Read in conjunction with volume 1. Heartbreaking but somehow off-putting memoir of harassment, gender identity and abuse. I think there is some cultural context I am missing because I found myself feeling emotionally jerked around by the author's wild emotional and personality swings.

I thought this book handled difficult subject matter pretty well. My only major feedback would be that the title makes it seem as if the book is mostly about the author's gender when it's really mostly about dealing with and recovering from sexual harassment in the workplace. Yes, the author's gender factor's into that experience but there's definitely a major focus on their specific experience of sexual harassment.

I will add for volume two that I really appreciated that this didn't seek to be longer than the content reasonably allowed.

I couldn't wait for Volume 2 to be released and hear the rest of Poppy-chan's story. It's such an inspiring journey for someone who has been through so much and I cannot wait to read more of their work in the future.

A satisfying and relieving ending to the author's duology memoir of working through their trauma and learning to accept their body and their gender for what they are and not want to be someone else.

This second volume in this memoir offers more hope and closure than the first.
There’s great representation and explanation of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy as well as discussion of the changes that came out of the MeToo movement.
It is an intense read due to the content and memories the author confronts in therapy so I would definitely recommend this series more for the adult department of libraries.
Folks will feel seen by this title and be grateful for a more hopeful outlook to the author’s story following volume 1.

This was a deeply personal and heavy book about a person's struggle and the fallout of dealing with someone SAing them.

It was frustrating and hard to watch there be no real reason and action from this pain but it was the reality.

In the second volume of Until I Love Myself, the author takes a step back from the retelling of their trauma and spends time reflecting on different facets of their experience. They go over their text confrontation with their abuser, and processing what this means for them now. From there they talk about their friendship with a girl from high school and the way this friend was constantly facing sexual harassment - at school, at home, on the train, walking down the street - and how seeing and hearing about this hurt the author. Throughout the manga the author acknowledges how all of this harassment was seen as ordinary, and it wasn't until the MeToo movement that people (like the author) started feeling empowered to speak out. They also discuss their experiences with therapy and different ways they learn to process and heal from their trauma. The final chapter and bonus chapters get into more detail with gender identity and sexuality. Overall, an intense and illuminating account of working through trauma and finding a way to accept and love oneself.

In this volume we follow the author as they go to therapy and deal with the harassment that was done to them which we saw in volume one. I think that this volume was a very interesting follow up to the first volume of this series. Pesuyama goes to therapy to help heal what happened to them and the therapist suggests EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy. I really liked getting a look at this kind of therapy. I had never heard of it before and it's an interesting type of therapy. I thought that this volume was a great conclusion to the first and ended on a hopeful note.

Volume 2 picks up right where volume 1 left off. The conversation between harasser and victim continues. I'll give credit where credit it due, the conversation is fairly nuanced. Honestly, the fact that abuser X *almost* gets it is the most frustrating thing. He *almost* understands why what he did was wrong, but is easily able to couch it in excuses of stress and immaturity. Big shock, I know. But times are changing and this manga points that out. Social standards, and company standards play a part in accountability as well. Books like this can be hard to read sometimes, but I think the most important thing is, it's written, it's out in the world, and maybe reading it will make someone feel heard, and less alone in their experiences.

This volume is a really great follow-up from the first volume. It continues with Pesuyama's confrontation of their abuser and their recovery process after everything they went through. I really connect with Pesuyama's experience, as it is told in a straightforward and honest way. They have an interesting view on things and it really helps when I'm reflecting on my own experiences.

I was a little surprised with the last chapter, but there's a disclaimer before reading it that I was thankful for.

Pesuyama's second, concluding volume is as good as their first. The art continues to be expressive; among my favorites are those in the section describing Pesuyama's experience with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy. In my review of the first volume, I spoke of how it felt like navigating a healing wound. This volume continues that theme much more explicitly with Pesuyama describing their engagement with their abuser and a childhood friend, also a victim of sexual abuse, and what they learned as a result, and descriptions of therapy. Pesuyama uses a powerful metaphor of suffering abuse as walking shoeless on a gravel road and how, through their manga, they hope to give everyone "shoes" against such pain in the future. It leaves the memoir off on a hopeful note and creates a satisfying ending to the story being told.

Thanks so much NetGalley, VIZ Media, and VIZ Media LLC for access to this arc!

5/5 stars!!

The conclusion to Pesuyama's manga memoir is so good. I'm so, so glad they received therapy, and I'm thankful for the education on EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Therapy and the brain are truly remarkable, and I'm so glad this method worked so well for Pesuyama! The panels from when they're in the midst of this therapy and when they finally stop blaming themselves and the body they were born in was so touching and emotional, I cried. 💖💖💖

Pesuyama wraps things up in the second volume of Until I Love Myself. After getting used to their writing and art style in the first volume, I was better prepared to appreciate the efforts put into creating the second volume. Pesuyama recounts their memories with an AFAB friend who experienced sexual harassment/assault (some that Pesuyama witnessed themselves), learning not to blame being born in a female body, and going to counseling. The counseling section is the meatiest part of the volume, recounting their experience with EMDR. The bonus chapters were a delight as well.