I was very excited to read this translated sapphic graphic novel (!!!), which was unfortunate because it ended up being very...meh, for lack of a better word. It seemed as though the author came up with a few random events and a few pretty artworks, smashed them together, and slapped on a cover. The romance is lacking (the girls say, at most, a few sentences to each other) and when the characters get together, it's out of the blue with no build-up or proper execution. And then, it just... ends.

There are some serious topics the story brings up such as immigration and sexuality, but like the romance, these too were touched upon and left unfinished. It honestly felt like the book tried to do a million things at once and ended up falling short on pretty much everything.

At least the artwork was pretty. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After reading the synopsis I was really looking forward to this graphic novel. It says it’s about a Portuguese girl named Raquel who sees another girl at school and falls in love with her while working on a play together. TRANSLATED. SAPPHIC. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Sounds right up my alley!!! Unfortunately I finished it feeling a bit underwhelmed.

To clarify, I would not consider this a romance, and barely even a coming-of-age/sexual exploration. The two girls barely speak during the book. It’s more of a slice of life… but one where not much happens. Everything about it, from the artwork to the characters to the organization, felt .. muted almost? I saw someone describe it as gentle, and I think that’s a great way to explain it. I don’t have any strong feelings (positive or negative) towards this at all.

I found the format interesting, where the author would have one page of text only, then pages of images with no text, then traditional graphic novel pages with images and text. I don’t think I’ve read many graphic novels before like that, and I appreciated not quite knowing what format was coming next. It definitely contributed to the disjointed feeling though.

I am glad I read this because it was something new and different, and I’d definitely read more from this author in the future. This one didn’t particularly rock my world though.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Pardalita is a quiet coming of age novel about the main character, Raquel, understanding her identity and sexuality through a crush that begins as a one sided love from afar. The art is interwoven with pages of only text, which at times can be very poetic.
Pardalita is a great addition to the graphic novel lineup. It’s quiet honesty and vulnerability makes it an excellent recommendation for those searching for stories with more of a focus on internal growth. However, because this is so focus on Raquel coming to terms with who she is, it feels like we wait for Raquel to do something about it for the entire novel, only to have the ending of Pardalita leaning over to kiss Raquel, which is great, but does make the novel feel a bit abrupt in the ending.
Overall, a fantastic addition to the work already out there and a great book for recommending to YA readers!

I didn't find this compelling, despite the importance of the themes in it--recognizing one's queerness and embracing it. The protagonist is a bit flat and the writing--which I assume is meant to be like that of a young person--is pretty awful. The everyday details the protagonist records, which could have been fascinating and played a role in character-building, weren't used to strong effect. Since there isn't a big narrative arc, the character arc needed to be much stronger. The illustrations didn't add much to the story for me.

I love the illustrations! The story was definitely more geared toward a younger audience, so I did not resonate with me as much as it should have.

Pardalita by Joana Estrela is a really cute story about the life of teenager Raquel navigating her crush on a girl nicknamed Pardalita. In this queer coming-of-age story, which was originally published in Portuguese and is now being translated into English by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Joana Estrela captures the confusion of figuring out who we really are. It's a sweet story that is worth the read.

Thank you net galley for providing me with an arc of Pardalita in exchange for a honest review.

This..... Really failed to impress me. Which is an absolute shame as the promise of the story is strong and so are the themes it explores, however as the story expands I found myself being utterly frustrated as nothing seemed to actually be progressing. The book seemed to be trying to do so many things at once that it ended up falling short on actually exploring the subjects it's trying to, the mcs sexuality included. The characters are all also completely blank including the mc, and if this wasn't an arc I would of dnfed.
The ending was also extreme lacking.

Overall a disappointed read I wouldn't recommend.

Great read with minimalist like artwork which I loved! The text did have me slightly confused at time wirth the wording, some things must have got lost in translation. I cannot wait to see what the author writes next.

2.5 stars: PARDALITA is a graphic novel with an interesting structure as text is intermittently mixed with art, though I personally want more from the story.

On one hand, the story is mostly relaxing as it chronicles the main character Raquel's school life and time with friends, interspersed with her home life; I enjoy the banter and like the natural inclusion of Europe's immigration issues. Raquel and her feelings for Pardalita, however, are not as effective for me. There's a lot of (understandable) internal reflection, confusion, and yearning on Raquel's part, but I don't really feel emotionally connected to it at all.

The main issue, in my opinion, is despite the fact that this graphic novel isn't plot-driven, neither is it character-driven enough to make an impact on the reader. It feels like a series of vignettes pieced together, only to abruptly, bafflingly end. Again, there's nothing wrong with a simple and slow story with a relaxed pace, but there needs to be at least some payoff in terms of either plot or emotional stakes, and neither is present even by the end of this book.

I have no qualms about the art though; it's effective and fitting for the story, and the occasional double pages are great. The black-and-white lineart allows for some interesting things visually, and I particularly enjoy the scenes of the town and the city, where the sense of space allows the reader to feel quite enveloped and immersed in the story.

In sum, this is a slow, relaxing read that chronicles a teenage girl's everyday life and her burgeoning - for lack of a more fitting term - gay awakening. It's got nice lineart and an interesting structure, though it could've ended better.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really appreciated the queer storyline in this book especially as it develops towards the end. The way Raquel slowly comes to terms with her sexuality really resonated with me and I appreciated seeing that. Additionally, I did really enjoy the artwork within this story and thought it was really well done.
However, unfortunately while I had high hopes for this book I didn't end up enjoying it overall. While I did feel that the second half was a lot stronger than the first, I didn't feel particularly connected to any of the characters throughout the book and didn't feel that the storyline was particularly cohesive. This made it a lot more difficult to get through and finish in order to review it.
If I hadn't gotten this book as an ARC I'm not sure if I would have finished it because despite this being fairly short and a graphic novel, it took me weeks to get through the first half. I didn't feel compelled to keep reading or even particularly feel like there was any kind of plot especially in that first 50% which was very discouraging as someone who often reads graphic novels within a couple days or less.

a very sweet little queer book. it’s sort of slice-of-life in the way it is describing the story of just a couple of months, though it also makes use of a lot of flashbacks to add context. i particularly liked the way the drawings would sometimes become more abstract (like in the theatre warm-up scene).

A lovely graphic novel about a young woman in love that reads like a biography.
The illustrations were beautiful, I loved the simplicity of lines, the calming blues, the breathing space, leaving space for the questioning of the hero.
I loved the way it was written in an informal journal style, with a structure following irregular verbs, because that is what the hero is learning, because she is "irregular", because those action words express what she would like to do, to be able to do...
It was a very gentle text about opening up to being lgbt, very poetic and sweet, highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this graphic novel about a queer teenager discovering herself and getting to know her new crush. I would have preferred if the whole thing had been a graphic novel rather than mixed with prose, but it didn't take too much away from my enjoyment of the book.

I don't even know where to begin.

Living in Europe - but still far from Portugal - I felt a definitive connection to this book. I've been reading queer YA books in order to make up for all the lost years when I didn't speak English and didn't have these books available for me. I am forever coming of age in these books. And while all these books do something special for me and help me find parts of myself I didn't know I had, or see parts of myself I hadn't seen reflected, this one was still... different. There was a sense of knowing and understanding. The main character's thought processes and slow realizations felt familiar and I felt seen in a new way.

While the writing is simple and very realistic, every page has a feeling of whimsy. I absolutely loved that it's part vignette, part poetry book, and part graphic novel. It helps the book's voice carry over and across to the reader, making it quite original.

It's not picture-perfect, but that's exactly what makes this book perfect. Absolutely relatable to anybody, adult audiences included, while being utterly recognizable for teens going through first loves, growing up in small towns, and coming to understand they are different but the same. I really liked this. I wish we'd spent more time with Pardalita, but that's a personal preference.

Just awesome!

This is a truly beautiful book with beautiful art. I haven't read a book in this art style before. It looks so simple but carries so much emotions. I loved it. The story itself is really soft and gentle. I loved the slow build up between the two.girls. And i especially liked the ending.

Pardalita is beautiful comics art and storytelling. I love the use of the comics medium to tell a story that is realistic and resonant.

This book follows a girl as she processes the emotions of her first love while going through life as a teen in love. The artwork is stunning, the simplicity of the art lets the reader feel the impact of the story more. Going between heavily text sections to traditional graphic novel sections will be a wonderful way to help readers become more confident when reading text heavy books.

Miigweetch NetGalley and Em Querido for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Pardalita is a queer coming of age story told in graphic novel format, with short paragraphs of text interspersed. I found it quick and easy to read. The story centers around 16-year old Raquel, who lives in a small town in Portugal. Raquel joins a community theatre group in order to get closer to her crush, the titular Pardalita.

I liked the story and it felt relatable; anyone who has struggled to identify or come to terms with their sexuality can empathize with Raquel as she pieces together her feelings for her classmate, deals with her mother’s abrupt switch to vegetarianism (so unfair - couldn’t mom wait until she left for college?), and grapples with stage fright. I recommend this book to teen and young adult readers, as well as anyone who enjoys reading comics that are not about superheroes.

This was a cute enough graphic novel. I enjoyed reading it and it's just a quick read as well.
There isn't really a story though. It sometimes feels like an illustrated diary or scribbles on a piece of paper.
I enjoyed the lyrical writing and I think the themes (finding oneself, struggeling with ones sexuality, growing up, family etc.) were all handled very well.
In my opinion the ending was very abrupt though which felt a bit strange. Since there wasn't a cohesive story, there also wasn't a climax, but for what it is I quite enjoyed it, though I don't think it is something I would normally pick up to read.

As a queer individual, some elements are of this book almost felt like a direct link to my past. Though vaguely melancholy, Pardalita tells the tale of a teen girl developing crush on another girl for the first time and having to process those feelings. The story was both relatable and adorable and I enjoyed the illustrations immensely.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.