Halfway There is a graphic memoir about the authors struggles with anxiety, depression and identity. This was an incredible and deeply thoughtful book. The authors depiction of depression really resonated with me and her journey of sef acceptance is something that many readers will identify with.

While I appreciate this work, I don't know if I really enjoyed it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mind for such an up-close look at depression and struggling with your identity. The artwork is great, but it's mainly monochromatic bluish-purple coloring with a splash of red or pink occasionally. I would have preferred either full color or for the coloring to relate directly to Christine's mental health throughout the story.

I had high expectations for this graphic memoir as a fellow Japanese and white (American) woman. Yet for some reason, and maybe this is simply a timing issue, I felt mostly sad reading it. The author's depression was apparent before it was directly addressed, and I couldn't help but spend much of the book feeling sorry for her. It is likely that at a different point in my life I would have been right there with her and would have felt seen by this and our shared experiences. Instead, I feel almost motherly (older sister-ly?) in my reading of this. There's a part of me that wanted to reach in and tell her, "Hey, it doesn't always have to feel like this. Things can be different! You can be you in your unique way and that is always enough!" That might be the therapist part of me... In fact, the author (as portrayed in this graphic memoir) pretty much fits the description of my "ideal" client in that I love working with mixed folks around intersecting identities. So I guess you could say that my intersecting identities showed up to read this and experienced it in a multitude of ways.

As a girl whose grandma is from Japan, I felt like I could connect to this book a little bit. Especially when I know my mom dealt with discrimination from not being American or Japanese enough. This book grappled that topic as well as self identity issues and depression incredibly well. I loved the supportful relationship between the grandma and our main character. The art style was pretty too!

I really loved the art style from Mari (I especially love the cover art) and the story was compelling. I felt for Chirstine's character despite not personally relating because she did such a wonderful job at articulating her struggles, her emotions, so it was easy to understand her inner turmoil. I think a lot of biracial people would love and probably relate to this story in one way or another but I also think graphic novel lovers and/or memoir lovers, like myself, will enjoy it too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Christine Mari's graphic memoir about her struggles with anxiety and identity is a well-written, well-illustrated, and relatable story with appeal to many readers. While it was a difficult read at times, not everything in life is easy.

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First off, I can say that as a lily-white American, I cannot relate to being mixed race and all that society pushes upon those who are. But the themes of feeling like you don’t belong, and confusion and depression when hitting major milestones (adulthood, yay!) are universal.

Mari does a great job of showing how, as a Japanese American, returning to the country where she was born was hard. She had the barest memories of speaking Japanese (she moved to the United States when she was 5) and really didn’t prepare herself for living in Japan beyond hanging out with her grandparents. She shows how, at first, she goes with the flow at university, but silently bristles at being called a halfu, the term used for mixed race in her circles. Other young adults who are mixed seem to be succeeding, or at least appear to be, and that confuses Mari, who feels a bit like a poser, but mostly just wonders why she isn’t enough, why she doesn’t fit in, why she isn’t more popular.

Even though this book is non-fiction, the excellent illustrations, as well as this personal story, is very relatable to the target demographic. I even handed off my tablet to my three teens/young adults still living at home because I thought they could relate to all the feelings brought forth in this graphic novel.

Halfway There will be added to my list of graphic memoirs I recommend to my viewers. The author is half American, half Japanese and goes on a journey to find herself in Japan. What she thought would be an amazing life there turned into something much more. The exploration of identity and mental health were sometimes brutally honest and I loved to see that on the page.

This is a deeply personal story, and I'm honoured that the author chose to tell it. I think there are many who will relate to the themes found within. I loved the art style.

Halfway There is an emotional and beautiful story about a girl struggling with her self-identity and depression. I may not be able to relate to her story of self-discovery as a biracial person, but I heavily related to her battle with depression and anxiety. Mari depicts the struggle of sinking into your thoughts so well. Her descriptions of how she felt really aligned with my own experiences. I can not wait to get this book for my library.

A very poignant exploration of identity and mental health that will appeal to adults and teens alike. I particularly appreciated Christine's relationship with her grandmother and the artistic yet forthright depiction of depression -- Mari doesn't pull any punches when it comes to relating her experience. Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

A beautiful graphic novel memoir about being half Japanese, half American but feeling like you don't belong fully in either culture. The art is stunning and the story itself very moving, but just a bit heavier than I thought so definitely read your trigger warnings. Mentions and depictions of depression, self-harm, intrusive thoughts.

Great depiction of how hard it can be to find one’s self in regards to race and ethnicity and how the journey to self acceptance can be hard but very rewarding.

Mari does a great job of showing the vulnerability of someone not only struggling with mental health but also their identity. Her honesty in how a search for who you are may take you to unexpected places but also may not be a simple journey. The use of light and dark in the art also does a great job of conveying the story and her struggles. I loved that she grew closer with her grandmother through out the story but also began to love herself. I think that the discussion of identity is one that will resonate with many today.

This was a great depiction of the feeling of being "other"/not fitting in anywhere, depression, and anxiety. The art work really enhanced the story. I would have liked a little more though - a little more about Christine, and some other conflict. Overall a book I thought was important, and I would absolutely buy for my collection.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for depictions of racism, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-harm.)

Comic book artist Christine Mari was born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and an American father. When she was five, the family relocated to America. For much of her life, Mari has struggled with her self-identity: she's "too Asian" to be fully American, but "too white" to be fully Japanese. In Japanese parlance, she's a "half": and "how can someone ever feel whole if they've always been told they're only half of something?"

When she's nineteen, Mari decides to spend a year abroad in Japan to "find herself" - and also relearn the Japanese she lost when she moved to America. As she struggles with both the language and feelings of loneliness, isolation, and unbelonging, Mari's infatuation with Tokyo quickly fades. She develops depression and experiences suicidal ideation and self-harm. Luckily, she reaches out her her baba, who gets her the help she needs. Though she carries many of her questions and doubts back to America, Mari seems better equipped to deal with the uncertainties ahead.

HALFWAY THERE is a touching memoir about Mari's search for identity and belonging as a biracial, first generation immigrant. It's also a pretty keen look at one person's journey through depression - something I found especially relatable. The artwork is lovely (especially the use of colors) and Mari's observations are cutting - albeit in a gentle sort of way. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Halfway There is an introspective graphic memoir that deals with feelings of depression and isolation. The author conveys her memories gracefully and elegantly. This is a wonderfully executed memoir about an experience that not enough books discuss.

Christine Mari does a great job of exploring how the main character in the book feels about being Hafu (half Japanese and half something else) both in the United States and during the year that she visits Japan. Even though these were not feelings or situations that I have ever experienced, it was easy to step in the shoes of the character and to understand what her world is like. At one point in the graphic novel, it takes a darker turn that was unexpected. However, it makes sense within the arch of the character and her journey. This graphic novel goes a long way toward building empathy for people whose life experiences may be different from their own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC!

half American half Japanese, Christine never felt wholly accepted by anyone, wherever she was. In America she's seen as Japanese, and in Japanese she's seen as American. she's always "halfway there". this book took readers to Christine's journey to self-discovery and navigating her identity. it's very raw yet heartfelt.

Halfway there is a story about a girl struggling to find herself in the world as she struggles with self identity and depression. In a society that is super judgmental, she is constantly being told she's American or Not Japanese because she can't speak the language. She even feels like an outsider in her own family when she goes back to Japan. This is a book that covers some topics that might make some people uncomfortable, though is an excellent book to understand someone else's story that might be similar to someone else also feeling these kinds of feelings in their own life.