I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I think it did a good job exploring a variety of topics including body image, insecurities, sexuality, relationships, identity exploration, family, and more through the lens of queer teenagers trying to navigate life at an intense dance school. I enjoyed the simplicity of the artwork - it was lovely but let the story take center stage and made the few bursts of full color pages/panels really stand out. The characters and storylines were relatable and easy to feel invested in. It ended leaving me wanting more - curious about what comes next for Ana and Sara. Thanks to NetGalley for the book.

I love that this graphic novel was centered around queer characters and took place in an underrepresented area in novels—Bucharest, Romania. And while I was hoping to love more about this book, that was basically where my love ended.

Unfortunately this book ended up feeling flat to me. One of the characters was particularly angsty, to the point of being annoying and toxic. The art and dialogue were both basic, with much of the dialogue feeling forced. Homophobia and body shaming felt normalized and accepted. The whole thing felt very cliché.

In the end, I never really engaged with the plot or characters, which made the whole read a bit boring. Unfortunately, this was just a mediocre book for me.

This was such an amazing description of first crushes, relationships, and heart breaks for queer girls. It was also really interesting seeing the story was set in Romania and the narrative's analysis of homophobia and risk to queer youths there when it comes to the various characters' decisions to come out or not. I enjoyed all of the characters and felt like they each had unique and well-developed personalities. I also liked that they were all flawed, but with motivations I could still clearly understand. Usually I'm not so big on bitter-sweet stories, but the focus on friendship and community and making the best decisions for yourself really sold it for me.

Ana and Sara are new roommates at an elite dance school in Bucharest, Romania. Currently, Ana has been all about her girlfriend, Carina, and unsure if her heart lies with dance anymore. She’s been molding her life to Carina, without thinking about how it will affect her own future.

Meanwhile, Sara is rumored to be one of the best dancers at their school in a long time. Under the wing of her mentor, Marlena, she switches from classical to contemporary. But she’s unsure what to do with these new feelings that might be sparking for her mentor.

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advanced copy of Leap by Simina Popescu to review! 2024 truly has been the year of graphic novels, even coming up to the end of the year. This book can definitely be added to that list, with beautiful art and strong emotional storytelling.

While the dancing does take center stage in this book, Sara and Ana’s journey coming out and coming to terms with their identity is also a huge part of the plot. They’re both struggling with their identity in a profession that doesn’t always look fondly on queer people. Both of them struggle with this as they decide where they want their futures to go.

In addition to identity, Popescu also focuses on the difficulties of being in the dance world, including body image issues and the pressure to always be practicing. These are struggles that teens outside of the dance world can also relate to, and they are done in a way that feels applicable to teens.

I’m not sure if this is going to be in full color when finished or in the color palette shown on the cover, but either way, the art does justice to the story. If you like graphic novels that explore identity, definitely check this one out!

ARC review of Leap by Simina Popescu.

🩰 This is a YA graphic novel set in a dance school in Romania with queer/sapphic main characters. The story centers on the importance and impact of friendships when you’re growing up and getting to know yourself. It was a very heartwarming story and I really enjoyed the representation in the story.

I was not a huge fan of the artwork and I’m not sure if it was my copy, but the illustrations were out of focus while the lettering was crisp. Hope it was just my download.

That being said I would still recommend this book to someone looking for queer graphic novels.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this! Two girls at a dance academy navigate relationships, school, and their identities. It was thoughtful, interesting, and the art was very serene. Highly recommend!

Leap is a testament to friendship which comes at the perfect timing. It's about friends being a soft space to land, someone to tell us the truth, and someone who can see through our pained smiles. A good friend is invaluable and that's one of the lessons learned in Leap. From the beginning, I loved the color scheme and bold lines. The dancing panels were some of my favorite in their sense of movement and color. For Leap, both Ana and Sara are struggling to figure out their own feelings and their future.

Leap was a gorgeously-illustrated, emotionally-charged story of sapphic ballerinas in Bucharest, Romania. The characters held depth, even the toxic girlfriend character who in other works may be villainized. Instead, Popescu carefully weaved in storyline about how tough ballerinas must train if they want to be the best, including dancing through dangerous injuries, being scolded for getting injured, and being pressured to stay stick-thin if not thinner. The friendship between the two protagonists was the shining star; the two protagonists felt realistic and full of heart, with some spats coming out of the deep love and care they had for each other. The use of color is something that could be interesting for literature or art classes for teens to analyze, with different color schemes used for different scenes and amount of emotion. This is an excellent addition to any YA graphic novel collection.

I was immersed in this story and wanted more! I love Sara and Ana's friendship and gay camaraderie!!

It took me a little bit to get into this story as I found it initially difficult to get into the characters and track who was who. But once it all clicked I really enjoyed this sweet graphic novel about the intricacies with discovering your sexuality and the heartbreak of when those you care about are in a different place and unable to meet your expectations. Overall I enjoyed it but feel it could have used a little more oompf in the early pages to draw the reader in.

Beautiful illustrations and amazing content. I loved the portrayal of queer relationships. I give this one 5/5 stars

Leap explores the friendship and romances of teen girls attending a prestigious dance school. Ana struggles with her romantic relationship because she wants to be out and her partner doesn't, while Sara pines after an instructor and comes to terms with her identity. Ana and Sara's friendship grows as they help each other through their own struggles.

I wanted to love any graphic novel that centers on dance, but this one just felt too cliche. There were parts that felt like they were taken from all of my favorite dance movies and rolled into one graphic novel, and at the same time, the story didn't feel engaging to me.

Leap is a beautiful story of teenagers in an exclusive ballet school in Eastern Europe. The story touches on the stress and injuries that come along with such intensive training at a a young age, including both the physical and the emotional stressors. But more than that, this is a queer coming-of-age story in which the protagonists are learning about themselves and what they need to survive and thrive. We can't all relate to high-pressure dance school lives, but we've all had experiences with friendships, crushes, body image issues, and school pressures. This is a well written book that will leave you with a tender heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the egalley copy. All opinions are my own.

A YA/NA sapphic graphic novel that deals with not just relationships and ballet life, but also a deep and real friendship between two roommates. Didn’t love the artwork, but the representation was great.

2.75 ⭐️

Although I am not a dancer, I definitely enjoyed this book. I loved the artwork and I thought it was a wonderful coming of age story. The character’s were likable and relatable.

Leap is a deeply moving graphic novel following two dancers in Bucharest. Ana is in a toxic relationship with a ballerina who doesn't want to come out, and Sara is discovering her feelings for her dance instructor may be more than admiration. The emotions and conversations are extremely realistic and do a great job depicting unhealthy relationships. The pace was quick and the art had a beautiful flow. I loved the resolution to the story and look forward to Popescu's future work.
Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC in trade for an honest review.

The way that dance and movement is expressed on still page is enchanting, the fact that you can see the flow without it actually being there is wonderful.

It's interested that this is being published under the children's imprint since it deals with more mature themes and contains language.

Leap follows two roommates at a dance conservatory in Bucharest, Ana and Sara, ages 16 & 17. Both of the girls are phenomenal dancers in the contemporary dance discipline. Ana has been in a relationship with a classical dancer for three years, but her girlfriend is intensely into her dance and is afraid to let anyone know she is a lesbian, so their relationship must be kept secret. Sara becomes fast friends with Ana and, through their many deep discussions, finds out she may also be a lesbian and is harboring a massive crush on her dance teacher. As the year progresses the girls grow into themselves and learn more about what they want and what they deserve.

I thought the story line was great. Ana's struggles with a one-sided relationship were hard to watch, but so very necessary for anyone in a toxic relationship to see. Sarah's story was softer, but just as real. It was a slow start, but I really feel that the set up was necessary for later on in the story.

I had mixed feelings about the artwork. It was nothing flashy or phenominal. Sometimes it was even hard to tell which character was which when it came to the minors. The dance scenes, however, flowed beautifully well. You could see the way their bodies were moving. I especially loved how the only pops of color in the book were when they were dancing with very strong emotions.

This was really lovely. It’s not a love story but more a coming of age story about how the pressures of performing art have taken their toll on a talented queer teen and her friends and girlfriend. The pressure of performing at school takes a hit when she continues to sacrifice her academic and dancing success for her hidden relationship. This story demonstrates the real damage of homophobia on teenagers and the importance of safe wise adults and teachers. The modern dance teacher, Marlena, is the kind of educator that so many students need in the arts and queer students absolutely need. Overall, it’s really a wonderful story and I hope it’s read by many.

Leap is a graphic novel set in a competitive dance school in Romania. The story follows two roommates over the first few months of their junior year. Ana is a contemporary dancer whose heart is no longer in dance, but with Carina, a classically trained ballerina who has little time for romance. Sara had been studying classical dance, but switched to contemporary dance at the suggestion of one of her instructors who she quickly developed feelings for. The story follows them as the girls try to figure out what they want for their futures and how their romantic feelings will play into that.

I really enjoyed the story that was being told in Leap. I don't know a whole lot about dance, but the characters' struggles and feelings were still relatable. The artwork is really nice and I especially enjoyed the way that color was used throughout. The dance sequences were frequently in full color and did a good job of showing movement and the feelings the characters were experiencing. This will be a great graphic novel for people who enjoy coming of age stories, stories about difficult relationships, and stories about friendship.