I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw both the cover and premise of this graphic novel, I was so excited and I'll start by saying that I wasn't totally disappointed I requested the arc. The art was beautiful and the story was interesting. It was also a quick read. While the FMC, and a lot of the side characters, weren't exactly likeable characters at all times that didn't necessarily make them all bad. It made them human and showed some truth into how close-minded that industry could be, and still can be, at times. However, it wasn't until the end that I realized. . . I was a bit disappointed. Now, I know that while the story is fiction the author states that it has basis off her own personal experience and I took that into account, but I still couldn't overlook the choices made if the story was still altered to be more fictional than memoir. Reading beyond here includes a little bit of material that could be considered spoilers to some and if I could adequately review this without including it I would except that isn't possible.

So these were my issues: Every other character that was a woman was awful in comparison to the FMC including the one who was supposed to be her friend. The DV that happened was horrible yet it felt like it was being suggested that the guy was doing it cause of her mental illness/disability and having such issues does not make one an abuser. At the end, the only other woman character we're supposed to like - that isn't presented as being awful the entire time - is then turned into someone we're supposed to frown at again, but that isn't my issue. No, my issue is this character who was the FMC's friend gets with the guy who committed DV against the FMC and the FMC doesn't tell her at all. Like it never comes up even though they used to be friends and even if they weren't anymore like that just rubbed me the wrong way.

So, in the end, those things really just ruined the read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e copy!

Before i get into my review i want to point out this book should have had a trigger warning page at the start.
There is talk about Eating disorders, abusive parents and relationships, mental illness, child abuse, sexual harassment and many more.

This is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Joanne Starer. The beautiful art by Ornella Greco. The narrative follows Georgie, a freelance journalist who immerses herself in the local wrestling scene to write a story but after she gets enough information to actually write it she can’t seem to let it go.


I don’t know how i feel about this book, some parts were good and others not so much.
I felt a lot of important topics were not talked about enough and just brushed off.
none of the people were likable which sometimes that is the intention but this didn’t feel like it was.
I would have liked this more if we didn’t skip so much time. She meets someone and suddenly it’s a year later and they are together..?
The art style is definitely my favorite part about this book, i really enjoyed how much it added to the story.

I thought Total Suplex of the Heart was a fun comic that I would keep following if the story continued. More wrestling comics, please.

Georgie is a young freelancer and decides to get involved in the local indy wrestling scene for research about an article. As the drama, sex, sexism, and toxic relationships dominate her life, can she escape to the safety that comes when you love what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with?

The book is loosely based on author Joanne Starer’s own personal experience with the independent wrestling. scene.

Thank you Netgalley and Humanoids for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

You can pick up the comic here.

Hopefully, being a woman in the wrestling industry isn’t still this bad.

Without a doubt, there’s been a massive improvement in the treatment of women in the wedding industry over the last 5-10 years, let alone the last 20-30 years.

The book is rampant with the sexism and sexual advances/harassment that had been historically prevalent in the industry. Hopefully, things have changed somewhat.

The artwork throughout this book was so fun.

I was really impressed with the artwork from Ornella Greco. The scenes featuring action felt like you were in the ring with them.

The art featuring the characters “in the real world” was also well done, portraying the emotions that the characters were feeling.

I love comics about wrestling.

I’ve read a couple of comics recently that feature wrestling and had a really good time. More comics with wrestling in them!

This book was a great read! The story had a great pace and the characters were well developed. It was very easy to get sucked into the story and in just a few sittings, I was done reading the book!

This manga felt like falling into rapids only to be deposited on the shore safely at the end. I enjoyed what parts of the story I could pick up on but I did spend a fair amount of time lost as to how I went from point A to point B. I feel the character’s (and author’s) pain and happiness. I wish the storyline had been a bit clearer and maybe a bit better explained. It is a whirlwind of the emotional spectrum and a rough journey that many of us have unfortunately been on. I enjoyed the optimistic outlook at the end.

I was NOT a fan of this when I started it. The humour is off-colour and crude, and difficult topics are not handled with a lot of care, and the pacing is a little odd. I was tempted to not finish reading it. But I kept going, and I eventually did end up liking it quite a lot, especially when I realised it was autobiographical. The art style is probably my favourite thing about it, as it is a really lovely style.

Content Warnings for racism, fatphobia, homophobia, misogyny, eating disorder, parental abuse, partner abuse, violence

This graphic novel follows Georgie, who gets into the world of wrestling for a story that she is writing. But quickly she realizes that she wants to stay in this world.

We follow Georgie as she grows up and changes. I loved the story a lot. It explored a lot of themes like love, relationships and life struggles like an eating disorder. I also really liked the art. It was very beautiful.
I don’t really want to talk about the book much. I think you should just read it for yourself. It’s a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The illustrations were easy on the eye, unfortunately I found the story chaotic and quite uncomfortable.

Unfortunately this book was all over the place. The graphic novel telling a biographical story of a journalist entering the world of wrestling sounds interesting but this book doesn't fulfill the promised premise. The concept itself was enough for me to want to power through but there was just very little that would make it memorable. Even the art style, albeit well done, wasn't special or intriguing in any way.

Total suplex of the heart follows Georgie, a freelance journalist, as she enters the wrestling scene in order to write a new article for her website.

I learned after reading this that this graphic novel is semi-biographical which almost makes me feel bad for rating this so low, but I can't bring myself to rate it any higher.

This graphic novel covers a variety of important and serious topics from domestic abuse, homophobia, sexism, eating disorders and generational trauma. Unfortunately, it does not cover any of these topics in any detail and rather glosses over them to get to the next plot point. If you're looking for a book that takes any of these topics seriously this is not the one.

An example is when Georgie's partner, Steve, slaps her across the face for singing whilst cleaning the toilet. The next page she is having sex with him and it is never mentioned again.

The 'plot' is also very incoherent. It jumps from plot point to plot point with zero cohesion or flow. On several occasions I found myself flicking back and forth, believing that I had skipped pages accidentally, I had not. There are just simply major gaps in the storytelling.

The ending also left much to be desired. There is no character growth or development, nor is there any conclusion to the story. There is a massive betrayal from Steve on more than one front and then it ends abruptly. Not really sure what happened there.

Thank you netgalley and Humanoids Inc for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Total Suplex of the Heart follows Georgie, a journalist who enters the wrestling space. This semi-biographical graphic novel discusses eating disorders, misogyny and domestic violence which are all important topics that don’t seem to get delved into enough. This graphic novel’s plot goes at breakneck speed and quite honestly glosses over everything, including your ability to like Georgie. It didn’t feel fleshed out enough for me and was a struggle to finish. I do think those that enjoy or have an interest in wrestling would enjoy this book.

Although this book wasn’t for me, I did enjoy aspects of the story, and the journey that the main character goes on. The illustrations are well done and it was overall a solid read. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was into wrestling!

I jumped into this graphic novel without knowing much about the story, drawn in by the cover. It was an interesting story (and not what I expected). Georgie’s life is a mess, but it’s hard not to find yourself rooting for her/wanting things to get better/work out. I didn’t realize it was autobiographical until the end and it tackled some difficult topics - mental health/illness, disordered eating, abusive relationships, body image issues, and more (so could be good to know before reading). While many of the characters in and out of her life are less than stellar, I enjoyed the few folks truly in her corner. The artwork was really nice - it looked very polished, fun, brought the characters to life. Overall I’m glad I read it and thanks for NetGalley for the copy.

This is very much an R Rated graphic novel, so heads up going in the title for me read a little more romance a little less spice. However its not all spice it defiantly does give in to it about half way in.

The story follows a female journalist who dives in to the world of wrestling to get a first hand account for a online journalism piece. She finds out quickly that the world of wrestling is very sexist and homophobic in ways she didn't previously understand. She's learning the double standards that really effect women in wrestling. He attractive, and have people want you, but don't give in. Be strong, but not to strong, not threating, never stronger than a man. Be there to make the man look good but don't outshine him.

She is learning a lot about her self through the story as well. Not knowing how others are feeling and how that effects you. Not wanting to hurt a friend but also knowing you two want the same thing or person.

This feels very coming of age, in all the good ways.


Thank you Netgalley and Humanoids Inc for allowing me to read this for an honest review.
#TotalSuplexoftheHeart #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers

I went into this blind and I wasn't sure when I started if I would like it however as it went on I understood the main character a little better. This was an ok afternoon read, I'm not sure if I was the intended audience.

Total Suplex of the Heart is a great autobiographical story about a journalist going undercover in a local hardcore wrestling promotion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Humanoids Inc for the ARC.

Could not get into it, sadly. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I appreciate that this is a biography graphic novel, and I always find it tough to give a less-than-favorable review. I thought the premise was quite intriguing, but I felt that the execution could have been improved. There were quite a few important issues brought up, but it seemed like many of them weren’t fully explored or resolved. Some moments did make me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I want to highlight that the artwork was really fantastic! want to highlight that the artwork was really fantastic!

Realmente quería disfrutar de TOTAL SUPLEX OF THE HEART pero no está exento de fallos. El principal de ellos: la historia se siente bastante desconectada, como si estuviéramos saltando de un momento de la vida de Georgie a otro, sin ninguna transición. Un minuto, una Georgie sin entrenar está tratando de conseguir trabajo en el ring local; al siguiente, ya está actuando con otros luchadores. Ella y Steve tal vez están saliendo, luego - ¡bam! - se une a él en PA. Georgie es acosada sexualmente e incluso agredida en varios puntos de la historia, y luego el tema simplemente... ¿se deja de lado? Incluso la recuperación de Georgie de un trastorno alimentario se siente un poco demasiado fácil; casi anticlimática, de hecho. Tal vez sea porque leí el ARC, pero la historia me pareció un poco sin pulir.

Por el lado positivo, las ilustraciones son encantadoras, y hay suficientes referencias a PARKS AND REC como para satisfacer a la sirena terrestre poética y noble que llevamos dentro. También me encantaron las escenas con JT y su madre - hubiera querido ver más de esos dos.

A fictionalized account of the author's journey as a female wrestler, exploring the challenges of toxic relationships, the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated sport, and battles with eating disorders. Blending humor and raw honesty, it tackles heavy issues with an unfiltered voice. Perfect for fans of the film Fighting with My Family.