Thanks Netgalley for sending me the e-arc to this amazing graphic novel!

Starting by saying that I already knew Cassandra Jean's works and I've always loved them, this was proof that her style and ideas never fail to amaze me.
I started reading this comic on webtoon and I immediately fell in love with both the characters and the story. Jacob and Murry are amazing main characters and I felt a deep connection with them since the first pages. The story is very cute and simple, and the characters' relationship is super wholesome and well-paced. Despite the plot being really cliché (in a good way), the story touches important themes like mental health and D.I.D. beautifully and incorporates them without making them feel heavy even for a reader who doesn't know anything about those topics.

I would have liked it to be longer and probably less "easy" but overall, I can't speak ill of any of Cassandra's works so once again here to invite everyone to read this graphic novel. You won't regret it!

Thanks to Yen Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC to review!

Cuckoo's Three is a cute, lovely little graphic novel about two teenage boys as they begin to experience their first love with one another.

Murry & Jacob find themselves to be neighbors one afternoon as Jacob's family moves into the property right to Murry's family farm. They begin to bond with one another as Murry's welcoming and friendly personality breaks through Jacob's shyness, and they become fast friends. When Murry finds out that Jacob is gay, it opens up a whole new world of feelings and opportunities for himself that he never considered, but homophobia lurks in the background of their lives and presents challenges Murry never expected.

This is a perfect comic to get your LGBT teenagers. It may be a little too spicy for pre-teens if Freeform TV shows are deemed too inappropriate for your kids.

All the stars to this charming love story that puts the focus on a misunderstood mental health condition in the most adorable way possible while telling a queer love story that shines with sweetness.
Everything about this story is cute, from the way Murry and Jacob meet and their every interaction, to the careful and considerate way Murry does his best to help and understand Jacob's disorder. It's not a particularly easy road for these two kind souls to find each other, but all the bumps along the way just make the inevitable happy ending all the sweeter.
But all gushing about how cute it is aside, I really do want to commend the creators for the perfectly straightforward, mature, and easy-to-understand handling and explanations they give for Jacob's Dissociative Identity Disorder and all the mental health issues that come with it. I wish more books could handle the difficult topics in such a way that they recognize the darkness without taking readers into it. The reasons Jacob developed the disorder and the mental health issues that come with it are dark and terrible, but Cuckoos Three manages to touch on and explain them without dragging the story (and the reader) down into that darkness. Kudos!

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the lovely read!

Themes / Representation:
City / Small Town Life
Mental Illness (Dissociative Identity Disorder)
LGBTQIA+ MCs
Gay MC
Animals
Art

TW: Mention of childhood abuse

Cassandra Jean has been one of my favourite artists for years now (through seeing their artwork in the Shadowhunter world) but this is my first time reading a graphic novel by them outside of that fandom. I was excited to get access to an early copy of this, and would love to read more from this artist in the future.

Jacob Durris is new to town. Battling a mental illness, his parents move the family to a small town away from the city, in an attempt for Jacob to heal and feel more settled.
When Murry Summerfield gets a new neighbour - from the city - he is more than just curious, he wants to meet a new friend.
Murry and Jacob become fast friends, and learn about each other. But is this friendship turning into something more?

I thought this was a solid story. The artwork was nice (the artist mentioned at the end that their artwork changed over the course of the graphic novel, but it must’ve been quite subtle to the reader as I didn’t notice the progression). The characters were well fleshed out, and the friendship / romance happened quite quickly. If you’re looking for a story that has a fast romantic progression, this is it.
Since I received an advanced copy of this graphic novel, the publisher had a huge, obvious watermark on the centre of every single page. I totally understand why they did this, but it constantly took me out of the story every time I noticed it. Something subtler (maybe in the corner of the page?) but still apparent, I think would have worked better for advanced readers. Maybe this would have got a higher rating otherwise.
Overall, a solid LGBTQIA+ story. The couple gave off Nick / Charlie (from Heartstopper) vibes. Would recommend for sure.

This book is absolutely perfect. You have a social butterfly, big, sunshine football player and a smaller, artistic, alternative homeschooling kid. Murry becomes so excited to have a new neighbor, and meets Jacob. They become close friends, and maybe more. This is really heartwarming and it does give insight into a character with DID without being sensational or demonizing.

I think this was my favorite graphic novel of the year.

Thank you to netgalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute graphic novel. I loved that it had Dissociative Identity Disorder Representation and talked a little bit more about it in the back of the book. Jacob the edgy, adopted, homeschooled kid with DID moves in next door to Murray, the town golden boy on the football team who is friends with everyone and secretly wants to be a veterinarian. Murray helps them move in and the boys become friends and even more. This was a super quick read and I loved it so much!

This graphic novel IS SO CUTEEEEE! The artwork is just *chief kiss !! Also the characters are so adorable! I really did enjoy the plot and their interactions.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I really liked this one! Mainly requested it on Netgalley because I saw it was gay and it had disability rep... But liked it anyway! I felt like it could have been longer tho, because I didn't fully connect to the characters.
I just felt like everything moved way too fast.
But I would still recommend it!

SUPER CUTE! Murry and Jacob are just SO CUTE! The animals, cute. Honestly, I couldn't get enough. And I need to find another word for cute.

Jean's art uses a lot of pastel colors and enchanting character art. It has almost like a calming effect while you read it. But because there's nothing harsh about the graphics, most of the emotions and such feel a bit muted to the eye. The flow is also a little different, but upon doing a little research I realized this is because of how the original web comic was published. It's kind of like reading a manga that was originally published in weekly segments. The flow isn't as smooth as something purely written in a full story arc.

Keeping with the calm, muted theme. I did notice that though Cuckoos Three does touch on things like homophobia, abuse and mental health issues, it was softer than one would expect. Probably the art style that seems to tone it down, just like the character emotions. You also don't get to see a lot of the 'inner workings' of the character's minds. So, unlike other Yen press series, I didn't feel as deep a connection. Though it's more realistic that way (you can't read other people's minds) there is just something about knowing how a character's brain works that adds depth to things.

I have one pet peeve to mention. Jacob's condition did seem to be used to supply drama. I'm not sure I really liked how that was done. I don't like things like that being used purely to move the plot along. Obviously it has a role to play, but if you are going to represent conditions like that, try not to use it for plot moving purposes. I did like the additional info provided at the end by the author on his condition though.

Conclusion

Overall I really enjoyed this one. I am going to have to see if I can buy my own copy at some point.

Everything Cassandra Jean touches turns to gold, so I went ahead and ordered a print copy of this graphic novel. Jean has been one of my favorite illustrators for almost a decade, and Cuckoos Three didn't disappoint. I have always loved her original illustrations, so I was excited to see an original, full-length work from her. The art style, coloring, paneling, and composition are absolutely stunning. Cassandra Jean has such a distinctive artistic presence that makes her works feel cohesive. Even with troubling events in the novel, her tonal work is still comforting. I found the plot decently straightforward and, of course, adorable. The relationship between Jacob and Murray progressed a little fast and certain actions were outside of character (ex. Murray leaving Jacob alone after the second game), but noticing an out-of-character-moment is a testament to how well characterizations were done in the first place. I appreciate Jean's approach to Jacob's DID. In the Extras and further online, I saw her discussing research she had done regarding DID and consulting people with the disorder. While I can't speak to it personally, I feel it was handled well/respectfully. Overall, this graphic novel was adorable and is a read I will revisit.

MY GOD. This is definitely one of my top stories this year so far. On my Top 5 at LEAST. I almost read it in one sitting but couldn't because it's exam week, but let me tell you, what a reward it was to finally finish it after I was done with exams. To say I recommend this would be an understatement, I want a whole fandom with this book to scream with. Will be waiting patiently for more works of Cassandra Jean and Mosskat.

The writing, the plot, the romance, the characters, the ART?!?!? The dialogues, the setting. They were all incredibly amazing and all combined together? It made this masterpiece. It's over for everyone when I have a physical copy of this because I'm buying my friends physical copies too.

This was a super cute graphic novel about neighbors who become much more than that. I loved the artwork and how cohesive the storyline fit with the panels of the comic.

I also appreciated how the author spoke about DID and did their research into the disorder. The way Murray helps Jacob through his switching was really sweet and I loved seeing their relationship bloom!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I absolutely loved this book.
I don't even know if I can do this justice by putting it into words.
The storyline was amazing, touching, realistic... There was a love story, but it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. The author did a great job covering the topics of mental illness / mental health in a realistic light.
I can't wait to buy a physical copy of this one!

Cuckoos Three is a charming story by Cassandra Jean and Mosskat that focuses on the interpersonal relationship between Murry Summerfield and Jacob Durris, two neighbors out in the countryside. Presented in rich, full color pages with warm tones, a unique style, and expressive detail, Cuckoos Three feels both comfortable and cozy, as well as tense.

Right from the beginning of their friendship, Murry and Jacob have a friendly relationship with some back and forth banter that reinforces the playfulness between them as characters. Early in, Jacob has the inner comment that Murry is like a labrador, and that's fitting in that Jacob is very much like a mischievous cat. They slot together easily as friends.

Cuckoos Three tackles an often misunderstood mental illness and the uncertainty that comes with it in a heartfelt and loving way, through embracing that uncertainty and unknown rather than pushing it away. Through every chapter, a warmth is present that easily invites the reader into that warm embrace between the two characters as they grow together and learn more about each other, through good and bad (and the bad is definitely painful).

All in all, Cuckoos Three is a sincere story for every reader to enjoy, even through the tension and the harsher realities of misunderstood identities. It's warm and sweet.

This was SO cute! It gave me Heartstopper vibes which I love.

I loved Jacob and Murry, their chemistry and interactions with each other were so cute! I wish it had been longer because I need more! The art style was lovely.

Slightly disappointed that the D.I.D wasn’t own voices as I feel like we would have got more details.

THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE *chefs kiss*

Thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for this ARC!
Cuckoos Three was absolutely delightful! I am a major sucker for pretty graphic novels ,and this one was simply perfect! It can definitely be categorized as an easy and fun read. However, while this is an easy read, their is discussion of dissociative identity disorder. For some that might be a heavy subject, however it was done in a way that made it easy to interpret. As someone who doesn’t know much about D.I.D, seeing it represented was really cool and informative. I will note that the authors do include information about D.I.D more in depth later on. Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I want to read it again already!

just my comfort zone. i’m in love. sweety, adorable and charming story ’bout grumpy&sunshine boyzzz. i neeeddd moooreee. touches on such an important topic of mental health, the discussion of which helps to debunk rumors about d.i.d. artwork’s masterpiece (and sexy).

Cuckoos Three is a heartfelt slice of life story featuring an animal loving football player, Murry, who befriends the new city boy, Jacob, who moves in down the road. As Murry and Jacob grow closer, there are physical and mental challenges that threaten to break them apart. Murry’s football teammates aren’t happy that he’s hanging out with someone new, and Jacob has a past and mental health issues that haunt him. These two have to figure out what they want and how to get it.

I loved both of these boys and how hard they work at their relationships. I also absolutely adored the art of the many animals that appear through the story, including a cute little cat and an old, floppy dog. The art of those animals shows their personalities so perfectly, even if they’re just in the background making the scene a little more charming. While overall this story is soft and sweet, there are hard issues tackled. I would warn readers about homophobia, ableism, and some self hate, so take care of yourself before reading.

Look, okay, I thought I was gonna get a queer comic with magic and romance because of the cover (the moon + flowers kinda gave me those vibes?) but I absolutely LOVED that this was a contemporary romance story.

In the beginning, I thought Murry was too in-your-face and overly close with what was essentially a stranger, Jacob, but there was a line there about country folk being too trusting and city folks worrying too much and that is So True. As we move along the story, this personality of Murry (which to me was sort of naivety but it's not that exactly. he's just too pure) was also presented well. And Jacob's warming up to him quite quickly also made sense for his own personality and situation, coming out of isolation and depression and all that.

CW to bullying and an actual fight ensues, but nothing too gory or too heavy, although I must say the climax really did put me on the edge of my seat with excitement (and a bit of fear for the main leads). There is also a theme of mental disorder (DID) which i thought was handled well, with respect and compassion, and it actually helped drive the plot and the feels.

There is also a miscommunication trope towards the end, which I thought I was gonna complain about (everything was so good to me up until that point, the pacing, character development and all) but it's actually resolved fairly quickly and not dragged on too much as i feared, so I will NOT be complaining about it.

I LOVED it so much and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants something cozy, low (to mid, I'd say, bec Murry's been into a really dangerous sitch) stakes contemporary YA romance.

P.S.
I loved the epilogue shorts! I want more!

This was an interesting manga based on a gay couple getting together and going through stress, but I also think that it was a great twist on that plot line because the male main lead has disassociative identity disorder and I think this is a great awareness for this type of condition, and I love the way the other mail Leigh dealt with it and how he was supportive and loving and it was just great to see good representation and knowledge of how to deal with people in that situation. Also to understand that sometimes it is not the fault and it’s not done out of spite. I absolutely love this would 100% recommend and read more from this author.