Homebody by Theo Parish is a wonderful exploration of gender, sense of self, and what it means to love and accept yourself in a world that not designed for you. I found the metaphor of a trip through the woods to be such a relatable and accessible way of describing the journey towards self understanding and acceptance.

It's a great art style and I liked the people as houses theme too. You have to live inside your body, so if we change and decorate our homes as we better settle into them why should people not be free to adapt their bodies to make them the most comfortable too.

I recommend this graphic novel to any young person who is on a journey of self discovery or is trying to better understand their gender and the way it could change through their lives as they better get to know themselves.

This book is wonderful!
This information is presented in such an approachable and easy to understand format. The artwork and colors are just great. I'm eager to add this one to my collection.

Theo Paris's graphic memoir shows that not every trans person knows exactly who they are from the start; each person has to work out the many layers of themselves. Theo talks about knowing they were a boy, but being treated as a girl. Thankfully, Theo had a very supportive family, but culture and peer pressure made them feel like they had to stick to classic gender norms to fit in. Figuring out who you want to be is a universal struggle that any reader can understand.

This was an adorable graphic memoir hybrid full of sweet moments, beautiful illustrations, and poetic observations about living an authentic life. I love how the author walks us through their journey from childhood to adulthood in a way that is accessible to all types of readers.

Parish explains their thoughts and emotions throughout their experiences openly, and the importance of a supportive web of friends and family is highlighted.

In the same vein as Genderqueer by Maia Kobabe, Homebody is a memoir about queerness, growing up, and taking up space. It was both a memoir and an informative look into the non-binary experience, blending prose and non-fiction and art into a cohesive graphic novel about Theo’s life and their journey from childhood to adulthood as a queer person. It was very easily read and appropriate for younger audiences who might not be ready for Genderqueer.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC. This books was a beautiful story of self discovery. As a mother this is a great book for kids especially if they have questions about their own identity. This book is like a friend holding your hand and saying it's ok to have questions and then guiding them on a path to find answers. This was a five star read for me and I will always recommend this book!

"Transition is a journey of coming home to myself," writes Theo, using the common motif of journeys and wanderings to explain transition. But in a unique twist, self actualized queers are depicted with houses as torsos, to show how they have found home within themselves.

Theo's personal journey is rendered quite beautifully, the standard comic panels often broken up by sequences of splash pages to really depict the internal struggles and feelings as you transition and find yourself and the language to express yourself. Of accepting yourself and realizing you're not the only one who feels like this.

This book seems accessible to trans and cisgender readers alike, as Theo reassures readers they're not alone if they're on a similar journey while rendering their own in a way that anyone with an open mind can easily understand. I related to the struggles of being hemmed into the girl box or worse, the feminine girl box, and the unexpected joy of cutting your own hair, even as I never encountered Theo's issues with stylists that couldn't follow a hair cut request. And yes, I did have the experience of feeling a frission of joy myself when I saw a cashier in my area with they/them pin, much like how Theo hopes they'll inspire others with that simple act of being and loving themselves.

Being transgender is a radical act of self love, Theo states. And the more they accepted and loved themselves, the closer Theo felt to the people in their life.

I want to thank Harper Collins for the ARC so I could read something new for the Trans Rights Readathon this year before Trans Day of Visibility. I strongly urge anyone reading this to similarly pick up a trans book!.

This book does more outright telling than showing than I'd prefer in a memoir about their experiences, although I appreciate that this may be many people's first introduction to the concept of being nonbinary and therefore needing to flat-out tell them why certain things are important and meaningful. This feels best suited for a teenage audience, and I think readers who are curious about being nonbinary will learn a lot.

This was such a wonderful and uplifting story of self discovery! The poetic lines and meaningful illustrations in purple were beautiful. I also felt like I genuinely learned a lot from this graphic novel!

This YA graphic memoir is perfect for anyone who has ever felt different. Whether you are queer or not, trans or not, or nonbinary or not, this story will feel familiar. Although I loved reading this as a queer adult who likes to think I have myself mostly figured out at this point, this is an especially great read for teenagers or anyone else on a self-discovery journey. I loved the playful art style and fourth wall breaks while handling a deeper, more personal story. It felt like I was making friends with Theo along the way. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Homebody is the memoir of Theo's journey into traveling to and through their nonbinary identity.

I'm not crying, you're crying. This is a super honest look into Theo's journey of discovering their nonbinary identity. I related to this hard. I've never seen a portrayal of queerness so close to my own.

"We are all deserving of comfort and safety... a place to call home."

Homebody is for everyone! This book is perfect for anyone, there is something for everyone to latch onto in this book, because everyone wants to feel at home in their body. And it also gives a beautifully honest depiction of someone investigating their gender.

The illustrations were so expressive and the book just a wonderful celebration of being yourself.

Thank you HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for granting me access to this phenomenal eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a good memoir graphic novel and Theo Parish’s Homebody was wonderful. It reminds me of a combination of Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe in terms of the journey through self exploration and Heartstopper by Alice Oseman in terms of the art style.

I think this is a great book to give to someone who is starting to learn about gender expansive identities. Parish’s graphic novel tells their journey exploring who they are from childhood to now is comforting to read. I really like the way that they explain a lot of terms in regards to gender identities. I love the beginning where they talk about how they try to be kind with themself and take their time on their journey to self-discovery. The illustrations of them wandering through a forest and sitting at different gender locations for a bit before trying something else is so peaceful. I loved it. There is so much pressure to figure out 100% who a person is immediately and I loved reading Parish’s memoir telling readers that you can take your time.

I think readers who are new to the queer community will feel like a friend is holding their hand saying, “hey, this is what I went through, you’ll have your journey, but here are the questions I asked, here’s how I found answers” and it’s just really lovely to read.

Also, the art style is so lovely. I love the way the soft colors used are slightly muted versions of the trans flag. I also like the way they draw themself as a house because their memoir is about learning to feel at home in their body. This is just a really hopeful memoir and I hope readers come away from it feeling less alone in their own journeys to self discovery.

Check this book out April 24!

5 out of 5 stars

Homebody is a graphic memoir about a nonbinary youth's journey to feel at home in their body. The work switches between specific stories about haircuts, friends and constraints of gender roles to poetic interludes with inspirational and heartwarming graphics. A beautiful work about the journey to be oneself with the metaphor of being at home woven throughout.

Never has a book about coming-of-age and exploring your gender identity been so sweet and caring. This was an enjoyable and uplifting read.

Thank to NetGalley for an advanced E-copy of this book.

Theo Parish's Homebody is a much needed title. The illustrations are smooth and enchanting. Parish's journey through the world of LGBTQIAP+ is well told and appropriate for middle age readers through high school. Their struggles are ones to which everyone can identify. The analogy through the illustrations of home and belonging are strong and on point.

A great graphic novel which journals Theo's journey to their self discovery. I like how simplified it was so all can see how things aren't always black and white, especially in the trans community.

They took a long while to figure themself out but who doesn't take that time to find their place in this world of confusion. I loved how accepting their friends/family were in this journey too. I think it really helped them along the way.

A really valuable perspective on the (or rather, a) trans/nonbinary experience. I think it’s an equally great resource for kids who are on their own journey towards defining their gender and for kids who need a window to understand what it’s like for their peers who are on this journey. Theo as a house is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen; I really love the whole idea of being your own home if the “destination” of various predefined identities doesn’t work for you.

I highly recommend this title as an affirming and inspiring graphic memoir of Theo as they explore their gender identity, name and relationship with their body and making their body a home.
Bits of Theo’s life are alternated with panels of affirmations such as “just by being yourself, you inspire the people around you.”
It adds positivity and light to a story that could feel heavy or sad, especially to fellow queer folks but feels uplifting and hopeful while maintaining realism of the challenges one may face.
You’ll be rooting for Theo as they make their house into a home. The art style has a similar feel to the bold sketch style of Heartstopper and will instantly appeal to fans of the art. One of the best LGBTQ+ graphic novel memoirs I have read for teens, and any age human exploring their identity.

This was such a beautiful graphic novel, both in storytelling and illustration. It was so powerful and uplifting. I loved the idea of bodies being like homes and how some people might be comfortable with what they were given and some need renovations to feel like their authentic selves. Theo’s journey of self love and identity is such a necessary story and I think anyone who loved Gender Queer or the Heartstopper series will love this story too. The illustrations were just so cool and fit the story perfectly. I highly recommend this one and I’m so glad I got to read it!

TW: deadnaming, bullying, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny

Thank you to EpicReads for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.