I like how this book had a mental health rep and queer rep. I liked how this book also normalized therapy. However, this felt put together.

Thank you net galley for providing me with a free arc of Side effects in exchange for a honest review.


Although I appreciate certain messages the book portrays such as normalizing therapy and reminders that medication is nothing to be ashamed of, nor something that defines you, the lack of time stamps and character exploration really made me unable to connect to the characters. Several plot lines, such as girls getting harassed by a professor also felt randomly thrown in, lacking of the depth that should be given to them. Overall a cute short read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Thank you for the arc!

I did quite enjoy this graphic novel, it has queer + mental health rep which I am always looking for and ALWAYS love. It was quite a unique approach to mental health, I wasn't really a fan of the unwanted side effects thing but I do understand that this is the case for many people who take meds, I am just very pro medication for mental health so it rubbed me the wrong way is all! I still thoroughly enjoyed this book, the artwork was amazing as well as amazing characters with lots of great rep!

This graphic novel with a focus on anxiety and using therapy and medication to help was certainly… interesting.

Hannah has anxiety. Her college roommate takes her to see a therapist, who prescribes medication that ends up giving her “side effects” such as being able to zap things with electricity, astral projection, mind reading, etc… She starts spending more time with friends and even gets a girlfriend. Her girlfriend, Iz, has bipolar and also ends up with a “side effect” of her own.

Hannah helps a fellow student, Marcie, get away from a not so great professor during the time she has astral projection. Marcie is reluctant to report the incident, so Hannah tries reporting in her place. The dean essentially writes off the situation, covering the whole thing up. Marcie does come forward in the end, along with a bunch of other women.

I’m not really sure what else to say about this. The impression I got was that with anxiety, you’re not “normal”. And even when you start going to therapy and taking pills to try to help your brain chemistry, you still can’t be “normal”.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. (The version I read was a finished copy.)

I love finding stories that talk about mental health and also normalize medication, therapy and seeking help. I'm new to graphic novels but may be seeking them out more due to this story and it's beautiful illustrations.

In the end, a bit of a mixed bag for me. The struggles with mental health and getting care were well presented, but the characters and timeline were not always clear. I liked it, but I am not sure it landed as impactfully as it could have if other things were cleaned up a bit more.

For starters, the art was superb. The colours, all the different characters, everything looked fantastic. The story line was very unique and one that was so interesting! The mental health rep was very broad and handled very well. I did find bipolar appeared to be slightly menacing so I got a negative feeling towards that one which wasn't the best but that aside, it was a brilliant graphic novel.

Can I rate this fifty stars?? Because I would. Over and over. As a queer woman who has had mental illness her entire life, I adored this novel. I think it'd one that everyone should read, especially those with no mental illness themselves. It offers a unique perspective. Probably my favorite NetGalley read to date.

A unique approach to the mental illness narrative to be certain. The side effects of medication as near super powers but with a focus on the undesired nature of these "powers" and the way the disrupt the protagonist's life. Its an extreme version of the lose of control.. A bit odd but intriguing.

Queer graphic novels are my everything and I was so excited to dive into this one. Give me a storyline with any kind of magic of powers and I will eat it up. It was really interesting to see how the protagonist got her powers through consuming pills. Mental health rep (that is good) in books is scarce, especially graphic novels. It was so cool to see something that caused the protagonist a lot of pain give her something as cool as superpowers. I really enjoyed the discussions around mental health and the message that it is always okay to medicate (if that is what’s right for you)! I will definitely be reading more from the author in the future.

I love the mental health aspect to this book even though superheroes are my favorite genre. The story is written in a fun, simple way that lets you explore the topic without getting heavily bombarded.

By now I've read quite a number of comics that discuss the topic of mental health. None of them have ever done it like 'Side Effects'! I like how they emphasized the side effects by showing them as superpowers. To me it really showed how much impact those side effects can have on a person's day-to-day life. In this comic you get to see how the therapist works together with their client to find the best tools to help them with their problems.
I do feel like the story was a little rushed at some point, which pulled me out of it. The story could've been a bit more developed.

The art style was something I had to get used to. I didn't really like it. I think I didn't vibe with the art style, because it didn't really look good in black and white. So before writing this review I looked up some pages of the published comic and saw how much better it looks in full-color!

CW: mental health problems and sexual assault

Hello Again!

It’s been a fairly busy week but I have been trying to squeeze in some time for reading (including finishing a massive audiobook that I can not wait to talk about next week)! But in the meantime, I am still reading a ton of graphic novels and manga! Today’s graphic novel, was an E-ARC I was super excited to read, so let’s jump in!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Hannah is a freshman in college! This is the first time she is really living away from home and well she might be excited for all the new things on the horizon so she is also feeling a lot of emotions. Being alone far away with a new roommate (who is super kind and caring) is kinda a lot. Shortly into her semester Hannah starts to feel really down and spends a lot of time in bed, crying and sleeping. Her roommate helps get her out of bed and to a clinic to talk to a mental health professional. Hannah’s talk is really helpful and she is given some medication that might help her as well as follow-up appointments. Hannah is very skeptical about the medicine and tells no one. So when she starts to take it and gets some weird side effects, it’s a big deal. But Hannah is going to keep trying to get better and maybe along the way she can meet some amazing people at college who she can be herself with.

I loved this graphic novel so much, I ended up picking up a physical copy. Hannah’s story is amazing and definitely relatable to many people who are headed off to college and will be away from their families and everything they know for the first time. Hannah, her roommate, and her other new friends are all amazing and supportive when they do learn she needs help. The art style was also amazing, there were lots of nice clear lines and the characters were each given a special design. I really really loved this story, if you are looking for a great graphic novel definitely give this one a try!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

**Thank you so much to the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a cute book, and very quick. I'm torn on the premise/tone of the whole thing though. On one hand, it's a pretty welcome story about adjusting to life changes, handling depression and anxiety, and yes- taking meds. And most of the time it works! It doesn't do much on a metaphorical level, but it's fun. However... showing a manic phase as like... levitating surrounded by spooky energy (very Pheonix/Willow) struck me the wrong way. It's the only side effect that causes fear in others and could be read as dangerous. If that was the case for more of the book I'd be on board... but as is it sort of reads as demonizing bipolar. Overall I enjoyed it, and it'd be a good mental health pick for teen graphic novel collections. Sometimes the art reminded me of Chyna Clugston and that was very welcome.

This book for me was like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day. It was so comforting to read and the humor in it was perfectly balanced to not detract from the serious topics discussed. This comic has given me the push I needed to go to therapy. It presents therapy in a realistic way and shows that it is ok to go. I do want to note though there are some very fantastical elements to this comic they are nicely done. I work in a library and am going to make sure this book gets displayed so others can benefit from its positive messages.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! It captures what going on medication is really like sometimes and how it feels. It may be over the top with the super powers, but that's what makes it interesting! The powers are just a side effect blown up.

Interesting read. It's rare you see mental health being discussed and I liked how Side effects went about it. The graphics were also really stunning.

Great graphic novel that deals with mental health, LGBTQIA+ issues. I loved the color palette and the themes represented. Great for secondary students!

This book was lovely. When a young woman heads off to university, life gets overwhelming. Through the help of therapy and medication, she starts to work through discovering who she is.

As someone who has depression and has gone through several different types of medication, this book really hits home. Where it could be dark, there is hope and light and some very interesting side effects. I think this book is a really key part of the mental health and medication discussion that's really vital to our society.

The art style was beautiful and the story, ultimately, heartwarming.

There is never any shame in taking medication or asking for help. <3