The middle grade and YA books have been hitting me in the feels lately, and this one is no exception. Written as a diary-style graphic novel, Cross My Heart and Never Lie tells the story of 12 y.o. Tuva's launch from childhood into wilds of adolescence. Starting seventh grade after a summer away, Tuva finds that she and her friends have all started changing. Some like boys, some still don't - and much to her surprise, she may be falling in love with a girl. Seamlessly weaving traditional comic panels of Tuva's actions and daily life with illustrations of pages from her diary, Dasnes presents the story in such a way that the reader can experience the trials and tribulations of becoming a teenager along with Tuva and her friends. As with real life, the friends develop differently and learn to navigate their friendships as they both cling to and run away from childhood. While there are some cringey moments along the way, Dasnes handles them with empathy. Ultimately this is a story of acceptance and friendship. Recommended for middle graders approaching and wading through early adolescence, and those supporting them along the way.

Thank you #netgalley and #hippopark for the advanced copy

Super cute story. I will for sure getting a physical copy of this for my nieces as this is a type of book that would so be their type to read. I highly recommend.

A great graphic novel for tweens and young teens. The story shows the typical teen angst of trying to find that balance between wanting to be mature and still wanting to do the same kids' things others may find "immature".

A must-have for all libraries!

Side note: The author wrote how to pronounce Tuva's name at the end of the book. I was pronouncing it correctly in my mind as I read. But... Hint to all authors, I'd appreciate any pronunciation guides to be in the front of the book or a note stating it is in the back of the book. I also like when the character tells the reader how to pronounce a name or other words. It may seem obvious to some how a name is pronounced but to different learners, it can be a struggle.

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This book was really sweet and wholesome. Being a preteen girl is rough and that transition between middle school and high school can be very confusing. I felt this book expressed that experience in a way that showed understand and made the reader feel seen. I think this would be a good book for a preteen.
The art was my favorite part and how it really felt like a diary.It was definitely giving heart stopper vibes but younger.

Oh, this was good! It had me feeling all the emotions and it was so, so heartwarming. I loved the art style, and I loved the diary format of the story. There were times when I felt like the author had taken pages right out of my own 7th-grade diary. Everything was so realistic to me and brought me right back to being a teenager.

I love graphic novels, and I feel like this one is a beautifully done coming-of-age story that many preteens and teens will be able to relate to. It has typical friendship drama, first crushes, new relationships, growing up, and figuring out your identity. Woven into all of this were some funny quips that helped keep the story sweet and heartwarming.

I also like how the main focus was not on Tuva getting a girlfriend. Rather she was figuring out all aspects of her identity and realizing that things change. It was also so refreshing that Tuva did not have tons of internalized homophobia to overcome, but rather it was perfectly acceptable. Her father and friends were accepting, and it was no big deal. Her biggest struggle was the fact that she was in love, it did not matter who it was with. There were some tough moments, but I feel like it was all very realistic for the age group. And I appreciated how it was all resolved.

So glad this was translated to English so new readers can enjoy this great graphic novel!

A sweet little coming of age graphic novel, about first crushes and changing friendships at the start of adolescence. Compelling in its universality, but also very interesting for the specifics: depicting childhood in a small Norwegian community, and discovering a girl can have a crush on another girl.

I love the diary style graphic novel and this one kind of reminded me of Terri Libenson's books. This was a great story about growing up and changing friendships. I think Tuva's experiences will be very relatable for readers. I loved her father and their strong relationship, and the queer rep was great!

A fun, relatable graphic novel in the style of a diary that Tuva keeps as she enters seventh grade and everything changes--friendships, crushes, and more. I found the characters extremely relatable. Although I might not have shared their exact struggles, I could relate to that middle school feeling of being not quite sure where you fit in, even with your closest friends. It’s sweet, and the art is very cute.

Cross My Heart and Never Lie is a sweet story about self discovery and growing up. This is a perfect pick for those awkward tween years when you feel stuck in the middle between childhood and being a teenager. Perfect addition for all middle grade collections.

Starting the seventh grade, Tuva has a list for the things she wants to accomplish and ideas for how the year should go. She’s excited and can’t wait, but as school starts, her plans quickly unravel. Soon her friends are split into groups: girls who fall in love and girls who never fall in love. Tuva just wants everyone to find a way to get along, but it’s hard when she’s expected to choose a side and finds herself falling for someone.

The diary style of this graphic novel caught me off guard, but once I got used to it, I really fell in love with Tuva and her journey through seventh grade.

The author really explores the difficulties of growing up well. How when others around you are changing and you feel you should be too. That pressure to fit in, but wanting everyone to continue to get along despite the changes. It’s all here and so well done that as a reader, my heart broke for Tuva as she was doing what she could to make the best out of the situations presented to her.

And her realization that she liked a girl? It was so beautifully done.

Tuva’s journey is one that I imagine a lot of those in this age group can relate too. But, I think this story goes beyond that. Seeing her thoughts of what was going on and how she was struggling with it all, it took me right back to that time in my life. Even individuals who are past this age bracket can find enjoyment from this. I could not recommend it enough.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a great book for the tween/younger teenage age group. Dealing with the struggle between trying to fit in with two different groups or identities is something I believe all people can relate to at one point or another. I enjoyed the struggle of the main character to try and figure herself out and share all of her self doubts. She makes mistakes and tries to navigate the tricky waters of young adulthood. Very relatable and something I think many people would appreciate. Sometimes the all over writing was hard to read or follow but reflected the chaos of this time. I also enjoyed that it was set in Oslo, while showing how similar the experience is for everyone at this age, regardless of nationality.

My 12-year-old daughter read this book and here is her review:

"I liked the book because, touching. It was a really good book. I liked it because it was about a young girl learning new stuff about herself."

Thank you for a copy of this book. It is exactly the kind of book she loves and she was so excited to get to read an advanced copy.

I got an ARC of this book.

It wasn't a bad book, but it felt like there was really nothing to it. I expected more of a plot or at least more feeling since it was diary style. The art was cute and I liked how simple it was, even while I wish there was more to it. I loved that there was immediate consequences for even mild homophobia. There was no judgment from Tuva's AMAZINGLY COOL DAD. He is dorky, makes playlists, can't bake, but makes great lasagna. I just adored him. It is so rare to see single dads and he was just so wholesome.

I loved that there was a brief message from the author about translations and how kids all around the world have worries about growing up.

This book perpetuates the idea that there are only 2 Types of girls. But I think it is really dismissive to say Girls are so easily categorized. Of course it’s going to change throughout the book but I can’t get past the beginning because it’s such an obvious point being made.

The Characters overly dramatic & unrelatable.

“Friends don’t keep secrets” is not cool. I don’t like this because everyone is allowed to keep their private thoughts private.

Girls blaming each other is not a fun theme to me. Not letting them have personal preferences on what they want to do, like if they choose a boyfriend over girl time, isn’t a fun theme.

It would be a good story for a younger kid because it doesn’t represent 12 year olds accurately, but it does show what an elementary age kid might think 12 year olds act like.

Not written by anyone who was recently 12, which is obvious, but I couldn’t even relate to characters.

The art was not good.
The characters were not likable.

I always like Diary format though.

Would you recommed this book?
No, unless they want to complain about it. We had some good conversations as a result of reading this.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

-47 yo mom and 11 yo daughter

This is a sweet yet sincere take on what it's like to have one's first real crush. Nora Dåsnes really captures the feeling of being a twelve-year-old girl caught between childhood and teendom (teenhood? teenage-years?) in all of its tentative, awkward glory. I also love how whimsical yet detailed the illustrations are.

This is a very sweet, cozy middle grade grade graphic novel about Tuva, as she goes into 7th grade, encounters drama with her friends, and falls in love for the first time, with another girl. This does a wonderful job of getting into the 12-year-old feelings without being too heavy, and illustrates the first crush beautifully. The artwork is gorgeous, and since it's translated from the Norwegian, it's interesting to see how Tuva's daily life compares with that in the US. Also love Tuva's dad! Thanks to Netgalley and Astra Publishing House (Hippo Park) for the advance digital copy!

This was like a window back on my childhood and into my own kid's life. I loved every delightful second of it and the illustrations were so darling. I can't wait to share it with my own kid when it comes out!

Rating: g - no profanity, violence, sex. Romance: coming out story, first lesbian love.
Recommend: jh interested in subject matter, including the friendship bumps when one part of the group matures more quickly than another, a pretty common middle school event.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy. This charming graphic novel shares the growing pains of being on the cusp of the teen years. Loved the diary pages and lists, and the main character was brave and honest about her feelings towards her childhood friends and her potential crush.

Cross My Heart and Never Lie is a book that I’d recommend to younger audiences that are interested in the Heartstopper series. This graphic novel is written in a similar diary/journal format and is perfect for tweens!

The main character, Tuva, struggles trying to maintain her friendship with her two BFFs. She feels caught in the middle, being less mature than one and more mature than the other. When she experiences her first crush, she feels even more confused about who she is and what friendship “team” she belongs to.

Tuva’s coming-of-age story is one that so many young readers will be able to relate to. I loved that the romantic element, while it did occupy many of Tuva’s thoughts, didn’t take over the entire story. I feel like the ending was perfect for this age group, although there could be space for a sequel(s).

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for an eARC of this book.