This is easily one of the top 5 most messed up books I've ever read. It was also incredibly well done.

So like... definitely read this, but only if you're in a really good headspace and you're someone who is okay with reading some pretty horrifying stuff.

This is a gorgeous, eerie little book. If you know Chicago you’ll get a few extra little Easter eggs while you’re at it. Ms. Hetland gets at some interesting ideas with body horror and pregnancy and how much women are expected to give up, I wish she’d had a longer book length to get into it.

This is a psychological horror graphic novel that just blew my mind. The story follows Caroline who is on the path to having her perfect life. she works hard to control/create her perfect relationship, friendships, and family. When things fall apart, she struggles with no longer having control. It literallyyyy tears her apart.
I really enjoyed the dream sequences but this was so disturbing. Literally screaming, crying, and throwing up.

Thanks to Fantagraphic Books for the eARC.

I really liked the concept of the story but the execution didn't fully work for me. I thought the setup took too long and felt repetitive but I did really like the dream sequences, they were very well done.

Not like other comics I have read, and unfortunately had to work to get to be able to read it on my iPad but was good overall.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the Publisher for a chance to review this.

This was a fun creepy story. There is very little dialogue, and mostly told through the incredible illustrations. What do you want most in life? How badly do you want it? The control, the life. This story is almost like a tale of caution. I loved the creepiness, and unsettling images. If you like horror, or anything unsettling I would say this is a good, fun, quick read for you.

Tender was a gripping, starting, and unsettling debut for Beth Hetland, and I loved every second of the reading experience. The art style was so unique and intriguing, and the surreal moments of self doubt and self destruction within the narration were wonderfully crafted. This graphic novel made me feel transported to the narrative and I followed through the tumultuous timeline. If you like eery, emotionally resonant storylines and creepy art, you'll love this graphic novel. I can't wait to see more from Beth Hetland in the future!!

What the fuck did I just read? (But in the best possible way). This was very unhinged but very bingeable. There are some steep triggers so tread carefully, but I am glad I read it and I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

I am new to horror comics. I read Tender in one sitting and think about it often. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story left me feeling raw. Definitely will have to be mindful of who I recommend this to.

Tender is literacy comics storytelling at its finest — well-considered images and a unique story, and I’ll certainly read more from this creator in the future if I’m able to do so.

Very literary, ie mature, graphic novel, where our girl has a good group of friends, a fine meet-cute with the fella in the work cubicle next to hers, and as a result of that a decent relationship and marriage – but everything's monochrome purple and white. That is, except for her nightmares, involving the failure of her body, things coming out of her body, and more. Those are much more coloured – and the plot demands we sit and wait to be told what has happened to cause them.

As a balanced piece, we're certainly with our heroine a lot more, and our sympathies likewise, although this is not a work that hits and hates on men particularly. What it ends up being is a very eloquent descent into madness, and with thoroughly reasonable cause. The jumps in timeline aren't always the best decisions, but the gradual fragmentation of our lead is suitably well done, and quite startling at times, with the silence of key pages muting the addition of colour. It seems to make full psychological sense, with every scene and issue justified, allowing us to see this as a humble and typical woman and not some remarkable, outlying freak. As a debut piece it's a strong signal of intent – and a strong four stars.

Wow, oh, wow this was a ride. Billed as psychological horror, it absolutely is. I sat around staring at things for a long time after I finished. But the body horror was equally upsetting. If you’re a person who needs trigger warnings, please be sure to check these before reading this book.

It’s short and direct and visceral. Absolutely brutal.

well, that was different. It was enjoyable, not blow out your mind but enjoyable. WOuld recommend. I would try more from Hetland

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

‘Tender’ is not for the faint of heart… it was a quick and easy read if you are into thrillers or body horror and you’ll probably get something from it.

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a raw, graphic, not for the faint of heart, mesmerizing graphic novel !
Our heroine has internalized the “female path” society wants us to take, so much so that she will manipulate and make her destiny happen whatever the cost.
As we witness her accumulating failures and coming apart, the drawing is impacted and leaves us free to understand whatever we want to understand.
I loved this feminist body horror graphic novel, I will follow up the author’s next books !

Who knew a graphic novel could be this powerful?

Tender is a great exploration of surface VS what's hiding beneath it. It's a horror graphic novel strongly based on the reality of how much social media and our need to curate a perfect seemingly life style both online and with our companions offline at times take a serious toll on our mental health.

The ending left me absolutely stunned and just for that alone I think it's absolutely worthy of being on everyone's 2024 reading list.

Carolanne strives for a perfect life.

She wants a husband, a baby and lots of social media posts showing off her perfect life. She still doesn't have it all, but she's working on it. She has picked out a husband – a coworker who doesn't even know who she is. She plays all of her roles as best as she can. She rehearses how to act, how to react, how to be a good friend and performs accordingly.

She also self-harms. But that's just a detail. Nothing can stop her from achieving her goals. So she gets the guy, they move in together, they get married, she gets pregnant. What could possibly go wrong?

Eventually, Carolanne finds out things don't always go according to plan. But she's not gonna let tragedy get in the way of her perfect life. There's no room for failure. She will overcome her hardships… but maybe not in a very orthodox way.

"Tender" is a well crafted psychological thriller about a woman and her obsessions and it hits hard. It conveys the grief and angst Carolanne experiences in a very convincing way. The artwork is simple but gets the job done. It's quite predictable at times, but not to the point of annoyance. What really stands out in this graphic novel is the character study and her descent into madness, filled with delusion and denial, which has terrifying results. Ultimately, it has all the elements of a good horror story, including the body horror, and doesn't let the reader down. Gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.

I give Tender 2.5 stars.

Tender is a graphic novel that follows a woman's descent into madness as she tries to build a family and conceive a child. When things don't work out and she feels like she's losing control, the main character starts to consume parts of her body as she suffers from a hysterical pregnancy.

I think this concept is very interesting and the general flow of the storyline was good. It was also a little predictable and straightforward. There were some parts that I found disturbing in a mild 'that's gross' kind of way but this book only skimmed the surface of each topic that it touched (the loss she went through and the subsequent effect on the main character's mental health).

I also think the art style was very simplistic and even images that were meant to be shocking and part of the psychological horror were identical in detail to those around it which prevented me from connecting to the horror and the overall storyline.

Overall, while this book did not work for me, I still think its a quick and easy read for those who want to get into psychological horror without making a big commitment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very difficult read... Beautiful sketch and interesting story but it wasn't for me. A woman who wants the perfect life and tries to persuade everyone she has it starts punishing her body when it betrays her. Really raw and shocking for me.

“Tender” by Beth Hetland follows Carolanne, a woman who dreams about her perfect life: wedding, husband, and family. When her life falls apart, she finds a way to cope.

This graphic novel does a great job of encapsulating what some women go through – the pressure to create the life they want, the joys when things go well, and the devastation when things don’t. This is a story about grief, mental health, and how one woman chooses to deal with it. Beth is not afraid to show the graphic nature of grief, but it adds to the story. The emotions felt real and I was able to connect with the characters. The palette was skillfully chosen and added to the emotions.

Thank you to Beth Hetland and Fantagraphics for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.