I absolutely loved this book! It has romance, queer storylines, spooky mysteries, and podcasts! This is a book for anyone who has ever thought to themself "I should have a paranormal podcast." Along with the mystery that this book centers around, it also shows readers the ways in which identity and feeling like one doesn't belong or isn't "something" enough can seriously impact someone's life.

I tried so many times to finish this one. The art was gorgeous. But I could not get into and stay onto the plot. did not grab me at all. DNF

So freaking cute! Highly recommend! I loved the horror illustrations in this graphic novel. It had great pacing and some cute queer panels that I are right up my alley. The only thing that I wish there were more of was the lore. It would have been great to expand on how the family uses magic a little more.

Miscommunication trope used in YA where the adults trust the young kids with world saving info so the curious kids almost end the world by pressing the metaphorical red button.

This was a really enjoyable, queer paranormal romance graphic novel. It's a little heavier on the romance than is my personal preference but I think it's appropriately appealing for a YA audience. I especially appreciated the differences in the actual page design between night and day - I love little details like that.

Honestly, I didn't get around to reading this before it was archived because brains are messy messy things, but I am highly looking forward to it as soon as my library request goes through. The art and story look like my jam!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Hey everyone, gather 'round for a quick chat about "The Hills of Estrella Roja." It's this really cute graphic novel with Mexican stories about ghosts and stuff. So, there's Kat, this cool podcaster, right? She wants to check out these mysterious lights in Estrella Roja with her friend, but her friend bails. No worries, though, because she meets Mari at a family funeral, and they start digging into the town's history and Mari's cool connection to it.

Kat asks around town, but people are not so friendly. Then she meets Mari, who's totally on board to help out. Together, they find some weird stuff and become pals in the process!

I was into this graphic novel – the story was super interesting, and I couldn't wait to know more! The characters, Kat and Mari, were cool and relatable, and the art was just beautiful.

Kat is this fearless truth-seeker, and Mari is dealing with some family stuff. Together, they make a great team. I loved the mystery, the ghost stories, the research at the library, and the friendship between Clem and Kat – it was all awesome! The storytelling is solid, you'll cheer for the characters, and the art is eye-catching. I finished it in one go – loved every bit of it!

I really enjoyed the art style of this book. The story was not quite what I was expecting, but it was a very unique story. I wasn't very attached to the characters, but I could see that others might find them likable and relate to them.

Really enjoyable! Kat was especially fun! The family was a bit confusing—I didn’t know how big it was or who was who beyond Mari’s mom and sister and the aunt/cousin they stayed with.

The way they (the mom and aunts) handled the secrets of Estrella Roja was awful though. Maybe I’m delusional but I think if you tell your loved ones WHAT TO BE CAREFUL OF then maybe they will!!! Instead of barking at them all book. Of course Mari is going to act out of spite!

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital ARC!

A very fun and spooky cryptid/witchy tale, with good art. The two main characters are queer, with queer supporting characters as well. The focus is on the mystery though, and while I did love the book, it is a bit unbelievable in some of the plot points and just in how angry and hate filled some of the characters seemed to be, given the end. Despite that, it is a fun read, especially for cryptid lovers.

There is so much to love about his graphic novel: great suspense, awkward sapphics, and inventive monsters. I couldn't put it down.

It tells the story of two teen girls who visit the town of Estrella Roja. One is there because she got an anonymous tip that it could be a great location to feature on her and her friend's podcast, Paranormal Texas, and the other is there for a funeral. Both girls quickly find out that the locals aren't very welcoming, and they team up for a paranormal investigation.

The story was interesting and unique. I liked the illustrations, but they were sometimes unclear, which made some of the story hard to follow. Nice representation.

I have really mixed feelings on this one. I enjoyed the queer representation, but the insta love always falls flat for me. And the story itself was just way too deep for how short this book is. In all honesty it should've been two books with as much build up was in this book to actually get to the hills. And since there was so much crammed in here there was no time or enough pages to fully flesh out all the very important back story and details that are needed to make this story actually good. I think if we had this in a print novel and were able to dedicate 500+ pages to this story then it would've been so much better. Unfortunately, this just fell flat.

And the lechuza's are super off-putting.

This is a wonderfully spooky tale with elements of emotion and heart. The colors used really help to set the scene and the art pushes the story forward.

This one felt a little too scattered to me. While I can understand what it was trying to achieve, it lacks the focus to really dig into it's concepts about acceptance of the self and within one's family. It's a little weird in the plot but nothing too over the top. I didn't love it but it was an okay read.

This was my perfect graphic novel. It has everything I could hope for-cryptids, awkward sapphics, and badass lady monsters. This is about two girls, one who travels to Estrella Roja for a funeral, and one who travels there to explore a paranormal phenomenon. They quickly meet, and notice how cold the townspeople are towards outsiders, especially the aunt of Mari, whose grandma just passed. The podcaster, Kat, is truly delightful. She is goofy, and curious and just wants people to like her. All of her scenes gave me Buzzfeed Unsolved vibes, which I loved. I laughed a lot but was also creeped out, and was often on the edge of my seat.

The artwork was beautiful. The colors were stunning, and really worked in connection with the themes of the story. The characters were all very vivid. I didn't love the design of one of the paranormal creatures, but I do think it made an impact. I'm really excited to see what this author does next, and I hope this gets in the hands of teens who love to watch ghost-hunting videos on YouTube.

I really enjoyed this. It is exactly what I look for in a graphic novel. The pages were full of color and the story was a good length. I'll be recommending this to lots of teens at my library.

"In this delightfully creepy and unapologetically queer horror romp of a graphic novel, sometimes dreams do come true. Nightmares are technically dreams, after all...."
The Hills of Estrella Roja is a cute, spooky, queer romance that is perfect for the spooky season! I loved the podcast subplot, as a podcast lover myself, and the focus on local legends is the perfect story set up. The romance is sweet and slow moving enough to feel natural and very real. I loved how dense the graphic was, I really felt like a finished a well drafted story and I will be reading it again when it's released. The artwork is so beautiful and the colors create a stunning atmosphere! I cannot wait to see what Ashley Robin Franklin writes next!

What an absolute delight! The art was clear and emotionally evocative, and the story was riveting. It's always such a joy to see girls seeking the supernatural and finding each other along the way.