Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the Arc of Enemies Graphic Novel. I love these characters and after reading it I ordered it for my Jr. High Library!!

Hoping to see more from Svetlana. Her books are valuable adds to our site!

This latest book in the series brings back familiar and introduces new characters to readers. For anyone who hasn’t read Awkward, Brave, or Crush, Enemies can still be enjoyed. This one tackles the ups and downs of friendship in the midst of an art contest. Enemies seems a little fluffier than the previous books in the series but is still a fun read. Thank you to Net Galley and Svetlana Chmakova for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the free book.
All around I enjoyed this book however I wish that Felicity and Letty had sat down and talked about their problems. When it comes to her sister Felicity has an inferiority complex and her sister doesn't make it any better by being super snarky about everything. If they don't sit down and talk about the problem they're just putting it off, letting it grow until it becomes a bigger problem.
I liked Felicity's willingness to talk and communicate. When her friend stopped talking to her she was confused and wanted to know what the problem was. She was willing to grow and I admire that in her. Just like in the other books I like seeing the other characters from previous books. The different relationships we get to see from previous books just made me super happy.

It was funny but there was something extra that I needed. More drama? Maybe haha, but it is middle grade, so I understand it. Anyway, I would definitely recommend it to the young readers.

Read and reviewed by 9yr old reader.

“A great story that I really wanted to read.”

My son read this in two days and loved it.

Enemies is the newest book in Svetlana Chamakova's series. It is a good story about friendship and failure. I like that the series can be read alone or read separately. There is a subtle conversation about gender identity. Throughout the book, you see diverse characters.

This is a continuation of the Berrybrook Middle School graphic novel series about the awkwardness of those early teen years. The characters are different in each book. Here we have Felicity, a girl who doesn't fit the mold. She loves drawing and gaming, but has a hard time finishing anything, and her perfectionist sister is always pointing that out.

When Felicity sees a poster for an entrepreneurial contest, she decides this is her chance to win at something. She's dismayed to learn that all participants must have a partner. She knows how that usually goes. But she tracks down her most responsible friend and together they have a go. But coming up with an idea proves to be much harder than Felicity imagined. And she's not making things easier by shooting down all her partner's ideas. The main plot aside, there's also a misunderstanding surrounding a boy her partner likes and a friend who's drifted away. Felicity seems to be making enemies without even trying.

With entrepreneurship being a hot topic these days and with the popularity of the TV show Shark Tank, I expect this book to have an audience. The problems and reactions of the characters are pretty typical. I like that the characters end up resolving them in the best way possible. Like in the previous books, I still don't like the way this author constantly fills the speaking bubbles with "..." I have no idea what she is trying to convey with this, because people always have something going on in their heads even if it's confusion.

I didn't love this graphic novel as much as Svetlana Chmakova's others in this series. I felt the main conflict was forced and not as big of a deal as it was made out to be.

I Love this author and this series. I was so excited to see it continue. It is a series that is loosely connected but infinitely relatable. So so good. Highly recommend the whole series

Felicity has big ideas, but lacks follow-through and never really seems to finish a project on time. Her younger sister, Letty, is "the perfect one" with good grades, accolades and awards. When an opportunity to join a contest puts her brainstorming and project planning to the test, but her friendships are also tested. Is it that easy to go from enemies to friends?
Another Berrybrook Middle School score! Svetlana Chmakova is a wonderful storyteller who is able to take big concepts and tailor them to young audiences while not pandering to readers (and also creating a really diverse cast). I enjoyed Felicity's character development as she learns not to be so hard on herself, the importance of communicating with friends (and family), and learning that failure is an opportunity for growth.

This is a great addition to an amazing series. I love that this book teaches the importance of communication. Great reminder that mistakes happen as well. The students are excited for this book.

My students love this series, and they won’t be disappointed with Enemies. These books are just so relatable and real. It tells the story how a once really great friendship changed to a point of not even liking each other anymore. I would absolutely use this book to lead a discussion in how middle school students can deal with struggling friendships.

I'll always love Svetlana's books, and this is no exception. I love seeing characters from previous books in the backgrounds.

*An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving said copy in no way influenced my review of this title*

Chmakova does it again with her middle school series, Berrybrook Middle School. As always it's great seeing familiar characters from past stories, it helps connect the books while also allowing them to function as standalones. Chmakova has a wonderful way of throwing a lot of common middle school issues into her books and addressing them in depth, in a way that fully fleshes out the issue and solution as well. In this story we saw 'City' struggle with relationships with past friends, her sister, and current friends. On top of that we also saw her struggle with sharing too much of information that was not hers to share, and also not being a great friend herself by being too controlling of situations. Chmakova's characters a bar above the rest, as our main characters are never golden children that can do no wrong. They are flawed and have learning to do- it makes this middle school story feel very honest and reminiscent to my own middle school days. I think it was hard calling these characters enemies, but that is from my standpoint as an adult, I wouldn't call a colleague that I don't get along with an enemy. But thinking back to my middle school days, I absolutely would've been in the same boat as 'City' and called these kids my enemy. It's all about perspective. And I'm glad too she had positive adult roll models in her life to help make her aware of these thoughts and how to navigate them. These books are always high on my recommend list for all kids who are of this age and going through it.

While part of a series this story stands pretty well on it's own. We can understand the basics of characters without outside influences. THe strongest part is the illustrations which go above and beyond when it comes to supporting the text and conveying emotion.

I love this series, but I had a hard time with this one--excited to start it but then not that interested in it. Once I got about halfway through, I did enjoy it. Not sure why it didn't have the magic. Maybe it just felt unrealistic in places. I'm not sure.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy to review.

Another great graphic novel from the Berrybrook Middle School series. The books in this series really do a great job at capturing the emotions of being an adolescent today. A great addition to middle grade classroom libraries.

Felicity decides to get involved in her schools entrepreneurial club's contest. But then things get complicated. Will she be able to mend her friendships or will she end up with enemies?

This book explores the topics of perfectionism, feelings of inadequacy, failure, jealousy, ownership, accountability, and much more.

Another delightful instalment from Svetlana Chmakova. Each one of these books has been endearing and sweet. This one is no exception, traversing yet another difficult relationship - broken friendships. I got a bit choked up about this one! In a good way!

This volume was a great little surprise. The books “designed” for those who are growing up and have yet to take a further step towards understanding themselves are never enough and don’t always hit the mark. “Enemies” fully manages to be in line with its target and is also perfect for adults because, despite it traits of characters in middle school, it never hurts to remember that it is possible to make mistakes, not to be first in a society that often directs us to the opposite direction, towards the podium, often to the detriment of our own serenity. The cover can perhaps be misleading respect to the content: don't expect a love story of little enemies who then become young lovers but rather the title applies to ourselves and, in this case, to the protagonist: are we enemies of ourselves and of the others who are around us? Another thing I really appreciated was the familiar world of Felicity: perhaps a reference to all those families of the 90s/00s sitcoms that characterized the childhood of so many of us (from the gently meddling grandmother, to the apparently perfect sister, to the ideal and fun parents). I hope one day to be able to buy it in Italy, I think that comics like this would be very useful as first readings.

First book I’ve read by this author. Loved the whole idea that it’s ok to fail. That misunderstandings happen and that life isn’t easy in middle school. Nice focus on friendship and sibling rivalry and crushes! Will definitely grab the others in this series.