This book was so much fun. I had fun reading it. The comic was captivating and the art was so gorgeous. I have not read a graphic novel in forever and I was glad I was able to read this one! I know this will be a fun one for my daughter as she gets older.

This book took a little bit to sink into as I'm not very familiar with the punk scene. All of the song choices were lost on me because I wasn't familiar with them.

Ariel Grace Jones has a band with her best friends Michelle and Gael. It’s finally summer and she wants to break into Chicago’s music industry with her band Baby Hares. When April meets her local music idol, Clyde McLaren, she falls in love with him and thinks he will help her with her music career. However, Ariel will only succeed if she can truly be herself and believe in her own worth.

This was a fun graphic novel! Most of the characters came from diverse backgrounds and gender identities. I liked that when each character was introduced there was a brief bio including their pronouns. This story showed how easy it is now, and has been throughout history, for cis white singers to steal the music or art of people of colour or queer people. Unfortunately many famous singers have stolen music in this way, but this graphic novel showed how Ariel was able to save her music.

Punk Rock Karaoke is a great graphic novel!

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for providing a digital copy of this book!

A strong concept here, exploring all of the influences at play with a would-be band. And the loose style suits the punk ideal well.

"Punk Rock Karaoke" by Bianca Xunise is a vibrant and refreshing graphic novel that captures the essence of punk culture with humor and authenticity. Xunise's artwork is dynamic and expressive, perfectly complementing the witty and poignant narrative. The story follows a young Black woman navigating her passions and identity in the punk music scene, offering a perspective rarely seen in mainstream media. It's a must-read for fans of punk rock and anyone seeking a story that celebrates individuality and rebellion against societal norms.

This was a great read and so relatable. 3 friends have a band and they’re not on the same page once they’re not in school anymore. I love how one of them seems like she’s not around but it’s actually because she’s busy helping her family and just hadn’t told the others. As a musician I also thought it was a good commentary on how much people in the music business, even if they’re not anyone big, get their success from taking advantage of others.

A fun and interestingly drawn graphic novel. The character work was excellent; there were character flaws and interpersonal connections that make you want to keep rooting for the characters. The main theme of friendship was beautiful.

This is one that I managed to complete in a day because of how intriguing I found it. I read this shortly after watching Baby Reindeer, so I was surprised to see some of the similarities. Thankfully nothing too bad happened to our main characters but it did highlight the way that others in the music industry have stolen from Black artists many times. I thought this piece was important to highlight and show the ways in which this happens.

I liked the art style for this one because it was different from what I typically read. I liked how the style adds to the story and how you can differentiate our characters from one another. I really liked how the story pieced itself together and loved how important the girl's friendship was at the end. I thought it was great to see how it was their friendship that kept them from falling into someone else's hands and keeping them out of trouble.

Thank you so much to Penguin and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So what you want about the art style, but it definitely celebrates the throw everything at the wall, maximalist vibe of punk. It immediately struck me as a polished zine, with cartoony, energetic designs that felt so familiar and engaging.

The plot seems to bounce along from one point to the next, which makes it a bit difficult to keep up with at times, but the representation of queer black punk artists will definitely be appreciated.

The inclusion of a "soundtrack" throughout the story was an incredible touch. It gives newcomers to the punk scene a look into what it has to offer, as well as celebrates the artists within it. I know I'm definitely creating a playlist the moment I finish this review.

Overall, I loved the story, the musical elements, and diverse characters. This was a good one! I would definitely recommend.

I'm a grown punk. This book didn't hold my interest. The art style is frenetic and colorful, but very busy. Hopefully this is published in a larger format book. The queer, found family aspect of punk is dead on, though.

This was cute and fun. Overall I love the themes of the story. We have a found family, some commentary on people in powerful positions abusing their power, and a bunch of punk rock. Though I loved the artwork, I found myself having trouble following the story sometimes. I would get a bit lost and have to go back a few pages to figure out what I missed. I did enjoy this book though and I think a lot of people will REALLY love it. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys music or grew up in the punk scene.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an e-ARC of Punk Rock Karaoke!

This one didn’t hit as hard as I wanted to — but it was fine. The art style, although wasn’t something I necessarily liked, was perfect for the book’s plot & setting. I spent the majority of the graphic novel not really vibing with the story — but when it got to the ✨friendship✨ & revenge resolution, I did start to care a lot more. As mentioned, this graphic novel is perfectly fine & I do recommend to readers who are really into the punk scene!

This was such an amazing read! The artwork was stunning and fit the story perfectly. Speaking of the story, I loved Ariel, Gael, and Michele’s friendship. Even though they were starting to be pulled in different directions after high school and away from their band they had each other’s backs no matter what. Of the characters, I did find myself wanting to see more of Gael. They seemed to be a bit more in the background compared to Ariel and Michele. An aspect I enjoyed was all the musical elements to the story. Some of the songs mentioned I knew, but I did find a few new favorites.

i'm always down to pick up a graphic novel when it's the last few days of the month and i want something that's quick to get through, when a written novel will take me too long. punk rock karaoke was no exception!

i definitely breezed through this story, even though i found it a bit difficult to get into at first. while i love the colors and vibrancy of the art style, i also found it personally a bit difficult to actually read, being dyslexic. so a bit of a fair warning to my fellow readers who have trouble when the art is busy! you might struggle a tad to follow through the panes.

but, once i got a handle of the layout, i did find the story mostly interesting. it's a slice of life story about these young adults, in the summer before they are hoping to start college. they're figuring out friendships, relationships, and trying to be in a band together. i think some of the topics definitely maybe could've been discussed in more detail. but i would totally love to see a follow up story of them a few years down the line.

First of all I want talk about how exceptionally well the art style complimented the Punk Rock fire of this novel. Absolutely stunning.

This graphic novel is a love letter to the punk scene, and aspiring musicians. It's an accurate look at BIPOC artists, and the struggles they face with stolen art, as well as misogyny in musical communities. I thought both subjects were navigated very well.

I had friends when I was a teenager who were in bands, and we would hang out in green rooms and back stage as they "opened for the openers" and there was a lot here that really felt so genuine about those experiences. Right down to the pancakes after a gig.

This was a lot of fun to read and the art style was simply beautiful. Thanks so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

an adorable and epic story of found family, community, queerness, and what it means to be punk. The plot was simple but deep and the art was expressive and unique. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had such a fun time getting to know Michelle and the gang! I thought the art and friendship were great, and enby love so cute!

Ariel and their two best friends are trying to balance family, school, jobs, and their punk band all the while worrying about their uncertain future together. Full of musical references and. punk music, and teenage angst, this graphic novel tackles heavy topics like racism, misogyny, sexual harassment, and being taken advantage of in an accessible way.

It took a while for me to get invested in the plot and in the characters (about halfway through), as I was a little distracted with the art style and the color palette. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this queer story of true friendship and belonging in community.

(+) Black NB author and illustrator, mostly QPOC cast

I wanted to love this book. A graphic novel punk rock book about friendship, female empowerment, and romance sounded amazing, but the execution was not what I expected. The artwork was good, but the storyline was difficult to follow which made it difficult to determine which of the characters were thinking and feeling which thoughts and words. The diversity was wonderful and I'm glad that there were so many different types of people recognized.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title as an Advanced Reader Copy.