Raw telling of one's journey of recognizing their nonbinary-ness. Grateful for their honesty. Somehow Parish makes this a sweet telling despite the personal struggles of trying to feel at home with yourself. Minimalistic calming color palette adds to the depth of the message. VERDICT Solid purchase for teen and adult libraries.

4.5 stars

This graphic novel memoir takes us through author Theo Parish’s journey with gender identity, from when they were a kid to a young adult. It’s a book about finding your home, figuring yourself out, and navigating the world when you don’t feel like you fit in.

In addition to traditional comes, there are journal entries interspersed throughout. Parish takes the reader through experimental haircuts, changing their name, and eventually finding something that feels like home.

Thanks to HarperAlley and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Homebody by Theo Parish to review! 2024 is going to be the year of YA graphic novels, I can just feel it. It felt like there weren’t a lot to choose from last year, but so far, I’ve read a lot of excellent ones coming out in 2024. This one included!

Homebody is pitched for people who enjoy Heartstopper and Gender Queer, and I’d honestly say it’s a good combination of those two books. It has the gender exploration elements of Gender Queer and the sort of feel-good quality of Heartstopper. If you enjoyed either of those, chances are you’ll enjoy this memoir!

What I also enjoyed about this is that it makes it clear that there is no one way to figure out your gender identity. You can try a bunch of different things until one feels like it fits! It’s just an overall positive reading experience, from the tone to the colors to the art style. Just a delight to read.

This will be a great resource for teens who may feel like they’re questioning their gender identity. It will help them to feel not so alone. But it’s also great for those that just want to learn more about gender identity or understand what a friend might be going through. It’s just a good resource in general.

Definitely one to add to any library collection!

An absolutely stunning graphic memoir of Theo Parish’s coming out journey. I truly loved this SO MUCH. Everything about this was beautiful - from the story to the panels to the lessons woven in throughout the narrative. It’s a wonderful journey of self love and making a home out of the shell of a house - about searching for sanctuary and creating a haven and being proud of the body you have.Almost every page I was gushing to my queer friends about how they Really Needed To Read It ASAP. Highly recommend.

Homebody is a graphic memoir following Theo through their ever changing journey of understanding who they are and their gender. It is a beautifully illustrated book, with sometimes simplistic style but a whole relateable style. I loved the small details given to some scenes and the choice of soft pastel color palete was a good choice.

This book offers nothing but acceptance for someone who may be struggling with their gender. While at times, it does come off a bit preachy and may not delve as deep as you want, it still highlights the struggle that many people face. More importantly, it tells people that it's okay and that no matter what there is a community who loves and respects you, which is something that we all need.

overall, because of the beautiful illustrations and overall message, it's a 4 out of 5.

The words I would use to describe this book are "wholesome," "heart-felt," and "life-affirming." I believe that everyone should read this book! It is one of those empathy-building books that focus on self-discovery and self-love, not the hard truths of feeling left out in the cis-hetero centered world. Yes, there is moments of feeling left out and sometimes struggling to fit in growing up, but there are also moments of profound joy when Theo figures out their sexual and gender identity and coming out to the people they care about in early adulthood. I loved the metaphor of Theo's body being a house (vs a home). This metaphor is used throughout the book and aids the reader in a deeper understanding of what it feels like to feel lost/disconnected from your true, authentic self.

The illustrations, the color palate, and graphic-art style aid in the author's ability to convey their own story on their coming out journey in a way that is focused on different aspects on their coming out journey (such as changing pronouns, dead names and renaming themself, figuring out how they want to present themself).

This book is a fantastic guide to the whole journey of being transgender and nonbinary, which is super important for teens and tweens to have access to. It covers everything from figuring out your identity to coming out and dealing with stuff like deadnaming. Sure, it might seem a tad overly optimistic and breezy at times, but it still touches on the realness of feeling uncertain and worried about judgment.

It's crucial to shed a positive light on this process, considering there are already way too many stories—both real and fictional—where things don't turn out so great. Plus, the art style is super cute and bubbly, adding to the overall light and easy vibe of the story.

Love the art style and use of color, and readers will instantly find themselves transported into this story and this life

A beautiful debut comic that portrays the road to discovery and acceptance of gender identity and sexuality. The art style is fantastic and helps give life to a nuanced and honest portrayal of a non-binary young adult.

This is such a good introduction to the process of being transgender and nonbinary that is so important for teens and tweens to have access to. It goes through realizing your identity, coming out, deadnaming, and more. While it may come across a bit too hopeful and easy at times, it does still touch on the uncertainty and fear of judgement one might feel. Plus it is necessary to shine a positive light on such a process as well since there are more than enough stories, real and fake, of such a process not going well. The art style is very cute and buoyant, integral to adding to the flowy and light-heartedness of the story.

This book is so warm and cozy! A must-read for anyone questioning their gender identity or not sure where exactly they belong. Parish tells their story in such a compassionate, gentle way and reminds the reader along the way that it's okay to go at your own pace and discover your own journey. More books like this need to exist. It's like someone taking your hand and letting you know you're not alone.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Let me start by saying that this graphic novel was illustrated beautifully. I love the images and the color scheme they used to create this story.

I also think that this graphic novel/memoir is important for libraries to have in their YA sections because, as a society, we need to understand that not everyone is the same. Every person goes through life on their own path, and it may not look the same as someone else's. We need to have stories available for all different people, and this story can help others who are questioning their identity and realize that they are not alone. It is also a great story for someone to read if they are trying to learn more about non-binary people or the queer community.

I think this story fell a bit short because it was brief, and to me, there wasn't much of a clear plot. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and it will be an excellent book for libraries to add to their collections.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins, for sending me an arc of this book to review!

I think that this can be a really important piece for someone growing up who is unsure of who they are. This was a beautiful memoir and really informative.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this since I’ve never read a memoir graphic novel. This didn’t really read like a story for me. Instead, it all felt past tense, which is completely understandable. Once I got into that vibe while reading, I was really able to get into it.

Nonbinary is a topic that isn’t discussed enough and there isn’t a lot of material accessible to teens who might relate to this. This graphic novel makes me smile and I hope it is able to help many teens discover themselves.

theo parish's debut graphic novel is a masterclass in writing one's personal journey in the graphic narrative. the illustrative style was so visually pleasing and structure made this so easy to digest. i appreciate that parish did not make general transness the core of this narrative, but rather their own personal journey with learning to feel at home in their body. they don't patronize the reader and don't take it upon themself to educate--this is a memoir, not an informational text, and many trans memoirs struggle with straddling this barrier. i found myself feeling so moved by theo's story and the importance of small moments in actualizing their gender identity. overall, this is a feel-good read that anyone, cis or trans, could find something to enjoy within it.

Masterful!! I don't think it's possible for me to love a book more than I did this one! I want to put it into the hands of all the teens out there struggling with their gender identity. Theo has written such a heartfelt, well articulated book about their journey to discovering their true authentic self as a nonbinary trans person! HIGHLY recommended to fans of Gender queer by Maia Kobabe, Jason June or Alice Oseman. This book is the perfect gift to give to anyone unsure about who they are or seeking a place to belong and looking to feel comfortable in their own body!!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

10/10 LOVED it sooooo much!

I gentle and lovely graphic about discovering ones true self.
Great imagery that sticks with the reader long after your done reading.
I love this idea of each of us being a house and figuring out who we are.
Theo Parish does a great job explaining what it means to find yourself in the world, and appreciating those that accept us for who we are, no matter what we call ourselves.

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
5.0

A beautifully written and illustrated memoir that I feel will resonate strongly with other trans people and hold space for cis folk still learning about their trans friends and family. This book made me feel seen, describing an experience so close to my own and it's certainly a book I will be passing along to family to help them understand more about me as a person.

I have been reading comics for a Very Long Time Now, and I enjoy seeing trends emerge and grow. Homebody is a good example of the current trend of transgender and non-binary memoir and the slightly-cartoony-and-colored-in-a-limited-color-palette genres of comic. I am really enjoying seeing both of these trends get more support and opportunity.

Homebody is part memoir, part personal statement, and part educational tool. Theo Parish tells their story and shares their ideas in a narrative that both gives those new to said ideas an easy in and also shares the genuine joy of discovering who you are. Theo's moments of self acceptance and happiness were conveyed well and made me smile.

This is a good read for those who are curious about what being non-binary entails and those who like stories about people's genuine life experiences.

I thought this book was geared towards a slightly older audience than my students. However, it was a pretty straightforward description of what it felt like growing up nonbinary without the words for it. The book felt part memoir and part trying to be instructional.

Moving debut by Theo Parish about a young person's journey to come into their own gender identity. Love the analogies to the journey and the artwork as well as the inspirational messages. The educational materials and the uplifting messages about self actualization would make this appropriate for a variety of ages of readers and trans and cis readers alike. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is a wonderful celebration of the author's rode to feeling at home in their body. I loved the way it transitioned between sections with the illustrations of Theo in their "homebody" walking towards the next page. I also loved all of the inspiring words that were shown on their own outside of the comic sections. I could see a teen making copies of these to hang on their walls as uplifting and self-affirming reminders that they deserve to be seen as themselves.