"Paper Planes" is a story as bittersweet and realistic as they come - the story of the progression and end of a friendship that could have become something more if only the circumstances had been different and somehow better.

Dylan and Leighton share school days and adventures, from the caring of the cat Daisy to the tennis trainings, and they could easily become more than friends if only their origins weren't so different - and Leighton's parents' expectations weren't so pressing.

With a roundtrip around their years of friendship and the weeks spent at a sort of rehab camp for problematic youth we find out what happened to bring Dylan and Leighton so close, first, and so far then. And why there is no way they can ever go back to what they were.

This was an amazing read.
Loved the illustrations. It was really sweet and loved the friendships and representation in every sense, not just lgbt+. Loved seeing different body types in it!!!

I will soon have a full review on @bookmilla, IG.

It's summer, but Leighton isn't at tennis camp as planned: instead, she and Dylan are at a summer program in the woods—for therapy, for punishment. They were friends, before, or more than friends, or maybe not friends anymore, and then there was the Incident, and now they're here. Here, and communicating mostly via paper planes.

This graphic novel grew on me—the art doesn't entirely fit my personal tastes (miles beyond anything I could draw, mind! But I'm still a bit confused about why Dylan appears to have a receding hairline), but it's well executed, and there are interesting relationship dynamics that develop throughout the book. I love that we see variety of sexuality and gender, and that it's almost never treated as a big deal. A few things are unclear to me, like Leighton's parents' treatment of Dylan (in some ways they're very accepting, but in other ways they're eager to reject Dylan), Leighton's sister's story, etc. What sold me, though, is the end—which I won't spoil, but suffice it to say that I'm always happiest when things are still a little messy at the end, and characters don't all end up with exactly what they want. The paper planes floating throughout the book are also a very nice theme...whether the intended recipient reads the notes they contain or not.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley for reviewing purposes. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The plot fell really short for me. I did like that there was non-binary and ace representation and thought the art was really well done.

Super cute and heartwarming. Really went through a lot of issues that high schoolers- especially queer ones- face in school, with friendships and relationships. This graphic novel is so beautifully done, and I hope to have it on my physical shelf one day.

I love the representation of asexuality and non binary individuals. It’s really refreshing to have these characters in more novels.

Paper Planes
Written by Jennie Wood
Illustrated by Dozerdraws

Edition: Ebook, 216 pages, Graphic Novel

Disclaimer: I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity

We follow the story of two young people, Leighton and Dylan. Where Leighton grew up privileged but mostly ignored from her personal interests wise, Dylan grew up under chaotic circumstances and their only fix point is their cat. When this cat runs away and Leighton finds her, a friendship blooms between these unlike kids.
Some things happen and they end up in a summer camp where they have to face the reality of their relationship with themselves and with each other.

The story is told in short parts set in different times. We jump between stuff that happend in the past when they were kids, a closer past and the current moments. It was a bit disorientating sometimes, even though the illustrations showed the character's age pretty well. But some jumpa lay too close to each other to easily distinguish the moments.
Another thing that confused me was the thing with the main character. At first I thought it must be Leighton but then it switches to Dylan and back again. I don't mind having more than one main character perspective, but in this case it felt kinda unfinished and unrefined.

Representation wise we get a lot:
People of colour, ace character, nonbinary character, queer love and more.
Bullying, child neglect, alcohol addiction (side character) and more are some of the problems that are handled (more or less well).

The illustrations are strong and I really liked them but I can't say that it is the same for the story itself. Yes, teenagers are messy and terrible and they are learning but just because it's realistic doesn't mean I have to love it.
So I am giving this book 3.5 out of 5 ☆.

How can I love a graphic novel but it make me so sad at the same time?
This graphic novel is a great example of some of the growing pains teenagers face; Friendships, choices identity. I would absolutely read a sequel to this following up with Dylan and Leighton.

This was a darling graphic novel - the diverse characters on the pages were so refreshing (representation matters!) I did find it a bit hard to follow, the timeline hopped back and fourth a lot and it was hard to know where the story was at. Overall I really enjoyed it. The illustrations were beautiful and the lessons learned (there were many!) were relatable.

Very sweet story that follows the story of characters that represent a lot of people. A must read. Dylan is the cutest character and I had such a soft spot for them. The drawings are incredibly stunning and I really enjoyed the quick read. The structure was a bit complicated and it took me some time to process the jumps. I loved some bits of the story and I was screaming at my phone reading others. I do recommend this book though, the representation is brilliant and needed!

Leighton Worthington and Dylan Render, two high school students who have always been close friends, are sent to a summer camp for troubled youth after a tragic event. While they did not choose to attend the camp, they must perform well there in order to avoid being separated from each other and their other high school friends. The challenges they face at the camp cause them to reflect on the incident that brought them there, as well as their friendship and their own personal identities.

This was a mediocre read for me. I appreciated the various rep in this graphic novel. Leighton is biracial and asexual, Dylan is non-binary, and there are queer side characters. Unfortunately I never really felt connected to any of them. The reveal of the tragic event that sent Leighton and Dylan to the summer camp also fell kind of flat for me and didn't have the impact I was expecting. Overall, I wasn't particularly moved by the story and found it to be just okay.

This was an excellent graphic novel. The nonbinary and asexual representation were some of the best I’ve ever seen. I loved the way the author unfolded the story, but by bit, using flashback to the past. This is a fantastic middle grade/YA choice.

An intriguing tale of growing and changing relationships within family and friend units. Something fell a little flat for me. Overall a solid read.

Paper Planes was a beautifully illustrated book about two teens at camp for troubled youth the summer before freshman year of high school. Leighton and Dylan have had a changing friendship with ups and downs, and they're still trying to navigate what they each mean to the other.

Paper Planes turned out to be much more deep than I had originally anticipated. The two main characters both go through journeys of self discovery and figuring out their true selves -- a difficult task during one's teenage years.

The graphic novel is very well illustrated, and I loved the different color schemes as the story switches between present day and past memories. The panels do often have a timestamp that helps readers keep track of the story, but there are moments where it's not present, so the differing colors help the reader know the timeline.

The book has multiple LGBTQIA+ representations, which I feel is extremely important for young readers. Leighton is on the asexual spectrum and is still discovering her romantic attraction. Dylan uses they/them pronouns, self identifies as queer, and says they have "gender euphoria" when a camp counselor asks them about having gender dysphoria.

I absolutely devoured this graphic novel. I enjoyed the drama, the friendship, and the characters coming into their true selves.

What a heartwarming tale about friendships, growing up, and identity.
This story made me happy, sad, angry, and by the end, reflective of my own similar experiences.
The author did a fantastic job of fully fleshing out the characters. My heart aches for Dylan and their struggles. Although Leighton certainly made me angry a few times, my heart aches for her as well. The characters really make this story feel alive.
I would've loved to see a scene where Leighton stands up to her family and reunites with her sister, but that's the part of me that likes to see stories end happily, neatly, wrapped, with a bow on top. This one ends a little differently.

Thank you, NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Pros:
-Awesome artwork and character design
-Tons of queer rep. One MC is ace and the other is nonbinary.
-Cricket! She was the best.

Cons:
-Pacing and story structure: I think there just needed to be a scene explaining what kind of camp they're at instead of the reader slowly realizing they are at a delinquent teen camp.
-Mandy's character - at first she is the worst and then that ending was out of nowhere

A great graphic novel about Leighton and Dylan dealing with their relationship, navigating high school, and coming to terms with their genders and sexualities. The present part of the story is at a summer camp for delinquent teens and we are given flashbacks starting when the two become friends as kids and leading up to why they are at the summer camp together. I was a little annoyed with how the characters treated each other, but their decisions made sense by the end of the book. I would defiantly recommend for teens.

This read was such. War read the characters we so easy to like , really enjoyed it and will be definitely reading more by this author .

*Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios, Maverick for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

Paper Planes is a coming of age story of Leighton and Dylan. It was really wonderful to see these characters find themselves in most unexpected ways. Dylan was non binary which I haven't read in anything before. And it was really amazing. I loved every page of it and I hoped there were more that 200 pages. Jennie Wood did an EXCELLENT work.

I truly enjoyed this graphic novel.
The characters were interesting and complex, the plot kept me wanting to know more and I liked the dynamic with the flashbacks and dual points of view.

Thank You Netgalley and the publishers for sending me and allowing me to read this E-ARC.
What an amazing graphic novel. This deserves some type of award. This was just wow!