I really wanted to find specifically a graphic memoir. I hate to be pedantic, but since I’m reviewing this as an educator, this is NOT a memoir. It’s an autobiography. A memoir is about a specific time period or specific theme. An autobiography covers an entire life. This was not cohesive or themed. This was just a bunch of anecdotes from the writer’s life. And why was the one with her pretend brother strangely incesty? I didn’t hate this book, but it’s not what I expected and it’s not my favorite.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I don't know if the stories hit too close to home or what, but I did not enjoy this. This graphic novel is a collection of stories about the author's childhood and young adult life. Some stories were longer, while others were only a few pages. The artwork is cute, but I would have loved color illustrations. This is definitely more of an older YA book because of the subject matter.

I am a huge fan of Penelope Bagieu, I loved her terrific Brazen, Exquisite Corpse, her biography of Mama Cass, Califrnia Dreamin'. Sweet and engaging artwork--intimate lines, pastels, whimsical subjects (though Brazen is straight feminist work). Layers is not about hens, but is a kind of slice-of-life collection of anecdotes, a memoir, about her life, sort of randomly organized. Her first work in memoir, so we get to know this friend we love through her artwork.

But Layers has less coherence of any of her previous work, less drive, less interest for me. I am sure her name (and engaging artwork) will sell this work everywhere, and she's still delightful, but this is pretty airy and thin and disjointed. It has Bagieu whimsy going for it, which is a good thing, and the art is worth the trip.

Thanks to the author, First Second Books, and Net Galley for the preview. It is scheduled to come out September 23, 2023.

Layers is a graphic memoir by Penelope Bagieu inspired by her diaries. It is structured in 15 short stories that cover a range of topics. I felt like the stories jumped too much. I didn't connect much with most of the stories, and I didn't come away with a deeper meaning. I also think this should be geared more towards adults. I would not recommend this to my middle grade students.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Review to come on my blog on September 18th and then also on Goodreads and Amazon.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I was so excited when I got the mail that I was approved for this graphic novel! I just love Pénélope Bagieu's works and I just had to read this one!

In this black/white memoir we get 15 short stories about her. About childhood, awkward teenage years, and the first steps to adulthood. It was a really good read and I loved that instead of it just being one big story it was multiple stories featuring multiple themes and facets of her life. From the first one which is about her cat and how she got it to getting boobs and being happy but also getting way too much attention or that one about her constantly sucking her fingers and how nothing helped... well until one visit to someone. Teehee. I really liked the stories and they were very interesting to read. I loved how open and honest she was and not skipped any details that may be too much or too awkward, nope she shares it all.

I love the illustration style, quite a bit different at times from what I am used by this illustrator. But it fitted right with this graphic novel/memoir.

I love that, unlike so many graphic novels that are out, that this one takes place in France. That we read about things from France. Like apparently there were topless ladies dancing on tv? That just made me laugh so much.

I think the only critique I would have is that I would have rather had it in order of age, not from childhood to adult to teen to childhood etc.. It was still a good read, but for me it was just a tad chaotic.

Also, be warned of some of the stories. Like the one of the sleepover and what happened to her there.

All in all, I am very happy I got the chance to read this book! I would recommend it.

This was a charming and honest look at the author’s life. I really felt like the author was revealing her true self, especially when confronting some troubling incidents in her past. I liked the balance of serious and more lighthearted topics.

A cute and funny take on a memoir. Bagieu uses both the hard and fun moments of her life to create an entertaining graphic novel.

A lovely collection of short stories with a very beautiful illustration style. Quite relatable and funny at times!

This is a great autobiographical book that depicts the good and bad that is life. The images throughout were stunning, not too graphic.

I have to start by admitting I was unable to make it through this graphic novel. I loved what I read of it but I was getting incredibly sad about the cat. But I do highly recommend this graphic novel

An enjoyable, if somewhat slight, series of illustrated vignettes covering childhood and early adulthood. I can see this being appealing to teens who want to learn more about French culture and its difference from American culture, it makes a fairly breezy read for an afternoon.

Layers is a graphic memoir of stories that chronicle major events in the author’s life from childhood to adulthood. While some moments are funny, there are others that are heartbreaking and still others that are heartwarming.

This was a quick read and I found the book entertaining. I especially enjoyed the first story in the book (about the author’s cat) because it had me feeling a full range of emotions. I would definitely seek out other books by this author for personal reading.

One downside to this book is that NetGalley has it listed in the teen & YA category. Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable adding it to my high school library because there are images of nudity and sex (and we all know what the current climate is like in school libraries in the US). With that said, I know this author is Parisian and that other countries can be more open-minded when it comes to literature for teens and young adults so the intended audience may be more fitting for other parts of the world. Still, I would recommend this book to the 18+ crowd as a heartfelt, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for an eARC of this title

I really liked the format how it was told in vignettes and I enjoyed most of the stories. Sadly I will not be able to have it in my classroom library because of the topless drawings. I get that they made sense for the stories and that the nude body is viewed differently in Paris, but I would not be allowed to have this in my classroom because of the boobs.

This read was a very personal roller coaster. I admire the author/illustrator for putting so much of her life and for the courage it must have took. Some parts were heart breaking and other parts put a smile and laugh on my face. It was incredibly relatable and very well done. There are short snippets of her life growing up covering all kinds of topics. I thought of this as an even more personal Cathy graphic except with more serious (and sad) adult topics. Memoirs in graphic novel form are becoming more popular and illustrators like Bagieu are able to make you both feel how she felt with her words and with her illustrations.

I know this was a translation from French, but I felt like it was a little all over the place. Some funny stories, some I just didn’t understand. Unfortunately, because of some images, I won’t be able to purchase from my library.

Even if readers, like myself, are unfamiliar with Bagieu's work, I believe that the vignettes she openly shares in Layers can both be relatable to the teenage soul and thought-provoking to learn about certain aspects of French culture that's unfamiliar for Americans. Despite that, it may rather be the blank pages in-between each story or the black-and-white artwork that makes this story feel disjointed nor outstanding. The one lesson I've extracted from reading this graphic memoir is that throughout our lives whether it's regarding relationships or everyday routines, we all fall into repetitive practices that can sometimes be unhealthy out of the protection of one's friends and family and Layers reminds us to promote compassion to our younger and present selves.

This was a funny and devastating book. I was born the same year and it was amazing how similar our experiences were as teens despite the fact I was in the US and she was in France. There would be a zany story of teen hijinks or poignant comparison of teen relationships juxtaposed with adult relationships and then suddenly terrible sexual abuse and assault would appear in the stories. Sometimes it seemed almost casual on the part of the aggressor, such as when she was a child on the subway. The many layers of these stories are going to stick with me a long time, I can tell they'll be resurfacing in my mind a lot.

The vignettes in this book paint a picture of a Bagieu’s life experiences in a way that at once shows them as unique and relatable. The art style sometimes caused me to be confused between people in scenes,

Black and white memoir of a young girl told through memories captured from her diaries. Her first steps of life from teen years into adulthood are shared through a sense of humor garnered from her French upbringing. Known for her editorials, her Corsican and basque background will underlie her many stories.

Graphic novel memoirs are popping up everywhere and are super popular and this one does not disappoint. I loved this book and I can see a lot of my patrons loving it too. Especially because nonfiction can be intimidating to read, but when you bring in the graphic novel representation, it'll be a home run!