut-wrenching and the art work— wow!

Although it was a shorter memoir aside from others, it showed so many emotions and really portrays the reality and experience of immigrants who sacrifice a lot. And the drawings and art was made amazingly for this novel.

It Won't Always Be Like This is a great follow-up tp Gharib's "I Was Their American Dream." This book was more emotional than the prior one. I really loved the exploration of culture, identity, and not feeling quite right between two worlds.

I know slice-of-life memoirs aren't for everyone, but Malaka Gharib is an auto-read for me. Loved her first book and loved this one too.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this graphic novel. I loved following the characters. The art style was pretty. The storyline was interesting, and it hit hard.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I loved this. A new perspective, a fresh story. I liked how Gharib framed her story and the images. It was interesting and fun. I appreciated her love for her family and how she told her own story. I hope to read another graphic novel by her again someday.