This beautifully illustrated story is about a young woman (a witch) who gets a top job in a coven and moves to London full of excitement to start the job. Everything is happy and shiny until she shows her arrogant boss how talented she is and then things become much harder in the new shiny world she is hoping for.

Joana suddenly realises that life in the Big Smoke is not as glamorous as she thought it was. Her flat mate is moody and always blaming her for something and the romance she embarked upon is running into difficulties. She has a new group of friends but can she trust them with her deeper feelings and experiences? All the advice is that she should be happy but how can she achieve that?

Eventually Joana seeks help from a dragon tamer and she is able to journey through the difficult places in her life.

This was interesting in the way it was told using an alternative universe. The kinds of problems Joana experiences are the usual problems of everyday life but she has to develop the resilience to respond to them and she has to learn how to manage her emotions and accept herself.

This book is part fantasy and part self help because the lessons Joana learns are ones that could help anyone.

I enjoyed this. In some places I did find the therapy sessions were a bit dry but overall this is is good graphic novel, and the story is told in an engaging way.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Joana is psyched for her first job in the city, As a young witch starting out, Joana is nervous yet excited to prove herself. As she tries to build her life, anxiety eats away at Joana, making her fear she isn't good enough. Her friends try to build her up, but a terrible boss intimidates and punishes anyone who disagrees with him, putting Joana under a microscope. Joana has to decide - does she rely on the people around her for validation, or does she need tonurture and save herself?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

The story is fairly interesting, it's basically about a young adult trying to navigate being a corporate professional and her unmanaged mental illness at the exact same time. But with magic! The main character is painfully relatable and anyone who has struggled with anxiety or depression with see themselves in her. All of her issues with her roommate, her boss, and her boyfriend are also very relatable. I'm sure a lot of us have gone through similar issues. However, the back half of the book felt like it stopped being a story and more of a self-help book. Those sections are good well-founded therapy advice, and I won't lie, I got some things out of it I didn't think of doing before. Such as soothing anxious thoughts with "It's almost never the worst-case scenario". But so much of it goes into the therapy sections, that the plot feels like it's slowed to a full stop. But it's also something that's needed for the character and for her to learn how to move forward. I'm conflicted because I dislike how long those scenes go on, but fully recognize that they're necessary for the plot. I like the art, it's pretty unique and very cute!

This graphic novel is for all the adults who have felt like they should be okay but aren't. Adulthood can be hard and isolating. You're suddenly going a different direction than you ever have before. This graphic novel does such an amazing job featuring problems many of us face in adulthood and the mental health struggles surrounding that. I personally think it's especially relatable for anyone with anxiety/depression and knows what it's like navigating that abyss. I really enjoyed the magical realism world of witches that allowed for emotions to have form, your inner dragons. This book utilized such a great, therapy-like approach that really shows working through these problems isn't an overnight change, it takes time and work, but it can and will get better. You deserve to be happy and it's okay to not be okay and to ask for help. Overall I found this story very relatable and think it's a great story of learning to truly care for yourself and recognize all of your feelings are valid and not just the positive ones.

I Feel Awful Thanks tells the story of a witch named Joana who gets a job in a London company. She works in the potions division and is adjusting to life in a new city. She isn't having the best time of it, and needs help dealing with her emotions.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The art is great, the story movies nicely, and it does a good job of diving in to how to cope with emotions. Joana is a very sympathetic character, and her growth feels earned. This was a great meditation on how our emotions can control us, but can also be tamed.

I was initially attracted to this graphic novel because of its the art style. I found the story interesting, though I wish there was more world building in there. I think there are some really helpful tools in there for dealing with mental health, though at some points they became very long and slowed down the story.

Joana is out of college and on her own in the city and job of her magical dreams. Unfortunately, life on her own isn't everything she thought it would be. There's so many emotions and situations to weather that the box of emotions she carries gets too big to manage. She decides to get help from a "dragon tamer" to learn more about taming her own emotional dragons. In order to tame our dragons we must come to know our dragons and then ourselves.
This graphic novel is so well done. The story is a great example of understanding how therapy works and really how it can help a person work through through their thoughts. Lara Pickle's illustrations are lush and colorful and magical. Joana was so relatable, she could be any of us. I really enjoyed this book and hope to see more from this author.

This comic was so pretty and I enjoyed the art style, but it really stressed me out. I was very grumpy and depressed whenever I put it down, and it took me a little while to figure out it was because of this story. It had important discussions about mental health and ways to improve it, and I really hope it ends up helping the people who need it.

I really liked this graphic novel. The story takes place in a magical London, where Joana has a new job working as a potion maker. However, the elements of fantasy actually take a back seat to navigating interpersonal relationships and the effect of toxic environments on mental health. The way Joana struggles with navigating these emotions, when everything seems fine on the outside, will resonate with many readers. The artwork is gorgeous, and leans a little retro with its angles.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

3,5 rounded down to 3.
This was an interesting one. It has great things to say, but I think it sometimes got lost in the very wordy way of saying it. Also the slight lack of world-building made it a bit confusing sometimes.
There is a very rich addendum to the graphic novel though that is definitely worth the read. It has more information on absolutely everything.
I liked the art a lot, it all looked so vibrant, but also dark where it needed to.
I will definitely keep an eye on this author as she has great messaging in her works. This one just fell a bit flat, but I am curious as to where this author will go!

I liked the premise and message of I Feel Awful, Thanks, but overall, something was missing for me. I am not quite sure what it is though.

A brilliant story, with strong friendships, a callous professor, and a well-meaning, but immature, boyfriend. Tom, the professor, is vindictive, but the author also leads us to empathize with him on not wanting to change one's ways and struggling to learn from someone far younger and inexperienced. This attitude of "I need to be happy at all costs" is both toxic, and very characteristic of many people's anxieties. Our main character demonstrates a lot of growth in her ability to manage confrontation and ask for help, which creates a meaningful story that will appeal to adults, young adults, and middle grade readers.

Joana is a witch who starts at a company and soon realizes her boss is not the greatest. He dismisses her questions and concerns in front of her team and does not care about the cruelty free policy the company has. Joana uses some of her time to create a potion that is able to be cruelty free and is a big advancement for the company. Her boss finds out and starts bullying her. She deals with workplace harassment and toxicity. The thread throughout is how this impacts her mental health and other struggles in her life. It was such a great thing to see HR depicted in a true way as well as mental health and therapy. This was a wonderful story and I look forward to buying myself a copy.

This story is about witches, but so much more. About finding your voice, and positively standing up for your self. Thoroughly entertaining. It’s the first time I have seen this sort of story line in a comic format. Joana, our lead young witch character, has doubts as she starts a new job. Her doubts and emotions are a mix of powerful good and bad. Can she tame them? Or even better can she find positive ways to use them for herself in the work place she now finds herself in? Listening to her inner voice, and her new friends is sure to bring out her best, eventually. Thank you to ONI Press and NetGalley for the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This was a beautiful an important graphic novel about facing your own dragons. It's a great reminder that its okay not to be okay, that you're allowed to feel different emotions and have time to complain if you need to.

I loved seeing Joana's journey through therapy and learning to love herself. Her growth was amazing and inspiring! I also really liked the side characters in this one and how supportive they were!

The artwork is gorgeous and I love how this story explored different themes throughout! I definitely recommend this one if you suffer or know someone who suffers from mental illness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Joana, a young witch, as she navigates her first job and deals with mental health issues. It's a beautifully illustrated story that explores deeper issues in a very relatable way.

I highly recommend it!

"I Feel Awful, Thanks" is a delightful and heartwarming graphic novel that explores mental health, relationships, and professional life.

The treatment of support and therapy is remarkably balanced and considerate, providing a therapeutic experience for the reader.

Pickle promotes self-love, self-appreciation, and self-worth through her refreshing writing.

The beautiful artwork vividly captures the magical world inhabited by the characters. It's a relatable story set in a magical realist backdrop that will resonate with many readers.

Wowza so. This book was so cute. The art style, the characters, the story, the witchyness. I loved everything about this book. Easily now one of my top three favorite graphic novels and that's saying something as I read a lot of graphic novels.

The story follows Joanna as she gets her dream job, moves to London, makes, new friends, finds love, and also struggles deeply with her mental health. I love the way emotions are portrayed, and I wish I could discuss them more but I fear that that might be a spoiler. The art style was so cute, I adored the characters and their little witchy hats. I also loved the scenes cracking during really intense, emotional moments.

5/5 stars. Will not be able to get over this story for a while.

Unfortunately this one was not a hit for me, the artwork was lovely and the setting of a magical London was atmospheric and I can see that it could be helpful to those dealing with similar issues. However for me it veered between oversimplifying some issues and over explaining others, while the ‘therapy’ itself seemed a little too easy (almost like waving a magic wand)
I can see that this is a very personal and meaningful story for the author and I’m sure it will be a hit with the right audience.
Thanks to NetGalley, Oni Press and the author for the opportunity to read this advance copy

I requested this graphic novel because it looked cute and witchy (which it is!) but it turned out to be so much more than a witch story. The way this book deals with mental health is truly remarkable. The book follows Joana, who is a witch who gets her dream job in London. She has a great job, great friends, and a great boyfriend, so she should be happy, right? This book really goes deep and tackles mental health, depression and anxiety in a truly creative yet realistic way. I cheered as Joana learned how to cope with her emotions and love herself. I highly recommend this book, especially for teenagers and young adults. The art style in the book is gorgeous as well.