3.5*
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Léo in pieces by Mayana Itoïz is a story based on the authors grandmothers real life. I would describe it as a kind of slice of life graphic novel set in world war II. Overall I enjoyed the premise more than the story itself, but it feels wrong to even have an opinion because this story is so deeply personal and and bitter-sweet. I just found that the snippets felt random, a bit to short and I confused charcters since the chapters were that short. I really liked the art style though and appreciate the story for what it is.

A very quick read and a straightforward story, and I would have liked it to be a tad more complex and delve deeper into some narratives, but perhaps that was not the point. Overall, it was okay.

I felt that this was a strongly profound visual account of one woman's life during the Second World War.

That being said I found the execution of her story to lack structure. While I loved the idea of jumping between different time periods I found the way it was conveyed was hard to follow and quite confusing. I found more pro-found moments as well to be confusing as to what was actually supposed to be happening. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the art style.

Little bits and pieces of Leo's WWII life during German occupancy of France and her later encounters around that experience united in a graphic-memoir volume.
Very beautiful illustrations, interesting grey themes, but my main criticism is that while we see all kinds of Leo's romance / difficult moments / heartbreaks... I actually felt like she was never really introduced in any emotionally impactful way. We see what people see when they look at her, I guess, but not her own feelings and impressions. Being kept at bay in this way was a bit of a disappointment, it made it hard to understand her choices and feel compassion for her. A person is made of many facets, obviously, some contradictory when you look on from the outside... but the problem is, we never get the inside view of Leo. The point of this comic might have been that people are just people no matter the times, falling in love, looking for fun, getting by, helping people that touch them... but it felt very superficial and in the end I'm not sure what the author wanted us to remember of Leo.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Léo in Little Pieces is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel based on the true story of the authors grandmother. Léo lived in France, and during the war, her family had German soldiers staying in their home. Léo began a love affair with one of the German soldiers and was left pregnant when he returned to Germany. The illustrations really make the story come to life, and the use of colour for the time period was perfect. This was such a sweet but heartbreaking story, and I thank the author for sharing this with us.
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Léo in Little Pieces - the little really sold me on this book and it didn't disappoint.

The story jumps through time periods, focusing on our main character Léo and her life during and post-WWII. It is a moving story, illustrating beautifully and powerfully the experiences of women during this time.

What I loved:
💖 The illustrations - WOW. I could have spent hours just analyzing the beautiful drawings in this book. They really made the book great!
💖 The fact that this book was based on real events. It made the story even more convicting and emotional.
💖 It was translated from French but it was a seamless read. I easily read it in one day!

What I didn't like:
⭐️ There were quite a few characters in this book and because it was such a quick read, I often got lost in who was who.
⭐️ This may be due to the translation but I felt that the writing was often choppy, quickly transitioning from one scene to the next.
⭐️ I often found myself confused about the time period as the book very often jumps back and forth many decades.

If you love historical fiction/non-fiction, particularly WWII settings, you should definitely get your hands on this beautifully illustrated book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review 💓

Thank you to Netgalley and Europe Comics for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Léo in Little Pieces follows the life of the author's grandmother during the Second World War. Each "little piece" of her life, and respectively each chapter in the book, is preceded by a piece of a torn photograph, which I thought was an excellent narrative choice. However, I do wish each part of the story was explored in more depth and detail - it would have made a much stronger emotional impact.

I was struggling between a four-point-five and five-star rating for this graphic novel, but settled for a five because I couldn't find a flaw to talk about. I loved the story, the way it was told and I absolutely loved the artwork and the text font. Once I started it, I couldn't stop reading it. I went through a range of emotions in less than an hour which culminated with me sobbing at the end. It is a very moving personal story told exquisitely well by the author/artist.

Europe Comics is like the A24 studios of graphic novels - they rarely disappoint.

Bits and pieces of a woman's life during and after the second world war. Of her falling in love when she shouldn't, of broken hopes and of danger. And of life, living and doing.

I liked it. It was a soft, unobtrusive story which still packed emotions and important moments.

/ Denise

Leo in Little Pieces is about the writer + illustrator’s grandmother, Leo, during the Second World War. Like the title says, the book shows us little pieces of her life - going out with friends, her relationship with her family members, and also her secret relationship with a German soldier.

I love reading personal histories, especially if they are in the graphic novel format, and this one was nice to read. The illustrations were in a watercolor style and go along with the story really well. There’s an illustration on Page 24 that shows Leo and her sisters in separate panels but together - that made me fall in love.

In terms of storytelling, each chapter begins with a little piece of a torn photograph from Leo’s life and shows that particular moment from her life. Although beautifully done and tells us the little (sometimes considered ordinary) details about Leo’s life, I feel like the writer could have shown / depicted earlier in the book rather than at the end that they are the one sharing the stories told to them by their grandmother, Leo. It was an abrupt sort of realization when the writer shows themselves much later in the book. This will be the only reason I will give this book a 4.5/5 stars.

Overall, this book was warm, tender, and real. Would definitely recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a copy of this book.

I really liked it! As the title says, it's a collection of memories and moments from the life of Léo, the author's grandmother, inspired by ripped up photos Léo showed to her grandchild. I really liked how Mayana Itoïz turned these photographs into a comic book - the fragmented nature of the narrative worked well and really captured the feeling of finding a box of old memories and going through them. The best description of the art style I can think of is light and airy - it has a watercolor feel to it and I think it worked really well with the story.

It's a nice and emotional glimpse into the life of a family and how Léo loved and lost during WWII. I could tell how much this comic book means to the author, which I liked a lot. I definitely recommend it!

- ARC provided by NetGalley -

I think this graphic novel was quite perfect. A little funny, very tearful, grave but with a touch of lightness. The drawing and colours are a delight. The story is very moving, especially because it is intertwined between the past an the present, memories that are bittersweet and a present that looks even brighter thanks to the comparison. I liked the use of the different generations that we should all be thinking about during these tough periods when the first and second world wars do not seem that far from us... I really enjoyed my reading all the more because it made me feel a lot of emotions.
I just saw a little something to improve maybe, but that is just a detail, it is that the writing is a bit too little when you read it on the computer.
Regardless, it was an wonderful read and I look forward to reading more from the writer.

This is a very moving story about the life of a free spirited young woman living in France during the Second World War and the Nazi occupation. The story is based on the recollections of the author’s grandmother Léo.

Leo worked as a waitress in the family inn, which had been requisitioned by the occupying German forces and we see the war and the occupation through her eyes. She is carefree and also rather oblivious to the dangers around her. She flirts and shares secrets with the enemy, she buys things from the black market, she works in the cafe dreaming of the future. It is only in her much later years that she finds out the truth about some of the people who had been in her life at that time.

It is an excellent memoir that shows more than it tells through artwork that at times feels whimsical even though there is darkness in the story. Definitely worth reading.

Copy provided by Europe Comics in exchange for an unbiased review.

I knew this book will make me cry just after reading the first chapter. My heart broke a little more when I got to know it was inspired by real events. Loved this book and those real pictures at the end <3

The main points of the story of love and war and loss come through but it doesn’t really feel like there is a continuous flow through out the book. It was also difficult to keep track of which characters were which and how they all related to each other especially with the various time jumps. This graphic novel had beautifully drawn illustrations and I liked that it was based on a true story but I feel that there was almost too much being put into such a short book.

Léo in Little Pieces
by Mayana Itoïz
Pub Date 25 Jan 2023
Europe Comics
Biographies & Memoirs | Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga | Romance


I am reviewing a copy of Leo in Little Pieces through Europe Comics and Netgalley:


Leo in Little Pieces is a unique graphic novel style memoir. Leo was Mayana Itoiz's Grandmother.


During the Second World War, Leo worked as a waitress in the family inn, which had been requisitioned by the occupying German forces. She was both cheerful and carefree, dividing her days between her work at the inn , her friends, and her secret love affair with Felix, a young German soldier.


After Tim's passed Leo became a mother, then a grandmother. Toward the end of her life, she told me about her past, which I present to you now in the form of these little pieces of her life.


I give Leo In Little Pieces five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

i really liked the illustrations and the plot but it was very difficult to read because of the font. it's a tough story to read.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book

This book is interesting and the illustrations are so pretty. I really love the colouring of this book. As for the plot, I can't really say much as it is based on a true story but all in all, this is a nice read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Definitely not my usual read but I was intrigued enough by the description to have a read.

It's very pretty and the general story was good, I was definitely invested. But, and maybe it's just me or the translation, it felt quite disjointed. Everything felt like it was going to fast, but that's usually a general problem with shorter graphic novels like this.

Knowing this was based on real events though gives it a bit more strength. Overall pretty solid, but could do with more fleshing out.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

Absolutely brilliant!
Such a lovely graphic novel for a true story, incredible detailed art with colour comes a story of Leo and her life. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who takes interest or loves old stories from ww2 time.
Thankyou Netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book!