Oh my heart! It's been more than 40 years since i was 12, but this brings back all those feelings, that struggle of growing up at a different rate than some of your friends, trying to figure out how to be a teenager, dealing with a first crush... just, wow. Tuva, whose diary we are reading here (shame on us!), is suddenly dealing with so many new things; her best friends, Linnea and Bao, are drifting away in different directions. Linnea has a boyfriend now, and Bao still doesn't think about that stuff at all. Bao still likes to play war in the "Bog," a forest area next to the school, while Linnea just wants to talk about her boyfriend and makeup and clothes and other girly stuff. Then a new girl, Mariam, starts school, and Tuva makes friends with her, and then Tuva realizes she like-likes Mariam, and omg what does she do now? It's so awkward tween, and the emotions are expressed so well, and good gravy, this book would've made me feel so understood when I was that age!
The diary format is perfect for this story, it makes everything flow well. The art is gorgeous and expressive, and I really enjoyed the peep into life in Norway. The author includes notes on how the school system works in Norway, which was very helpful - some things were so different from my school years, like being able to leave campus during lunch to hang out in a forest! The feels, though, those are universal. I can't recommend this book enough!

#CrossMyHeartandNeverLie #NetGalley

A cute graphic novel about growing up, first crushes, and friendship. Tuva is starting seventh grade, and she is so excited for another year with her two best friends, Bao and Linnea. But the year is off to a rocky start when Linnea announces that she has a boyfriend and isn't interested in their childish games any more. Bao, on the other hand, wants things to stay the way they were. Tuva is caught in the middle; she loves their games in the woods, but is also interested in finding a boyfriend (or maybe girlfriend?) of her own. One thing's for sure: seventh grade will not be easy.

I love the diary format, and the illustrations are adorable. This is such a sweet little story about the preteen years when things become so much more complicated. Very relatable. Tuva has a lot to deal with. She's struggling with changing friendship dynamics, and discovering unexpected feelings for the new girl. What a year. Luckily, she doesn't let anything get her down for long, and she has some great people in her corner. This was a bright and highly enjoyable read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a sweet middle grade graphic novel. I love to see the queer representation for younger readers that I didn’t have growing up. If you’re looking for a younger sapphic story in the same vein as Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, I recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This was a lovely, sweet and uplifting graphic novel about a young girl discovering her sexuality and falling in love for the first time. The art style was fun and the main character was very entertaining. I really enjoyed the colour palette used throughout, especially all the soft pinks and yellows. Just a delightful, cosy, feel-good book, and definitely one I'd revisit if I wanted a pick-me-up.

Cross My Heart and Never Lie by Nora Dasnes was a sweet story about growing up, falling in love for the first time, and evolving friendships during the early days of puberty. While the story and artwork were nice, nothing about this novel felt particularly groundbreaking and I can't imagine adding this to my permanent collection. That being said, I did enjoy it and would be perfectly happy with my tween reading this. The messages are important and are told in a realistic way.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This delightful middle-grade graphic novel revolves around a 12-year-old girl's journey through adolescence, navigating shifting friendships and exploring her feelings for another girl.

The artwork is particularly striking, showcasing beautiful colors and a creative blend of traditional comic panels and illustrated diary entries.

Originating from Norwegian roots, the story offers a fascinating glimpse into the distinct aspects of daily life in Norway, while also incorporating universally relatable experiences.

I highly recommend this read to those who appreciate queer middle-grade narratives. Although the protagonist, Tuva, confronts some challenging situations, the overall tone of the book remains light-hearted, culminating in a positive conclusion.

" . . . acting like a teenager feels awkward. Almost like a game. I guess I have to keep trying until it feels normal."

Twelve-year-old Tuva is caught between two worlds, AND two friends. Her pal Bao wants things to stay the same with the three girls building a fort in the bog, and just hanging out together. Linnea, however, has moved on, and wants to indulge in more grownup activities like shopping and BOYS. Tuva just wants everyone to get along like they used to.

But, there's also a new girl at school who seems to have a lot in common with Tuva. Could she be a new friend, or perhaps . . . something more.

AUGH! Growing up is SO CONFUSING! And, this wonderful graphic for middle-grade readers captures all the turmoil. Highly recommended for anyone who feels alone in " all the madness" of becoming a teenager.

This was such an adorable and lighthearted exploration of the beginnings of puberty and teenage years. Too much media right now is aimed at the tailend of teenagehood, which is important, but it means we're missing brilliant stories such as these! It was especially heartwarming to witness a story of a young girl tackling friendship and romance and school while being sapphic, because that particular experience of mine as a young kid is something I've never actually seen before. The beautiful art style and means of telling the story through diary entries added to the overall beauty 🩷

This is one of the most authentic voices about middle school. I love that it’s in Norway and I loved all of the seventh grade drama. It felt so realistic to me, even the ending. I know my students will identify with so many things mentioned in this book. What a gift!

This was such a sweet, fun and beautifully illustrated story about growing up, being queer and young love!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher Astra Publishing House, and the author Nora Dasnes for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved seeing a Vietnamese diasporic character in an unexpected setting, especially in a smaller European country. Typically, you see diasporic Vietnamese characters in North America, France, Prague, Germany, The UK, and Australia. Not much outside of those places though. Dasnes' art style is really cute and it's great to see a young child/girl figuring out her sexuality and queerness at a young age. Queer children exist and queer storytelling can be about joy as much as it can be about pain and anything queer storytellers want.

This was a super cute graphic novel about that period of pre-teen life where everyone is beginning to figure out who they are and start wanting to grow up. I enjoyed the art and the diary-style format and the way it captured the angsty of being 12 so perfectly. It's also a sweet sapphic story and I loved the main character's queer awakening and her relationship with her father. Overall, not my favorite but a sweet story for sure.

I absolutely loved it. It was a cute, sad, hopeful, adorable, fun, and very realistic story about the path you take to become a teenager. All those questions you ask yourself, about how other people see you, in your school, in your family, among your friends... Are you going to be accepted for what you are, for your personnality, or do you have to mold it regarding what people think is "cool" ? I really loved how that changing is portrayed. It is smart and respectful, I've really spent a nice time reading this book. I liked the drawings a lot, it's my kind of graphic novels ! Also, can we speak about all the BTS ref ? Cause I love it !

Dang, this HIT MY HEART STRINGS!!! It reminded me a lot of my experience of being Tuva's age and questioning myself, my crushes, and trying to figure out what it all meant.

4.5/5


I loved this. This was so hella cute and nostalgic.
All the situations our little character is experimenting (except the love feeling) were the exact same situations I had experienced back in the school days. The struggle of being accepted, having your friends starting having different interests, the school groups and being the one in the middle of everything. I was living again those moments, and it did hit hard when Tuva started to feel alone.

What Tuva had that I didn't tho was a person that didn't make her feel alone anymore.
In this case it's a girl. So our little protagonist is struggling ever more with this new feeling she will call later: love. Another thing she was afraid of, was being accepted for who she was, while her friendship world started falling apart every day.
In this diary form graphic novel, we will read all these struggles with a very easy yet full of heart writing where Tuva puts everything that happens to her in there.

Cute, diary-like graphic novel - Tuva is a sixth grader who is torn between a friend who has a boyfriend and one who has no interest/anti-interest in dating. Tuva doesn't know which side she's on, herself, and tries to navigate a crush she has on her new classmate.

This comic is a heartwarming one. I really did enjoy the coming of age kind of a thing going on here as we observe how the main character navigates her life as a kid and kind of a growing up or maturing on the stage. Overall, this is great read!

I really liked this one. It took me back to my childhood. I felt that Tuva was very relatable about trying to find where she fits in as people around her are changing. This is a great read for any kid who feels like an outsider and is having a hard time dealing with life's changes. I think kids and adults alike can relate to this story.
I really liked the art too.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Actual rating 4.5 stars

A charming book about the woes of growing up. I got thrown back into my own childhood and having many of my friends suddenly only talking about boys and gossip as opposed to the games we all played before. It was wonderful to see Tuva have such a supportive dad and also how she is able to stand up for herself in the story. The art is absolutely gorgeous, too! The only thing I wished for was the ending to be a bit more expansive as it was quite abrupt. This is a book for kids and for adults who used to be kids!

I loved this one! It's definitely for the weird kids, and I wish I had something like this in seventh grade. While the words seem hand-written, they aren't hard to read. The art style is absolutely gorgeous and matches perfectly with the story. I loved how it takes the time and space to introduce some other diverse experiences apart from the main character liking girls, like how she only has one dad or her Vietnamese friend. This book was first published in Norway, and I do kinda have a prejudice of all slavic countries being extremely white and their families being like a dad, a mom, a daughter and a son. Which of course isn't true, but it's nice to see it challenged in fiction as well.