this book was interesting in its way.
What I appreciated the most were the illustrations and the storytelling between the characters.
I had a bit of a hard time connecting to them or liking them but maybe it's because they're too juvenile. Although I'm not used to having that problem (I read YA frequently). It could also be from all the hesitation from both to get together and then step aside and rinse and repeat.
Maybe a continuation will resolve their struggles!

I absolutely loved this, I loved the queer representation and the whole style of the graphic novel, I loved the style of the artwork

I genuinely loved this, asexual main characters are so hard to come by and Leighton's struggles are something I understand way too personally. It's difficult to explain why you aren't interested, even if you thought you were at one point, and her and Dylan's friendship is so fucking important and great. This is one that feels real, not everything is going to be perfect, and it doesn't have to be.

Dylan is nonbinary and comes from a single-parent household, while Leighton, who is biracial and asexual, is pushed to excel in a sport she is not interested in by her affluent parents.
They are best friends since childhood who have been sent to a summer camp for troubled youth due to an incident that is revealed later in the story.
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.

This was a really great book. There was so much heart and depth to the story, it really resonated with me. Love the main character so much

Dylan and Leighton have been sent to a camp for trouble youth, they're not exactly from the same circles but they've been friends for years, despite Leighton's parents' will.
But now, Dylan and Leighton are barely talking, just sending notes to each other from time to time... And Dylan wants nothing more than to fix that relationship.

I liked the illustrations and the story was pretty taking, I really wanted to know what had happened. But the pacing seemed a bit off to me. I still really enjoyed this, I loved that one of the MCs is non-binary and the other is Ace. It was a pretty fast read, I couldn't stop reading and, to be honest, I'll probably reread it.
I'm definitely interested in reading more by this author and illustrator!

Paper Planes by Jennie Wood is a delightful young adult graphic novel exploring themes of queer friendship, first queer relationships, asexuality, mending broken relationships, gender identity, and being yourself. The art is lovely and a joy to view.

Our main characters, Dylan and Leighton, are friends who find themselves at a summer camp for troubled teens due to an incident that they both participated in that is revealed later in the story. Throughout their time at the camp, their relationship is on the rocks. During the story, through flashbacks and their innermost thoughts, we learn why they are at the camp to begin with, and why their friendship is in a precarious state.

This graphic novel does a wonderful job exploring aspects of being a queer/ace/gender-nonconforming teen in this day and age. My only concern is that it does seem to paint the troubled teen industry in a slightly more positive light than it probably deserves.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Paper Planes and would recommend it to anyone interested in young adult graphic novels, especially those looking for stories with queer representation. This was a fantastic pride month read.

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

Paper Planes was a very cute art style but the plot and storytelling didn't really mesh with me. I loved the representation and wanted to love the story more.

Thank you to Jennie Wood, Maverick, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I had mixed feelings about this book but overall I enjoyed it more than I didn’t. Starting with the things I like:

1: the art. I was obsessed with the art style by Dozerdraws. The line art and lettering was done in a way to make it easy to read.

2: the exploration of different LGBTQ+ identities. I find that I don’t see nonbinary or asexual/aromantic identities discussed very much in media and this was very refreshing to see.

3: the characters and their dynamic. I enjoyed the focus on their flaws but also on their individualities as people. The dynamic of people changing and their friendship changing/falling apart isn’t one that you often see. Usually the focus is on the romance of a book. Also I really liked the character of Cricket.

Onto the things I didn’t like:

1: there were parts of the book that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, yet I don’t quite know how to put it into words.

2: I personally found it slow paced and had a hard time with it keeping my attention.

Navigating the coming-of-age years is tough, but for Leighton and Dylan, it’s a time complicated by figuring out their place and relationship in the LGBTQ+ community. The story, interspersed with flashbacks, takes on the challenges of LBGTQ+ teens in a believable and sensitive way, with Wood masterfully relating critical information about how the two landed in trouble through a series of flashbacks. The artwork is modern and nice, and the use of color helps the reader to keep track of who is thinking what and what is flashback and current. An enjoyable read many kids will relate to!

I am just now getting into graphic novels, and I can say, I'm hooked. I am grateful to netgalley and Jennie Wood for allowing me to read this one before publication. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love the representation in this book, with not only the MC's but the smaller, side characters. There is a lot of LGBTQ+ representation here that I think is so important, especially for those who are experimenting, or confused, or fear rejection. This graphic novel touches on so much that would help those in similar situations.

two ex-best friends, sent to summer camp. Sounds fun, right? Wrong. they are sent to a summer camp for therapy, or as they see it, a punishment, and they need good reviews to leave camp and go to high school with their friends. all while trying to survive camp, get along with other "troubled kids" they are learning about themselves and how to deal with the incident that sent them there in the first place.

I loved the representation of non-binary and asexual. I think it doesn't get enough attention and i loved how this one created a narratives on the subject.

This one hit me straight in the feels though, because the message of no matter how close someone is, they can be gone in an instant and want nothing to do with you, even if you try to fight it. But they learn about themselves and why they drifted apart in the first place.

i loved this one and look forward to immersing myself in more graphic novels like this one!

Loved the art and representation (I am just learning im ace aro so loved that rep especially) , but stuggled alot with the writing and storytelling. The camp wan’t well communicated or represented, and theres alot of plot holes. Wish this book was written by another author and illustrated by this artist

Rating: 3.2⭐️
Pub Date: 7/18

Thank you to NetGalley & Maverick for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨Official Synopsis✨
High schoolers Leighton Worthington & Dylan Render have always been inseparable, but when they’re both shipped off to a summer camp for troubled youth in the aftermath of a tragic event, their lifelong friendship is put to the test.
Neither ‘chose’ to be there, but they’ll need a positive evaluation from the camp to avoid being sent away, so they can continue attending high school with their friends.
The challenges of camp pushes the once-inseparable Dylan & Leighton onto personal journeys of self-discovery that force them to re-examine the incident that threatens their futures, explore the friendship they have shared for so long, & discover the type of person each of them truly wants to be.

🧠My Thoughts🧠
I usually don’t read graphic novels, but since there’s ace rep, I wanted to give it a shot. There’s so much diversity in this novel, including those of all sizes & races, & non-binary representation as well. The characters are at a difficult time in their lives, as they’re trying to figure out who they are as humans & what they might want to do in the future, which is super relatable (even to me at age 30).
I was initially confused as to what kind of camp they were at. I do think that one character actually grew during their time at the camp, while the other didn’t. Leighton was a bit of a brat & treated her supposed best friend like crap, which she tried to justify with her asexuality. I did feel for Leighton at certain times because her parents were a little controlling and imposing, but communication would have solved the majority of her problems with Dylan (which seems to be one of the things she needed to work on at camp, per her therapist, but didn’t learn). As someone who’s ace, it hurts that one of my least favorite characters was Leighton.
I’m so happy for & proud of Dylan, & I’m so glad that they’re coming into their own; I just want to give them the biggest hug.
I really enjoyed the art & will definitely be checking out some more graphic novels in the future.

🎾🏳️‍🌈👩🏻‍🚀

This was such a cute graphic novel. Very fast paced and story was so cute and very real I wanted more

Really enjoyed the art and the story on this one. I liked how this wasn't a typical YA romance even though Leighton was a bit much at some points.

One of the most confusing books I've ever read.
The good: i liked the art style. Cricket (side-character with way too little impact on the story) was my favorite because she was a genuinely cool, funny and considerate person and i wish more would have happened with her. I also liked how diverse the characters were (bipoc and queer). I also liked how passionate Dylan was, about Leighton and about becoming an astronaut.
The bad: this book has dual POV (Leighton and Dylan) and the scenes would way too often switch from present to past which made it hard for me to understand what's going on. I also felt like some of the flashbacks were unnecessary and weren't 100% chronological. The ages of the characters make no sense. Also, Leighton being rich feels like such a random trait because it doesn't influence her that much. Furthermore, Leighton is asexual, but i think the representation is poorly made.

This novel follows these two queer characters who communicate using paper planes. As a non-binary asexual, this graphic novel felt like a fever dream to me. The fact that the other is unlabeled? Amazing representation. Aside from the representation, I really do like the art style. It was so beautiful with the popping colors— it kept me intrigued.

However, I did notice some ableist language. And the fact that a white author is talking about being ashamed to be black is not something I’m entirely on train for. There were of course, some plot holes— I think it’s very hard to write a graphic novel without plot holes, so I have some questions left unanswered. Lastly, I didn’t like how rushed the ending was. I wouldn’t say it felt out of character, but I was expecting something different. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the book. Would recommend to younger audiences.

Such a great story! The art is so well done as well! The only thing that took some time getting used to was the timeline. The story constantly jumps back and forward in time, making it a little difficult to follow but I still really enjoyed the story!

I think it is so important to have these topics laid out in multiple formats for people to consume. Graphic novels are a great way to tell a story while also literally painting a picture for the readers.

I'm so glad I started requesting more graphic novels, because soooo many good ones are coming out lately!
This one's about two best friends who go to a summer camp for troubled teens. Their relationship with each other is delightfully complex, and I loved how everything turned out, even if it's bittersweet. The cast of characters they meet there looks diverse, although sadly only one of the other teens gets fleshed out (and it was an incredible pick! But I just wish we knew a bit more of the others). I'm at a time of my life that I like to call social turmoil, where every social circle of mine is shifting and changing, and to see that represented in a story that I could devour in a few hours brought me peace, in a way. The characters were going through some stuff similar to what I'm going through, and it felt very real, not at all weird-paced which is something that can happen in graphic novels. There are some mysteries/questions in the plot and it all gets revealed at the right time.

This was such a fun book. I loved all the different LGBTQ+ rep in it. The only thing I “disliked” was all the jumping back and forth in time. It was a bit confusing and I don’t how to say it but heavy I guess? Otherwise, I loved it. Quick, easy, fun read that still touches in on a lot of different and heavy topics. Great summer read!