I...I don't even know what I was reading. This was an uncomfortable dive into someone's fantasy...definitely not mine.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Esse foi o quadrinho mais confuso e sem noção que eu já li! Séverine é uma jovem comum e sem qualquer atrativo, ela divide seu tempo entre a universidade e o namorado, um dia ela vai ficar de babá e acaba ganhando algo que irá mudar sua vida. Bom, isso é o que promete a sinopse, mas a execução da história não foi assim tão interessante.

Após a garotinha vomitar nela o pai da menina disse que Séverine pode usar uma das blusas da esposa e após vestir a peça de roupa, a mulher vira outra pessoa. A partir daquele dia todos os homens começam a prestar mais atenção nela, será que a roupa deu poderes para Séverine?
Séverine está apenas usando uma roupa de seda com um enorme decote, basicamente ela é uma garota com seios enormes e quando você usa decote os homens olham. O quadrinho é muito sexualizado e no começo da história existe uma estranha interação entre a garotinha e Séverine (a criança simplesmente mostra as partes íntimas pra mulher sem mais nem menos e Séverine a repreende dizendo que ela não pode mostrar isso para qualquer um).

Depois disso Séverine começa a trair o namorado e fazer sexo com vários homens, ela continua afirmando que a peça de roupa deu poderes para ela, mas se a gente pensar bem ela é uma garota que se veste mal e do nada tá usando um grande decote e os seios dela são enormes ... é bastante óbvio que os homens vão olhar para ela e querer falar com ela.

A história é basicamente Séverine fazendo sexo e tendo interações estranhas com homens, uma grande bagunça sem sentido e do meio para o fim surge um homem bomba na plataforma de viagem que ela está e Séverine acorda um tempo depois no hospital e descobre que a blusa foi destruída.
Como se não bastasse tudo isso, o final termina com uma criança vendo o ato sexual entre dois adultos?? Tipo, qual a necessidade disso? Um quadrinho sem noção demais, a sinopse te promete uma coisa e entrega algo completamente diferente. Vi várias pessoas comentando que esse é o estilo de literatura francesa, então acho melhor os franceses melhorarem, pois está bem ruim.

This book wouldn't even open. It told me I needed an app to open this type of file (which I had) and nothing would work. But judging by the other reviews on this book, it's a good thing I couldn't read it.

Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read this book in advance

This book was definitely not for me. The art was kind of cool but the story line was a mess. Huge gaps in time and the whole shirt having magical powers was weird.

Séverine is a young woman who divides her time between her university studies, her boyfriend and his friends, video game fans, and a girl for whom she babysits to earn some money. One night when she takes care of little Eva, she vomits on her, spoiling the shirt she is wearing, so the girl's father leaves her a blouse from his wife so she can change. From the moment she puts on the blouse, everything in her life will change radically..

The story is much like The Red Shoes from Hans Christian Anderson, but with a more forgiving magic. The blouse drags Sèverine (and the reader) towards uncomfortable territories in a fall towards an erotic abyss that seems to have no end. I emphasize how it "seems", because once our heroine hits rock bottom in a tragedy, Vivès introduces an interesting twist in the story and returns control to Sèverine, who is finally free to decide when she puts on her particular red slippers. Warning: it is very French and sexually graphic, and definitely for adults..

the blurb and the actual book were vastly different than what i expected. shaped up to be a quick read though

I’m struggling here. Maybe I simply don’t understand what this book is trying to achieve, but I’m feeling conflicted about what I think the message is.
So in this book, we follow a plain Jane named Séverine. She doesn’t stand out in any way, shape or form... until she puts on a silk blouse. Then, all of a sudden, she becomes a sex bomb. And not only that, but her personality changes just like magic. First, she’s very shy, does not smoke, and is very quiet. After putting on the blouse, she starts smoking, starts cheating on her boyfriend, and “interacts” with strangers with confidence.

When I started reading this book I was shocked with some of the things I was reading, so I started taking notes to talk about them later in my review. I quickly realized I was wasting my time, because it kept getting worse and worse. The first scene that made me icky was when she was babysitting the girl and she pulled her pants down and they talked about her “butterfly” (like they said, not me). I just remember thinking “okaaay… this is pretty weird”. And it just escalated from there (fortunately not with kids anymore).
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind steamy scenes. As a matter of fact, I’m an avid romance reader and I love good romantic scenes. But the amount of vulgarity and cheating in this book made me uncomfortable. Especially that scene when she was in the car and some guy appeared close to the window… What in the world was that?
Now, here’s the thing: I think it’s important to know that this book is originally French, and I can see how this book would be more easily accepted with the French book community because of the strong cultural influence it has. And I’m not talking just about the setting of the story being in France, but also the way the story is written and presented. From everything I’ve experienced when I was in France, I know they talk a lot about topics like sex and periods more freely than in other places, and I completely understand that may be weird to other people. I remember how shocked I was when I saw a commercial on tv about period pads, and they “showed” vulvas and blood on the commercial. I think there’s a possibility that if you’re from another country and you pick up this book, that you’ll find some of the things here a little shocking, so keep that in mind!
I personally don’t mind simple artwork, but this was particularly underwhelming to me. The color scheme and drawings were just okay. Nothing too interesting to look at, in my humble opinion. Not bad, but also nothing stood out.
Am I the target audience for this book? Maybe not. Still, I believe the story is probably underwhelming and weird for everyone - but that’s just my opinion.

Unfortunately I gave 2 stars only for the artwork. But let’s me explain..
when I requested the graphic novel I had high expectations because I was immediately attracted to the plot.
After reading i was really disappointed because the story has many problems, such a pity.

A complete mess of a book; how it even came to fruition is something all readers and reviewers should wonder.

I'm not in the habit of reading NetGalley reviews for ARCs before I pick them up. That is absolutely going to change now, 100% due to this book.

The Blouse was a literary and visually delightful graphic novel. Recommended for those who want to see more than superheroes and typical stories in comics form.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Be warned there are spoilers ahead!

So the plot synopsis got me interested in how it described the book. A french college student, bored with life, is gifted with a silk blouse, that is possibly magical. I thought it would be a more adult version of the pants from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Wow, I was DEAD WRONG. Everything described in the plot synopsis is not said in the graphic novel itself. If not for having read the synopsis before reading, I wouldn't have described the novel that way at all. Séverine is shown to have a nerdy boyfriend, regular college experience, and babysits as a job. After a mishap with the child who she was babysitting falls ill, and get's sick all over her, the father gives her one of his wife's silk blouses. After wearing the silk blouse out and about, to the park, to college, etc she notices men looking at her more and chatting her up. But, I didn't take this as the blouse being magical. She simply went from wearing baggy shirts and cardigans to wearing a form-fitting blouse that she tucked into slacks. She is shown to be a pretty girl with a larger chest. When you wear form-fitting clothing that shows off your cleavage, men look at you. It's annoying as hell, but that's what happens. But, you also get NO introspective as to why Séverine starts acting how she does! Everything that happens in this story feels completely random. She gets into a man's car after ditching her boyfriend and his friends, but then goes with the random guy who turns out to be a cop to a dinner party, leaves said party to walk home in the rain, gets chased down an alley by two random thugs, and then cop guy finds her and they start making out, and then they sleep together?! There's also a thing with cigarettes that flew right over my head. Maybe it's because I'm not French, but why is it that every time a man asks Séverine if she has a cigarette or a lighter, and she responds "Sorry I don't smoke", they curse at her or stomp off? That baffled me, and it happens multiple times. Séverine also gets angry with her boyfriend for questioning where she's been and why she hasn't answered her phone in 24 hours. She acts like it's ridiculous that he's asking where she went when it's normal to be worried about your girlfriend if they go MIA for twenty-four hours! Also, what the hell is up with how the girl who was being babysat is portrayed at the very beginning and the very end of the novel? Why the HELL did you have this child show her "butterfly" (as the novel puts it) to her babysitter apropos of nothing? Why do you have the child see her Father and Séverine in the middle of coitus on their kitchen table?! There was no reason for that! The bombing scene was COMPLETELY random as well. Why are there suddenly Mulism extremists bombing a train station? The station that Séverine just so happens to be in, cause she made a snap decision to go to her parents. The whole bombing and hospital part only happens for a few pages but it's so bizarre. Minor side note, there was one line that gave me pause in the beginning. Séverine's father says "I felt it was a little spicier than usual, so I added essential oil." about some dish they are eating together. This is a random nitpick, but please don't eat essential oil. Essential oil is not meant for consumption.

This graphic novel was a complete mess. I have no idea what was going on with this story, and frankly, I don't think I want to know.

I'm sorry but what the f did I just read? I was intrigued by the premise but as it turns out the story is problematic on so many levels. The illustration is alright, though. But this just proves that I absolutely cannot trust a man to write a book on female empowerment.

More crude than empowering, more unsettling than enjoyable; Vives' "The Blouse" provided an overall disappointing execution of an otherwise intriguing plot.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm not in the habit of reading NetGalley reviews for ARCs before I pick them up. That is absolutely going to change now, 100% due to this book. If I had even glanced at the star rating, I could've saved myself not only an hour of my time, but my peace of mind and what little faith in humanity I had...

This book is not good.

I picked it up because, after reading the summary provided, I hoped this would be a narrative about the dichotomy between self-worth and sexuality, and the fine line women must walk in society today. Turns out, this book is the exact OPPOSITE.

The protagonist Séverine is lent a blouse that magically causes men to find her attractive. That's not the part I take issue with... The second she puts on the blouse, her personality does a total 180—she's no longer shy, suddenly she's down to drink and smoke, she cheats on her boyfriend multiple times without thought, she magically becomes an exhibitionist, and her sense of self-preservation is nonexistent. She turns into a "whore" of the male gaze's sexual fantasy variety, completely devoid of characterization she previously had. Instead of the sensually charged, taking-back-her-sexuality type story, we're treated to softcore porn with little to no direction or intention.

And that doesn't even take into account two things that grossly upset me—the absolutely unnecessary scene between Éva and Séverine regarding the girl's genitals and the terrorist attack on the Gare de l'Est. Both were pointless, having no impact on Séverine or the plot, and came off as egregious, insensitive, and honestly disgusting.

In truth, I wish I had DNF'd this, and I cannot recommend it to anyone I know, least of all my fellow French speakers; if I felt this way reading it in English, I cannot imagine how much worse it would have been in its native language. My apologies for the severe review, but I feel I must be honest. 1 out of 5 stars, ★☆☆☆☆

1/5 stars!

I’m struggling here. Maybe I simply don’t understand what this book is trying to achieve, but I’m feeling conflicted about (what I think) the message is.
So in this book we follow a plain Jane named Séverine. She doesn’t stand out in any way, shape or form… until she puts on a silk blouse. Then all of a sudden she becomes a sex bomb. And not only that, but her personality changes just like magic. First she’s very shy, does not smoke and is very quiet. After putting on the blouse, she starts smoking, starts cheating on her boyfriend and “interacts” with strangers with confidence.
When I started reading this book I was shocked with some of the things I was reading, so I started taking notes to talk about them later in my review. I quickly realized I was wasting my time, because it kept getting worse and worse. The first scene that made me icky was when she was babysitting the girl and she pulled her pants down and they talked about her “butterfly” (like they said, not me). I just remember thinking “okaaay… this is pretty weird”. And it just escalated from there (fortunately not with kids anymore).
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind steamy scenes. As a matter of fact, I’m an avid romance reader and I love good romantic scenes. But the amount of vulgarity and cheating in this book made me uncomfortable. Especially that scene when she was in the car and some guy appeared close to the window… What in the world was that?
Now, here’s the thing: I think it’s important to know that this book is originally French, and I can see how this book would be more easily accepted with the French book community because of the strong cultural influence it has. And I’m not talking just about the setting of the story being in France, but also the way the story is written and presented. From everything I’ve experienced when I was in France, I know they talk a lot about topics like sex and periods more freely than in other places, and I completely understand that may be weird to other people. I remember how shocked I was when I saw a commercial on tv about period pads, and they “showed” vulvas and blood on the commercial. I think there’s a possibility that if you’re from another country and you pick up this book, that you’ll find some of the things here a little shocking, so keep that in mind!
I personally don’t mind simple artwork, but this was particularly underwhelming to me. The color scheme and drawings were just okay. Nothing too interesting to look at, in my humble opinion. Not bad, but also nothing stood out.
Am I the target audience for this book? Maybe not. Still, I believe the story is probably underwhelming and weird for everyone - but that’s just my opinion.

***A big thank you to NetGalley, ABLAZE Publishing and Diamond Book Distributors for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review***

Unfortunately I had to DNF this.
The PDF format for adobe digital edition does not work, it was slow turning pages and sometimes turned more than 1 and then you had to wait ages for it to go to the right page.
This didn't help with the flow of the story, which had a slow start anyway. It also made the overall graphic novel hard to read and not an enjoyable read.

well, I didn't like it at all.
The art was very minimalistic without emphasizing the small details. The choice of using one color for telling a story was good it made me focus only on the story itself.
To me, the story chauvinistic. The main character is invisible at the begging even to her boyfriend but after she got the blouse she became sexy all of the sudden, everyone sees her and wants her. In the beginning, she couldn't be around cigarettes and now she is smoking.

I thought it would be a more realistic story, but it went in a different direction for me.


And the PDF format for adobe digital edition does not work well not on my computer and not on my phone and it is a punishment to try to read anything in that format.

I was curious about the graphic novel because of the artwork and the magical undertone to the premise, but found this very unpleasant and unsettling to read.

The Blouse follows Séverine, a student at the Sorbonne in Paris. She lives a pretty normal life, going through it with little notice from other people (including her apathetic boyfriend). When she happens upon a silk blouse, she notices that the male gaze is intensified toward her leading her down a path of sexually explicit, vulgar affairs. While it empowers her to leave her boyfriend, I find little other redeeming qualities in this story.

The description touts this as being sensual and empowering. I found it to be jarring and crude. Women, who walk through their lives being sexually harassed every day and deal with unwanted sexual advances from men more often than not, don't need to be reminded of that. But that's what this graphic novel does. And the ending isn't redeeming to Séverine. She hadn't made any progress or developed in a positive way (and I understand that that's sometimes the point of a story). I had just hoped we'd see more of a resolution at the end. Instead, I was left with a disappointing ending from an overall disappointing story.