A fast read graphic novel with some serious, thought provoking undertones. When friends Dylan and Leighton are sent to a summer camp in the aftermath of an accident, it leads them to think back through their friendship. And ask questions about how they may be able to retain their friendship moving forward.

They come from different backgrounds, with different expectations placed upon them. Moving forward, they have to decide: can they be happy pretending to be someone they aren't? How much is parent approval worth? What are they willing to give up? What will it cost them?

Thank you to the publishers through Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

Things I liked about this-- characters, art style, emotional beats
Things I didn't like-- I felt that it relied on the flashbacks too much and it got watered down and confusing after a while, the ending felt rushed. I wanted so much more!

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend

I'm very into graphic novels and this one was one to add to my favourites. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, fun read with great, diverse representation.

The story was amazing and it exceeded my expectations in an amazing way. The characters were very well written. It was an emotional ride but a very beautiful one too.

It was a very good novel. I will definitely read other things by Jennie Wood!

Also a big thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an emotional ride. Dylan and Leighton are sent to a camp to take responsibility for their actions that were a consequence of an incident gone wrong in their lives with regards to a bully. Leighton is asexual and Dylan is non-binary and is also romantically interested in her. All through the graphic novel, they are trying to navigate through life and figure out more about themselves while also trying to accept themselves for who they are. Dylan also comes from a slightly financially challenged background with their mom working 3 jobs and then having food stamps to get through their days. As a result, they get bullied for it and it would break my heart everything they got bullied.

My heart ached for dylan. They deserve the world and more. The relationship between dylan and leighton was so bittersweet and honestly I was just rooting for both the characters to find happiness on their own. The book is called paper planes because they send messages on paper planes and send it to the other person. I think that is so cute and the execution was done really well. I also really liked cricket's character. She was so respectful, caring and loving.

Additionally, the art is stunning and it gave me extreme vintage cartoon vibes that i was absolutely in love with. The book also switches between past and present and there is a specific colour theme for both timelines, the colour theme of the past timeline is a little faded which i think is also really cool. I do wish we got a little happy ending on leighton's side of things like we did for dylan but that's okay, sometimes not all things have to be wrapped up. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would 100% recommended. The representation of the LGBTQ+ characters was done really well.

All thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

I want to start out by saying I absolutely loved the Ace and Non-Binary rep in the book, it's not something I have had the pleasure to encounter in a lot of books, let alone in a Graphic Novel. I felt like both these identities were represented very well, and I liked how both characters had their moments in which they explained how they identified. In this way people who are not very familiar will be able to understand it better.

The split timeline was an effective way to keep me reading, cause I kept wondering what happened. The subtle change in colour was a good way to tell in which time the book took place and I never was confused about the time I was reading about.

The big reveal about why Dylan and Leighton were at the summer-camp was not as 'big' as I thought it would be, which in some way I feel like is a good thing - cause I really liked these characters.
However, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I will probably get my hands on a physical copy if I would encounter it in a bookstore, but it isn't a book I have thought about a lot since I finished it. I loved the art style and the lettering was easy to read, but overall it didn't blow my mind, like I hoped it would.
I have given the book 3.5 stars - rounded up here.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5 stars

Paper Planes focuses on the friendship between Leighton and Dylan. They have been sent to a summer camp for troubled girls after an incident during their school’s spring semester. The graphic novel shows their present at the camp, and flashes back to the girl’s friendship leading up to the incident.

I had a few problems with this book, but I should start with what I did like. The art style (although when I zoomed it was a bit blurry, with text bubbles being extremely clear), the coloring, and the representation. The bright pinks and oranges from the past were gorgeous (and that pink cast/boot was everything!). I have not read a book yet—until this one—where one of the characters is nonbinary or asexual, so it was very very nice to see.

The problems I had were with the pacing/length, the friendship between the characters, the character development, and the writing. With the pacing/length, it felt like each scene was being cut off abruptly, and like I was missing something else that could’ve helped wrap up the scenes. Maybe if it had 50 pages more, the book could’ve had more time to allow for growth of characters and explanations. We only ever really got insight into the thoughts of characters through the small rectangles of text, but then some of the sentences were confusing to me. I just needed more.

Leighton and Dylan are not good as friends. Maybe at first they were, but I can see how it was never going to go further into high school or as they got older. I had a best friend in elementary school, and one in middle school, and we eventually grew apart as we moved grades and schools. Some friends are only meant to be there for a period of your life, and you’ll look back and think fondly of the relationship, but you know you don’t need it now. You can see how it wouldn’t work; you don’t have the same interests or the same perspectives. I can see that in Leighton and Dylan’s relationship, but I’ve had to make some of my own conclusions because the scenes are so short. I don’t think Leighton is the best character or friend. She is completely unable to stand up for herself. I wish I would’ve been able to see that ONCE in this book—besides the incident. At the camp, she would talk animatedly to Dylan and then in the next scene, she would act like Dylan was invisible or be rude. They’re middle schoolers, I understand, but at that age, I was at least aware of how I was treating people. It was seriously giving me whiplash and making me annoyed.

The story was there, but it needed more work on writing and pacing.

“I don’t think of a gender dysphoria. I think of it as gender euphoria.”

Leighton and Dylan are spending their summer at a camp for troubled youth, and they’ll need a positive evaluation from the camp to avoid being sent to an alternative school.

I love how the story slowly unfolded with flashbacks about pivotal moments in their friendship. The flashbacks were easy to differentiate because the color palette changed. The art style was so amazing, and I loved how paper planes were such a huge part of the story.

Leighton wasn’t always a likable character, because I couldn’t figure out why she kept pushing Dylan away. But again, it all comes together as the story progresses and we get more flashbacks. There were a few things I would’ve loved to see elaborated on further, but I think overall this graphic novel did a great job showing the complexities of high school friendships and sacrifices we make for the people we love.

And dear reader, I cried.

———

CW: acephobia, bullying, homophobia, poverty, violence, medical content

Rep: nonbinary MC, biracial asexual MC, nonbinary creators

First and foremost, let me thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for blessing me with this amazing work of art.

When it comes to the graphic novel, I have solely good things to say. I've enjoyed reading it tremendously, I flew through the whole book in one sitting and devoured it page by page. The characters are relatable, lovable and multifaceted, there's always something new to learn about them, their past, their trials and tribulations. The plot wasn't anything unexpected, however, that contributed to it being a calm and relaxing read for a Sunday afternoon. The author managed to capture multiple perspectives and aspects of queerness and its expression in individuals and I applaud them greatly for that.

Overall, this has been a great piece of literature to read for someone who loves queer comfort-inducing characters and a breathtaking art style.

This was such a lovely story to read. I loved the illustrations, and how Dozerdraws has used different colouring to display different aspects of time. I also enjoyed the diversity of characters, and I can mention that Dylan is non-binary, and Leighton is ace.

Leighton and Dylan become friends as young children. Throughout the story we follow them in the present timeline as they are at a summer camp, they are not there by choice but as a consequence for something that happened earlier. We do go back and forth in time but it’s very clearly stated when things take place.

At first glance the book seems to be about a struggling friendship after a big event has taken a toll on it. Also to grow into who you are and figuring it out.
Dylan reads as non-binary at once (however I can’t remember if it was actually stated?) and Leighton has inner struggles of not really having words or the option to figure out who she is. (I think I remember the work referring to Leighton as she/her)

But there are also some major themes throughout the book that nudge you to think about class as well.

I did enjoy the artstyle a lot, the past friendship of Dylan and Leighton was a big point that I liked seeing.

I would have wished this to expand a bit more of Leightons family and home life. I feel like that was an opportunity that was missed as the feeling I got was that we only scratched the surface on most of it.

The part that got to me the most is to see how their friendship took such a toll and how they sort of try to support each other but the damage makes it hard for both of them to figure out if they can/should/will stay friends. There is a sadness and a sense of loss of what was.

The ending though. I like the ending, I just wish it had gotten a couple of more pages. As it is now, it felt rushed. I would still like the ending to be as it is. Just a little bit more leading up to it.

thank you NetGalley for the advance eReader copy 🩷🩷🩷

3.5 stars

paper planes follows Dylan and Leighton, two friends in the middle of what seems like a pretty major conflict, during their time at a summer camp for troubled teens. the story is told through flashbacks that detail their relationship through the years, especially expanding on the kind of codependency that tends to develop in young queer (especially young queer girl) friendships and the ways we outgrow each other, either because of our own internal changes or external forces. my final point in this review may be considered a slight spoiler in the section of things I did not enjoy, but overall, I did enjoy this book!

what I did like:
truly beautiful art style (especially the way the colors shifted to show a difference in time and emotion); captivating story with real intrigue, build up, and emotional depth; queer rep for young people!!!; every interaction with cricket 😭; the layered realities of each character!

what I did not like so much:
dialogue could be weak at times; the narration/explaining of the characters feelings felt a little overkill in some moments (but I think this is valuable for younger readers to understand the inner processes / nuance in certain interactions!!); POTENTIAL SPOILER:

*** I will never rock with a storyline that involves an anti-queer character actually being queer and therefore being made to be sympathetic! (I say this as someone who was out and queer as a teenager and has a younger sibling who has experienced seriously terrifying instances of transphobia. I understand this kind of story can be representative for some folks and may even foster empathy in a situation that may need it, but I don't think it's on trans/queer youth to offer that sympathy after experiencing that bullshit!!)

Paper planes tells the story of two teenagers who are growing apart at summer camp for troubled youth.

The plot while interesting there was many parts of the book not needed. I think this book was trying to squeeze as many themes as they could and left many of them unresolved. With that being said some parts of the book could’ve been left out and it wouldn’t change the book.

In addition the ending felt rushed and it was disappointing. It felt like there wasn’t a real ending

The beautiful art immediately drew me in, but the characters are what kept me captivating. Wood weaves a story using both present and past settings that reveal the characters and connects us to them as they go through their journey.

I would have loved to see the characters’ depth even more, especially around the relationships in their lives - not only between the two main characters, but also their families and other peers. By the time I truly felt we were getting to know them, the story was almost over. So I really enjoyed everything, just wish there had been more and it had happened earlier.

I love the representation throughout the book, not only of different genders and sexual identities, but also of different backgrounds and how that can impact individuals. I can see this story resonating will all sorts of people.

A modern tale of relationships between Dylan who is nonbinary and Leighton who is asexual. They are sent to some kind of camp for misbehavior and we see their relationship in flashbacks throughout the story. They were younger than expected as they just enter high school at the end of this. The conflict in the story isn't because of their sexual natures, but because Dylan comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Their mother works three jobs to support their family while Leighton's family is insanely rich. I think that's the part of the story I didn't get because Leighton would almost certainly go to some private school while Dylan whiled away in a crummy public school. Overall this was fine. Although I didn't care for the patness of the ending.

This was a really good graphic novel on friendship and being comfortable with who you are. The art work was really good.

This was heartbreakingly cute and amazing. The ending hurts but is real with some friendships and relationships in our lives. The art and style of the characters are adorable. I just wanted to hug the main two characters the entire book. They are kids that are learning how to handle life the best they can and I just want to tell them that everything will be okay. I adored Cricket. She was such a great side character and friend to Dylan. While I liked the ending I also have so many questions I wish could be answered. Something I really enjoyed was the icons that represent each character being used to show which thought was from each character. It was a unique way to have both of their perspectives. I teared up, I laughed, and I loved this graphic novel.

Paper Planes is an excellent graphic novel with well-developed characters. Story is impactful and the artwork is spot on. There are some minor plot holes, but nothing glaringly undone. I look forward to reading more by this writer.

Paper Planes is a beautiful young adult graphic novel about best friends, Dylan and Leighton, who are sent away to a summer camp for troubled youth after a night of regretful mistakes. It tells the story of their friendship and how they ended up at the summer camp through flashbacks that occur at different points of the book.

This book has some incredible representation, our main characters are non-binary and asexual which was amazing to see in a graphic novel. The best friends were also raised in very different environments with different ambitions and dreams. Leighton, a tennis star from a rich family and Dylan, who dreams of becoming an astronaut and a time where he is not judged for his family living below the poverty line. There was so much emotion in the story and I loved the dual POV so I could understand situations and emotions from the perspective of both characters.

I also loved the artwork in this graphic novel and the slight changes in the colour scheme during the flashbacks was an amazing concept and made the timeline easier to follow.

The only part of this book that left me hoping for more was the ending. It felt rushed and unfinished and I would have liked either a more solid conclusion to the story or a sequel.

Thank you so much to Mad Cave Studios & NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review.

A really sweet graphic novel that captures what it’s like growing up. Leighton and Dylan are such wonderful characters. They’re best friends who come from completely different backgrounds. Through flashbacks you learn what was transpired between the two of them that causes a rift in their friendship. The story is told in a way that’s very true to what adolescents may be feeling and going through. The diversity and representation is so great to see. The ending was a little abrupt so I’m hoping that means there will be a sequel! Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the arc.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read the ARC of this graphic novel!

This books was a quick and fun read. An interesting story with a diverse set of characters. I did miss the attachment I normally have with characters, and eventually I also felt like the story was missing something.