Unable to read this as the file unfortunately would not download through either of the options which is unfortunate as I wanted to consider it for teaching.

this book is painfully raw and real showing all aspects that come with having a chronic illness. I feel this book and the contained messages are so important for many to read to better understand some of the things fellow friends/family members may be going through. The art style of this graphic novel was absolutely stunning and I loved how unique and stunning it was. this was such a good read and i would highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
CFS is definitely a misunderstood and misdiagnosed illness. I feel for her and her frustration of trying to understand why she feels the way she feels. As someone with a chronic illness, I can relate to her story.
Some of the storyline was confusing and hard to follow but overall, she does get across her story of CFS.
The graphics were not really my type but it's obvious she put a lot of effort into the graphic novel.

Tessa Brunton's "Notes from a Sickbed" collects a series of autobiographical comics describing the author's experience with chronic illness (myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome). The richly detailed illustrations encourage the reader to closely examine every panel, and Brunton does an excellent job of conveying how exhausting and frustrating chronic illness can be with both humor and honesty. However, some of the individual segments seem to end abruptly, and the book would be stronger if there were a clearer connective framework for each of the individual comics. Overall, gorgeously illustrated and an interesting insight into daily life with ME.

Many thanks to Lerner Publishing Group and Netgalley, who provided me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is for people who enjoy slice-of-life stories, whimsical musings, and raw thoughts.

This book is NOT for people who like stories with a clear plot.

I haven’t gotten to read very many ownvoices books by people with chronic illnesses. This makes sense, given how debilitating symptoms like chronic pain and fatigue can be; however, it also means there’s been a gap in my reading up unto this point that’s needed filling. No one book can represent an entire population on its own, but every time I find a new book by a chronically ill author, it feels like I’ve discovered a rare treat. Something I need to savor.

I don’t have ME, but my symptomology does overlap some with Tessa Brunton’s. Her experiences felt familiar – and unfamiliar – in ways I’ve never seen on the printed page.

Don’t go into this book expecting a linear progression of Brunton’s experience “overcoming” her illness – this is more of a look into Brunton’s day to day life living with ME.

Whether or not you have a chronic illness, Brunton’s insights and unique perception of the world make for a compelling read, equal parts funny and heart-wrenching. She effortlessly blends the imagined with accounts of stories from her life to produce a stream-of-consciousness collection that feels a bit like peering into a friend’s diary or finding some interesting doodles tucked away in the pages of a borrowed book.

I found Brunton’s dislike for her able-bodied neighbors particularly compelling – it helped me face some of my own resentment that had been quietly festering away under a veneer of politeness. Likewise, the section about her trip to Disney was familiarly devastating.

I love that this story comes packaged as a short graphic novel – it’s easily accessible to those who tire easily, and in fact, I read it when I was too sick and exhausted to hold my physical book and bother with switching a light on.

Also, there are tons of little easter eggs for eager horror movie fans, which were an absolute pleasure ;)

I really enjoyed this memoir. It was an interesting window into the life of someone with chronic fatigue syndrome, and I felt it helped me better understand the lives of my chronically ill and to sympathize with my chronically ill friends and colleagues.

Beautiful, eclectic illustrations that wonderfully captured the chaotic trains of thought and confusion. I loved how each chapter not only showed a specific moment in her journey but also seemed to align with with a larger message of accepting a new way of life for the author.

A very relatable collection of comics about living with a chronic illness. Though not all readers have personal experience in this area, Tessa Brunton's frustration is palpable and her constant readjusting of her life understandable. Done with seriousness and humor, I only wish there was more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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I was on the fence about this books at first, as someone who also struggles with chronic fatigue. Originally, flipping through, I thought it seemed a bit pithy. But why can't media about chronic illness be pithy? Why can't it be lighthearted at times? I ended up thinking on this and I love home Bunton tells us her story. Sickbed is an Intimate and honest look at life with a chronic illness that doesn't hinge on the idea of "getting better" or "finding hope" - so much media surrounding chronic illnesses are about this, and it's just not realistic. There are hopeless days. There are nothing days. There are days where things feel normal. I appreciated these vignettes throughout the process of discovering and coping with the illness, it was so real. Additionally, the art was well-suited to the story and just detailed enough to add to the narrative without overtaking it.

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Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Notes from a Sickbed by Tessa Brunton is a painfully accurate depiction of what being white and chronically-ill can look like. I was an Amelia (American Girl) fan when I was younger so this was right up my ally. Felt like I was reading and looking at drawings from a private journal and this book sometimes expressed how I felt as a chronically ill human. I like it!

4.75
Thanks to Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this ARC!

I think the story feels a little bit all over the place sometimes. It followed what seemed like a roughly linear progression, but being told in these vignettes with limited information made it a bit difficult to gauge what was happening when and why one point followed the previous one. That said, Tessa's art is great, and I loved hearing her thoughts.

This was an easy and fast read but it felt a bit unconnected and confusing at times. I also have chronic illness and I try to read and educate myself on other chronic conditions to better understand what others go through. I was hoping, since this is listed as a memoir, that it would give more insight on the authors journey to getting diagnosed or more insight to what it is like living with this condition. I really liked the artwork and the mention of not being able to have a normal college experience and losing friends due to having health conditions is a part of this book that I really connected to. Overall I liked it but wish it went into more detail about different aspects of chronic illness and flowed a bit better.

I jumped into this one as I am in the process of ruling things in/out, including a diagnosis of ME. I share that because it gives some insight into my rating. My hope was that this would be a graphic memoir focused on the day to day of living with ME. There were some peeks at that, but a greater focus of the novel was on Brunton finding her purpose and passion and pursuing that while living with a chronic illness. I also found the path the memoir took to be a bit disjointed for me to follow. The art was beautiful and this would be a great book for someone looking more for encouragement on pursuing your passions (especially if those passions are art adjacent) while also living with a chronic illness, but less perfect for someone hoping for a peek into simple day to day living with a chronic illness.

As someone who has a debilitating illness like CFS, I definitely identified with the struggles the author illustrates. I enjoyed the artwork, and despite the subject matter being difficult, I got a few chuckles from the writing. I was hoping for a little more about her specific experiences with CFS or struggles with getting a diagnosis (there was very little of this), and while I know this was a series of vignettes, some of them seemed a little random and didn't quite fit with the overall narrative.

I guess I'm not really sure what the purpose of this was. It's supposedly a graphic memoir, but I learned very little about her life or her condition. I also didn't like the art style, which was crazy busy and usually had a great deal of text. It also ended super suddenly, like she was cut off mid-sentence.

Honest, heart-wrenching, relatable, Notes from a Sickbed is an incredibly provocative and raw graphic memoir that shows the realities of chronic illness. It follows the author, Tessa Burton, after her life is thrown off the rails when she goes from being relatively able-bodied to not. The strength of this work lies in the vulnerability Burton is willing to put on display for the readers. This is an incredibly important work, and I"m excited to see it go out into the world.

As a person who has suffered with chronic health issues my entire life, this graphic novel spoke to me on such an incredibly deep and personal level. From the very first pages I found myself laughing and crying in a way that only someone who has lived this life could understand.

Tessa Brunton depicts the life of the chronically ill in such a raw and honest way, while still maintaining the humor that is so vital for those who can relate. It is so very easy to give in to despair when you are chronically ill, especially if you suffer from an “invisible” illness. So for Brunton to be able to create this comic in a way that allows it to be honest and witty at the same time, is very impressive.

Notes from a Sickbed is truly such an important piece of work, and I feel like it should be widely known within the community. I also found this to be a wonderful tool in which to show my husband the aspects of these illnesses that are so hard to explain.

There can be such a deep and profound loneliness in being unable to live the life of an able-bodied person, and this book truly made me feel like so many of my experiences were more widely understood. For the first time in a long while, I truly felt less alone, and for that I greatly thank the author for this work.

Thank you so very much to Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the opportunity to read a review this work.

A brilliant raw look at living with a chronic illness that absolutely everyone should read.

With imagination and humor, author and artist Tessa shares her experiences. A mixture of storytelling and notes unfold bits and pieces of her story, with an openness that carries impact. She delves into the emotions that accompany such a drastic change in health, and the steps she has taken in her quest not to lose her sense of self. Relatable and honest, expertly blending realism and the fantastical, Tessa Brunton is an author to keep an eye on.

I had high hopes for “Notes From A Sickbed” by Tessa Brunton. The premise was appealing; comics written by someone with a chronic illness. I guess I thought the comics would focus more on her daily life (which they did to some degree). But, I also found some of them confusing. I will say that the actual artwork/drawings were very good. I read this on my iPad so I can only imagine how nice they would look on actual printed paper. Overall I would give this 3 out 5 stars. Perhaps I’m just not a comic person… I’m not sure.

Tessa Bruntom creates a visual story with depth and detail, bringing to mind the work of legend Howard Cruse. A graphic novel journey that is worth the visit.