Thanks NetGalley and publisher for giving me a chance to rate this horrific graphic novel.

Ngl it is sad and disturbing af seeing a woman be mentally disturbed with harming herself and harming her cat. However I do wish the ending was a whole lot different (no spoilers don’t worry).

Tender left me staring at the wall. This graphic novel is a quick fore into psychological thrillers and body horror. The art is quite unique, and I enjoyed the monochrome coloring style, with pops of color for emphasis. I enjoy psychological and body horror - so this wasn't too much for me, but it is certainly graphic in several parts. It manages to be visceral in a way that can be difficult for graphic novels to achieve and contains a portrayal of mental illness and the difficulty of womanhood. It is difficult to parse out what to say about Tender, but as a woman, I felt this one in my gut.

What a surprise this graphic novel is. We are introduced to Carolanne, who from the outside, just seems like your typical woman. She works, she has a cat, she longs to be loved. She goes about her business most of her time, and navigates through her life with work friends, dating, planning her future. What catapults the book into really interesting is that her mind goes dark, cynical, bloody, cannibalistic even, but on the outside, she's your everyday woman. The book is sad and disturbing; you see the mundane things then you see the unhinged and troubling mental state that makes up Carolanne. The beauty of this book is that you can feel the loneliness when you're battling something entirely on your own. What a brilliant graphic novel this is.

Pub date: March 12, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely check trigger warnings for this book.

I saw myself in the main character and that scares me. So it did what it was supposed to do! I would recommend this to people who like psychological horror and body horror.

This was strange. It's about a woman who is looking for the perfect mate, the perfect family, the perfect life. The first half flashes back to how they met and fell for one another. Then we get back to now and something really bad happens and her life begins to unravel. Then it just gets strange. Other friends of mine dug this one. I was just of the opinion of "What the hell is happening?"

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. I found this graphic novel to be deeply unsettling and grotesque. The main character is a sociopath that wishes to create her dream life and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. She uses the people around her for any means she deems necessary, and refuses to see reality for what it is. As someone who has dealt with miscarriages, this was a very tough read for me. I honestly would not be able to stomach reading it again. I enjoyed the creepy and psychological parts of this novel, but cried during her child loss and the subsequent divorce that followed. I think that fans of horror will enjoy this novel if they are more removed from that particular subject than I am.

Thank you Netgalley and Fantagraphics Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first horror comic I’ve ever read. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I went into this one blind. Tender is definitely unique and will appeal to those who appreciate horror stories. The story is what really kept me going. I was intrigued up until the very end!

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

This is an extremely unique graphic novel about a woman in pursuit of making her life perfect, or at least look perfect.
Tender deals with heavy content such as self harm, animal cruelty, depression and more. The imagery is something out of this world and it honestly gave me a physical reaction by making my skin crawl. Beautiful art style and amazing angles, the illustrations flow naturally and that brings you closer to the main character, who you can't help but feel a lot for.
I'm quite literally staring at a wall, taking in everything I just read. Great thought provoking graphic novel by Beth Hetland.

This review contains spoilers for the sake of expanding on the content present in the book.

Tender by Beth Hetland is a tough read. It deals with many personal topics, topics that are both hard to stomach and gross to an outsider. There's a level of shame and hurt that comes with how Beth Hetland portrays Carolanne in her work surrounding the topic of marriage and divorce, as well as pregnancy, still birth, and grief.

Tender excels predominantly in how time passes-- both in how innumerable days can pass all at once, or how time can come to a standstill when you are dealing with grief, trauma, and depression. The honesty and pain showcased within Tender regarding postpartum depression and grieving her newborn's death is breathtaking, but also heartstopping.

I especially found the conversation and depiction within literally consuming yourself as a metaphor for giving yourself to someone else painful and empathetic.

The most striking image in Beth's work though, I believe, is the volume cover. Even going through the entire graphic novel, it is still hard to understand if all of these feelings, all of these events, and all that happened within the volume's story are real to the character of Carolanne, or more of her own delusions that she is trapped within while playing house.

What a mesmerizing and heartbreaking piece of work.

Thank you Beth Hetland and Fantagraphic Books for this advance copy to review!

This story portrays Carolanne's descent into madness following a significant loss. While I found it engrossing from start to finish, I wished it had been longer. The pacing felt rushed, and the ending would have had a greater impact if the narrative hadn't escalated so quickly.

I love me some body horror and this graphic novel definitely delivered. I think the horror elements were the most vivid parts of the narrative, especially in terms of colour, which I gather was deliberate on the creator’s part. I loved how during the more ‘lucid’ moments of the story, there were hints of colour that hinted at the underlying horror. I especially enjoyed the full-circle moment at the end. Overall, a really enjoyable read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Fantagraphics for providing me with this ARC!

The art style was great and the storyline throughout was interesting and not something I've seen in graphic novels before, but I feel like it could have used more exposition. Some of the character's actions felt very sudden and I think the psychological underpinnings of her actions could have been explored more for my liking.

If you like body horror - this one will be right up your alley!

I finished this last night and the vividness of this story is still sticking with me. This felt like a graphic novel-meets-horror-meets-magical realism (due to the cicadas, hairballs). The images of Carolanne devouring her own body depicts a chilling reality showcasing how we can often be devoured by our own hopes and dreams, and by the societal expectations around our identity. I'm only beginning to get into graphic novels and this is clearly one that is going to stick with me. I loved it.

Tender is a well written graphic novel about the hardships of a 20 year old to 30 something woman. The panels not only highlight the mundane day to day life of adulthood and motherhood, but emphasizes the pervasive anxiety surrounding the demand for perfection.

As we observe her literally peel back her skin, layer by layer, we as readers also can't help but magnify her feelings at a distance, mirroring the disconnect felt by Carolanne's friends and lover. Despite their proximity, they remain distant from her psyche, rendering them unable to prevent her self-harming tendencies.

The usage of very few colors without over emphasizing the core and body horror we saw, maintained the story consistent and not supernatural. The narrative is kept raw; allowing readers to cringe, left benumbed, and feel resentful of reality.

Please check TWs! Great quick but heavy read.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Fantagraphics for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tender is out on March 12, 2024.

An interesting look into the downward spiral of a woman who strategically plans her whole life but it ends up crumbling to pieces. I really liked the story and how it showed her essentially losing it more and more as time progressed. The body horror was great, I loved the horror aspects in this comic quite a bit. There were scenes that unsettled me and I love horror books/graphic novels that do that.

Now my main issues with the graphic novel is the art. I’m not a big fan of the art style but got used to it the more I read it. Sometimes the art though was so jumbled I had a hard time distinguishing what was happening in a scene. I’m not sure if that was the author’s intention or not but I didn’t enjoy it. Also, sometimes the text was super hard to read.

Overall story was 4 stars, but because this is a graphic novel, it goes down to 3 for me because of the art style.

Beth Hetland's TENDER didn't hit the mark for me. Though I appreciated the spiralling the MC went through when things didn't go her way, body horror isn't really my thing.

This book was sent to me as an ARC (advanced reader copy) in exchange for my honest feedback. Thank you to Fantagraphics Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this amazing book.

Visceral and haunting, this book left me physically breathless at the end. It takes body horror - an often male-dominated genre -and adds a touch of hysteria. Carolanne's quest for the picture-perfect life turns into a breeding ground for psychosis. 5/5 Stars. This one sticks with you!

TW: Language, cutting, animal death (off screen), depression, anxiety, loss of baby, divorce, jealousy, nudity, mental health, postpartum

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:A psychological thriller about a woman obsessed with her vision for a picture-perfect, curated life. Carolanne wanted a perfect wedding, a perfect husband, a perfect family. She carefully performs her own roles (gal pal, bestie, girlfriend, wife, and expectant mother) and manipulates those around her to try and get the results she wants. Her desire to control the uncontrollable ultimately becomes her undoing. When things don't go her way, she exerts dominance over the one thing she does have total control her body; until that "betrays" her. After suffering a horrible loss, Carolanne spirals into a literal, all-consuming delusion causing her body to produce symptoms of a hysterical pregnancy ― as a result of her slicing off bits of her own flesh and eating them.
Release Date: March 12th, 2024
Genre: Graphic Novel - Horror
Pages: 168
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Story was dark
2. Writing was short and to the point

What I Didn't Like:
1. The art style
2. Story confusing at times

Overall Thoughts:
Carolanne being obsessed for the next step that she can't even take a second to really appreciate the one step she just had. She's a terrible friend because she is just more worried about herself and can't even be happy for her friends accomplishments. She barely even listens to them when they are talking to her.

So then she finally meets someone only to then become so obsessed with the idea of marriage and why hasn't he asked her yet. It's insane because it appears like it's only a few months into their relationship before they move in together and then she is asking for the next step - marriage. All this time she is dealing with her not being adequate enough (when she looks on social media of her friends successes with jealousy) by ripping her body apart. She pulls out hair, bites her fingers apart, and cuts herself til she bleeds.

She then gets pregnant but looses the baby after it is born. My heart ached for her for the way that Lee was treating her. I understand this is a difficult time for them both so I won't say who was in the wrong or right or even if there is a side to choose, it was just sad to see this. She spirals down for 90 days trying her best to get back to normal. She is finally ready to try again for another baby but Lee seems like he just doesn't care anymore.

I can't believe Lee just divorced her after she was depressed and she had lost the baby. Then his therapist telling him he should divorce her. Sick.

So with Lee gone and her going deeper and deeper into her depression and mental health she kills the cat (sad) and tells people that she is pregnant (she isn't). It seriously was so odd to read/see her putting lines on the pregnancy test.

I didn't understand though why would the doctor have to meet with the husband? What does he have to do with her body not bleeding?

Final Thoughts:
I though this graphic novel was pretty good. I didn't expect such graphic gory scenes to happen. Watching Carolanne's mental decline was so heart breaking and sad.

It ends on an ambiguous ending with never knowing what is really under her shirt making her look pregnant.

I just didn't care for the scratchy blue artwork.

If you love Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke you'll love this.

Utterly grotesque yet fascinating. This one is not for those with weak stomachs.

The story follows a woman obsessed with crafting the perfect life: husband, kids, family. She goes to extreme lengths to maintain this illusion, teetering on the edge of insanity, abusing her own body until it reflects her inner mental state. This graphic novel deals with themes of the female role in society, self-sacrifice, and suffocating expectations crafted by social media.

The art is the star of the show. The simply interplay of color brings intensity to the more horrific and spiraling scenes, and artfully captures and twists the emotions of the reader to suit the atmosphere. The story itself felt simple and straightforward, which works well for this type of media and lets the bold art shine.

I’m not sure the story adequately developed or depicted the themes it was trying to convey. While I understand the connection between the main character’s descent into madness and the overarching themes, this read a lot more like simple body horror. Still enjoyable, but I didn’t feel the depth that was touted by the graphic novel description/blurb. It also didn’t read like a psychological thriller given that the story leaned on the simple side.

I think you will enjoy this graphic novel if you like body horror and disturbing stories that let the art lead the show. If you’re looking for a complex commentary on society or a psychological thriller, this may not be it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Even unfinished, it was a poignant read. As a former wife and mother, this story really captured the insane lengths some women feel they need to go to to maintain the illusion of perfection. Can't wait to read again when finished. Gory. Heartbreaking. Weird. 10/10 no notes. Loved it.
**Read on netgalley**