So I have been awaiting approval for this book for ages and so glad it finally came.

Good story with great characters you can relate to, the story flows nicely and you grow to love the characters.

Only issue was just viewing it through the Netgalley app made it blurry

The story Belle of the Ball is engaging. I could sort of see how it was going to go but the dialogue, storyline, and interesting scenes kept me going. Regina was a bit too two-dimensional and there were tired tropes such as the not-expressive jock and the hardcore nerd introvert. The story and the fun illustrations helped balance that.

**Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader's copy of Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa is a young adult romance graphic novel.  It features the high school mascot who asks out the head cheerleader because she has a crush on her, but the cheerleader is already in a relationship with a top athlete at the school, and together they are the it couple.  Things escalate from there.  It is set to be published on March 21, 2023.  I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

A young adult graphic novel about high school wallflower Belle Hawkins, who ends up in a love triangle after tutoring the girlfriend of her crush.
High-school senior and notorious wallflower Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush: Regina Moreno, head cheerleader, academic overachiever, and all-around popular girl. There’s only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star…and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her.
And while Regina’s plan works at first, she doesn’t realize that Hawkins and Chloe knew each other as kids, when Hawkins went by Belle and wore princess dresses to school every single day. Before long, romance does start to blossom…but not between who you might expect. With Belle of the Ball, cartoonist Mariana Costa has reinvigorated satisfying, reliable tropes into your new favorite teen romantic comedy.

I had so much fun with this graphic novel.  It was a completely adorable sapphic romance.   I liked how it was a love triangle, but it twisted things in an unexpected way.  I don't want to spoil it, but it was very surprising to me, and I was absolutely delighted about how it ended up.

The art style was really cute, and I enjoyed the character design.  They each had a really good design that made them feel unique.  Their emotions came across easily, and it was also easy to tell which character was which.  The colour palatte was pretty minimal and remained in the realm of pinks and reds.  I would have like a bit more in the range of colours, but it still looked really good.

The story was well written, and I enjoyed the vibes of the characters.  They were very interesting, and I liked the dynamics between them.  They were well written.  There was also some really good character development over the course of the story.  You learned a lot about who each of our three main characters were.  They all felt dynamic, and I loved each of them for their strengths and flaws.

I highly recommend that you check out this graphic novel when it publishes in March of 2023.

These characters are each adorable and strong in their own way. You’ll be cheering for all three of them!

Belle of the ball is a super cute, LGBTQ. Love story that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy. It was a shorter and lighter, female Heartstopper. Infact the only negative comment I have is that I wish there were more! I want to read more about Belle, Chloe, and Gene!

I received an ARC of Belle of the Ball from First Second Books via NetGalley. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Hawkins finally works up the courage to talk to and let her crush, Regina, know how she feels about her, not only does Hawkins get shut down, but Regina’s girlfriend, Chloe, is not thrilled. In a twist of events, Hawkins ends up hanging out and helping Chloe and Regina in an unexpected way that leads to an unexpected bond forming and changing dynamics that effect everyone.

I loved this cute and quick read with the love triangle that goes awry and leads to an unexpected connection. The story was sweet and did not just end abruptly, but rather had a wonderful beginning, middle, and end. Well written and direct without losing the whimsy of the story and connections being made. I loved the illustrations and the uniqueness of each character and how their personalities really matched the image drawn for them. The only think I did not like? The color scheme used with the images. I do not know if this will be changed with time before publication, but I was not the biggest fan of the pink & red scheme being used. It was a bit distracting and rough on the eyes. Other than that, a fun and enjoyable read that I cannot wait to see on shelves!

Thank you, First Second Books, for allowing me to read Belle of the Ball early!

This story was everything I needed. So beautiful.

An adorable fast paced sapphic rom-com. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and see them as three dimensional and not just one note. The jock isn’t just a jock and the nerd isn’t just a nerd. The story is super cute and this graphic novel moves pretty quickly. A love triangle that you kinda root for.

Belle of the Ball is a very lovely graphic novel that reflects a variety of struggles faced by teenagers trying to meet others expectations and figuring out how to be themselves. I think many teens will be able to relate to the anxieties faced by the main characters with dating troubles, low self-esteem, and being a senior and looking for universities.

The illustration style fits so well with the story and genre and I think the pink monochrome palette will help the book stand out on shelves. I love the diversity between characters, not just in race but also body type.

I found the characters Belle and Chloe to be very likeable, and watching their blossoming romance was so fun. Chloe helping Belle reconnect to her interests and not being ashamed of them was very sweet.

In my opinion the writing for Regina was just alright, I appreciated that she wasn't just a popular cheerleader stereotype and that she had big ambitions for life. But I found her reaction to the final conflict ruined some of the tension that was building up, I thought she would fight back harder.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't often read graphic novels, but I wanted to give this one a try. I teach middle school/high school, and it breaks my heart to see students struggle with accepting themselves and then gaining the acceptance of others. I was rooting for Belle the entire way. People change as they grow and mature, and sometimes we forget the joy and excitement in the innocence of youth.

3/5 stars

This YA graphic novel may appeal to lesbian/bi/pan teens. It illustrates how convoluted the web of friendships, crushes, and relationships can be. However, the pink shades of the illustrations are a bit unnecessary. Chloe obviously doesn’t fit the gender stereotype of girls=pink, so why pigeonhole this story into girly tropes? Additionally some of the word choices (“revisions”) in regards to finals is not vey American, but it is clearly set in the United States, so it’s a bit of a clash and jolts the reader out of the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this cute comic ! I wasn't sure where the story was going, at first, and I wasn't for sure liking all the characters... but that changed fast ! This is a cute, heartwarming and absolutely queer story about crushes, friendships and acceptance. I'll be very happy to have a look at the paper version of it !!

Miigweetch to NetGalley and First Second Books for the DRC.

This was a lovely sapphic romance graphic novel. I liked the art style - it reminded me of Steven Universe but with its own unique spin. The monochromatic color scheme worked for me. Loved loved LOVED the diversity of bodies that were represented via the main characters. The characters start off a bit flat and the plot is rather predictable for an adult reader, however, I was very impressed with the characters personal growth throughout the story, especially Hawkins. When she respectfully stands up for herself and draws a boundary after being mistreated by another main character, I cheered.

I was so hoping for a polyamorous throuple to come out of this plot, but alas, no. There were elements of the story I would have liked to see fleshed out more, mainly - why did Belle and Chloe stop being friends/hanging out together after kindergarten? The ending was abrupt and I think the story would benefit from even just a short epilogue. I recommend this book to fans of coming of age stories, queer romances, and general high school comic shenanigans.

I thought this was super cute. Three sapphic characters, all caught in the midst of a tangle of romantic feelings and long-forgotten friendships. I wished we'd gotten more of Regina, as she felt the least developed of the characters, but overall I really thought all three girls were interesting in their own ways. I loved the shift in love interests over the story as Hawkins and Chloe bonded, and the realization that seemed to happen sub-textually that relationships should have a bond like that, which had been missing from Chloe and Regina's.

Loved this comic! Thank you NetGalley for giving me and Advanced Readers Copy for my honest review.


Belle of the Ball is a cute high school love triangle between three girls, where they learn to be true to themselves while navigating GPA’s, school dances, and college admissions. My favorite sequence takes place at a renfair where two of the characters are just adorable and awkward in their costumes, and I just want to grab them like a pair of dolls and go “now kiss”.

If you were that kid in school that was worried that your outer persona would be ridiculed if you dressed how you wanted, that hid your interests out of fear of being made fun of, that felt the pressure of society and familial expectations, then this story will resonate with you. All three main characters go through their own growth and the ending satisfies. A cute fun read, hope there’s a sequel, would recommend. :)

Also the main character totally reminds me of a teenage version of Chloe from We Bare Bears.

a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about friendship and learning to be confident.

this is a coming of age story that follows three high school seniors, Belle, Regina, and Chloe. belle has had a crush on chloe since freshman year and finally musters up the courage to ask her to the dance, but regina is in a relationship with chloe. chloe and belle were elementary school friends but have since fallen out, an reconnect when belle tutors chloe. this is a sweet sapphic romance with three main characters that are all unique and fully fleshed out. i really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Pros:
-super cute art
-queer rep

Cons:
-I'm not a huge fan of the monochromatic color scheme
-Abrupt ending

Belle of the Ball is the story of three queer girls in their senior year of high school. Gene is driven by her 10-year-plan to become a doctor and get her happily ever after with Chloe, her star athlete girlfriend. When Chloe is failing English, Gene gets Hawkins to tutor Chloe for free since Hawkins has a crush on Gene. While Chloe is initially not okay with this, she realizes she actually knows Hawkins from her childhood, and everything Chloe thought she wanted is turned upside down.

This is so adorable. I blazed through this in one sitting, I loved it so much. It was nice to see the characters develop into themselves as they got to know each other better. The ending did feel a little rushed and maybe too amicable for high schoolers in relationships though. I think the artwork would have been even better with full color instead of this monochromatic style that's popular right now.

The story flowed well and I was intrigued throughout about the building relationship. I enjoyed getting to explore many locations and learning about the past.
The characters were very relatable and realistic. Their dialogue with one another felt like high school dialogue.
The art was cute and I didn’t have a hard time following their emotions throughout. I didn’t ever zoom in on backgrounds which I always enjoy doing.
Overall, I enjoyed Belle of the Ball due to the inclusion of the characters’ pasts and their budding romance!

Belle Hawkins is a nerdy wallflower who summons her courage to asks the popular cheerleader Regina Morena out on a date. Unfortunately Regina declines as she is dating Chloe Kitagawa. While Chloe may be gifted as an athlete, her poor grades in English has her coach threaten to kick her off the team and also threatens her ability to graduate. As a solution, Regina uses Belle's crush to get her to tutor Chloe for free. The love triangle isn't as messy as some might assume and the love story was actually pretty sweet.

<spoiler> I emphasized with Chloe's reluctance about learning English. Many who read the book will be able to relate to her struggle. I enjoyed seeing Chloe open up after she learned that Belle used to be her childhood best friend. Belle also becomes more confident with Chloe's company and I was definitely rooting for them to be together. I was also glad that Regina wasn't portrayed as a scheming mean girl. She may be brash, but graciously steps aside and convinces Belle to ask Chloe out in the end. The high achieving cheerleader may not have as much growth as the other two, but I liked her as a character. But maybe if she did, the story would be even more compelling. </spoiler> Overall, Belle of the Ball was a fun read and I do recommend it. 4/5

I just loved this graphic novel so much. I loved the characters, Regina was so annoying but in that entertaining way that you were like ok, they can break up and it will be cool. Fantastic. Loved the lesbian rep and this was definitely my favorite graphic novel in the last few years. Highly recommend.