Thank you to Netgalley and Image Comics for letting me read this title.
I wanted to like this book, I really did and I really resonated with parts of it and I understand the purpose and what it’s trying to accomplish but it’s just a bit too chaotic for me.

Oh, my goodness, if this book was present present before the pandemic happened, I would have jumped on this and soaked it up. Well, I soaked it up and remembered how I felt during the start of 2020. Anyways, kudos to the author, artist of this graphic/comic book. This is a great show of how we must all felt during the pandemic.

I love a good memoir. Give me a good GRAPHIC memoir?? I'm in absolute heaven and will read about just about anyone's life. I was pleasantly surprised that this author's life just so happened to be interesting enough to keep me captivated throughout the entire book! Loved the illustrations as well. Stunning piece of work.

"you're not selfish or evil by the way"

Thanks to NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a raw, real, and creative way to portray six months of a life with depression through an array of art styles ranging from silly, little memes to horrific, lurking monsters. Since this is an autobiography, naturally it conveys human emotions, and I love that it didn't stray away from how much of a rollercoaster depression can be. I also appreciated that the ending had merely a semblance of a good, learned ending, but didn't try to make it seem like the depression went away and everything is all good now because it's the end of the book. Furthermore, it was nearly impossible to choose a favorite quote from this.

This art!! I love Zoe’s art — the mix of styles, the different color palettes, the animal heads. I just loved it all.

Now on to the heavy stuff. It was hard reading a book about a young person who has frequent thoughts of suicide. Mental illness, depression, social anxiety.. it’s all so (wait for it) relatable. I appreciate when a writer shares real experiences.

This depression monster is one of my favorite depictions of depression that I’ve seen yet.

Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics!

Unfortunately I didn't finish this title through no fault of its own, but because the topics covered hit a bit too close too home for me - something that is really a testament to the brilliant storytelling of Zoe Thorogood.

I tried to finish the story by reading in smaller installments, but ultimately ended up dnf-ing the book at around the 60% mark.

'It's lonely at the center if the Earth' is well written and uses some really interesting and complex visual storytelling and does an excellent job at tackling a heavy topic in a honest and intimate way.

This is a book that I would stock in my library as I can see how it might benefit someone else, however I would give it a borrower age rating and have clear content warnings in the front.

This was a very interesting reading experience. I never totally felt like I knew what direction the narrative was taking, and at multiple points, the metanarrative took a very unexpected turn. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the book; I was hooked, unable to step away despite how painful some of the experiences were to stay with. This is a masterfully innovative take on a subgenre that can often become very blase and self-congratulatory.

This was a unique graphic novel. I appreciate the difficult discussion of mental health it presented. The art was engaging and fit the themes of the book well.

A raw, unfiltered look at depression and low self-esteem. Zoe Thorogood decides to record what it's like to be her for six months. This isn't really a memoir. At 23, she hasn't lived much of a life yet. It's more what's it's like to be in her head for a time. Where this excels is the art. She uses a variety of ways to portray herself and others, sometimes all in the same panel. Sometimes there's 5 or 6 different versions of herself in a panel. Often she gives herself a bald, cartoony head as that's how she feels. Don't expect this to go anywhere or to have some kind of resolution. These are the kinds of issues people struggle with their whole life. This is more about seeing someone else's point of view and what it's like for things to not always come easy, but to struggle every day.

This is the first graphic novel I have read it a while and it was a great one to pick up! I love the meme style of some of the panels and the story was very deep. Thorogood is very honest about their deepest fears, issues and the things that torment them. It is a refreshing autobiography that does not hide the ugly, but embraces it instead.

A biographical account of 6 months of the author's life as she prepares this novel to be published.

I can't say this was a bad novel, but it's honestly not a very powerful one.

It gets very meta and talks about itself, which was fine at first, but after a while I started feeling like there was no point in reading a novel about a novel that doesn't know what it's going to be about- and ultimately ends up being about how the author doesn't know what she wanted it to be about??

Look, I understand the artistic process, and I believe anyone should make their art do whatever they want, but unfortunately, this graphic novel did not really work for me. I think the art itself is beautiful even when it's ugly. You can tell the artist is really good at drawing comics. I just feel like at the end of the day, this didn't add any value to my life and I left feeling a bit emptier than when I started.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review

Zoe Thorogood is an artist, author, creator and one of her main means of output is the graphic novel. But Zoe has some severe issues with self confidence. Over the course of six months, Zoe battles severe depression, the terrifying fear of interacting with others - or worse, opening up to someone - and the only thing that keeps her going is her artwork - even though she's feeling very insecure about it!

I knew nothing about Zoe Thorogood before going into this book, but the idea of an autobiographical graphic novel was really interesting to me. What I didn't know was that it was going to be so depressing.

I don't feel as though this book shares any great perspective on the issues (depression or self-imaging) and is much more a cathartic release for Ms Thorogood. That's great for her, but what does it do for us?

Perhaps readers who are facing similar issues will find this relatable. Sometimes just knowing that someone else has gone through this can be helpful.

The story is incredibly simple. Zoe is depressed. Look how depressed. What can she do about her depression?

The artwork is ... chaotic. There are a few panels within that show that Thorogood is capable of producing graphic novel-worthy work. Look at the cover, for instance. This looks like a style that I would appreciate. But what's inside the covers here is a topsy-turvy mishmash of ideas and styles.

I get it. I really do. It's a strong visualization of what's going on in her head and what's going on in her head is depressing and confusing and not very realistic. But ... wow. Do I need to be subjected to this? (The answer is, "No. I do not.")

Once again, I know people - generally high schoolers - who might totally geek out on this, feeling like Zoe has totally captured what they are feeling. But as an older reader who enjoys a good graphic novel, this is absolutely not for me. I don't think this does a very good service for Ms Thorogood. I'm likely to be skeptical if I see her name on a book.

Looking for a good book? It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth is an autobiographical graphic novel by Zoe Thorogood that will depress you if you aren't already depressed and possibly confuse you if you are.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This books deals with heavy content & I'm going to say the dreaded relatable word but this book certainly felt it at times. There may not have been a potato in my version but there was a couple situations in the book that were pretty identical alongside the general themes and thoughts.

As the book covers a 6 month time period alongside snippets of the past, the art helps complement this with the different styles used to portray various thoughts & times. The mixed media as well and use of colour really helped certain panels have a bigger impact.

Definitely make sure you're in the right head space to read this but it's well worth a read for the content & art.

*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was the first thing I've read by Zoe Thorogood, which made it interesting to read about her artistic process and perception of herself as an artist. It reminded me a lot of Marbles by Ellen Forney - if you like that style of editorialized mostly-memoir graphic novel. The art was super cool - but it didn't load great on an iPad, at least as an e-arc, which made it a little difficult to read. I overall enjoyed it however.

3.5 Stars

This was quite unique and I struggle to rate it as it was so personal. I felt her anguish and I enjoyed the artwork. Made me think. I would recommend it.

I loved this so so much.

I laughed and I cried, just so many of my feelings laid out so imperfectly that it was perfect 🫶🏿.

Love Izzy so so much 🥹.

The guy that I'm calling Mr America, really didn't like him. I would pull UP and FIGHT 🤣🤣😭😭.

Zoe Thorogood records a difficult six months of her life in graphic novel form in <i>It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth</i>. I loved the way she different styles of drawing different versions of herself and that she bared herself so openly for everyone to see. I, like many people, can see parts of myself in Zoe, and I like that her work helps us to know that we are not alone. I recommend checking this book out!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The author/artist shares six months of her life with us in a well-illustrated, quirky, and inventive graphic memoir. She is not a happy young woman, and this book delves heavily into depression and thoughts of suicide. Though it held my interest, I can't say I enjoyed it.

want to thank Netgalley and Zoe for granting me this comic. This autobio comic was a real life view into what depression can truly be for some people. Although the little things bring us joy in life our depression is always with us. I loved the quote “I am not my depression but sometimes it’s comforting to believe that’s all I am.” This comic also takes place during the pandemic in 2020 and was a rough patch for all of us. Again I recommend this book for everyone whether they can relate to the depression or not, she put a comedic spin on it which I relate to because I also use dark humor to mask my mental health as well.

Although I did not enjoy reading this via ebook I think the art was beautiful. I would want a physical version of this book.

Although this book is about anxiety and depression it truly makes you feel seen and not alone. Many of the thoughts that were placed to paper are relatable and I'm sure other people have felt. The art invokes so many emotions and you can't help but admire the madness and the sadness of this book. It is really amazing to see someone so talented to not only make art but to write about their life in such a way.