I initially chose this book because I thought it was a unique presence, and I typically love memoir-type books in a graphic novel format. Sadly, this one fell a bit short. The most interesting part of this graphic novel was learning more about the author’s illness and how trapped she felt. In the beginning, I didn’t really feel anything. It felt like I was thrown into it, but at about 50%, I thought the author did a much better job portraying her feelings/illness. Building on from this, I think my biggest issue was the organization and pacing of the novel. It was difficult to follow the progression and I sometimes didn’t understand the choice of placement. 

The art style wasn’t my favorite, but it didn’t affect me enough for me to lower my rating because of it. The ending didn’t feel complete. It just ends without notice and with no real conclusion. It was so abrupt I had to look up if I was somehow missing pages on my Kindle. Overall, it was an okay book to learn about chronic fatigue, but it didn’t pack the punch it could have by the end.

I can’t remember if the reference to this book made it into my final PxP essay. As someone with chronic pain, I loved this narrative and how it dealt honestly with the hardships of living with a chronic condition. I recommend this work to my doctors to help with empathy, and I hope to write a full essay on it one day.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my net galley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was about Tessa Brunton's life with chronic illness. It was incredibly raw and eye opening about how it is living with a chronic condition. As someone with several chronic illness, I found myself able to relate and felt seen. I highly recommend this to people who are going through chronic illness/autoimmune disease, as well as those who are not in order to understand how debilitating invisible illnesses can be.

***Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.***


This book is about the chronic illness the author has, she explains how misdiagnosed it is. She explains some of her day to day life and frustrations. The artwork was too busy for me, but you can tell she put a lot of work into it. I guess it was not for me but interesting.

An interesting look into what it's like to live with chronic illness. The characters were relatable. I think everyone should read this book.

A wonderfully illustrated graphic novel that manages to be heartfelt, well-paced, and emotive. This was a real winner for me.

The author and illustrator discussing their life with an invisible illness that is often underrepresented was enlightening and powerful. They of course discussed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but not in a way that took away from her life experience. It truly gives meaningful representation for disabled people and shares the message that while we have disabling symptoms, we live lives not in spite of or symptoms but with symptoms as events in our otherwise "normal" lives. This graphic novel contends with the disabling features of being disabled without leaving the story there. The message I received was that life happens through everything we face with disabilities and I think it was an important message that I read in the subtext of this novel. It was both refreshing to see and enlightening to learn from.

Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Tessa Burton’s honesty while coping with a chronic illness is refreshing. Something to keep in mind about this graphic novel is that it offers snippets into Tessa’s life but is not a story with a cohesive and clear storyline. With that being said, the art style and storytelling of these snippets kept me interested.

As someone who is disabled and has a chronic illness, I thought I'd really enjoy this. I've spent many days stuck in bed because I didn't have the energy to do much.

But I didn't.

I can't really pinpoint the exact moment I stopped enjoying it. It wasn't because I didn't relate to it, because I did.

If you are disabled/chronically ill, then I think this is very relatable and you'll be able to see yourself in the mc, but other than that it's a hit or miss.

I thought this book was just ok. I wanted more information about her sickness and not just her dealing with it. I thought she did a good job of explaining what it was like to be sick, especially not knowing what she was sick with, but I felt like the book needed more to it than what she gave. The drawings were an ok depiction of her mood/ tone, but this book just wasn't for me.

Not for me, I nearly wanted to give up halfway.

I appreciate the insight into what it's like living with an invisible chronic illness. However, the entire book was just chaotic for me, from the artwork and layout to the narrative. The lack of colour made it an even more unappealing read and it totally flopped on the visual front. I had a hard time following this graphic memoir and hence didn't enjoy it at all.

This book touched me so profoundly! It showcases so much of what I’ve been through over the past few years, down to what felt like some very small details. I loved everything about this book because of how seen and understood I felt.

That this was a graphic novel made it particularly impactful because the details in the images often mirrored those in my own living space. When she was lying on the couch, she had a heating pad on her and a blanket. Her cat often made appearances, and it reminded me so much of the company my brother’s dog has provided me through all this. The ending! Or rather, a couple pages before the ending.

If you can, please pick up a copy of this book! It’s wonderful and showcases a very lonely experience so many people, including me, experience.

Tessa Brunton created a graphic novel that perfectly depicts what it is like to be chronically ill without any solutions in sight. She highlights the heavy emotions, dark thoughts, and despair that disabled people often experience. This memoir wasn't entirely negative though and featured her creative ideas and joyful experiences that helped along the way through perfectly balanced illustrations.

"This was how I dealt with any reminders that, in the outside world, people were living not-sick lives."

Notes from a Sickbed was told in snapshots of time but I wish we went on more of a seamless journey with the author. I would've loved more detail surrounding what helped to manage her symptoms, even if it was just how motivating embracing your creativity could be. What really brought this down to 4 stars though was the abrupt ending - I was left saying, that's it?!

With that being said, Tessa's story still made me feel a little less alone while reading this on my own sickbed and for that I will be forever grateful. It truly brought tears to my eyes to feel understood on this level.

I loved this book! I usually not a fan of nonfiction but this book drew me in immediately. The artwork, the story, everything. Everything about it was amazing and I will absolutely be reading more from this author!

This was a surreal, interesting little graphic novel. I responded to several aspects of the story, but found some of the storytelling to be disjointed and left hanging a little. This is not a major complaint, as it is made clear both from the title and the initial structure of the story that this might be the case. It was great to hear a first-hand account from someone navigating chronic illness.

I was provided this eARC by NetGalley.

Even though I sympathise with the storyline, I couldn’t quite connect with it nor with the main character. It was well devolved but It saddens me to say that it wasn’t for me.

Notes from a Sickbed is an intimate look into living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Tess Brunton beautifully illustrates what her daily life looks like while navigating her chronic illness.

This graphic novel is simultaneously a heartfelt peak into Brunton's lived experience and an imaginative exploration of what it is like to be bedridden. Her illustrations bring to life some wonderfully creative ideas while also depicting the more serious and difficult aspects of her days with ME.

As someone who has experienced portions of my life in a bedridden state, I found Brunton's work rather poignant and relatable. I felt a sense of belonging and understanding in this work which I deeply appreciate. I am glad that works discussing chronic illnesses such as ME are being published, and Notes from a Sickbed is a great example of a chronic illness story done well.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Notes from a Sickbed, and I hope to read more from Brunton in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my review.

Complicated review here. I'm glad this book exists and I do think that I would recommend it to people who I think would find a lot of the subject matter (long-term illness, Mental health issues, apathy and depression) The author had a particular delivery style that rubbed me the wrong way and although I am truly sympathetic to her struggle and can see this being a good read for people who also struggle with chronic illness... I was not having a good time. Obviously, not everything is meant to be a "good time" and the argument could very well be made that this isn't one of them.. but what I actually mean is that I wasn't getting anything from the read. That is, again, not to say that others couldn't get something from it. I just didn't. .. but I'm kinda glad I read it

Tessa Brenton shares with us her world her surroundings living with a chronic fatigue illness.This is an intimate heart wrenching intimate look at how she copes in her daily struggle to find energy .So well written so brilliantly drawn this graphic novel should be shared .#netgalley #notes fromasickbed