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)

What an adorable queer teen graphic novel! This is incredibly well rounded and delightfully sweet. It’s also age appropriate and takes the time to cover a myriad hard hitting subjects with grace and compassion. The only thing I wasn’t interested in was the few pages of the fictional manga book throughout, but the artwork overall was spectacular. Highly recommend.

4⭐️

First, thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC.

Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley is a POC-led WLW graphic novel.

I absolutely loved Neesha and Gabby’s relationship and their characters were incredibly realistic. The art was equally stunning.

I also adored the whole idea of the book club and the role that the shared love for the manga played in the evolution of their relationship.

TW: PTSD, biphobia, death of parent, emotional abuse, toxic relationships

I had a wonderful time reading this book. Both characters were well developed, and I loved seeing their relationship grow, and how the characters evolved with each other. I thought the representation present was well done, including a lesbian, disabled MC, and a Latinx, bisexual MC struggling with grief and PTSD. I also enjoyed how the book included snippets of the book series that brought the two girls together. The art style was lovely to look at, and I will definitely think about picking up this author's other books.

Thank you so much for letting me read this graphic novel. This is a very tender and relateble story. And the art is so cool.

Very hard to not have a biased POV, but I simply can not find much to fault this story because there were far to many aspects of this story were I felt SO SEEN and it was such a simple concept but It held its own and stood firm and tall.
ART- SUPERB
STORY- HEARTWARMING
ME BY THE END- COMPLETLY CRUSHED

I loved this so much!!! One of my favorite graphic novels now, I'm so happy to have a graphic novel with sapphic, POC, and disability representation.. The story was perfect, well-developed, made sense, and was entertaining to read. I also loved that it took me more than an hour to read as I go through most graphic novels in 20-30 minutes. The characters were also great, I felt connected to each of them and their stories, and their relationship was also done magnificently. The art was done beautifully, I loved the colors as well as the drawings themselves. I also really enjoyed the snippets of Navigator Nozomi that the author included throughout the novel! Overall I would 100% recommend this to anyone and everyone, 5 stars from me!

Thanks you to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing an egalley with me ahead of the books publication.

I really enjoyed the character dynamics here. I love the casual undermining of racist and ableist Tropes from other characters. I also love how different the main characters are. They're the odd couple. I do feel like they looked a little similar (even with different skin colors and clothes) which I found distracting yet I love how they used fandom to relate to each other. That's been my experience too.

The storytelling didn't totally work for my but I did enjoy the character development generally.

Three stars.

Rating: 4.25

Themes / Representation:
Disability rep
PTSD
Cerebral Palsy
LGBTQIA+
Sapphic / WLW
Manga
Book Club
High School
POC MC

Content Warnings: abusive relationship, death of a parent, minor homophobia, ableism

A fantastic and fun story of two girls becoming friends (and maybe more!) Neesha and Gabby are both new in town and become fast friends. After finding out they both love the same manga series that neither had finished - off they go onto a quest to find the volumes and finally finish the series. But as they grow closer as friends, they learn more about themselves and each other - and a growing spark forms between them.

I absolutely loved each character! They each had their strengths and weaknesses, and worked together. No miscommunication trope here! I loved how the Neesha and Gabby talked to each other and learnt to be vulnerable with one another, having clear boundaries and communication.
The artwork was gorgeous and the story was well paced, but the clear highlight was the characters. If you like character-driven stories - this one’s for you!
Overall, a gorgeous sapphic romance I recommend to everyone!