What a cute and wholesome graphic novel. While the cover will attract romance fans, the content will have wider appeal. Great disability rep on both sides and a sweet romance, and the meta manga story was a nice touch! Also, the parents were fantastic.

Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley is a heartwarming and inspiring graphic novel that beautifully blends adventure, friendship, and personal growth. With relatable characters, captivating artwork, and a focus on overcoming challenges, Whitley delivers a story that’s both uplifting and empowering. A perfect read for those who enjoy stories of resilience and meaningful connections.

I think I just read one of the best book ever. This book was everything I love in books!!! Inclusivity, wlw, social issues, mental health.

I just loved the characters (except you Josh. If I find you Josh….) and most of all, their beautiful and healthy relationships. I particularly LOVED how CP was included in the story.

Tbh, I don’t know if I want to be them or be with them!!!

Reading the book made me giggle, smile, kick my feet, cry, think and so much more.

I loved EVERYTHING in this book. There is not one thing I didn’t like. It was just perfect!

This was a lovely graphic novel. I loved the art and the diverse set of characters (lesbian, bisexual, POC, disabilities) And the fact that these to fell into friendship and love while navigating life in general and grief and mental health in particular.

Tbh, though, I didn’t really read the manga pages after the first one. I guess they had a purpose, but I mostly thought they took up space that could have been left out. I do think this story would be awesome for a teenager figuring out their place or just wanting to read a sweet story about everyday life with a dash of love.

/ Denise

Navigating with you is such a sweet book!! I love it so much!!!!! A thousand million billion stars!!

Two teen girls are navigating a new space as they both recently moved from their hometowns. They discover they both loved a manga series that is hard to find, and decide to challenge each other to find the books and start a book club. There's a diverse cast and it is a story about figuring out they love each other, but this just became painful to read. I actually disliked the interspersed sections from the manga even though it helped the characters figure out their feelings and confidence. This is a good book for teens who are struggling with new relationships and helping determine what is healthy and what isn't, but it doesn't work well for other age groups.

I'm going to start by saying this is one of the sweetest books I've read in a long time. I've picked up other things by Jeremy Whitley but this is the first that I've finished. After reading this however it makes me want to get back to some of his works like Princeless.

Naviating with You is a charming POC led sapphic romance, that brings together two young women from very different backgrounds. Neesha Sparks is a disabled vocal community activist who loves costume design. While Gabby Graciana appears to be a happy-go-lucky surfer. The two of them both start a new school on the same day. And while Neesha isn't looking for friends she stands up for Gabby when the principal is harassing her. Causing Gabby to stop at nothing to be her friend.

Though they are two very different people the two of them realize that they have something in common. They both love the manga, Naviagtor Nozomi. When neither of them can find the books anywhere they start a competition together challenging each other to find the seven volumes of the manga. The prize is that the winner gets to keep the manga, and while they are collecting it they start a little bookclub.

Through their collecting we learn more about the two young women. Gabby's issues with her own bisexuality and the death of her mother, and Neesha's issues surrounding her disability and past broken hearts.

Together as they collect the volumes the two of them become closer. Neesha is the one to fall first, resigning herself to just being Gabby's friend, as the other girl is long distance dating a boy who isn't treating her right.

However as Gabby gets to know Neesha she starts to recognize the signs of her boyfriend's insensitivity and mistreatment of her. The development of their relationship is mirrored by two characters in the manga they are reading Nozomi and Kazane.

They both grow as people and together as they search for the different volumes of manga. The two of them going to an comic convention to find the final volume of the manga and telling the mangaka the story of their romance. She gifts them the seventh volume of the manga, letting them know of how her own own romance inspired the manga.

This book was a five star read, very cute, good artwork and a great message

This book was so incredibly cute! I felt like I really got to know the characters throughout. I love seeing the diversity in the cast, something I wish we had more of. Overall an amazing read

This was a lovely graphic novel about two girls connecting over their shared mission to find and read every issue of a rare manga series. With sapphic and POC lead characters, one of whom is disabled, it's a diverse story. It tackles topics of love, friendship, ableism, emotionally abusive and unhealthy relationships, grief, trauma, identity, the impact of media, and more.
As someone who has needed to use mobility aids a variety of times in the past, the depiction of disability really resonated with me. I don't have the same condition as the character in this book. The experiences of being a young person with a disability in a world that's not always accessible or understanding is highly relatable though. I really appreciate the portrayal.

A thoughtful graphic novel which skillfully handles diversity and disability while delivering an entertaining, satisfying sapphic romance between a passionate community activist and a chill surfer who bond over a shared love of an old manga series. The story is engaging, and the art is absolutely perfect for depicting Whitley's heroines as they tackle everyday life and their growing connection.

I love reading stories where queer love is celebrated. This made me nostalgic for some of my own previous relationships, especially those which I had in my first few years of queer relationships. Really enjoyed this.

A lovely coming-of-age story!! It was so pleasing to see two people bond over a shared interest, it made me nostalgic for high school because I’ve also made friends through mangas. The GN takes time to establish each MC while simultaneously developing their relationship which was great to see blossom.

The drawings are cute, and it was nice to see pages of the manga. I loved how it mirrored Gabby’s relationship and that through discussions with Neesha about their respective interpretations she realised she might not be in a healthy relationship and started implementing boundaries.

This GN tackled many interesting themes like living with a disability, dealing with grief, being a child of divorce, and biphobia. But there were so many that not all of them got explored as deeply as I would’ve liked. However, they’re still important to depict in books, especially in YA. I also thought that a few scenes ended a little abruptly. That said, it was still an enjoyable read!!

Thanks to Frank and Maverick for sending me a finished copy as well ✨

This graphic novel was a delightfully sweet slice of life love story. I loved how the girls bonded over manga, a genre that many queer kids find comfort in. They both really embrace one another's nerdiness, which is very cute! I would read more about Neesha and Gabby for sure. As they say at the end of the book, this is only volume one of their love story ❤️❤️

Thank you Maverick for a copy of Navigating With You!

“Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley is a heartwarming & uplifting read that will resonate deeply with fans of LGBTQIA+ romance, particularly those who appreciate stories about disability representation, queer relationships, and the power of found friendship & love.”

Navigating With You is such a comforting read! It’s filled with heartwarming moments while not shying away from heavier issues, such as ableism and PTSD. Intersectionality was handled wonderfully -- Neesha’s identity as a lesbian Black girl with cerebral palsy and Gabby’s identity as a bisexual Latina with anxiety/PTSD. Each character was well developed, although the romance (personally) felt a bit rushed! But maybe that's why we need another volume :).

Highly recommend this for those who enjoyed Stars in Their Eyes!

I will absolutely be getting my own copy of this, it is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Absolutely loved the characters and the plot. This book is the perfect blend of sweet and emotional.

This was really good! This book had it all, from the beautiful artwork to the storyline that alternates between graphic novel and manga styles. Wholesome and heartwarming, with a positive conclusion and nice characters, diverse in many ways. This really hooked me, totally recommended!

This is one of the best queer graphic novels I‘ve read in a ling time.

The art style is captivating - from the character design to the colour palette to the expressions and backgrounds - I really love this work of art.

The storyline is also very strong and tender at the same time. It shows the depth of a good friendship, of inclusivity as well as exclusion and the obstacles people have to face when they are disabled, queer or BIPoC (or simply female). It shows different approaches to dealing with difficulties, pain and loss as well as the power that being genuinely nice and understanding to each other have.

I loved the way the book-club reads are worked into the story. It also shows the talent of the artist through working with different art styles as well as genres.

All in all this is one of my new favourite graphic novels in both categories - art style and storyline.

"This was a heartwarming and adorable story. It's fairly complex with some heavy themes in parts, but it was well written and executed. I loved the art style and the distinct characterization of each character; you can definitely tell them apart. I also appreciated that the parents were well-developed and didn't feel like filler characters.

4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5 because WHY NOT!!!

Anyway, my year has just been filled with manga and graphic novels and I have been living my best life because of it! And so, this did notttt disappoint! It's a wonderful book that would certainly leave you wanting more. As much as I wanted to read it in one go, I had responsibilities so I read this in the span of one week:( But I wouldn't say it ruined the reading experience? I think it's even better because the story and characters stayed with me for the whole week. Such a good book that I recommend to everyone!

This was SO good!!!!!

First of all, I love both of the main characters with my whole heart. Neesha is a disabled, vocal community activist who loves costume design. And Gabby is such a sweetheart and a surfer! They both start in a new school and become fast friends after they discover they both like the same manga series - which neither of them ever finished! The two grow close as they track down the volumes of the manga series.

This is such a sweet story of falling in love and accepting yourself just as you are and also being gentle with yourself and forgiving yourself for past mistakes. I might have cried too.

I think Neesha's disability was portrayed wonderfully! I have sadly read a lot of bad disability rep.... That scene near the end of her using her wheelchair made me sob. She is such a badass and strong person, I love her. And the same goes absolutely for Gabby for everything she has gone through!

I really like the art style too as well as the use of colours. I think it was a great choice to keep the manga parts in black and white, so I never had to wonder which story I was reading. (I would absolutely read Navigator Nozomi too!) If I had to say something negative, it would be about the amount of text on some pages. Some pages were just overwhelming to look at because it was mostly text but that might not bother everyone. I personally struggle following the correct order of text and my dyslexia makes itself known.

Otherwise, truly a great book. Would highly recommend to anyone! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!


TRIGGER WARNINGS:
- ptsd, death of a parent, grief, biphobia, ableism (+ toxic relationship and body shaming, these are more of mention and not as graphic)